“I did.”
“You really have a high opinion of yourself, don’t you?”
I can’t tell if she’s being sarcastic or not, so I ignore the question. “I’m attracted to you. You don’t find me overly repulsive.”
“Wow, you really do think highly of yourself.”
“I’m stating facts. Sex is the easiest way to fast-track to the results we want.” The easiest way to get exactly what I want.
Maybe it’ll be just another sexual encounter. Desire, sex, wake up the next morning with that need purged. We never have to do it again; we’re more than capable of sharing the same space without making things uncomfortable. She’s too good at playing the game to do otherwise, and control is never something I’ve had an issue with.
Until now.
“No. Absolutely not. I don’t know what you see when you look at me that makes you assume I’d happily have sex with a man who was set to murder me an hour ago, but I have higher standards than that.” She puts the slightest amount of pressure against my chest. “Back off, Eros. Now.”
I do as she asks, allowing her to push me several steps back. I want her in my bed, but I want her there willingly. “We can’t leave this apartment until you manage not to startle when I touch you.”
“I’ll be fine by morning.” She makes a show of looking around. “Now, do you have a spare bedroom?”
“Psyche.” I wait for her to look at me. I do have a spare bedroom and it’s more than adequate for her needs. But I want Psyche in my bed, and I’ll play dirty to get her there, even if it’s just to sleep. “I meant it about exposure therapy. If not sex, then sleeping next to each other will do in a pinch.”
“No.”
“It’s nonnegotiable.”
“There are plenty of couples who don’t share bedrooms. My mother and her second husband never slept together.”
I raise my brows. “The existence of you and Persephone suggests otherwise.”
She’s so damn cute when she blushes. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Stop trying to distract me.”
“Love match.” I speak the words slowly. “If we’ve lost our minds enough to rush through with a marriage, then it would be strange if you flinch every time I get close enough to touch you.”
“I’ll work on it. We don’t have to sleep in the same bed to accomplish our goals.”
I’m already tired of this argument. “You don’t want to play?” I motion behind me. “There’s the door. I won’t hurt you, but my mother will send someone else. If you want to try your chances surviving the week, you’re more than welcome to.” It’s a bluff. I can’t let her leave. Not when the consequences for both of us are so damn high.
She looks at me like she hates me, but I can live with that, because she turns toward the hallway leading deeper into the house. “Let’s finish the tour of this monstrosity of a penthouse.”
8
Psyche
After seeing the rest of Eros’s penthouse—each room more expensive and sleeker than the last—I finally manage to pry him off me and hide in the master bathroom. It’s just as ridiculous as the rest of the place with a tiled walk-in shower large enough to fit six people with a dozen showerheads in various strategic locations. The tile is rather pretty, though I’ll never say as much out loud. It almost looks like rose quartz, which shines attractively against the slate-gray tile on the floor. The sinks are both a shiny black and deep with faucets that are motion activated. Of course they are.
And the mirrors.
Gods, there are so many mirrors in this place.
I might own more than my fair share of mirrors back in my mother’s home, but this is truly above and beyond. They’re all massive and have ornate framing. Maybe they wouldn’t be so overwhelming if there was literally any other decoration in this place. But no. Just mirrors and minimalist furniture that has me feeling like I wandered into some strange art gallery. It’s attractive and expensive but ultimately soulless.
I’m sure it says something about Eros, but I’m too tired to connect the dots right now.
I brush my teeth with the spare toothbrush he found for me, mostly to give myself something to do, and stare at my reflection in the main mirror in this room. It’s a large horizontal one that stretches across the full length of the counter, the frame a simple black metal that shines against the tile. I sigh. This entire night has turned my plans on their head, but there’s nothing to be done. I know when to roll with the punches, even if this one is a knockout. There’s a way out of this eventually, but the only path forward right now is to marry Eros.