“Not personally. But Liam has mentioned him.”
Maybe I didn’t need to censor my life at all. With other women, I pretended the bank was my only source of income because there was no point in sharing the whole truth. But I wanted Annabella to know…for reasons I couldn’t explain.
She moved into me and lifted my shirt again. “Maybe we should go to the ER…”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I shoved the shirt down. “I’ve been through worse.” Like being tortured by Maddox until Hades traded for my freedom. A simple punch to the stomach wasn’t a big deal.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She righted herself again, a look of concern in her eyes.
“A little.” Her wrath seemed to disappear, so it felt like we were back to normal. A slight smile formed on my lips. “Can we move past this now?” This fling really made no sense. I’d never continued to see the same woman for an extended period of time, but once I’d met her, the impulse to go to a bar disappeared. She was the person I wanted to call. She was the person I wanted to know more about.
“Yeah…I guess.” She glanced at my stomach again but didn’t say anything about it.
I wanted to take her into the bedroom so we could break the tension further, but I still had a long day ahead of me. “I need to get to work. If I call you later, will you answer?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Fifty percent of the time, you don’t.”
“Because fifty percent of the time, you’re an asshole,” she said playfully. “But yes, I’ll answer. I’m working the dinner shift tonight, but maybe you could come over later.” Now that her rage was gone, she was the beautiful and soft woman I liked. Perfect in every way imaginable, flawless to the bone. She was really something.
“So you’re willing to reschedule that dick appointment?”
She laughed loudly, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. “God, I wish I hadn’t said that now.”
“Why? I liked it.”
“Kinda slutty…”
“Why do you think I liked it?” I grinned wider.
She hit me in the arm playfully. “Shut up.”
“I’m kidding, Annabella.” My arms moved around her petite frame, and I pulled her close, getting that same feeling that I always had when she was near. My mouth came close to hers, and I immediately became engrossed in our potent chemistry. I wanted her, and she wanted me…and that was never more obvious than when we were close like this.
She turned quiet as her arms rested on mine, her lips slightly parted like she expected a kiss. She looked up at me through her thick eyelashes, so spectacularly beautiful it was hard to believe she wasn’t wearing a drop of makeup.
“I like it because it’s the sexiest thing in the world, you wanting me.” My hand slid to the area between her shoulder blades, and I brought our foreheads together. My dick was hard because I wanted to take her to bed, to get lost in that lustful dream that made me forget about everything else. But knowing me, once I stayed, I would never leave. We would lie in bed all day, order a pizza, and keep at it.
Judging by the way she looked at me, she wanted the same thing. She was so pissed at me minutes ago, but now she was melted butter. She claimed she lost interest every time I was a jerk, but clearly, that wasn’t true. She still wanted me, which was why she was so angry.
I didn’t even kiss her because I knew where that would go. “I’ll see you later.” My arms slid from her body, and I turned away, telling my dick to wait until tonight.
She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back. “You think I’m gonna let you walk away like that?” She rose on her tiptoes and planted her soft lips against my mouth. Her kiss was demanding, like she owned me with an invisible leash.
I smiled against her lips and kissed her back. “Doesn’t seem like you’ve lost interest…”
She pulled away for a second, trying to look angry when she only looked cute. “Shut up and kiss me.”
Hades knew I’d stepped into the building, because he was standing in the hallway when I made it to our floor. He was in a midnight-black suit with his muscled arms by his sides, and his eyes were wide and demonic, like he might kill me if I took a step closer.
I slid my hands into my pockets as I stopped near the window.
“Talk to Liam?”
Geez, he wasn’t gonna let this go.
“Don’t show your face until you get it done.” He warned me with his gaze before he turned away and walked off.
I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel. “Pain in my ass…”
After a bit of detective work and calling in some favors, I located Liam at a gym in the city. He probably had a private weight room in the convenience of his home, but he met his trainer at a local spot a few blocks from his home.