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“I can still taste you,” Gavin said when he drew away.
Appalled, she elbowed him in the stomach and tried to walk into the casino without him. He laughed and caught up with her, dragging her beneath his arm.
“No one tastes like you, baby,” Gavin said.
“You’d know,” she snapped.
“You really think I still want other women?”
“Nothing’s changed.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but was distracted by the club bouncers who inclined their heads respectfully to him.
“Mr. Pyre,” they said, tones nearly reverent.
The Room was a high end club with modern lounging furniture and blue lighting. A live band played bluesy, melancholy music that set the mood. Gavin guided her to the second floor, which was manned by behemoth-sized security. The second floor looked out over the club and contained private alcoves with white pod chairs that two people could comfortably sleep in. Frosted white glass separated the top floor into private sections. Lyla could see the silhouettes of the people next to them. Did people come here to fuck or watch other people fuck? Who wanted to fuck in a club? Gavin, of course. It turned her stomach and when he tried to pull her down to share his pod chair, she resisted. However, Gavin wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He gave her a firm yank and when she plopped down beside him, he wrapped her close. Carmen and Vinny took another pod chair while Ricardo took the last. Scantily clad women swarmed around them, dropping artfully arranged appetizers on a tiny table in front of each pod. Even though she knew Carmen, Vinny and Ricardo were nearby, they weren’t able to talk to one another over the music. The sides of the pods were designed to encase each couple in a dome of privacy. This was too intimate for her peace of mind.
“Eat,” Gavin said.
Because she wanted to calm her jittery stomach, she did so. The food was excellent and the champagne washed it all down, mellowing her out. Lyla watched the singer on stage perform, face rapt with emotion. Was that Ariel, Jonathan's favorite female singer and celebrity crush? Lyla downed the rest of the champagne, but that couldn’t drown out the guilt and pain. How was he? She wished she could call him to apologize, to explain, but she couldn’t. Her eyes burned.
“What are you thinking about?” Gavin asked, warm breath brushing over her cheek.
Lyla reached for another champagne glass and glanced sideways at Gavin who looked devilishly handsome. She tried to put the events of this afternoon out of her mind, but it was impossible. How much of what Jonathan said during the dream had actually been Gavin? Lyla licked her lip, which was nearly healed. Her mind moved over the way Gavin took care of her that first night, bathing and tending to her with soft kisses and gentle hands. The next morning he morphed into a monster. Then, he exploded over Rafael asking for her number and gave her orgasms? Who was he?You humanize him, Manny claimed. Gavin and Manny straddled the line between legal and illegal business and had no qualms about it. Gavin lived an unconventional, no holds barred life. It was no wonder that he was part civilized, part barbarian.
“What do you want, Gavin?” The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop it. The champagne loosened up her tongue and body, which leaned against him.
“I want many things,” Gavin said.
“And you always get what you want?” Lyla asked.
“Until you, yes.”
“What do you want from me? You can get what you want from anyone.”
Gavin’s hand splayed on her spine, branding her. She tried to twist away from him.
“Gavin—”
“I cheated on you because I hate the power you have over me.”
Lyla froze. The hand on her back increased pressure ever so slightly before it relaxed again. She could feel his internal struggle. Lyla shook her head, absolutely sure that she didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“No, Gavin—” she said and tried to push away.
“When Dad introduced us, I knew you were it for me. I didn’t like it. I was too young to commit to one woman so I fucked around because I could.”
Lyla let out an angry, disgusted sound and shoved against his chest. Man logic. Ego. She had no patience or interest in either.
“I thought no matter what I did, you would forgive me. I took your love for granted. When you found out, you changed. The way you looked at me... You wouldn’t let me touch you and no matter what I said, what I promised, you didn’t believe me. You wouldn’t let me fix it. I could feel you slipping through my fingers. I was going to propose, but you took off.” He brushed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. “I know I drove you away. I was so fucking scared that someone had you and would—” He shook his head. “I figured that if you weren’t being held against your will, you’d come back to me eventually.” His eyes hardened. “I found out no one took you and you weren’t just okay, you were doing fucking fine without me. I hated that. That you could live without me, that you moved on. I hate it because I can’t be without you.”
Panic spread through her, a cold wave that made her skin erupt in goosebumps as he stared at her, resolve and something dangerous clear in his yes.
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you love me again,” Gavin vowed.
Lyla didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to be won over or seduced. She wanted a man who didn’t have a dark side, a hair trigger temper and a basement where he tortured and killed. She wanted a man who wouldn’t hurt her—emotionally or physically. She didn’t want a man people feared, including herself. She wanted a man she could depend on. When would Gavin realize she wasn’t a love struck fool? That she couldn’t give him what he wanted? He claimed to want her but he wanted the girl she’d been.
“We’re over, Gavin,” Lyla said, willing herself to believe it.
