Page 3 of Say You're Mine

LEV

His touch lingers on the back of my neck. “All right.” It’s not all right. I didn't anticipate him saying that. “Then how about a drink? I’d like one of those.”

“It would be my pleasure.” He stands. “Don’t go hopping away on me now, bunny.” I watch him go. I notice a few other women at the party do too.

I should run, but I have a feeling he’d bust me, and my pride won’t let me. Instead, I search for Gabriella. I see her standing a few tables over with her new husband, talking to an older couple. I don’t know if she senses my stare, but she turns, locking eyes with me. She excuses herself to make her way over to me.

“I was sure you'd have hightailed it out of here by now.” Gabriella says this as she approaches me.

“I have to keep you on your toes. I can’t have people being able to predict what I’m going to do.”

“Well, you’re doing a good job because when I first spotted you, I’m pretty sure you might have been flirting with a man.”Gabriella lifts one of her perfect eyebrows that I shaped for her earlier.

“Well—” I raise my chin teasingly. “The staff here isn’t the best, and I needed a drink, so I had to make do.”

Gabriella laughs. “I know you’re not going to ask me about Eros, so I’ll tell you what I do know.” I both love and hate that she knows me so well.

“What?” I pretend to be confused, but she ignores it. As she should.

“He went to college with Caleb, and they stay in contact.” The little devil only gives me a tiny morsel of info when she knows I’m dying for more. She’s not going to break me.

“Cool.” I shrug. Gabriella shakes her head at me and keeps going.

“He’s a good guy. Like a really good one. And that means something if Caleb is saying it.”

“He is charming. Too charming.”

"He's neither a player nor a ladies’ man. It’s one of the first things I asked. Caleb wouldn’t lie to me.” I know that. Her husband scrambled to get me a job after he got the coffee shop Gabriella and I worked for shut down.

Gabriella had gotten fired, and when Caleb found out, he yanked the loans out from the owner. Which is kind of funny because the owner was a major dick, but it left me without a job. I have been saving up every penny to move out. I was so close to having enough to get a place of my own, but losing my job put a wrench in it.

In the end, I think I'm going to make out better. I will be starting an office job next week, and it pays double. It will be nice to go home every night and not have to scrub the smell of coffee off of me, but I am a bit worried that I won't fit in.

I’ve never worked in an actual office before. I suppose I could tone down my appearance, but honestly, I wear it as a form of protection. To keep people at arm's length. Gabriella is the rare exception to that. There was no way I could not let her in. She wiggled herself right into my life.

"I'm not sure what you want me to do with this information." I’ll never admit to loving that she gave me some details on Mr. Perfect.

"You don't have to do anything with it. But if you want to have a bit of fun?—"

"Do I even look like I want to have fun?" I give her the straightest face I can, and we both burst into laughter.

"Your drink, my lady." A champagne glass appears in front of me. I can feel his big body behind me. He’s so damn close.

“Hope there’s nothing but champagne in this glass. I usually don’t take drinks from strangers.” I take the glass, our hands brushing as I do it, sending a shiver through me.

“I don’t plan on being a stranger for long. And I definitely don’t need to slip anything into your champagne,” he whispers next to my ear so only I can hear. There’s an edge to his voice as though my joke had displeased him. I shouldn’t give a shit, but for some reason, it bothers me.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize, but I don't. Instead I take a sip from the glass to stop myself. He might think I’m rudeand go find someone else to flirt with. But he doesn’t. In fact, he doesn’t move from his spot, towering over me.

Gabriella’s eyes bounce between the two of us. “I’ll leave you guys to it. We are going to do the first dance and cut the cake.” She makes her way back to her husband, who was coming for her already.

“You should know?—”

“What is it that I should know?” I turn to fully face him, my shoulder grazing his chest. Holy hell, this man is tall and solid.

“Your jabs and sharp tongue aren’t going to scare me off.” Damn, does he have to call a girl out? “Lev, I'm not asking for anything, just a good night. I honestly don't see anyone else in this room worth hanging out with. You?”

“I don’t know anyone.” I glance around the room to once again see a few women eyeing Eros up.

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