Chapter 206
Elena’s Point Of View
I should’ve been annoyed. I should’ve shut it down right then and there, walked away, and found Lexy on the floor. But there was something about the way he carried himself… something light, easy, and completely detached from the wreckage of my real life.
He didn’t know about Graham, he didn’t know about the lawsuits, and he didn’t know about the messy, terrifying draw I felt toward a man who moved like a shadow in the night. He only knew the version of me sitting in front of him, unburdened and nameless, and for the moment, I liked being just that. It was almost freeing, being a stranger to someone, existing without the weight of my own history trailing behind me.
After the week I’d had, uncomplicated felt like a relief.
“So, Daniel,” I said, my voice dropping into a light tease as I shifted closer. “What’s your story? What does a guy who uses cheesy line delivery actually do for a living p>
His grin widened, full of self-deprecating humor. “I’m an open book. Ask me anything you want. I work in commercial architecture, I live twenty minutes from here, and I have a terrible habit of buying drinks for intimidating women p>
I laughed out loud, the sound surprising even me as it cut through the noise of the club. “Fine. Why are you talking to me then? Out of all the people in this room p>
He leaned in a fraction closer, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper against the music. “Because you’re easily the most captivating woman in this entire club. And because I like a challenge. You looked like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders when you walked over here, and I thought maybe I could make you smile p>
I rolled my eyes, though I felt an unexpected blush warming my cheeks under the red lipstick. “Smooth, shameless, and completely full of it. Impressive p>
“I try my best,” he said, his grin unrepentant and bright. “Is it working p>
“Maybe a little,” I admitted, a small, honest smile breaking through my defenses. “Don’t let it go to your head p>
“Too late for that,” he chuckled, signaling the bartender with a subtle wave. “Let me buy you a proper drink. Something better than straight shots p>
“If you’re buying, I won’t say no,” I said, pulling my dress down an inch as I settled into the stool. “But no weak cocktails. I’ve had a very long day p>
“Noted,” Daniel said, leaning over the bar to order two old fashioneds with a specific bourbon brand that actually impressed me. He turned back to me, resting his forearm on the counter. “So, Elena… tell me something real. What do you do when you’re not shooting down strangers at bars p>
“I run a corporate consulting firm,” I said, leaning back slightly to gauge his reaction. “I spend forty hours a week telling older men who think they know everything why their financial projections are completely wrong p>
Daniel let out a low whistle, his eyes sparkling with genuine respect. “Okay, so ’intimidating’ was an understatement. You actually tear people down for a living p>
“Only when they deserve it,” I countered smoothly, my confidence coming back full force. “Which, in my line of work, is almost always. What about you? Building skyscrapers or designing overpriced coffee shops p>
“A little bit of both,” he laughed, taking the two heavy glass tumblers from the bartender and sliding one into my hands. “Mostly restorative work on old brick structures downtown. I like taking things that look broken or abandoned and turning them into something that lasts p>
I looked at him over the rim of my glass, taking a slow sip. The whiskey was dark, rich, and smooth, cutting through the lingering burn of the tequila. “That’s surprisingly poetic for a guy who started this conversation with a biting line p>
“I contain multitudes,” Daniel said smoothly, clicking his glass against mine. “See? I told you I was interesting p>
And just like that, the entire atmosphere of the night shifted.
We talked. Really talked.
We stayed right there at the edge of the bar for what felt like forty minutes, the loud, chaotic energy of the club blurring into a warm background haze. We talked about nothing and everything… the ridiculous demands of his high-strung clients, the absolute nightmare of navigating modern dating apps, the terrible corporate events we’d both been forced to attend, and the way the DJ kept looping the exact same three synth tracks every half hour.
Somewhere in the middle of it, I stopped counting the minutes altogether, and that alone felt like a small victory. For the first time in weeks, I wasn’t calculating my next move or bracing for the next blow; I was simply there, present in a way that felt almost unfamiliar.
He was quick, witty, and surprisingly sharp. He didn’t interrupt me, he didn’t try to impress me with fake swagger, and he listened when I spoke… really listened, in a way that made me feel seen rather than evaluated. He was easy in a way that made me forget, just for a little while, about the mountains of legal paperwork waiting on my desk, the threats from Graham, and the constant, suffocating pressure of my own life. It struck me, somewhere in the back of my mind, how long it had been since anyone had simply let me talk without an agenda attached.
And then, as we laughed over a ridiculous story about his first design pitch going horribly wrong, his hand casually drifted across the counter and found mine. His fingers brushed against my skin… light, careful, hesitant, clearly asking for permission rather than taking it.
I looked down at our hands resting on the dark wood. I should’ve pulled away. I knew I should’ve. My life was too complicated, my ex-husband was too unstable, and my mind was already too tangled up in another man entirely. But I didn’t pull back. I stayed right where I was.
Because for the first time in forever, I wasn’t thinking about Graham’s toxic tantrums. I wasn’t thinking about Jaxx’s dangerous pull. I was just… here. Present. Normal. The feeling was so foreign it almost ached, a small, quiet ache that felt strangely like hope.
Daniel noticed I didn’t pull away, his smile turning soft, genuine, and surprisingly tender. He lifted my hand slightly, leaning his head down, and gently kissed the back of my hand. His lips were warm against my skin, his touch deliberate and soft, the gesture so surprisingly sweet that my breath caught in the back of my throat.
The kiss on the back of my hand lingered like a brand, warm and completely unexpected, sending a sudden shiver straight down my spine. Daniel’s dark eyes were fixed on mine when he pulled back, his smile soft, his gaze knowing, like he’d just unlocked a secret door I’d kept shut for months.
The music pulsed heavily around us, the deep bass thrumming straight through my heels and into my bones, the flashing lights painting patterns across the bar in time with my suddenly racing heart. I should have pulled my hand away right then. I really should have. But the way he looked at me… without expectation, without demands, like I was the only person sitting at this packed bar, made my chest tighten with something dangerously close to real want.
“Another drink?” Daniel asked, his voice low and smooth, his thumb tracing slow, comforting circles on the back of my hand.
I hesitated, my mind momentarily caught between the simple, safe warmth of his touch and the dark, lingering ghost of another man’s memory. But tonight wasn’t about the past. It wasn’t about Jaxx. It certainly wasn’t about Graham. It was about this… the music, the warmth, the laughter, and the rare taste of absolute freedom.
“Sure,” I said, my voice coming out softer, lighter than I actually felt inside. “One more p>
He flagged down the bartender again, ordering two more shots of tequila with a quick, confident wink. The heavy glasses appeared in front of us a second later, the amber liquid catching the blue neon light as Daniel slid one directly toward my fingers.
“To new beginnings,” he toasted, his eyes holding mine, his grin turning playful.
I picked up the glass, clinking it firmly against his, the sound sharp and bright over the noise of the room. “To new beginnings,” I repeated, throwing my head back and downing the shot in one smooth, practiced motion. The liquor burned straight down, the sudden heat spreading fast, completely loosening the last lingering threads of my hesitation.
Daniel’s eyes darkened with clear appreciation as he watched me set the glass down, his voice dropping into a low, quiet murmur that vibrated right against my ear. “Dance with me p>
My breath hitched in my chest. Every sensible instinct in my brain told me to say no. I should walk away, find Lexy, get into an Uber, and go home to my quiet apartment. But it was just a dance. Just one song. Just a single moment of unscripted fun. For once, maybe it would be all right to want something simple.
I opened my mouth to say yes, to let him lead me out into the lights, and then my phone rang.
The shrill, high-pitched ringtone cut clean through the booming bass of the club, sharp, jarring, and completely intrusive. I froze, my fingers tightening around the edge of the bar top. I tried to ignore it, letting it buzz against the inside of my small purse, but it didn’t stop.
It rang again immediately, the violent vibration buzzing against my thigh like a harsh warning from the real world, insistent in a way that made my stomach twist with sudden unease.
Daniel’s easy smile faltered slightly, his dark brows furrowing as he looked down at my purse. “You gonna get that? Might be your friend p>
I hesitated, my gaze flicking reluctantly toward the dark leather bag. I didn’t want to pick it up. I wanted to stay right here, locked in this glowing, insulated moment, where nothing mattered except the rhythm of the room and the simple way Daniel’s hand felt against mine.
But the phone kept ringing, insistent and demanding.
I exhaled a long breath, forcing a small, polite smile as I unzipped my purse and fished the phone out. “One sec,” I murmured to Daniel, pressing the phone straight to my ear without even bothering to look at the screen, assuming it was Lexy telling me she was ready to order food.
“Hello?” I said, my voice slightly breathless from the tequila.
Silence answered me. Cold, heavy silence that seemed to instantly swallow the noise of the club around me, pressing against my eardrum like something physical.
Then… “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Bambina p>
My breath caught violently in my chest, the blood draining from my face so fast I felt lightheaded.
That voice. Deep. Rough. Unforgiving. Dangerous.
Jaxx.
My fingers tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned deathly white, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. The warmth of the alcohol vanished in an instant, replaced by something colder and far more familiar, something that settled low in my stomach like dread given shape. “What p>
“Except you want him dead,” he finished, his voice a low growl through the speaker, the cold, flat words sending a terrifying chill straight down my spine.