Page 10 of Deceptive Desires (The Syndicate #2)

Cecilia

I feel myself waking up from my nap. I peek my eyes open to see if Gracie is still in the living room.

She is.

Sitting across from me. On one of the armchairs.

I quickly squeeze my eyes back shut and focus on taking slow, even breaths. Pretending to be asleep gives me a little more time to figure out what to tell her.

“Dude, I know you’re awake. Talk to me. What the hell was that? You forgot to mention he’s sexy as fuck, you little shit,” Gracie grumbles at me.

Something hits my head and falls to the floor with a thud. A pillow rests on the ground.

“Okay, fine. So, maybe I left out a few details,” I concede as I sit up.

“Like every interesting detail! Here I am, concerned that some creep is going to show up and take you in the middle of the night, but a terrifyingly sinful, sexy God of Darkness comes instead!”

“Terrifyingly sinful, sexy God of Darkness? No part of Roman is terrifying, sinful, or dark!” I counter, not standing for Roman slander.

“Babe, were you looking at the same man as I was? The buzz cut, tatted, gigantic, sexy man straight from a delectable nightmare? The man dripping in sin? For fucks sake, he was wearing all black!” She’s exasperated.

“He does not look like he’s from a nightmare! He’s sweet as can be. A gentle giant!” I try to convince her. There’s nothing evil about my hero.

“Cecilia, are you being serious right now? That man could be downright terrifying if he wanted to be. I’d never want to get on his bad side. That doesn’t mean he’s not hot as hell. But ‘gentle giant?’ Come on, that’s ridiculous.”

I really don’t see it. All he’s been is kind and caring to me. I’m not scared of Roman at all.

“And don’t think I didn’t notice you not deny him being sexy as fuck,” she says with a grin.

“I guess if tall, dark, and giant does it for you, then yes, he’s handsome.”

“Shut up! You practically swallowed your tongue when he came in. Now, spill! What all happened? I want every last detail!” she demands.

So, I do. I recount every part to her, and when I’m done, I let her sit in silence, soaking it in.

“Okay, babe. He’s so into you. He stopped his day to carry you home. Took care of you. Gave you his number. And stopped by to check on you. You lucky bitch.”

“Oh, stop. He would’ve done it for anyone. He’s just a good Samaritan. It wasn’t about me,” I add, but secretly hope maybe I got a special treatment. Maybe he is interested in me a little.

“I seriously doubt that. And based on what I saw, he’s definitely interested in you. You have to go on that date with him.”

“I’ll think about it,” I mumble.

I haven’t been on a date in so long. I find it hard to put myself out there. And finding someone who matches me hasn’t been easy.

“Cecilia, what is there to think about? The sexy god wants to go out with you. He wants you to teach him yoga for fucks sake!” She says yoga as if it’s absurd.

“What’s wrong with yoga? Maybe he genuinely wants to learn. It’s a great way to center your life and find inner peace,” I say, somewhat offended. I love yoga. I know it’s not her thing, but it means so much to me.

“I know. It’s great for you. But do you seriously think a man that looks like him wants to be around a woman that looks like you just to learn yoga?

” I huff and she continues. “That man wants to be doing so much more than yoga with you. Look at you! Yoga is not the only thing on his mind. He wants to do a different kind of exercise with you.”

I blush at the innuendo and smile unconsciously.

“HA! See, I knew you’re into him!” She points at my face as she says it.

“Fine. Yes, I’m interested in him. Not only does he look handsome, but he also has a heart of gold. How could I not be into him?”

“This is so exciting! I’m so happy for you!”

“I can’t believe you’re not more skeptical of him.”

“Oh, I don’t trust him at all. But it’s good to see you happy. You lit up talking to him. I think he could be good for you. I haven’t seen you look at a guy like that since… ever.”

“I know. He’s different.” I smile, then scowl. “I can’t believe you stayed the entire time!”

“I wasn’t about to let him into our apartment to murder you.” She huffs. “Plus, I was curious. I couldn’t let a man looking like him in without knowing the full story.”

“Fine. You really think he likes me?” I can’t help the hope in my voice.

I’ve never had this kind of connection with a man before.

And I don’t want to lose it.