I straighten, tense in my seat. I also stay silent.

  “We don’t have to do anything major. For starters, I’d like you to come to my place tomorrow evening. We have a dinner party... A few business partners have been invited, and also my friends and Rain’s. Monday, I’m going to an auction. It would be great if you could join me. If you have time, of course.”

  Our eyes stay locked for a moment.

  “Sure... We can do that,” I say, a bit more relaxed.

  A smile lights up his eyes.

  “Good,” he says, pushing up to his feet unexpectedly. “I’ll see you then.”

  I rise from my seat as well.

  “I’ll send you the information in the morning,” he says as we both head to the door.

  He pivots to me while I swing the door open.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, man,” he says, flashing a bright smile while curling his hand around my shoulder.

  He steps away from me before he swivels his head and looks at me one last time.

  “You can bring your date, too,” he says, winking at me. “And maybe you’ll buy her a new dress until then.”

  A smirk tugs at my lips.

  I stay mum.

  “Right,” he says in a guttural voice slightly amused while he pats me on my shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Moments later, I watch him vanish around the corner before I turn around, walk into my apartment, and let the door slam shut.

  Fuck.

  11

  TIAGO

  I walk out of the shower an hour later, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around my waist.

  I pat my hair dry with another towel and walk into the kitchen when I hear a knock on the door.

  Barefoot, I spin around and saunter down the hallway.

  A moment later, I slide the door open.

  Sporting a winter jacket, jeans, boots, a pair of fuzzy gloves and a scarf, Eve shoots her sapphire gaze at me. Her lips curl into a soft smile.

  “I thought you were going to call me first,” I say, smiling.

  “I did, but I couldn’t wait for you to come to me,” she says as I motion her to walk in.

  She pushes up to her toes and kisses me on my cheek before she takes off her gloves, unwraps her scarf and sheds her jacket.

  She places them on a chair and kicks her boots off.

  “Are you hungry?” I ask as I pick up my phone from the coffee table and notice her calls.

  She doesn’t answer.

  I turn around, just as her gaze moves away from my butt.

  “Huh?” she mumbles.

  She tosses me a questioning look.

  A grin tilts my lips.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Hungry? Yes, I am. A little... Have you had dinner?”

  “No. That’s why I was asking you,” I say, setting my phone back on the table and running my hands through my damp hair.

  Her eyes go from my abs to my chest to my lips and my hair before they slide down to my groin.

  Flashing a cocky smile, I wink at her.

  “Are you hungry for food, or just hungry?” I ask.

  She chuckles, caught red-handed.

  “I could eat something. Yeah...”

  “My eyes are up here,” I say.

  She lifts her gaze, grinning from ear to ear.

  “I’m sorry. I got distracted. Food. We were talking about food.”

  “Yes, we were,” I say as I pivot away.

  She follows me to the kitchen.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  I throw her a glance over my shoulder.

  “Besides sex,” I add.

  She laughs again.

  “Yeah... Besides sex. Yes. Um...”

  “I can order something. Or I can cook.”

  “What would you like to cook?”

  “Italian. Pasta?” I say as I uncork a bottle and fill two glasses with dark ruby wine.

  “Sounds good.”

  I raise my glass. She does the same.

  “You’re in a good mood,” she says as we clink our glasses.

  We taste the wine.

  “What makes you say that?” I ask as I set my glass on the counter and set a pot of water on the stove.

  I pivot to her.

  She flicks her gaze up, distracted again.

  “Perhaps, I should change,” I say, a smirk creeping on my lips.

  “No, no.”

  She gestures to me, her cheeks a dark shade of crimson.

  “You don’t need to.”

  “I sure do,” I say jokingly.

  Teasingly, I unwrap my towel on my way out, giving her a glimpse of my lower back and my backside as I walk out.

  “Oh, my God. You didn’t just do that.”

  She hops off the barstool and scurries after me. She enters my walk-in closet just as I put my jeans on.

  I work the metallic button closed and pull up the zipper, her eyes set on me as she quietly studies me.

  Her eyes glimmer from the wine, her mane shining from the specks of snow that have melted in her hair. A pink flamingo form-fitting, knitted top makes her blue eyes pop while her slim fit navy jeans showcase her teasing curves and the gap between her thighs.

  A rush of blood shoots through my groin, making me grow hard. I let my eyes linger on her a little longer.

  “You’re overdressed, baby,” I throw at her as I close the space between us and bring my hands to her chest.

  Her hard nipples push against her top.

  “Are you cold?” I teasingly ask as I touch her hard tips, noticing that she has no bra underneath.

  Another wave of heat simmers in my groin.

  “Quite the opposite.”

  She smiles at me, playing my game.

  Smoothly, I cup her breasts, and stroke her mounds through her top, my eyes swinging from her chest to her lips and then back to her tits. She stares at me while I move my hand up.

  My fingers wrap around her neck as I lean closer and leave a kiss on her lips. The moment she tilts her face up, I break away.

  “I have something for you to wear,” I say as I set my hands on her flanks and ride her top up.

  The soft fabric peels off, revealing her bare chest.

  I let it drop on a rack before I tilt my head down and kiss her tits, her mounds rolling against my palms, soft and heavy, the skin around her tips puckering as I tease it with my tongue.

  I’m full and hard and stirring in my jeans.

  I straighten my back and lock her eyes before I unbutton her jeans and slide her zipper down. Her eyebrows lift in surprise, her lips tilting into a soft smile.

  My hands slip inside her jeans as I ride them all the way down with her panties and her socks.

  Naked, she stands in front of me while I run my gaze on her.

  “I missed this,” I say as I softly brush the contour of her chest again.

  I touch her nipples with my fingers, my knuckles running up and down her slit, my eyes soaking her in as I sense her sex hot beneath my touch and her legs shaky.

  I lower myself when she least expects it and run my tongue between her folds, licking her warm wet flesh.

  “Ahhh...”

  A tremor vibrates through her touch as she clasps my shoulder with her fingers.

  Parting her legs, she lets me get a taste of her.

  When she starts to rock her hips against my face, I pull up and move away, meeting her surprised expression with a tantalizing smile.

  From a hanger, I peel a white dress shirt of mine and help her shrug it on.

  I close a couple of buttons at the waist, leaving the rest open.

  “Now, you’re good,” I say, smiling. “Let’s get back. The water must be boiling.

  She doesn’t move, her eyes linked with mine.

  Grinning, I snake an arm around her waist and press her into me.

  “Can we go now?” I ask quietly, my lips sweeping hers.

  She wedges her hand between us and gives me a few long strokes through my jeans before she gets a taste of herself on my lips.

  “We can go now,” she says when she feels me, iron-hard against her touch.

  I laugh quietly.

  “You learn fast,” I say as I take her hand and walk her to the kitchen, adjusting myself as we go.

  EVE

  I slide onto the barstool, making sure that my shirt covers my hips and part of my chest and also that my legs are crossed while he tosses the pasta into the pot of boiling water.

  For a few moments, I still grapple with the sensations spurred by his touch, my gaze roving over his low sitting jeans and his firm butt.

  I take a deep breath and swallow hard before I open my mouth.

  “So, how was your reunion with James?” I ask after a moment.

  He shoots me a side glance.

  “Why are you asking? Did he say anything to you?”

  “No, but he seemed to be in a good disposition.”

  “It was good,” he says softly.

  “You seem to be happy too.”

  He flashes a smile.

  “He came in peace. It’s way better than being at each other’s throats.”

  His gaze goes vacant as he ponders for a moment.

  “It was unexpected,” he says, swinging his eyes to me. “Thanks for the warning though, but it was too late. He was waiting for me in front of my building.”

  “What did he want?”

  His grin starts to falter.

  “He came to make amends.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Yeah, it does,” he says, avoiding my eyes.

  He seems concerned with something, and it’s enough to make panic sweep through me.

  Smoothly, he turns around and lets the silence grow.

  For the next few minutes or so, he focuses on cooking dinner.

  “How is it going to be tomorrow evening?” I ask when he spins back to me and pours more wine into the glasses.

  He reads my eyes for a moment.

  “It’s going to be okay. It’s not only us. Several other people have been invited. He’s already told me that I need to stay away from you,” he says, amused.

  I look at him, not cracking a smile.

  “What’s the problem, Eve?”

  “They almost caught us tonight. I didn’t know that they’d be in New York. She didn’t say anything to me.”

  He shrugs softly.

  “It all worked out in the end.”

  “Yeah, it did...”

  My voice trails off, my gaze drifting down.

  “It didn’t?” he asks.

  I raise my eyes, musing for a second.

  “When James came to my place, I was all, um... I was dressed up for you.”

  A shred of frustration flashes through my voice.

  Tilting his head to the side, he arches an eyebrow.

  “Meaning?”

  I gesture, embarrassed.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  His eyebrows push up now, a frown settling on his brow.

  “Meaning?” he insists.

  “I opened the door wearing almost nothing.”

  Surprise rolls over his face.

  Straightening his back, he folds his arms across his chest, lifting an eyebrow at me.

  “I didn’t look through the peephole... I just swung the door open convinced that it was you. I didn’t expect anyone else.”

  A slow smile curves his lips.

  “What did you have on, Eve?”

  “I told you... I wasn’t exactly clothed.”

  “What exactly did you have on?”

  I let out a sigh.

  “A sheer bra and panties, heels and a short kimono that was open all the way down to my thighs. My hair and lips were done.”

  “What did he say?” he asks, still smiling, yet no longer amused.

  “He didn’t need to say much. He knew what I was doing. He knew that I was waiting for someone. Rain figured that out as well when she walked in a few minutes later. By that time, I had different clothes on, but even so, she knew. I sort of told her that I have a new man in my life.”

  “Other than the escort?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who is this new guy?” he asks, smiling entertained this time.

  “Some architect who is going through a divorce and is out of town this weekend.”

  He laughs quietly.

  “I see. Why did you tell her?” he asks, pivoting to the stove.

  A moment later, he strains pasta with a colander while I’m still mulling over my response. He looks at me before he tosses it into the pan and mixes it with sauce.

  “Why did you tell her, Eve?”

  “Because I wanted to be able to talk about you. Not ‘you’ you, but the man in my life. It would’ve been hard not to tell her. Besides, she can tell that I’m in love with someone.”

  He shoots me a smile that makes me hot.

  “It wasn’t only that. I wanted her to stop trying to fix me up with people. She started to feel bad because she was married, and I was single.”

  He turns off the stove and puts the food on the plates.

  “Let’s take this to the table,” he says.

  A few moments later, we set the food and the wine on the table and slide into our seats.

  “So... Did she buy your story?” he asks, slanting his gaze to his plate, his fork in his hand.

  “I have no idea. At least, I tried.”

  “Why is he going through a divorce?”

  “Because I didn’t want to introduce him to them.”

  “Let me guess... “ he says, glancing at me. “They wanted to invite him to dinner.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Ironic, isn’t it?” he mutters as we both start to eat.

  We lock eyes for a moment.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re going to find ourselves across from each other at the dinner table tomorrow evening.”

  “Perhaps it would be easier if we told them the truth,” I say, shifting my gaze to my food as well.

  He doesn’t comment–– I sort of expected that, so I raise my eyes.

  A shadow darkens his face.

  “What do you think?” I ask.

  “I think it’s worse if we’re telling them now than it was before.”

  “Why?”

  A bitter smile tugs at his lips.

  He sets his fork down and drinks wine before he looks at me and speaks.

  “One of the reasons James came to my place tonight was this idea that we should try to act like brothers. Telling him the truth about you and me and especially the circumstances in which we’ve met would set me back if not completely ruin his effort. He barely convinced himself to give me a chance. He made no secret that trust is essential for him, and also that he didn’t think highly of me when we met for the first time. If there’s a good moment to tell him the truth, it’s probably when his trust in me as a man would be restored. Hopefully, at that point, he’d trust my judgment, and my connection to you would be a non-issue for him. I suspect, he’d overlook the lie, but right now, it would create a mess.”

  He looks at me, hoping that I’d agree with him.

  I do agree with him because it makes sense, but what he says only complicates things.

  “Well, in that case, we need to figure out how to pretend that we are not together tomorrow evening and also the steps that we need to take to prevent this kind of situation in the future,” I say tensely.

  “We shouldn’t do more than what we’ve already done. Except that, um...”

  A teasing smile rolls on his lips.

  “For the future, I want to be the only man who sees you naked. I don’t want James’ eyes on you,” he says half-seriously, half-jokingly.

  My temperament flares.

  “I wasn’t waiting for James,” I snap. “It was an accident.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” he mutters to torment me a little more if nothing else.

  A few seconds of silence tick by.

  “So what else did he tell you?” I ask, as we both finish eating.

  “Family stuff,” he says, no longer smiling.

  His gaze trails down.

  I slide my hand onto his forearm, prompting him to bring his eyes to me again.

  He looks at me, a soft grin stretching across his lips.

  I have so many comforting words for him, but I push them back, not knowing if they’d make a difference.

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine,” he says.

  “I have no doubt,” I respond promptly before I lean closer and give him a soft kiss.

  I straighten my back.

  “We’ll guard our secret for now as much as we can, and hopefully we’ll be able to tell them soon,” I add.

  He tilts his chin down, his eyes still holding mine.

  “Sounds good to me,” he says as he lifts his glass of wine.

  I do the same.

  “What are we drinking for?” I ask, grinning.

  “Our secret.”

  We soak our lips in the ruby liquid, his eyes on my mouth.

  He drags his gaze up.

  “By the way... James noticed your red dress when he walked in,” he rasps.

  A blush swirls on my face.

  “What did he say?”

  “What do you think he said?”

  I shrug and look at him for a few moments, not in a mood to speculate.

  “He said that I should bring my date with me tomorrow evening. He knows that I’m, um...”

  “Fucking someone? But that’s good, isn’t it?” I throw at him, rushed.

  He smiles against the rim of his glass as he drinks the rest of his wine.

  “Yeah... I think so. He might’ve said that only to test me. To see if I’m still interested in you or not.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing.”

  I think about it for a moment.

  “It would actually help if you could bring someone with you.”

  He whips his gaze to me.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. You could bring that woman... What’s her name? Andrea? It would make it way more difficult for them to suspect a connection between you and me.”

  I absolutely abhor the fact that I have to suggest that to him, but it would be a great ploy.