“I am not diseased.And you don’t need to worry about babies.”
I frowned at him.Was he reading my mind?His eyes twinkled with humor, dark black and perfectly normal, and my confusion melted into renewed desire.
Desperate to escape before I repeated my mistake, I stood to my full height and forced myself to give him a tepid glance.Best to end things on my terms before he crushed my dignity.Besides, this way I could walk away, or rather run, to gather what little control I thought I possessed.
“It’s been fun, Darius.Incredible, really,” I added with a small, bland smile, my emotions a mess.I could only be glad I sounded convincing, because he frowned at me.“But I’ve got work to do upstairs.Thanks for everything.”
I turned my back on him and struggled to unlock the wheels of the dolly.When he reached around me I tensed, but he only depressed the locked latch, freeing me to move.Releasing a pent-up breath, I pushed the mound of liquor into the freight elevator.
Casually turning to press the elevator release, I couldn’t help looking at him.
Unspeaking, we stared at each other until the elevator engaged and I could no longer see him.Once out of his sight, I slumped against the wall, my emotions turning my heart inside out.
I didn’t want to return upstairs as if nothing monumental had happened, but I refused to give him the upper hand.He couldn’t know how deeply our intimacy had affected me, especially since I had yet to get a handle on my out-of-control feelings.
The rest of the night passed by in a blur since I kept myself busy helping Ellie and the others.I studiously avoided Darius and his side of the club, both relieved and annoyed that he didn’t seek me out to say anything.
Hell, he barely glanced my way, which made me madder than I should have been.
When the hour reached two in the morning, I decided I’d had enough.I left the club after checking in with Jerry and caught a cab back to my hotel.But once away from the noise, my thoughts strayed to Darius and refused to leave him.
Damn his sexy, sorry-ass self.
Chapter10
Darius
The next morning, I stared blankly out the bay window at the faint outline of Mount Rainier in the distance.After two hours of restless tossing and turning, I’d given up any hope of sleep and left the confines of my bedroom.Unfortunately, the view of the mountains didn’t soothe me as it usually did.I still couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Much as I’d wanted to grab Samantha and drag her from the bar last night, I’d needed time to process what exactly had transpired between us.Great sex was one thing, but what we’d shared, well, I didn’t know what to make of it.
One of my brothers passed by the window, breaking my concentration.
Shit.I’d hoped for some quiet.My brothers were never up at this hour.I watched the intruder with a frown, wanting to curse but unsure who to address.
At times, being one of four identical siblings could be more than confusing, like now when one of my brothers wore standard jeans and a white T-shirt.Only when the intruder’s head shifted and bright blue eyes darted toward me did I realize Marcus had interrupted my solitude.
“If it isn’t my big brother the fire starter,” Marcus drawled in that superior voice that grated on my last nerve.
Cadmus and Aerolus were bad enough in the morning, but Marcus’s superiority complex could be downright enraging.Despite my irritation, a part of me silently cheered.It looked as if a fight might break the frustrated confusion plaguing me.
I shot him a lofty look of my own.“Shouldn’t you be fleecing people for their money, away from here?”Hell, did any of my brothers work anymore?I’d though Marcus, the financial wizard, would take his job too seriously to screw off.
Marcus shrugged.“I’m taking a day for myself.After yesterday, I need the break.Darla made a scene.”
“Darla?”
“You remember, the stacked blonde who loves wearing dead animals?”He made a face.“I just couldn’t take anymore.Besides, she started to grow clingy.”Marcus gave a mock shudder.“I had to get out.”
Something Samantha had said stuck in my mind, and I narrowed my gaze on my brother.“You didn’t happen to break off with her in public, did you?”
“She started it, but so what?”
“SoIgot blamed for your lack of discretion,” I growled.“Next time, shake free of your women in private.”
“What are you talking about?Who’s blaming you for what?”Marcus went into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee then joined me on the couch.After a thorough scrutiny of me, he smiled.
“What?”I silently encouraged my brother to be as obnoxious as possible.That way, when I busted his face, I’d be justified.
