Dark Lies (House of Sin 2)

“I want you,” he whispers against my lips. “Tell me you want me too.”

But when my lips part, no words can escape. Nothing … except a sweet and delectable moan.

And when his lips capture mine, I am his.

Suddenly, my eyes burst open … And Eli is gone.

Vanished, as though he was never even here.

And the dark of night has been replaced by the light of day.

My fingers hover close to my lips, a simple touch feeling like electricity jolts through my veins. Within the snap of a finger, I was no longer kissing him … but I can still feel his lips on mine. And I can still feel his hands on my body, his weight bearing down on me, while my legs clenched together as the wetness began to flow.

Fuck.

I really have fallen for him.

I swallow hard and look around. The apartment still seems empty. Quiet as a mouse. Jamie nor her daughter Mimi are awake. Nothing in the apartment seems out of place, not even the door is open.

But Eli …

Eli was here. I was right here. He was kissing me.

Was it all a dream?

I sigh out loud and rub my eyes, trying to make sense of it all.

Are my dreams that vivid? Or is his face just stuck in my head along with every little kiss he could ever give me?

Even thinking about it now, the way his mouth latched onto mine like he was desperate to have me, like he’d do anything for it, makes me feel as if I’m floating on air. But I shouldn’t be, and I know that. He is bad for me, even when he makes me wish he was really here.

With a groan, I throw the blanket off, forcing myself to forget that I liked kissing him, and that I was secretly turned on. There’s no time for stupid dreams and wishful thinking.

I have to find a job as soon as possible and get the fuck out of here. I can’t stay here, even if I want to, even if Jamie tells me it’s okay. Because she doesn’t know what kind of danger she’s in. She doesn’t know he could be here at any moment to take me back.

And she needs to stay safe.

So I put on my clothes, grab my stuff, write her a note that I’m going to work and pay her back, and leave, determined to pay her back for her generosity some other time.

Chapter 8

Eli

After the helicopter landed, I immediately got into the rental car and went to her apartment. Of course, she wasn’t there. But I did manage to talk to the landlord and confirm she had been there.

So I went straight toward the second place she might be: her workplace. The only safe spot she’s ever known. But when I get there, the only face in front of the desk belongs to her coworker.

“Can I help you?” the woman asks.

“Is Amelia here?” I ask, trying to remain calm.

The woman furrows her brows at me. “Sir, this is a library. Do you need help?”

So she’s going to play hardball with me. Fine. I slam my fist on the desk. “Tell me where she is.”

The woman leans back in her chair as far away from me as she possibly can. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” I retort, glaring at her.

She raises her brow at me. “I think you need to leave.”

“You’ve seen her, haven’t you?” I bark. “You know where she is. You just won’t tell me.”

She merely stares me down, but her eyes are twitching, and her nostrils flare. She’s getting suspicious. “Who are you?” she asks after a while.

Grinding my teeth, I turn around and march off. I can’t risk her calling the police. Not when I’m so close to hunting her down. If she refuses to answer, that means she knows Amelia might be in danger, which means they’ve talked.

She has to be close.

I can sense it.

All I need to do is reach out and grasp.

But where … where could she be?

Then it hits me.

The club where I first discovered her dark edge, the one where I told her to stop working and leave. Maybe she hasn’t listened after all.

Amelia

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Yes, now get out of my way. I have customers,” Joe barks, quickly shoving past me.

I sigh out loud and stare at the other waitresses bustling about with drinks and snacks while the customers gleefully gaze at the luscious women twirling away on the stage.

Even here, there is no more place for me.

One of the ladies in the back has my tables already. I’ve been replaced, and there’s nothing I can do about it, nor do I blame Joe. Of course he’d find someone else. His business needs to be kept running. And the last time he saw me here, I fled the scene without ever coming back. I’d probably do the same if I was in his position.