I’m staring, I know I am. I can’t help it. But I know how those lips feel on me, I know how they make me feel. They are my new craving, one I didn’t even want or ask for. Yet, somehow, it’s all I seem to want.

I’m closing up the bar and it’s been two days since that day he picked me up, two days of seeing him every day but no words have been spoken. Falcon does more speaking than Creed, and even if Falcon is handsome as all fuck to stare at, I always find my eyes wandering to Creed. And right now, he’s sitting at the end of the bar, his cell in hand as he does some paperwork. He hasn’t caught me looking yet. Johnny though, he has. He nudges me again as the music turns off and the lights come on while everyone’s leaving.

“You need a lift?” Johnny asks.

I look to Creed who still hasn’t looked up to me. Then back to Johnny, nodding my head.

I want those lips.

But I don’t.

The struggle is real.

Do I want to keep this job, or do I want to taste him? I know damn well what he tastes like and I want to dip my tongue in every chance I fucking get.

We start to walk out the same way we come in, and I try my best not to look back to see if he even noticed me leaving. He hasn’t stopped by to see me all night, it’s like he’s forgotten all about me. I’m not even sure if that hurts my feelings since I should know better. I should keep everything strictly business, since I want to work here for as long as possible. I’m earning decent money here, more so than I could have ever earned at my other job.

“Elicea.”

My eyes fly up at his voice. Searching until they find him, he’s still in the same spot he has been most of the night working. My heart beats so loudly I can hear it echo through my ears, waiting to see what he’ll say. “No work tomorrow, you’re not needed.”

It drops, all the way down to my feet. I’m afraid to look down, thinking I may actually see my heart there. I nod, letting the door finally shut behind me as I get into Johnny’s car. He doesn’t say much as he drives me home. Kissing his cheek, I go inside and strip, turning up the music loudly before getting in the shower—hoping it will drown the thoughts running rampant in my mind.

Am I good enough?

Is this something you really want, to love someone like him?

Do you even want to love, when the possibility of getting hurt is so high?

Men like him don’t love women like me, I question if they love at all.

Scrubbing my skin, I look down to my red feet that the hot water cascades over. Working twelve hours in a bar where drinks spill on you, you end up sticky. Places I never thought I would be sticky end up covered in alcohol.

Wrapping a towel around myself, I hear someone knock loudly on my door. It’s probably Tracey—she finishes work around this time. I don’t bother changing as I pull the door open but instead of Tracey, standing there are two men. One has his eyes glued to me, staring like he’s about to push me in and shut the door behind us.

“Good evening, gentlemen.”

Falcon nods, not discreetly, as his eyes roam my body.

Creed, on the other hand, well, his gaze meets mine. His hand is glued to the door frame and his knuckles are turning white.

“We messaged you,” Falcon says pushing past me into my home. Creed stays at the door, his hand not moving from the spot on the door frame.

“I was showering,” I reply to Falcon but still watching Creed, whose gaze has travelled down to my bare legs.

“You smell like strawberries,” Falcon says as he pulls out a chair. I hear it scrape on the floor as I turn to look at him.

“What are you doing here?”

Falcon looks to his cell, types something out fast then pockets it before he looks back to me. “Get dressed, we have somewhere to be.” I eye him before looking back to Creed, who let go of my doorframe and stepped inside. His front is to my back, neither of us says a word as he shuts the door—both of us not moving. His breath tickles my neck, and I try to restrain from jumping.

“Or you can go like that, I’m a pleaser.” Falcon winks.

I move away from Creed and go to my room, making sure I shut the door. I throw on a simple black dress and heels, leaving my hair down and wet—no time to dry or straighten it. The curls will have to do tonight.

I pause at the door. Creed is leaning over Falcon while he holds his collar, his face inches from Falcon as he whispers. From his tone I can tell he’s angry, very fucking angry with him. I cough and they both stand at the exact same time.

“Beautiful. Shall we?” Falcon asks with a wave to the door.

I should be shy that two very large and attractive men are currently in my extremely small apartment that’s not tidy at all. If I had time to think about it, I’d probably be mortified. But my hands are sweaty, and my pulse is racing while I stand next to Creed as we reach the car. It’s not his car, his is sleek and powerful. This one is a Hummer, large and big. Falcon gets in the driver’s seat as Creed holds open the back door for me to slide in. He offers me his hand as I step on the step and use it to push myself inside. His hand squeezes mine as he lets go and shuts the door. He slides into the front passenger seat.

“Are most of the work people going to attend? Where did you say we’re going again?” I ask, clutching my cell to me. That’s when I realize I didn’t grab my purse.

“It’s—a private affair. And no, other employees will not be attending,” Falcon replies. Creed stays quiet.

“I forgot my purse,” I say.

Falcon responds straight away, not slowing down or stopping. “You won’t need ID or a purse, will she, Creed?” Falcon looks to Creed who still does not speak.

I have no idea why they picked me up or even why I’m going. Creed has only said a few words to me in the last few days. I’m not sure why, so this outing is a very big surprise to me considering I just left work. The silence is almost deafening, not once does Creed offer to make conversation or even Falcon. They seem to be lost in their own worlds. The car slows down as we arrive at a house, a house right on the beach.

How long were we driving? Must have been an hour at least to get to the beach.

I slip my heels back on as we come to a stop. The guys get out as Creed opens my door, offering me his hand. Placing mine in his, I pull it away the minute both of my feet touch the ground—careful not to break his boundaries. Obviously, we are no longer two people who like to kiss. Now we’re two strangers who travel in silence.

His eyes find mine, but I’m trying not to give attention to what I just did when I pulled my grasp away from him, so I don’t look at him. It’s easier that way.

“Whose place is this?” I ask as we walk up to a large white door. I can feel him lingering behind me as I walk away.

Falcon pulls it open, letting me step in first, and I feel him come up behind me as we make our way inside. The music is loud and there are very few people here.

“Darby’s,” Falcon says, and I stop in my tracks. Creed once again is behind me. His hand rests on my waist as he leans down and whispers in my ear, “What’s wrong, Elicea, don’t you want to party with us?” He says it in the most teasing way, and shivers break over my body.

I whip around to look him in the eyes, we’re so close that our noses almost touch. Instead of asking him what he means and why he asked me, I say the first thing that pops into my head. “He doesn’t like me.”

Creed drops his hand from my waist and steps forward so he’s standing next to me. He cracks his neck as he looks around. Falcon’s already left so it’s now just us two standing there in the entryway.

“You’re observant, aren’t you?” he asks like it’s a surprise. I shrug as he looks around then back to me. “He doesn’t dislike you, he just doesn’t like what you do to me.” He walks off, leaving me alone. Shivers run through my body at his words.

What do I do to him?

I don’t even know.

We didn’t get far enough to work it out. He gave me a job and we kissed twice. That has been our extent. I don’t even know him.

“And who are you?”

I turn to see yet another god lookalike—he reminds me of Thor with his blond hair and tanned muscles. I point to where the guys left, then drop my hand to my side. “Elicea,” I answer him.

He nods, walks up to me and asks for my hand. Placing my hand in his, he leans down and kisses the top of my hand. His tongue darts out and it’s slow before he pulls away, standing tall again. “It’s a pleasure, I’m sure.”

Too stunned for words, I do nothing but stare, and he does the same thing as he puts his drink to his lips. That’s when Darby walks up behind him, slapping him harder than he probably should have on the shoulder. Darby’s eyes find mine, assessing me before he looks behind me, trying to determine who brought me here.

“Which one, Falcon or Creed?” he asks, his hand not leaving the man’s shoulder. I still don’t know his name, but Thor sounds good to me.

I smile, looking down to my shoes. Darby isn’t a man to be won over by a pretty smile, and right now I don’t feel like smiling. My eyes lift from the floor to see Darby watching me intently, and I’ve only spoken to him a few times. His eyes are not like the others, he’s all business and the most serious man I’ve ever met.

“Both.”

He shakes his head swearing under his breath. “I’m sure you’re a nice woman—”

“Elicea,” I say, and he nods.

“But those two—they don’t need to be distracted.”

The blonde says nothing as he watches our interaction, highly amused by the situation.

“If anyone’s being distracted, it’s me. I didn’t ask to be taken out after work tonight. I was getting ready for bed when they showed up. So, if you would be so kind, and possibly tell me the number for a cab service, I’ll go back to exactly what I was doing before you guys decided it was best to take me out for one of your fun nights. Which, I might add, was distracting me.” My voice gets louder as I speak, realizing the ridiculousness of the entire chain of events. Thor whistles loudly, shaking his head, and throws an arm around me, pulling me from Darby—who is looking at me like I have grown a second head.

“Echo, hands off,” Falcon says, standing in a kitchen area with drinks around him. Creed sits opposite of him, head down as he listens to Falcon.

“He’s feisty that one, but just a word of advice, the one you should be looking out for is Creed.” He doesn’t say anything else as he walks off. Falcon waves me over and I take the spare seat next to Creed. A few girls linger on the seats behind us. They aren’t the regular girls from work, that surprises me, but the three guys are up here watching while Falcon makes drinks.

“Do you need a hand?” I ask Falcon. He smiles at me and taps my head.

“No work for you tonight, pretty one. Tonight, you get fucked up.”

I laugh at his words. He’s always tapping my head like I’m a child and saying stupid shit. Falcon’s attractive, more so than most men. But my heart only beats out of my chest and my hands only sweat while my butterflies swoon for the man sitting next to me, pretending I don’t exist.

My eyes find him, he’s lost in thought. His face is stoic and unreadable. Turning back around, I wipe my sweaty hands on my clothes and hope he doesn’t realize what he does to me.

I need to try harder to hide these feelings, they could be dangerous.