Halston thanked them again before they disappeared into the pitch-black garage.
“Do you want me to drive?” Gabriel asked.
“I got this,” Sydney replied before she stowed her tote behind the back seat.
Into the car they went, Sydney tapped the button on the garage wall. Halston backed out and waited until the garage door had closed before she drove away.
Despite the cold air, they both cracked open their windows.
The street was dark, save for their headlights. As she drove out of the quiet neighborhood, Gabriel took in the sights.He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been out in a total blackout.
“I love the dark,” Halston said. “Most people are afraid of it, but I feel like I have the advantage.”
“Same,” he replied.
The traffic lights were out, so she slowed as she approached a major intersection. A car flew by, barely missing a van snailing its way through.
“People are idiots,” Gabriel said.
“Or drunk,” she replied.
“Where are we going?”
In the dark car, she glanced over. “Not your place, that’s for sure.”
“I took your advice and moved out.”
“Look at you doing the smart thing. Gotta be a first, huh?”
He chuckled. “No. Thefirstsmart thing was my groveling after you stopped me from drinking the poison.”
She pretend-stabbed her heart. “Not the hookup?”
“Sex is sex.”
Again, she glanced over at him, this time her brows were pinched together. “You are not buying yourself any points, but since you’re a nobody with benefits, I don’t care.”
“Look who’s throwing shade.”
She smiled.
He liked her profile. Even in the dark, her straight, white teeth shone bright. A sharp nose that had character. Her lips were well proportioned to her face. Lately, every woman he met had super-sized her lips. That look did not work for him. Even though her eye color was well-hidden, he knew the truth beneath her disguise… those light-blue orbs were a glimpse into her soul.
The real Halston Devereux.
“A nobody with benefits.” He curled his hand around her muscular thigh and squeezed. “How do I become a someone?”
She crossed the bridge into DC, slowed at the intersection before driving through. “You have to earn that, Gabriel Santini.”
“The gauntlet has been thrown,” he said, “I accept the challenge.”
She said nothing more as she drove toward Dupont Circle. At Hotel Dillinger, she drove around back, parked in a reserved spot near the loading dock. After cutting the engine, she turned toward him.
He cupped her cheek with his hand, kissed her. “Ti mangerò vivo.”I’m going to eat you alive.
On a sexy groan, she pressed her tongue into his mouth. The kiss turned wild, but he slowed them down.
“Pazienza, bellezza mia.”Patience, my beauty.
