Текст книги "Next-Door Incubus"

Автор книги: Emilia Rose

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

The thought of it excited me, and this was the first thing that I was looking forward to in the past week.

A game with Eros.

Who’d succumb to the other first?

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CHAPTER 19

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Dani

After our date, Eros stood next to me in the elevator, leaning against a shiny—almost shimmering—silver wall and stared at me. His eyes were dark, hooded, and oh-so-sultry. This was going to be harder than I thought. I didn’t know how the hell I was going to win this, but I knew damn well that I was going to try. And, if I didn’t, what would be the worst that could happen? We have sex and I do, in fact, have a heart attack.

I shifted from foot to foot, feeling the warmth pool between my legs, and hoped that the doors to our floor would finally open. “So, how do you know Kasey?”

“She’s my sister.”

My eyes widened. “Your sister?” Why didn’t she tell me? God, I’d been telling her everything about Eros. And by everything, I meant everything. From the first day that I met him to the bar incident. She knew every single intimate detail.

“That would explain a lot,” I said.

He chuckled, his shirt tightening against his chest when he did. “Are we that much alike?”

“Yes.” They both seemed… turned on—all the time.

The doors to the elevator opened, and I stepped out as quickly as possible. It was getting hot in there. Eros walked me to my door, hand dangerously close to mine. “I had a good time,” he said, posting a hand against the door frame, the muscles in his arm flexing.

My eyes fell upon his lips for a moment. “Me too.”

Keep your cool, Dani. Remember: You will not break first.

He smirked, leaned down, and grazed his nose against mine. “We’ll have to do it again sometime,” he mumbled to me.

His lips were so close to mine. So damn close. His breath was sending me into a daze, the way it did the first time I met him. I didn’t even know how he was doing it. All I knew was that I wanted more. More of him. More of this.

I’d been craving the feeling of his lips against mine since the day I met him. And I had the chance to close the distance. I stood on my toes, bringing my lips closer to his—waiting for him to close the distance. My fingers traveled up his torso.

“I thought you didn’t want me to kiss you.” He smirked against my neck.

Don’t do it, Dani.

I stopped myself from falling into his little trance and mirrored his smirk. “I don’t.”

He trailed his nose down my jaw, and I suppressed the urge to shiver at his touch. He brushed his lips against my ear. “You do, Dani,” he said. I dug my fingernails into his chest. “But if you want to break me, you’re going to have to try harder than this.”

Then, he stepped away from me with that stupid smirk on his face like he had total control of me. And, for a moment, I swore he did.

I took a deep breath and smoothed out my jacket. I needed to find a way to get under his skin. I needed to find his weakness. But, most importantly, I needed to step up my game. It was time to show him that he wasn’t the only one who could play. And I knew just the way to get the upper hand.

As soon as Dr. U let me off of work, I hurried to Kasey’s apartment—determined to get all of my answers. She hopped onto her couch and curled into Aarav’s arm. “How was the date?”

I raised a brow and threw a pillow at her. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were setting me up with Eros?”

“So…” She smirked. “Last night was good?”

“That’s not the point!” The point was that, even after our date, my mind was buzzing with thoughts of him. I couldn’t get him out of my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his fingers brushing against my cheek, down my hips, up the insides of my thighs. And it was getting awfully tempting to just crumble beneath his fingers.

“Why didn’t you at least tell me that he was your brother?”

She grinned. “That wasn’t important at the time.”

The only thing I thought was weird about this whole situation was that she knew Eros would like me dressed as a demon for Halloween. She surely didn’t dress me as one for Trevon. But what was even more bizarre was that I literally dreamt of him as a demon with those horns.

Kasey grabbed my hand. “Tell us about it!”

“We just… talked,” I said. I scratched the back of my head, wanting to tell her about the game we were playing. I needed her to help me get the upper hand, but knowing that she was his sister made it a bit awkward.

“That’s it?” She sat on her knees. “Come on, you can tell me! I know that you’re dying to. And, besides, Eros and I tell each other everything.”

I took a deep breath. “We’re playing this game.”

Aarav raised an eyebrow. “A game?” he asked. So, I explained the game—from how it started to the lack of rules to how I nearly lost already. And, when I was done, Aarav shook his head. “Good luck with that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d give it a couple days before you break,” he said.

Kasey slapped his arm. “What he means is that Eros will be… well… he’s good at this type of thing.”

My brows furrowed, and my heart clenched. Was this something he did all the time? With other girls? Maybe he’s played this game a million times before, and I was just someone else that he could play with.

“Does he do this often? With other people, I mean?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. I can’t even remember the last time he even liked someone enough to play with them.”

“I can’t remember the last time he liked anyone,” Aarav said.

Kasey turned to him, brows furrowed together. “He liked one of my friends. They were dating for a couple of months last year.”

Was that who Luci was? The woman who kept calling him when I was with him?

Aarav snorted. “He didn’t like her. She was a pet to him.”

“She was not.”

“Yes, she was.”

“No, she wa—”

“A pet?” I asked.

“Like… uh…” Kasey said, gazing at Aarav for support.

“Like a friend with benefits,” Aarav said.

I nodded my head, not wanting to know any more about Eros’s past lovers and what he did with them. I was still trying to figure out his true intentions with me. All I hoped was that I wasn’t a pastime for him like everyone else had been.

Right now, it was mostly physical between us. But I wanted more, craved more, desired more.

Kasey crawled over to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I think you have what it takes to break him.”

Aarav raised his brows. “You think.”

Kasey stood and pulled me up with her. “Yes! Look at how sexy she is.” She stood back, gaze raking down my body. I didn’t miss the way Aarav’s did too. “Eros won’t be able to resist you, especially after I give you all the tricks.” She lightly bumped her hip into mine. “I’ll show you everything tomorrow. We have a date with Mycah tonight.”

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CHAPTER 20

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Dani

I peeked out the elevator doors, glancing down the hallways to make sure Eros wasn’t in the hall. Kasey told me to keep my distance from him until she showed me all the tricks. Twenty-four hours Eros-free should be easy, right?

When I knew that the coast was clear, I hurried to my apartment, gaze remaining on his door. If it opened and he walked out, I’d be done for. I needed to win this game against him. I wanted to get him back for frustrating me all the damn time. I wanted sweet and sinful revenge.

After fumbling with my key, I finally pushed my door open and rushed in. I made it. No flirting with me tonight, Eros. Too late for—

Eros, Zane, and Maria were sitting at the kitchen table, each with a plate of pizza in front of them.

Damn it.

“Dani!” Maria said, grease on the corner of her lip. She placed the open pizza box on top of a closed one, making room for me. “Come eat with us.”

Eros leaned back in his seat, tattooed arms resting on the table, biceps flexing. I gulped. His forest green sweater was clinging to his chest, his lips were set in a soft smirk, and his eyes were fixed on me.

“I can’t,” I said quickly, peeling my gaze away from Eros.

“Why not?” Eros said, brow cocked.

“Because…” I fiddled with the zipper on my coat. “I need to go take a nap.”

Wow, Dani. That was the best you could come up with?

Eros pulled out a chair next to him. “Oh, come on. It’s just a slice of pizza.”

“Maybe later.”

Maria stood and snatched my wrist, her blonde flyaways falling into her face. “Dani, I need to talk to you for a minute.” She pulled me into the farthest corner of the living room. “You’re not leaving.”

“I’m not staying,” I said.

“Eros is here. Why don’t you just get to know him? It’d be good for you.”

Little did she know that he was exactly who I was trying to avoid. “No, Maria.” I gazed at Eros who was turned away from me.

“Don’t you ever want to have some real fun, instead of just dreaming about all the things he could do to you?”

“No.” But, oh, I did.

“Don’t you want him to touch you like he does in your dreams?”

“No.”

“Kiss you?”

“Maria.”

“Fuck yo—” I slapped my hand over her mouth.

Sure, Eros knew that I dreamt of him. But I didn’t need him knowing that I had dreams of him doing dirty things to me. That’d be beyond embarrassing.

Maria removed my hand. “Girl, he’s right there—wanting to actually do those things to you. Stop hiding from him.”

My eyes widened, and I glanced over at him again. He was talking to Zane, but his gaze was on me. I could only imagine that he heard every single word of our conversation, knew that I, in fact, had dreamt of him many times.

“I’m going to take a nap, Maria.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Then I’m going to tell him.”

“Tell him what?”

“That you’ve been dreaming of him.”

“He already knows.”

She smirked. “Well, I guess you won’t mind then.” She turned on her heel.

Damn it, Maria. I snatched her arm and yanked her back. “You’re an asshole,” I whisper-yelled at her.

“I’m just trying to get you back on your feet by making sure you get a guy that you deserve.” She grabbed my hand and brought me back to the table, pushing me down in the chair next to Eros. “Great news. Dani is going to eat with us!”

Eros grinned, a hint of triumph in his eyes. I pulled out the chair and sat, stewing. She was so annoying. All I wanted was to continue Project Hermit for one more night. Just one. But everyone had other plans for me.

As soon as Maria sat, she fell into an easy conversation with Zane. I grabbed a piece of pizza, picking the pepperoni off of it and stacking it up on the edge of the plate. I chewed on the inside of my lip, watching the shiny small bubbles of grease roll down the side of the slice as I picked it up.

“Why’re you ignoring me?” Eros asked.

I took a big bite of cheese and wiped my fingers on a napkin. “I’m not.”

“Afraid that you’ll lose?”

I scoffed and put the pizza down. “No.” Yes. 100% yes.

“I think you are.”

“Well”—I narrowed my eyes at him—“I think you’re going to be the one to break first.”

He leaned one forearm against the back of his chair, the other on the table. A few strands of his dark hair fell into his face. “And what makes you think that?”

“You can’t seem to stay away from me.” I pressed my lips together and sat up tall. “You’re everywhere I go. You flirt with me every chance you get.”

“You’re right,” he said, eyeing me. I raised my brows, not expecting him to agree so blatantly with me. “I can’t stay away from you.” He leaned closer. “I think about you more than I should admit.”

My breath nearly caught in my throat. Eros thought about me?

He placed a hand on my knee, fingers grazing against the insides of my thigh. “But I know that you think about me too.”

I parted my lips. He’s just trying to break me. “I-I do not.”

He chuckled, his hand moving higher up my thigh. “You’re a terrible liar, Dani.”

Breathe, Dani. Breathe.

His hand slipped under my skirt.

Oh, my God.

Maria and Zane were too busy flirting with each other to notice what was happening on this side of the table, and I silently cursed them for that.

“You love this, don’t you?” His fingers brushed across the hem of my underwear. I pressed my knees together. I did love it. I loved every single second of it. He leaned closer, breath fanning my ear. “Answer me and I’ll give you what you want.”

Don’t let him break you. Don’t let him win.

“It’s… okay.”

He raised his brows, and I took this as a chance to regain my composure. I sat up and brushed out my skirt. My core was throbbing, aching, begging me to take back what I said. He was more than okay. I wanted more of him.

But I also wanted to win.

“I can’t love something I’m not impressed with,” I said.

His eyes darkened, so dark that I thought that I was in another one of my dreams. “Fair enough.” He sat back and removed his hand from my leg.

Fuck, I didn’t want him to stop. I just wanted to tease him a little, just wanted to break him first.

His jaw was clenched tightly, his gaze fixed on me. Oh, God. Maybe “not impressed” was a bit too harsh.

I glanced at Zane and Maria, trying to ignore his intense stare. They were laughing with each other, then suddenly Maria looked at me. “We’re going to the bar. Do you wanna come?”

“Uh—”

“No, we’re going to stay here,” Eros said, voice tight. My eyes widened, and I found myself nodding along with him.

Maria raised her brows at me. I, on the other hand, tried to give her my best don’t-leave-me-I-don’t-know-what-I-just-got-myself-into look, but she just brushed it off with a smile.

I wanted to follow them because I was stricken in absolute fear that Eros would break me, but I didn’t move. Not even when Maria flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and gazed back at me.

The door closed behind them, and I finally found the strength to stand up. “Well, uh… I’m going to go to my room.”

Eros stood and stared down at me. “Unimpressed by my company now?” He stepped closer to me, and I stepped back, bumping into the table.

“No, Eros… that’s not what I meant.” My heart raced. “I-uh—”

He took another step toward me, and I placed my palms on the table behind me, leaning against it. He pressed his fingers against the front of my skirt, rubbing gently. “What did you mean, Dani?”

I parted my lips and wrapped my fingers under the edge of the table, trying to hold myself steady. “I—”

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

“Hmm?” he asked.

The way he grasped my chin in his hand, stared down at me with irises so black that I could’ve sworn that this was a dream, pressed his fingers into me like he owned me. It was an enthralling kind of dominance. The kind that struck fear right into me.

“I meant that—”

He slipped his fingers under my skirt and dragged them lightly against my panties. I clenched and gripped his wrist, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he began to rub them against my clit—harder and faster than before.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep my breath steady. “Eros,” I breathed. He continued. I dug my nails into his wrist, knees shaking. “Okay. Okay.”

“What was that?”

I didn’t want him to stop. The pressure was building in my core, and I was so close. Yet he slowed his pace, and I groaned.

“Tell me what you meant,” he said. He was staring intently at me, gaze traveling from my eyes to my lips to my legs and watching them shake. When he started to move his fingers faster again, the heat between my legs returned.

Oh, God.

I furrowed my brows. Desperately trying to hold myself together.

Wave after wave of heat hit my core, making it throb. I whimpered. I needed a release so damn badly, and I needed one from him.

Just as I was about to come, he slowed back down. I couldn’t take this torture anymore. It was too damn much.

When I calmed down just enough, he started back up. Repeating this vicious cycle and driving me wild.

“What did you mean, Dani?”

“I—” I could feel him about to slow down again, but I wasn’t going to let him stop now. “I’m impressed. I’m impressed.”

The corners of his lips curled into a smirk. I dropped my hand from his wrist—letting him take all of me—and rested my forehead against his tense shoulder. My pussy clenched. “Don’t stop, Eros.”

And, just like that, Eros pulled his hand away from me and stepped back, a smirk stretching across that damn stunning face of his.

I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned onto the table for support before my knees buckled. “I was so close,” I whispered, trying to steady my breathing.

“I know.”

“Why’d you stop?”

“If I let you cum, I wouldn’t have broken you. I would’ve just given you what you wanted.” He stepped between my legs, pressed his hardness into me, and lightly grasped my chin. “When I break you, you’re going to be begging for me.”

“You’re frustrating.” I pushed myself off of the table and walked into the hallway, leaving him in the kitchen.

“Maybe I’ll let you finish after our date,” he called after me.

I stopped and turned around. “Date?”

“Tomorrow night. Dinner.”

“Fine,” I said.

Tomorrow morning Kasey would show me the tricks, and tomorrow night I would finally get a chance to use them against the master himself.

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CHAPTER 21

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Dani

“I almost lost the game yesterday!” I said, hurrying into Kasey’s apartment and clutching the strap of my purse. Even if I didn’t technically lose, the feel of Eros’s fingers on my body were still tormenting me in the most frustrating way possible. “I need your help now!”

She placed her hands on my shoulders and pursed her red lips. “Calm down, Dani. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

My eyes widened. “Oh no, no, no. You have no idea. I haven’t flirted like this for five years. I think I’ve lost it.”

“Called it,” Aarav said from the couch. Kasey shushed him and led me to the living room. Mycah was curled into the crook of Aarav’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder. “What happened?”

After lying right down on her red living room rug and letting out a scream of frustration, I sat back up and furrowed my brows. “Okay, well. Things happened last night, and they might happen again tonight.”

Mycah sat up, grinning from ear to ear. “Did you sleep with him?”

“No.” Sex with Eros, though. That was something to think about. If he could make me crazy with just his fingers, how would I react to all of him? I probably would have a heart attack.

“Did you kiss him?” Kasey asked.

“No.”

“Did you beg for him?” Aarav said.

“Um, not really.”

Kasey cocked a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well…” I rubbed my palms together, trying to keep myself calm, but the thoughts of last night were plaguing my mind. Tingles spread to every part of my body just thinking about Eros.

Aarav inhaled deeply and looked over at Kasey with hazy eyes. Kasey smiled at him, then turned back to me. “Well, you didn’t lose then.” She pulled Aarav from the couch and whispered something to him, giving him a pointed look. Aarav smiled sheepishly at her.

Then Kasey clapped her hands together and ushered me to the couch to where Aarav had been sitting. “It’s time to teach you the tricks.”

“Step one: eye contact,” she said. She gazed into Aarav’s eyes. “Direct and confident.”

Okay, not too bad. I could handle staring into those piercing green eyes. Maybe not confidently because his stare was intense, but I could at least try.

Aarav gazed into Kasey’s eyes, a slight smirk on his face.

“Step two: tease him.” Her hand moved down Aarav’s torso, barely grazing against his abdomen. She moved closer, her lips hovering over his. She mumbled something inaudible, and Aarav took a deep breath. “A light touch of your fingers, your lips—anything will drive him crazy.”

I gazed back and forth between Kasey and Aarav. The tension between them was undeniable, and I sat there watching with my heart racing—wondering what was coming next.

“And when he’s into it,” Kasey said, mumbling against Aarav’s lips. “Pull away.” When she pulled away from him, he looked like he was high—eyes foggy and distant, lips parted ever so slightly.

I gulped, unsure if I could pull something like that off so well.

“Step three: be direct.” She grabbed Aarav’s hand. “Knowing what you want and how you want it, not only will help Eros pleasure you but it’ll turn him on. He wants to please you.”

I gulped. I could barely speak coherently in front of him sometimes, and she wanted me to tell him exactly what I wanted. I was bound to screw that one up.

She turned to me, a smile on her face. “So, how are you feeling about it?”

“Okay…” I said. She cocked a brow, and I sighed. “It’s so hard with him. He’s so good at this. It’s like it comes naturally to him.”

Aarav chuckled. “It does.”

Kasey elbowed him and snatched his wrist. “We’ll be right back.” She pulled him toward the kitchen.

Mycah placed a hand on my shoulder. “I get your struggle. Sometimes Kasey and Aarav flirt and I just feel so lost, you know?” She pursed her plump brown lips. “But from what I’ve heard Kasey say, it seems like he’s really into you. You could definitely break him.”

“You think so?”

She nodded, her tight curls bouncing around her face. “Definitely! You just have to find something that he likes. Kasey and Aarav—they both love it when I run my hands through their hair. It drives them crazy.”

I’d have to keep that in mind. Maybe Eros had a similar thing that drove him wild.

When Kasey and Aarav walked back over, Kasey was grinning ear to ear and Aarav looked a bit less… high. “We’re going to join your date tonight. Mycah, do you want to come?”

“You are?” I asked, a sudden relief washing over me. “Why?”

“To help you out,” she said.

“It can be intimidating when you’re dating a—” Aarav started.

“A guy like Eros,” Kasey finished.

And it definitely was.

Eros knocked on my front door, and I glanced in the mirror one last time to make sure everything was perfect. Kasey told me to wear something that accentuated my features, but not too much. Give him something to stare at but leave something to his imagination.

I wasn’t sure if this black wrap-dress fit that description, but it was too late to turn back now. I hurried to the front door and took a deep breath. Remember the tricks, Dani.

Eye contact. Tease him. Be direct.

When I opened the door, Eros was leaning against the doorframe, dressed in a navy-blue suit jacket. One hand was stuffed into his pocket. The other was playing with the ring on his finger.

He whistled lowly as his eyes roamed down my body and lingered on my hips. They were intense, dark, and confident.

Keep eye contact, Dani.

“You look… amazing,” he said.

I refused to succumb to the urge to look away and stepped toward him, fingers grazing against his abdomen. “Are you ready?”

He smiled, held out his hand, and led me to the car. “Always.”

During the entire ride to downtown, I repeated the three steps to myself so I wouldn’t forget. Eye contact, tease, be direct. Eye contact, tease, be direct. Reiterating it like a hymn.

Once we parked, Eros grabbed my hand and wrapped an arm around my waist to shield me from the biting cold. The walk to Crimson’s Nouveau would be short, but I didn’t mind the extra body heat.

His jacket hung, unzipped, off his shoulders. I slipped my hand under it, fingers grazing against his chest—making him tense—while we walked.

This was my chance.

I moved my fingers down his torso, slowly tracing his abs, and dipped it down his hip bone until I reached the waistband of his pants. They lingered for a few moments, then I pulled them away.

“What was that?” he asked.

I gulped, trying to think of something sexy to say. “I just wanted to know what I’ll be enjoying after dinner.”

His gaze flickered to my lips, eyes darkening. “You’ll be enjoying more than just that if you keep that up.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked. “Like what?”

“There you are!” Kasey shouted. She, Mycah, and Aarav were huddled next to the entrance of the restaurant on the other side of the street. Mycah waved to me, a big smile on her face.

Eros hurried with me across the street, a look of ambush on his face. “What are you doing here?” he said.

Kasey looked at me. “You didn’t tell him?”

My eyes widened. I didn’t have any time to tell him anything. The whole day I was focusing on one thing, and that was preparing to seduce Eros.

Kasey pouted her red lips. “We’re joining you.”

“You can’t just invite yourself to a date,” Eros said.

“Dani invited us.”

“Uh—yeah.” Sure, I did.

Mycah bounced up and down on her toes. “Okay, can we take this arguing inside? It’s freezing!”

Eros clenched his jaw, fingers curling tighter around my waist. We walked into Crimson’s Nouveau, and my night of seducing Eros began.

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