With his hands still in his pockets, his body pivoted toward me, and he stared at me with a cold expression. His boyish charm was gone, and now there was a terrifying coldness about him. His eyes didn’t blink as they looked into mine, and he held the silence like he thrived in it. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
He slowly raised an eyebrow, and that serious expression deepened into a terrifying one. “I can get a woman anywhere, anytime. I don’t need to follow a client like this to get a date.”
“So, I’m supposed to be flattered?” I asked sarcastically.
“A little.”
I rolled my eyes before I started to walk again.
Instead of that being the end of our conversation, he caught up with me. “Annabella.” My name rolled off his tongue so well, so elegant when spoken in his masculine tone.
The sound got me to stop walking, but I didn’t know why. “It’s Anna.”
He faced me again. “I prefer Annabella. Why would you want to shorten such a beautiful name?”
My mother had been the only one who liked to use my full name. Everyone else preferred the nickname. “I should get going. I’m already late.”
His eyes darkened like he knew I was lying. “I know what you’re going to say, but I’m going to ask anyway.”
When he’d dropped by the restaurant, I was annoyed because Liam had done that so many times. He assumed if he pestered me enough times, I might change my mind. Seeing another guy do the same thing brought back all those feelings of frustration. I had to remind myself that Damien wasn’t my ex-husband, that he couldn’t possibly understand where I was coming from.
He paused as he stared at me, taking in my features for a full minute before he continued speaking. “Let me take you out.”
I probably should have been flattered that a handsome, tall, muscular, rich guy came all the way down to my waitress job just to ask me out, but I wasn’t in the headspace to be flattered. I was still a mess from my divorce and particularly bitter about it. I was in my midtwenties and already divorced—my life wasn’t going well. “I’m not interested in dating right now.” I thought about giving him more of an explanation, but that shouldn’t be necessary. He knew I was divorced.
“Are you interested in fucking?” He asked the question with such confidence, it was obvious he had asked the same question before. With his straight shoulders thick and powerful, he held his body like a strong man who was nothing but muscle underneath that suit. He didn’t even blink as he asked something so blunt, like he had said worse things in his life.
“You just said you have no problem getting women, so you don’t need me for that.”
He took a step closer to me, bringing our bodies just inches from each other. His green eyes slightly shifted back and forth as he looked into mine. “True. But you’re the woman I wanna get.”
I’d been with other men since Liam, casual rendezvous that were just about physical satisfaction. The first few were awkward because I was getting used to being with someone else besides my husband. The others were fine, but not great. The best I’d ever had was Liam, and I was disappointed I couldn’t find anyone to replace him. Damien would probably be the same. “I’m not in the right place right now.”
His eyes dimmed in disappointment. “I’m not asking anything from you. No expectations, no commitments, no explanations. I am kinda going through something myself…and I’m in a pretty dark place. I understand how you feel.”
That was the first thing he’d said that actually intrigued me. I’d felt alone in this because I lost everyone close to me. I didn’t have any friends, relatives… I was on my own. It would be nice to have someone…a friend. “You’re divorced?”
“Pretty much.”
“You’re either divorced, or you’re not.”
“I said no explanations.”
Now, I was more intrigued. “I may be bitter about my divorce, but I won’t be with a man who’s made a commitment to someone else. I won’t be the other woman. That’s nonnegotiable.”
“Then we have no problem. I have no commitments.”
I stared at him with slight confusion because I wasn’t sure what I’d just agreed to. One moment I was walking away from him, and now I was talking about a physical relationship I had somehow entered into.
“So, I can call you some time, Annabella?” He spoke in that same deep voice, looked at me with those same deep eyes. When he was serious, he was so potent I could feel his energy in my blood.
“Yeah…I guess. Let me give you my number.”
“I already have it.” He turned and walked away.
32
Damien
I’d never chased down a woman.
Not once.
Most of the time, women came to me. Maybe they just wanted good sex. Maybe they wanted to be taken out to a place they could never afford on their own. Maybe they just wanted to make their ex jealous. Whatever the reason, they came to me.
Annabella was different. Cash and suits didn’t impress her. She wasn’t afraid to start over and get her hands dirty. So, I really had nothing to offer her, nothing that would catch her attention.
Until I told her I had my own problems.
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. But if our relationship was just physical, I guess it didn’t make a difference. Ever since she’d stepped into my office, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. A part of me wanted to help her. A part of me wanted to know all the details of her divorce. And another part of me just wanted to fuck her.
With Hades gone, I felt isolated. Sofia was my only other friend…but I’d burned that bridge. Every time I looked at her, I had to think about the asshole I despised. I already had to deal with him at work, so I didn’t want to think about him a second longer than I had to.
It really did feel like a divorce.
We hated each other, and we hated each other because there had been feelings there once…a long time ago.
I waited a few days before I called her because I had shit to do. The Skull King stopped by and wanted to have a conversation, but I wasn’t going to crawl to him like some obedient servant. So, I was working a lot preparing for that unexpected visit. With Maddox gone, I was running the city and the entire country. It was a lot of territory for one person, and I lost a lot of sleep because I was too busy making money. The bank was hectic too. It made me wonder if Hades could really handle it if I did step away.
I doubted it.
I sat in my office at the end of the day, leaning back in my chair. I dialed the number into the phone and stared at the screen before I finally had the courage to connect the call. I’d never been a nervous guy, even with a gun pointed at my head, but this woman made me nervous. She was different from the others, smart and independent. She was even different from Sofia.
It rang a couple times before she answered. With a deep voice that was soft as a rose petal, she answered. “Hello?” She possessed an innate level of professionalism, like a secretary. But there was always a hint of unmistakable sass. She didn’t take shit, and she subtly gave off that vibe.