A Game Of Temptation

The flight was short and uneventful.

I admit that it was mostly-okay, entirely-because I spent the time over-thinking my and Alex’s…relationship…to death. The fact that he’d been right there hadn’t helped either.

He’d wanted to sit with me, I could tell, but then he’d taken one look at my face and swivelled right, opting to sit next to Drew instead. Apparently, I didn’t give Drew enough credit for his observatory skills because he’d witnessed the whole thing-the wink he’d given me after was confirmation enough.

I’d rolled my eyes and looked way.

Not surprisingly, Drew and I had gotten closer over the month and we had plans of having coffee together when we’d all settled back into our normal daily routines. He knew the status of my relationship with Alex but he didn’t know that I’d agreed to meet with him when we got back, mainly because he didn’t need to know. Plus, it hadn’t come up in any of our conversations.

That was why he knew that Alex and I were fucking each other’s brains out, and the others didn’t. They only had suspicions that none of them could confirm except we-me and Alex-told them-or they caught us red-handed, which was highly unlikely.

Now, Alex might be stubborn-as-hell and just as ruthless when he wanted to get his way, but he also knew that he’d technically strong-armed me into agreeing too see him off Miami grounds-which, obviously, I was not happy about-and making a statement by sitting with me would have been pushing it.

I was a rubber band being stretched, my world and what I was used to, being distorted. There was only so much I could take before I reached my limit and snapped.

When we landed, Balery engulfed me in a hug. “I’ll text you when we get home. Remember we still have to-” Whatever she’d been about to say died on her lips as her eyes trailed over my shoulder. A mischievous smile settled on her lips and I knew that whatever was about to happen, it was only going to be fun for one of us. And it wasn’t me.

Then I felt a presence behind me that caused the hair at my nape to stand on end.

It would be childish, pretending that I didn’t know someone was there-or who that person was-but I guess along with my Economics degree, I had bagged one in stupidity as well because I kept on standing stiffly with my back to him, pleading with Balery with widened eyes to save me. To not walk away.

A twinkle in her eyes, she turned and walked away, and I was left staring at her retreating back.

A throat cleared behind me and I groaned inwardly.

God, this is going to be so awkward.

I turned and sucked in a startled breath. Damn, but the man was handsome. More handsome than he’d been when we first met. How was that even possible?

Maybe he had super powers that made him appear more attractive by the day. Or maybe he was an incubus. That would explain a lot of things. For example, how he was so effing sexy, so good in bed, and how he made me come back to him over and over again even after I’d told myself that I wouldn’t.

Perhaps he had me under a spell.

It was then that I realised that we had been staring at each other without saying anything. Two fucking creeps.

“You look-”

“Do you-”

We stopped. Our eyes met.

His lips twitched with suppressed laughter. “You go first.”

“You look good.” I said honestly. “Miami is-was very good for you.”

It was the truth. His tan had grown deeper from the days spent lying under the sun, which made his green eyes just that much more greener-and intense-and his teeth, whiter.

His lips parted in surprise, whether because he hadn’t needed to force me into having a conversation with him or because I’d complimented him, I didn’t know.

He blinked, regaining himself. “I-Thank you.” I thought I saw faint colour stain his cheekbones, but I couldn’t be sure. “I was going to ask. Do you need a ride?”

Oh.

He wanted to give me a ride. How very thoughtful of him.

“I already ordered one. The car should be here any moment from now.” At that exact moment, my phone beeped, notifying me that the driver had arrived and was waiting for me. I waved it at him so he would know that I wasn’t just brushing him off, although I wasn’t sure why I suddenly cared what he thought. “Thanks for offering though.” I said, forcing a grin.

There was a brief flash of disappointment in his eyes, then he blinked and it was gone.

I was all out of sorts. His presence was familiar and oddly soothing, but it also made me edgy and I hated it when I was on edge. It made me feel like everyone was onto me, like they could see through me and read my thoughts the way one read an open book.

That was how I felt right now. I couldn’t let him know that he made me nervous. Nothing good could come of it.

“Of course,” was all he said, and I managed to drag my eyes away from his green ones long enough to glance around. All the others had left and it was remaining just me and Alex-and a sleek black sedan parked several feet away from us.

My instincts told me that the sedan was his ride. I didn’t know much about cars-I definitely wasn’t a car freak-but if cars could match with people, then this was the perfect one for him. He’d also look hot as hell driving a Range Rover.

I blinked. When had I suddenly developed a car fetish?

Tightening my grip on the handle of my luggage, I looked up at him. My breath hitched when I saw that he’d been watching me this entire time. “So, I’ll see you?”

In that moment, I wished I had the ability to fast forward the hands of time to when I was safely in the car, on my way home.

When he just kept on staring at me, a glazed look settling over his eyes that had me wondering if he’d even heard me at all, I hiked my clutch higher on the shoulder of my left hand and turned, prepared to walk away.

Alex was starting to give me stalker vibes. Okay, maybe stalker was pushing it a bit too far. The word, crazy, was more fitting.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I didn’t believe in false humility. I knew that I was pretty-I saw myself almost everyday in the mirror and I got a lot of compliments-but I wasn’t that pretty. Pretty enough to render a man speechless, I mean.

Before I could slip away, his hand snagged around mine, stopping me. I turned to him with raised brows.

“I don’t have your number.”

I opened my mouth. Then closed it again because, shit. He didn’t have my number.

I groaned inwardly, recalling how I’d casually said ‘I’ll see you’ and turned to walk away. How had I planned on us communicating? Sending a pigeon back and forth with handwritten letters?

He pulled out his cell and I rattled off my digits to him. He dialled it immediately so that I’d be able to save his number, and only then did he let me go.

I made sure to tip the driver and give him five stars for his patience before dragging my luggage into the building and the elevator. Maybe it was because I just saw him less than an hour ago, but standing in an elevator suddenly reminded me of how Alex and I met. It had been lust at first sight, and seeing how the sexual tension between us hadn’t dulled at all, I realised there was no way we would have been able to walk away from each other that night. The pull between us was just too strong. Near impossible to fight.