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“I really thought this was going to be different. I wanted to keep you, but this just proved my theory correct. People like me don’t get to keep people like you.”
Stupidly, I had clung to those words. They’ve swirled around in my brain repeatedly since that night. Maybe it’s not fair to put my pain and disillusions on him, but I can’t help the way I feel. Not to mention that holding on to this anger I have for him, is way easier than delving into everything else. If I stay mad, then I don’t have to pay attention to the heartache his less-than-warm welcoming created, nor the fact that he clearly and obviously is making it a point to only call me Violet.
My eyes flick from him when the need to see Zac overwhelms me. Even he’s not treating me as coldly as Renz has. Sure, I saw his tense jaw and glares in the kitchen, but when I was panicking, truly spiraling down the rabbit hole, he was there. Just like that night, Zac stepped forward to take care of me, offering soothing words and comfort.He called me Princess.
I shiver at the reminder of everything else he’d said. Demanded I get on my knees for him and threatened to punish me. I swear I’d almost fainted from the sudden rush of blood to my clit at his words.
Zac’s eyes narrow before his lips tip up into a sultry smirk, as though he knows exactly where my mind has gone. Gritting my teeth, I look away before my blush can confirm his suspicions. He chuckles a dark melodic sound that further turns me on. Jesus, being around these men is like vaginal catnip.
“And how exactly do you know that?” Renz drawls, feigning nonchalance and drawing my attention in his direction.
As I take him in, I realize that his easy, uncaring behavior is all an act. His thick, muscular leg is crossed over the other, his ankle resting on his knee, giving me a clear view of the foot that’s bouncing restlessly. One of his hands is still holding his glass of scotch, and he’s squeezing it so hard that I’m surprised it’s still in one piece. His face is impassive, but his eyes are subtly narrowed, exposing the tiny creases on the edge of his eyes.
He's a beautiful man. Like painfully beautiful. The kind of beauty that is swathed in perfection and easy elegance. His aura is dark and powerful, relentlessly so. His hazel eyes, which seem to shift from brown to green to gold, hold such a vast amount of knowledge in their depths that I could easily get lost. His jaw is so sharp, that it could cut, almost as easily as his words can. His nose and bone structure scream royalty, but the way he carries himself is rough. It tells anyone who dares look at him long enough that his life has been exceedingly hard and yet, he’s survived.
He's the sun.
No, not the sun. He’s aneclipse.
Beautiful darkness that swallows the light effortlessly. So beautiful and rare, magical even, that you can’t help but look at him. You take in his beauty with a type of awe that is so seldom experienced that you can’t physically look away. So, you stare, absorbing all that he has to offer. You stare at that eclipse, the darkness, knowing that doing so will leave you blind and in pain, but you just can’t help yourself.
He wants me to speak, but I find myself lost in him. In the beautiful eclipse that is Renz Travino. My throat is thick with emotion, my mouth dry and unable to respond as I stare.
And stare.
“Not that this isn’t a lovely reunion, but can we please get this show on the road? I’m fucking exhausted and my head is throbbing like a bitch.” Eli’s words sever the connection with Renz and I find myself relieved and irritated all at once.
I’d gladly go blind for him.
“Start at the beginning,” Zac says, speaking much softer than he had when I’d first arrived. I meet his gaze and almost choke when he smiles reassuringly at me. It’s a comfort, a balm to my frazzledeverything.
So—I do.
I give them a recap of my day, from the beginning when Eli walked into Sacred Grounds, till the point when we ran into them a little while ago. I leave out the club last night, deciding that there is no point in even bringing it up. They know I was there. I know they were there, and honestly, the reason for them showing up and then running out is not nearly as important to me now as it had been yesterday. I also skip over the stupid pregnancy joke, and I don’t miss the way Eli settles next to me when I chose to leave it out of my story.
After I’ve finished, all three of them gape openly at me, though I’m not sure why. Eli was present for basically all of that, so I don’t know why he’s so surprised.
“You followed me?” he chokes out.
Turning to face him on the couch, I shrug. “Obviously,” I say slowly, narrowing my eyes on him. “You knew that.” Reaching forward, I prod at his head. The bleeding has long since stopped but he’s yet to clean the crusted liquid off, so I follow the trail to find out where it originated.
There’s a nasty lump in his hair, which is matted with blood and sweat. The bump has a gash but it’s not terrible. Pressing down to check the wound, I find it hot to the touch. Eli hisses and bats my hands away. I grumble a protest but drop back down in my seat.
“Yes, obviously I know you followed me. I didn’t hit my head that hard, jeez.” He huffs out an annoyed sound and rolls his eyes. “I just meant that I hadn’t really realized you were that close when we were being chased. You shouldn’t have done that, Violet. You should have run the other way.”
“Clearly, she lacks any self-preservation skills,” Zac adds, his voice empty of emotions, but with a quick look, I see the cold calculation in his eyes and the throbbing of his pulse.Oh man, he’s angry.“Maybe she needs to be taught a lesson, hmm?”
My thighs clench and my already wet panties grow sticky.
Seriously…catnip, I tell you.
“Fucking hell, can we just focus?” Renz snaps as he jumps to his feet, and begins to pace. “You followed Eli which was idiotic and reckless. What were you even trying to achieve with that?” I open my mouth to respond or defend myself, but he cuts me off. “No, don’t speak! You should not be here, Violet. Chasing Eli down wasn’t safe, but more than that, you were seen. Don’t you get that?”
My jaw snaps shut.I had not thought of that.Renz, who had stopped pacing after telling me to shut up, stomps over to the couch, and leans forward, bracing his hands on either side of my head. He glares at me, his eyes full of fire.
The sun.
“No, you didn’t think at all, did you? You got the stupid notion up your ass to jump in your car and chase some random SUV down without a care in the world. Then, you proceeded to follow even after you realized things were going to shit. You do understand that is not normal behavior, right?” His jaw ticks, but I don’t dare answer. My heart thumps as Renz’s eyes narrow to thin slits. “Unless there is another reason you followed him.”
