Page 106 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

I raceto my bedroom to strip out of my clothes and then run into the bathroom. Hercules is supposed to call when he’s in front of my building. I’ve turned the volume up on my cellphone so that I can hear it ring.

I soap all the parts that might get touched by Hercules tonight.This is a dangerous move, Paisley.The closer he and I are for long periods of time, the more I risk him figuring out my identity. But I can’t stay away from him.

Max can never know Hercules and I are involved. However, a small part of me wants to hear from my brother. Only he could shake some sense into me and make me step out of the flames. I’m surprised he hasn’t reached out to me—especially after our last conversation.

Well… I’m sure as hell not going to call him.

I get out of the shower and rub a sweet-scented body cream on my skin. Treasure gifted the stuff to me on one of my birthdays. I can’t remember which. Since it has pheromones in it, she said I should use it wisely.

“There’s no such thing as pheromones,” I said to her.

“Oh yes, there is. Wear this, and you’ll see.”

Tonight, I shall see.

After moisturizing my skin, I grab a pair of jeans but then change my mind. A dress gives Hercules easy access to my underworld.But is that what he wants from me—sex?Of course it is. It’s what I want too. But I also want more. I want his heart and his soul.

I slip on a soft cotton dress that extends past my knees. It fits my body almost like a glove, not too tight or too loose. It’s red too. I look damn good in that color.

“Shoes,” I say as my cellphone rings. “Damn it!”

I stretch my neck to see the number. Excitement swirls through me. It’s him.

I snatch the phone off the nightstand and slip on one riding boot at the same time. “Hercules?”

“Are you ready?”

“Almost. I’m just putting on my other boot.”

“How about I come up?” he asks.

I drop my foot on the floor and stand up straight. “Huh?”

“What’s your apartment number?”

“Um, I’m ready, so I’ll just come down. And my place is a mess.” I take notice of the outfit I wore today strewn across my bed and then quickly bend down to swipe today’s panties off the floor.

“No, I’ll come up. Unless you’re hiding something. Are you hiding something, Lark Davenport?”

I clutch my chest as my heart thumps like thunder. I can get out of this. I could say that I’m hungry and there’s not a stitch of food in my fridge.

“I’d like to get to know you better, Lark. Let me come up,” he says.

His sensual tone makes one word escape my mouth before I’m able to stop it.

Chapter Thirty-Six

PG

Hercules Valentine

Twenty Minutes Earlier

I glare at the name on my screen. I changed her name on my contacts list from Lark Davenport to PG. She’s so damn good at playing the part that I don’t want to forget who she is. On the drive to her apartment, my plan vacillated between straight-out asking her why she’s working for me while pretending to be someone else and just going with the flow.

Damn, why didn’t she just apply for the job, using her real identity?I would have interviewed her myself to figure out her motives, and if I could trust her, I would have hired her. My family wouldn't have agreed, especially my mother, but I wouldn't have cared. Ever since she's come on board, Paisley's been doing a stellar job. Her intention can't be to sabotage us. With theShop-a-Lotgame, she’s offered our sinking ship a lifeline. So she’s infiltrated our company for another reason.

But what is it?What does she want?