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I didn’t push it because I really didn’t understand the underworld. I only brushed the surface. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah…maybe.” When we arrived at the restaurant, he opened the door for me before he walked in behind me.
Hades and Sofia already had a table, and they shared a single menu.
When Damien reached the table, he pulled out the chair for me.
I hesitated before I sat down, enjoying the way he treated me even though Liam did the exact same thing. When Charlotte had come to the table, he didn’t do it for her…and I distinctly remembered that. He only did it for me.
“We’re splitting a pizza,” Hades said. “Or should we get a bigger size and split it four ways?”
Damien sat down and smoothed his tie. “I thought you didn’t eat garbage?”
Hades shot him a glare. “Just answer the question.”
“I’ll eat anything, so that’s fine with me,” I said.
Damien shrugged. “I’m not picky either. Let the pregnant woman decide.”
“Alright,” Sofia said. “Let’s get a super large Margherita pizza.”
“Super large?” Hades asked playfully. “You mean extra-large?”
“Whatever.” She tossed the menu aside. “Just feed me.”
Hades chuckled. “Alright, baby.”
At the end of the meal, Hades’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and took the call. “Yes?” He listened to the line for a while before he hung up. “I’ve got to head back to the office. One of my big clients needs my help.”
“Who?” Damien asked.
“Caruso.”
Damien nodded. “I’ll walk the girls back.”
“I’ll take Sofia.” He rose from the chair. “You can pay the bill.”
Damien gave a slight grin. “Jackass.”
“Take the leftovers to the office, please.” Sofia grabbed her coat and put it over her shoulders. “We’ll leave it in the fridge and eat it tomorrow.”
“Good idea,” I said. “I’ll ask for a box.”
They said goodbye and left.
Now Damien and I were alone together…for the millionth time. There were other people in the restaurant, but we still felt completely alone, unsupervised. It was tense again, and my thoughts went to places they shouldn’t.
I cleared my throat and waved down the waiter. “Could I have a box? And the bill too?”
He nodded and walked away.
My legs were crossed under the table and Damien was directly beside me, so I didn’t have to stare at his face. I could force a meaningless conversation, but I was tired of doing that. It never masked reality.
He stared straight ahead for a while. “How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Miserable,” he said quietly.
I turned in his direction so I could see the side of his face. “Why is that?”
He shrugged. “I just am.”
“Well, Liam thinks you’re a lucky bastard having a woman like Charlotte all over you…” Her beauty made me insecure. So did her paycheck. She was one of the highest-paid models in the world. I brought home a mediocre salary. Those things never mattered before…but now that I was jealous, they bothered me.
He turned to me, his green eyes focused intently on mine. “He’s the lucky bastard, Annabella.” He held my gaze for a long time, his body so rigid, it seemed like he wasn’t breathing.
I couldn’t handle his intensity for a moment longer, so I turned away.
The waiter brought the pizza box and the tab. Just so I had something to do, I grabbed the box and prepared to put the leftover slices away.
But Damien grabbed my hand under the table, his fingers interlocking with mine before they rested on my thigh. He gave me a gentle squeeze, but instead of pulling away afterward, he continued to hold me in place.
I didn’t fight him. I felt the warmth from his skin, felt the calluses on his fingertips and palm. Touching him reminded me of the way those fingertips felt against my cheek, reminded me of the way they felt on my tits when he squeezed them. We would sit together on the couch, and he would do the same thing, hold my hand like we were young people in love. Now, the touch meant more than it ever did when we were together. It was hotter, stronger, and more beautiful.
He pulled my hand to his thigh and held it there, his thumb gently stroking my skin. His head was tilted down, and he stared at our joined hands. “When I’m with her, I think about you. I see the way men stare at her, and it’s the way I stare at you. She chases away the loneliness because I can’t have the woman I actually want. She makes you insecure, but you’re the one who makes her furious. When we came home from dinner, she said, without preamble, that you’re still in love with me…and I’m not over you. She could see it even though I never mentioned you. I don’t understand how she can see so much, but Liam doesn’t notice what’s right in front of his face. Instead of watching other people, he should be watching you…and only you.” His thumb stopped brushing mine, and he pulled away. “Liam is the luckiest motherfucker in the world…and I hate that he has no idea that he is.”
