“Well, a better friend would look after his buddy and not try to hit on me.”
“First, I’m glad you’re acknowledging that I’m hitting on you, because I am. And secondly, he's going to be like that whether I'm here or not. Long as I keep my eyes on him, he'll be fine.”
“You sound like he's drinking his blues away or something.”
“Damn, you’re smart. That's another reason why I like you.”
Eden points to me. “If you're looking for smart, that's your girl. And secondly, one conversation is not long enough to grasp whether you like me or not. Beyond our first date, I can turn into a raging lunatic.”
“Is she a raging lunatic?” he asks me.
I’m barely paying attention to their weird way of flirting. All I want to know is why Hercules needs to drink away his blues. And he’s leaning against me again. I don’t want him to move away. I love the way his solid bicep feels against my arm. He’s so strong. Also, my body is having another reaction to him, one I can’t control. I’m pretty sure the crotch of my panties is soaked. My nipples are sizzling too. My brain might be confused about what to make of Hercules’s nearness, but my body isn’t. I’m staring into his lidded eyes again. My lips are parted, and I want to maul his mouth.
Suddenly, his eyes open a bit wider. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”
Shit, he’s talking to me. “Yes.”
“No,” Eden objects.
My eyes scold her, but how can I tell her that I’ve been waiting for him to ask me that all my life?
“He’s drunk. He’s not driving her while drunk,” Eden says.
“He’s Hercules fucking Valentine, Eden. There’s a chauffeur and a fancy car out front, waiting to take him wherever he wants to go.”
My neck is warm as Hercules’s waiting gaze remains on me. I must look away even if I don’t want to. “Get under to get over,” I say to Eden.
She studies Hercules for a moment and then turns to Nero. “Then how are you getting home?”
He grins from ear to ear. “You.”
* * *
I can’t stop shivering,and my legs are weak as, like the pied piper, he leads me through the restaurant. He’s wobbly, obviously beyond three sheets to the wind. A pinch of remorse rises up inside me, and I almost want to call it off—almost. As far as I’m concerned, no one exists but us. Every pleasure receptor in my body has sprung to life. I’m also fighting the urge to hyperventilate.
What just happened back at the table? Is this going to happen? Will the night end with Hercules Valentine on top of me, inside me?
We walk outside, and I’m way too nervous to feel the chill in the air. But I fold my arms anyway as Hercules trots ahead of me and opens the back door of a black Mercedes-Benz with tinted windows. I hesitate before stepping toward our chariot. I want to make sure he knows what he’s doing. Hell, I want to make sure I know what I’m doing. In less than forty-eight hours, I’ve run into Hercules twice. What does this mean? Is it a sign that he and I are meant to share these moments together?
He's waiting patiently, and his gaze smolders. He knows I'm going to get into that car and go wherever he takes me. I bet no girl rejects Hercules Valentine. And when my feet shuffle me closer to my destiny, it becomes clear I won't be the first girl to ever tell him no.
I’m still shaking as my back presses against the soft white leather seat. He closes me in. There’s no turning back. I can hardly believe how excited I am down there as he walks around the back of the car. A tinted window between the front and back seat rolls up. I focus on the back of the driver’s head, waiting for him to turn to catch a glimpse of me through the rearview mirror. But he remains laser focused on the road ahead. Maybe Hercules does this a lot, picking up random girls at a bar.
There's so much to take in at once. I look at the empty bottles on the floor as Hercules’s door opens. It looks like he’s been doing a lot of drinking lately, and I still wonder why that is. I’m out of the loop when it comes to hearing about the goings-on with the Valentines.
Now he’s in the car, watching me with come-hither eyes. I swear, I’m going to pass out if he keeps looking at me that way. The car moves. When I turn away from him to pull my seat belt down, Hercules puts his hand over mine. With one touch, the sensation of tiny particles spreading through my cells wells up in my arm. He doesn’t move as we stare into each other’s eyes.
“You’re the girl I ran into yesterday.” His words drag.
I nod tightly. Finally, he takes his hand off mine and flops back against his seat. I let go of my seat belt as he rests his head on the cushion and inhales deeply through his nose.
The car rolls along, and I’m not sure if me being that girl from yesterday is a good or bad thing. His eyes are still closed.Has he passed out?Then I quicken when he turns and rests the side of his head on the seat as his hazy gaze laps me up.
Say something…
“Are you okay?” I suspend breathing, waiting for him to answer.
“You’re beautiful.”
