Enzo reached for a bottle on the coffee table and poured himself a whiskey. Then he grabbed another bottle and filled a second glass halfway. When he handed it to me, I looked down.
Orange juice. He remembered I didn't drink.
Last time I worked behind the club bar, a customer ordered me a martini to join him. I turned it down, saying I didn't drink. It was just an excuse. I was pregnant.
Enzo had been sitting at the other end, at least ten feet away. I figured he hadn't noticed a thing.
But he remembered.
My fingers brushed his knuckles as I took the glass—a tiny, barely-there touch. In this charged atmosphere, it made my hand tremble, sending the juice sloshing.
"What are you nervous about?" Enzo's voice dropped half an octave in the quiet room. "It's not our first time."
"Those two don't count."
"Why not?"
"One was an accident. The other, I had no choice."
Enzo's mouth twitched, just a flicker. "So what about today?"
"Today, my brain's flooded."
This time, he really laughed. Not some polite bullshit—a quick upward curl of his lips that crinkled the corners of his eyes. First time I noticed Enzo Falcone had a shallow dimple when he smiled.
It made him look even deadlier.
"I've got a question I've been dying to ask." He leaned forward, closing the gap. Those deep black eyes locked onto my face with brutal intensity.
"Why'd you leave that note?"
The note? Petty bastard. Didn't think he was still hung up on it.
With him staring me down like that, my cheeks burned out of control. His gaze was pure pressure, loaded with unreasonable possession.
I bit my lip, forcing myself steady.
"Because you're arrogant. You treated me like some whore you could pay off." I stared hard at the orange juice in front of me, avoiding his eyes. "So I had to knock your ego down a peg. Even if it was small, I wanted you pissed. That's it."
"Pretty much what I figured." Enzo chuckled softly, that low sound turning downright erotic in the dark room. I shifted my ass. God. My panties were so wet they'd leave a mark on the sofa.
"So answer me now. If you think I'm an unreasonable prick, why step into this prick's room? You know damn well what he'll do to you."
I didn't know what to say.
What could I say?
That when I danced out there, feeling your eyes on me, my body heated up uncontrollably? That every night after you left, I touched myself thinking of your face?
I couldn't say it. I just stubbornly dropped my head, dodging his aggressive stare.
Enzo's fingers shot out. His index and middle fingers clamped my chin, forcing it up. I had to look him in the eye. His face was inches away, hot breath brushing my dry lips.
"Look at me. Answer." His voice was low, gravelly, edged with dangerous command.
My brain shut down. My body decided faster than my mind. I closed my eyes, leaned in, and pressed my trembling lips to his.
A satisfied growl rumbled from Enzo's throat. He took over instantly, prying my teeth apart, tongue plunging in, greedy and tangled, claiming every inch of my mouth. He swallowed my gasps, kissing so deep and long he stole my breath.
