for what she wanted. Handing it over to her, I was careful not to touch her fingertips, knowing if I did, I was too drunk to stop myself from asking if I could kiss each one.
Following her outside, I openly stared at the sway of her hips in her tight black jeans and soft cream sweater. My hands itched to grab those hips, turn her around, and slam my mouth against hers until she begged me for more. Instead, I wordlessly followed her to my car and opened the driver’s side for her to get in.
An awkward silence fell between us.
I nodded toward the seat. She understood my silent command, and I shut her door behind her before I walked over to the passenger side, praying to whatever God that existed to help me pass the fuck out, so I didn’t have to smell her lingering perfume the entire drive back to my house.
I buckled up, leaning my head against the headrest, waiting for the torture to begin. We drove in deafening silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
Mistakes.
Demons.
When she turned a sharp left into my building, I knew our time together was coming to an end. The valet stumbled all over himself as he rushed to the driver’s side and opened the door.
“Come on.” Eden was closing my door, wrapping an arm around my waist, leading us into the elevator of my penthouse. She hit the button, and I couldn’t resist sniffing her hair like a lunatic, clinging to her more than I needed to.
This would be our last moment.
And I was desperate to slow down time.
Just like I was desperate to fix what I’d broken.
All too soon, the elevator doors opened to my penthouse floor, revealing the living room with skylight windows illuminating the room in front of us in my open floorplan suite.
“Thanks,” I acknowledged, letting her go.
The front door shut quietly behind us as I walked toward the balcony, needing to open the doors. The air between us hung heavy and thick, making it almost hard to breathe. I needed to get away from her; she wasn’t mine. The longer I was around her, the harder it was to believe that lie.
Not yours.
Not yours.
Not yours.
His.
“I love you,” she choked out.
Three words.
Three little words.
Triggered a domino effect.
Waves of anxiety, of anger, washed over me as I repeated those fucking words in my head while they greedily tried to imprint onto my heart.
With my back now to her, I ordered, “You need to go, Red.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes. That’s why you need to go.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Then I’ll be forced to kick you out.”
“Just like that? It’s so easy for you to just kick me out of your life, isn’t it?”
“What do you want from me, Eden? You’re marrying my brother. Why are you here?”
“I was worried about you.”
“I’m not a child, Red. I don’t need you to babysit me.”
“I know that.”
“What are you really doing here?” I rasped in a daunting tone.
“I just told you. I’m worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I blew out a puff of air. My composure should have told her she knew what was coming, what I was about to say, but she didn’t. I never thought it would come to this, or maybe I did, and I just chose to ignore it. Swept it under the rug that now held all of our truths.
All our lies.
All our bullshit tied together, where none of us had a chance of making it out alive.
Was it so wrong to want to go down in flames with her? Just once?
What are you doing here, Eden?” I repeated, needing to hear her say it again.
Thirsting for it.
Dying for it.
“Romeo, I love you.”
I grimaced, covering it quickly as my hands shook at my sides. “Go home. You need to go home.”
“Why are you trying to hurt me?”
“For the first time, I’m trying to do the opposite. All I’ve ever done is hurt you. With my words, with my actions. I can’t do this to you anymore. I need to let you go.”
“Romeo,” she coaxed, obviously wanting me to stop what I was about to say but knowing I wouldn’t.
“Go home, Eden. Go home to your fiancé. Go home to my brother. That’s your home now. He’s your priority now. Stop worrying about me. I’m not your concern anymore. I never was. He’s going to be your husband. It’s time you put him first.”
“Fine. I’ll do all that