Heartless: Episode 1

Who the hell is this guy?

“I don’t even know you, and you sure as shit don’t know me, so stop making assumptions,” I growled before practically sprinting away from him.

Was I truly that transparent?

I hadn’t thought about Ben for years, but the minute Daniel had mentioned the one who screwed me over, I’d seen it all fresh in my mind again as if it happened an hour ago—pink panties stuck on her foot, chipped nail polish on the table, his face covered in her, his mouth spewing those soul-slashing words. I shuddered at the memory.

That moment had defined me. It was in that moment, standing in the entryway of my apartment, that I’d decided I would never be the kind of girl who gave up her hopes and dreams for a guy. I’d realized that no guy would ever be worth that kind of self-sacrifice, and no guy of worth would ever ask that of me.

If even half of what Ben had spewed that day was accurate, I’d decided that I would rather be alone forever than be with someone who wanted me to change who I was. Accepting that the majority of men wouldn’t be able to handle me and my passion for my job, I’d convinced myself that I was perfectly okay with that.

And I had been.

I was.

6.

ELIZABETH

I spent the rest of the evening avoiding Daniel Alexander—or at least I tried to. I forced myself into awkward conversations with the other attendees, none of whom held even half the charm in their entire bodies that Daniel was blessed with in his pinky.

How had I gotten roped into this event again? Each person was supposed to be fascinating, smart, interesting, ambitious, driven, and young Mostly, they were superficially arrogant, socially awkward, or inherently competitive. These were all traits I found completely undesirable, especially in settings like this one where I couldn’t sneak away and find refuge in a restroom away from the chaos until the night ended—without my absence being noticed, that was.

“Dance with me,” Daniel suddenly cooed in my ear.

I scowled. “No.”

“Just one dance,” he all but begged, pulling me away from a small group of event sponsors.

I glanced out at the merely empty dance floor. “No.” I paused. “But thank you.”

I wasn’t sure why Daniel seemed so hell-bent on bothering me, but I was flustered. I hadn’t felt this way—hell, I hadn’t felt any way for a guy in a really long time. I was pretty sure that Daniel Alexander was the last person on earth I wanted to go and have feelings for, attraction or otherwise. He had heartbreaker written all over his stupidly gorgeous body.

Grabbing my hand, he eased me onto the dance floor. He moved one hand tight against my lower back while the other clutched mine in perfect dance form.

“Did you not get told no often enough as a kid or something?”

I tried to pull away from him, but he only gripped me tighter as the orchestral music filtered throughout the room.

“I heard no plenty. I just don’t want to hear it from you.”

“Oh my God, are you a caveman?” Part of me flushed with want, and the other part fought back with repulsion. “Do you carry a club? Are you going to hit me over the head with it?” I looked around at his sides, my eyes searching for the mock weapon.

“Very funny.” He smirked and twirled me effortlessly across the dance floor, his moves fluid and his body strong.

I felt safe in his arms, and an unfamiliar feeling of longing soared through me.

“I just know what I want, Elizabeth, and I have a hard time letting go.”

“What are you saying exactly?” I cocked my head to the side and looked into his hazel eyes.

“You need me to spell it out for you?”

He winked and dipped me low, causing my head to fall back. I squealed in response to the sudden shifting of my weight before a giggle slipped out. Daniel’s lips brushed over my ear, and my eyes closed automatically in response.

“I want you.”

My eyes shot open as I placed both feet on the ground and righted my body. “You can’t possibly mean that. You know nothing about me.”