Before he could respond, I said, “Because I know my parents are the reason I never want to get married.” I cleared my throat when he looked taken aback by the vehemence in my tone.
“Never is a long time,” he said hesitantly. “Could be you’ll meet someone who’ll make you change your mind.”
A harsh laugh erupted from somewhere deep inside me. It was disrespectful to laugh in his face, but there was no room for misunderstandings in this area. He needed to know where I stood on the subject of forever, especially if we decided to continue our sexual involvement. “Not gonna happen, Damon.”
He slipped his hand through mine and studied our laced fingers. “It makes me sad to hear you say that. Just because the people who were supposed to be there for you weren’t there doesn’t mean you should be afraid to trust.”
Trust was a five-letter word to me. The only person I trusted was Mia, and even she didn’t know everything about me. I kept a small part of me hidden from the rest of the world, but I saw her in the mirror sometimes. She was wide-eyed and terrified, but I blinked, and she was gone. In her place was the man-eater who laughed too loud and drank too much to cover her insecurities.
“I try to deal in facts, not fairy tales,” I said, withdrawing my hand from his. “I’m happy my best friend is getting her happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean I want what they have. I like being alone.” I gestured to the small apartment I used to share with Mia. “I like having my own space, coming and going as I please, being responsible for and to myself.”
“Sounds like a cop-out if you ask me.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised Damon was calling me out. He was always the first one to yell bullshit when he didn’t believe me. I loved that about him, but I resented him for challenging me when I didn’t feel strong enough to fight back.
I slid off the stool, tightening the sash on my robe. “Think what you will. It’s not my job to change your mind.” Before he could argue, I rushed on. “I’m going to change so I can go for that jog. I guess I’ll see you at the party tonight.”
He gripped my wrist before I could get away. “I know you don’t believe this, but you are worth the effort, Eleni.”
Those few words pierced my heart because he was getting to the very root of my problem. I didn’t believe any man would be willing to stick it out as I worked through my seemingly insurmountable trust issues.
“You say that now,” I whispered, unable to look at him.
“And I’ll still be saying it a year from now. You may not realize this yet, but I’m not going anywhere. Eventually you’ll just have to accept that.”
Chapter Nine
Damon
My brother didn’t do anything in half measures, so I wasn’t surprised he’d shut down one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city for their rehearsal dinner. But it wasn’t my surroundings I was focused on—it was them. When I’d spotted Miles at the church, I couldn’t believe she’d had the gall to invite him. Especially after the night we’d shared. I’d known when I’d woken up alone she was running scared, but I’d thought after our talk in her kitchen, I’d set her straight. Apparently I’d been wrong.
“It’s not nice to glare at my guests, little brother,” Deacon said, smirking.
“You didn’t invite him,” I said, inclining my head at the bartender setting down a scotch in front of me. “Eleni did.”
“And that obviously bothers you. Why?”
I hadn’t discussed my feelings for Eleni with my brother, mainly because I knew I had to figure out how to have a relationship with Dalia first. But being away from Eleni had made me realize I couldn’t go on this way. I needed her in my life and my bed. The critical voice in the back of my head told me I was no better than my old man, lying and deceiving a good woman like Eleni. I knew she had trust issues, and I was trying to wear her down, to convince her to let me in, knowing damn well if she did, she was risking heartbreak when the truth came out.
“I care about Eleni. She’s a good friend.” She was a good friend. In the past, I’d rolled my eyes when I heard people say they were fortunate to have married their best friends, but I got it now. “I don’t want to see her get hurt.” Of course, I was more likely to hurt her than Miles was. He could give her something I couldn’t: a commitment that didn’t hinge upon sneaking around and divulging only half-truths.
“You can fool other people, but you can’t fool me, Damon.”
If only Deacon knew I’d already fooled him and everyone else. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I enjoyed the slow burn of the scotch. It felt almost like a well-deserved punishment for the lies I was spewing.
“Seeing Eleni with Miles makes you crazy because you want her for yourself.”
Unable to stomach another lie, I asked, “How would you react if I told you I’d already had her? Last night.”
Deacon gripped my shoulder as he leaned in and whispered, “Are you serious? How the hell did that happen?”
I’d expected him to be angry. He’d grown to love Eleni like a sister and was worried that my interest in her may prove harmful, but he seemed more curious than furious. “I got back into town and needed to see her. I missed her like hell. She was all I could think about.” Coming clean with my brother felt good. The only person who really understood the depth of my torment was my therapist, whom I’d been forced to call upon a few times during the past several months.
“I knew you had a thing for El, but I guess I didn’t realize the extent of your feelings,” Deacon said, claiming the stool next to me. “How does she feel about you?”
“I wish I knew. You know her—she’s pretty tight-lipped about her feelings. She told me today, in no uncertain terms, that she never intends to get married. I guess that was her not-so-subtle way of telling me that we could have sex but nothing more.”
“And how does that make you feel?”
I laughed out loud. My brother really had come a long way since he’d met Mia. Now he was not only willing to acknowledge he had feelings, but he was inviting others to talk about theirs. If someone like Deacon could do a one-eighty, maybe there was hope for the rest of us.
“Maybe it’s time you put the kibosh on the therapy, Deacon. You’re starting to talk like a shrink.” I was using humor to deflect because I didn’t want to talk about the way Eleni made me feel. It scared me. But what scared me more was the prospect of letting what we’d started to build slip out of my grasp.
“Tell me this,” Deacon said, ignoring my dig, “if you slept with her last night, why is she here with another man tonight?”
“To send me a message.” I had no doubt Eleni was strategizing, trying to figure out how to keep me at arm’s length. What better way to accomplish her goal than to shove her relationship with another man in my face? “She told me she’s not interested in anything serious with me or anyone. Miles is her way of driving that point home.”
“So what are you gonna do?”
I swirled the liquid in the glass before bringing it to my lips. “The way I see it, I have two choices: I can let her walk away or force her to face what’s happening between us.”
“Then it’s more than just sex?”
I glared at Deacon, even though it was a fair question. “Would I be getting drunk at the bar if my only concern was getting laid?”
“No, I guess not.” Deacon looked around the room, taking in the models milling about. They’d invited many of Mia’s friends from Alabaster’s, women I knew and liked. “You could play the game her way.”
I had expected Deacon to warn me to stay the hell away from Eleni, not devise a plan to manipulate the situation. “Meaning?”
“There are many beautiful women here tonight. More than a few have shown an interest in you in the past.”
“So?” I’d had enough trouble with women. The last thing I needed was to invite more.
“So flirt a little. See how El reacts.”
“I’m not a kid anymore. I’m tired of playing g
ames.” That message had come through clearly during the time I’d spent on the boat. I hated the deception. I just wanted an uncomplicated relationship with the woman I cared about.
“What choice do you have?” Deacon asked. “I assume you tried the direct approach? You told her how you feel?”
I thought of some of the things I’d said to her last night, the way I’d made love to her. “She knows.”
“Yet you couldn’t get through to her. Maybe if she thinks she’s blown her chance with you, she’ll start to see things differently.”
“I don’t know if—”
Before I could finish, Deacon beckoned Justine over. I’d met the stunning blonde several times, and each time she’d made it obvious she was interested in me. Before Eleni had caught my eye, I may have taken her bait, but everything was different now.
“Justine, you remember my brother, Damon?” Deacon asked.
“Of course I do,” she said, giving me a thorough onceover. “I have to confess I was hoping you’d be here tonight, Damon.”
“Nice to see you again, Justine,” I said, taking her outstretched hand as I forced a smile.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” Deacon said. “I have to get back to my bride-to-be.”
“Later, Deacon.” Which was really a silent warning that I intended to get even later.
Justine and I made small talk at the bar for a few minutes before she invited me to dance. I agreed since Eleni was already dancing with her date.
“I didn’t know you had a thing for Eleni,” she said, looping her arms around my neck.
“What makes you say that?”
“It’s pretty obvious.” She smiled. “You’ve barely taken your eyes off her all night.”
I appreciated Justine’s directness. Aside from Eleni, it had been awhile since I’d met a woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. “She’s a great girl. We’ve gotten close since my brother and Mia got together.”
“I’ve known Eleni a long time. She’s great.” When I didn’t respond, she said, “But I have to ask, why is she here with Miles instead of you?”
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t go public with our relationship without feeding into Andra’s belief that I wasn’t ready to be a father. “We’re friends. Nothing more.”
“Hmm.” She didn’t look convinced as her eyes traveled to Eleni and her date. “I don’t know if I buy that.”
Before I could defend my position, Eleni appeared at my side. “Hey, girl, you mind if I cut in?”
“Not at all.” Justine gave me a kiss on the cheek before she winked. “Have fun, Damon. Thanks for the dance.”
Eleni was stiff when she slipped into my arms. It was obvious something was bothering her.
The silence stretched for the duration of the song before I said, “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew Miles?”
I should have known that would come out eventually. “I don’t know. It never came up.”
“I told you I was dating him that day at the restaurant,” she said, tipping her head back to look me in the eye. “Seems to me that would have been the perfect time to tell me the two of you were business associates.”
“We weren’t business associates then.” My hands slipped lower, gliding over her back before circling her waist. Her breath hitched, and I could tell my touch reminded her of the way I’d made her feel last night. Turned out Miles’s new club was a good investment, and I planned to move forward with it, deciding it would be in my best interest to keep my rival close. “I just decided to invest in his L.A. club recently.”
“Did your decision have anything to do with me?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing then releasing. “And don’t even think about lying to me. I have zero tolerance for liars.”
“You want to talk about who’s lying?” I asked, tightening my grip on her as I bent my head to whisper in her ear. “You’re here with another man and pretending we’re little more than casual acquaintances. Did you tell Miles where you went when you left him last night? Does he know you made love to me?”
“Stop it,” she whispered fiercely. “Are you crazy? We can’t talk about this here.”
“Tell him it’s over.” I focused on her eyes, trying to read her emotions, but she gave nothing away.
“I already have.”
My entire body relaxed as a slow smile spread across my face. “You have? When?”
“A few minutes ago.”
I looked around, noting my partner was nowhere to be found. “You made the right decision.” Though judging by the way her body molded to mine, she already knew that.
“Contrary to what you might think, I don’t sleep with more than one man at a time.” At my quizzical expression, she continued. “After what happened last night, I figured we still have some unfinished business.”
“You think we’re going to have sex a few times and what…? You’ll get me out of your system?”
She refused to respond, but her arched brow challenged me.
“You’re wrong. What we have is different. Connections like this don’t come around twice in a lifetime.” I waited for her to dispute my claim, but she held her tongue. “You’d be a fool to keep fighting it.”
“Or I’d be a fool to give in to it.” She bit her lip, her confident façade slipping. “The jury is still out.”
***
Eleni
I was surprised when Demetrius asked me to dance. My curiosity got the better of me, so I agreed, in spite of Damon’s obvious displeasure.
“My son has told me a great deal about you,” Demetrius said, drawing me closer than I would have liked. “He did not exaggerate. You are as beautiful as he said you were.”
Ignoring the compliment and the stirring of excitement I felt knowing Damon had mentioned me to his family, I said, “He’s told me a lot about you too, Mr. Starkis.” I wanted him to know that I had his number.
“Please call me Demi.” He smiled, revealing teeth too perfect to be real. “You are Greek, yes?”
“My parents were born in Greece. I’m American.” I knew he wouldn’t appreciate that I tried to distance myself from his native land, but I didn’t want to think about my family tonight. I hoped my distinction would bring the conversation to an abrupt halt.
“They live here?” he asked, clearly not getting the message.
“My mother passed away years ago,” I said, refusing to allow my voice to quaver in front of a man I was convinced was looking for any sign of weakness. “I’ve barely seen my father since.”
“You raised yourself.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. “I did as well. My parents were hardworking people. They were gone from morning ‘til night most days, trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. As the oldest, it was up to me to take care of the younger children.”
I was surprised to see sincerity in his bright gaze, perhaps even a hint of respect. “That must have forced you to grow up quickly. I know what that’s like.”
“I suspect you do.” He smiled. “Being left alone forces you to be independent. It infuses you with a fighter’s spirit.”
“That it does.” I decided to pretend I knew nothing about the man beyond what I’d read in newspapers and magazines. His son’s opinions had colored my own, and I wanted to see beyond that, see the man Mia claimed had become like a second father to her. “Is that what made you so hungry to succeed, Demi? Seeing the way your parents struggled?”
“I suppose so.” He smiled. “I wanted to give my children opportunities I never had.”
“It seems you have.” I glanced at the three Starkis children huddled together and talking, Anyone looking at them would have known they’d been born to a life of affluence. “Your children are wonderful.”
I’d gotten to know Tiana in recent months because of her friendship with Mia, and she was everything I hadn’t expected her to be: sweet, unassuming, fun, and compassionate. She’d welcomed Mia into the
ir family, and that alone made me want to befriend her.
“Thank you. I think so too.”
“Do you?” I tilted my head, trying not to smile. “From what I’ve heard, you’re their harshest critic.”
Instead of being offended, he laughed. “We live in a society where people believe you have to coddle your children to show them love. I believe in being tough on them, teaching them to stand on their own two feet, then telling them I’m proud of their accomplishments. Take Deacon for example. Do you think he would have accomplished as much as he has if I hadn’t pushed him?”
“I guess not.” I knew Deacon’s success story would rival his father’s one day, and he had to be grateful he’d had this man as a role model. “But Damon is another story, right?” I was curious what he would say about his younger son. I told myself I wasn’t prying, just making conversation, but I knew it was more than that.
“Ah, Damon.” He grinned. “That boy will send me to an early grave.” He chuckled. “Deacon is more like me. Damon, on the other hand, has always been his own person. He’s the free spirit, the one who does whatever he pleases without caring what anyone thinks about it.”
I was surprised to hear the pride in his voice when he spoke of Damon’s rebellious attitude. “And you admire that?”
“I didn’t always. He used to get in a hell of a lot of trouble. He probably still does. He’s just gotten better at hiding it from me.”
I smiled, thinking Demi was probably right. “Would you have tamed him if you could have?”
“No. Taming Damon would have been like trying to tame a wild stallion.” He shook his head grudgingly. “Nearly impossible and perhaps a bit of a shame. He is who he is.”
“And who is he?” I asked, anxious to hear his father’s take.
“I suspect you may know better than I do. He confides in you, yes?”
“He does, but you’ve known him his whole life. I’m sure there are things you could tell me that I don’t already know.” It was troubling to think that for the first time ever, I wanted to know everything there was to know about the man I was sleeping with.
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