Alexander Reed's parties were something I despised, along with cheaters, heartbreakers, and liars. Alex himself covered all of that. It was a hall pass for having a night full of super-charged teenagers plunging into the world of underage drinking, not the cheap kind but from his father's exquisite collection of liquors.

At seven o'clock, I finally decided to chuck every second thought, went to my father's study to take a quick routine check, and found him comfortably seated with a file. He always worked, even when he had returned from the hospital just a few days ago. I smiled as he looked up from his file and gave me a 'do you want to ask something' gaze. I shook my head and closed the door after me.

I spent the next one hour getting ready for the big day. It was Alexander Reed's birthday party.

It was a sore topic between Aelius and me. He never asked me not to go. And I had all plans to be at the party.

Why wouldn't he stop me?

Keeping Aelius out of my mind for a few minutes, I took a long hot shower, followed by a sharp razor, blow-dried hair, and smooth body lotion. Although, once I rummaged through my collection of average-looking dresses, I realized the need to go shopping. It was too late for that. So, I picked up a black number, which I had been purposely ignoring.

The dress was too sensual for my liking, but beggars can't be choosers. I somehow managed to pull it up, with its hem ending mid-thigh, the neck falling wide to flash the soft bumps of my chest, and the silk fabric molding around my hips and waist as a second skin. Too damn much. But I couldn't deny the fact that it looked good on me. It looked perfect.

I didn't spend much time settling for light makeup, just a dash of blush, a stroke of mascara over my smoky eyes, and wine-red lipstick that smelled like fresh forest and white mist. If I was to kiss with those sinful lips tonight, that person might not be stopping until the whole thing got devoured. One-time consumption won't be harmful. They were organic in origin anyway.

"You look hot, Daisy Eve." I looked in the full view mirror and blew out a kiss at my reflection. Now and then, I loved showing affection to myself. It made me feel empowered.

All that empowerment died out when I stepped into my dusty heels, not used for days, so obviously, they were dusty, and I was rusty while walking in them. Everything can't be perfect, can it?

I looked at the gift box with a pretty satin bow in the middle of my bed and cursed internally. I could not carry it with those damn heels on, but it was Alexander's birthday present and going with me. So were the heels. I paced my room a few times to get used to the elevation and gathered my purse and the gift box before leaving the house. For once, I had permission to go out after seven, with the set deadline to return before midnight.

However, my heels-clad legs stuttered to a stop as I stepped out of my house. Because on the curb, I saw a black car, and a very devilishly handsome-looking Aelius, leaning against it. I couldn't read his expression as he had his arm crossed against his chest and his head glaring at his black shoes.

I took my sweet time admiring him from a safe distance, bathed under the moonlight. His piercings were in place, gleaming and making me realize I had a thing for them. His messy hair styled to perfection with the trim around the sides, and the silver chain with his parent's picture sat endearingly at the base of his throat. His long legs clad in distressed jeans, paired with a black shirt hugging his broad shoulder and chest down to his torso and giving me a glimpse of his unblemished skin through those top two buttons open.

He looked so handsome that I almost dropped the gift box and threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his breathtaking frame wiping off that lost look on his face. But taking a shuddery breath, I let my heartbeat fall back to its normal pacing - failing at it miserably as he raised his head and his eyes softened into molten glass.

My heart paused and restarted, galloping into a frenzied tempo. Aelius was so damn gorgeous that I wanted to scream. And I could tell I had a somewhat similar impact on him. His eyes took me in, very slowly, from the tip of my toes to my exposed legs, past my torso, taking a second extra on my collarbones, and then finally settled on the face and stayed there for a long second as if trying to feed his mind with each missed details. And once his searing gaze landed on my mouth, on my sinfully painted lips, my throat dried, and he swallowed visibly, his Adam's Apple rolling slowly underneath his skin.

Daisy Eve got officially destroyed by the devil named Aelius Carter Hayes.

To clear the air between us, I took a careful step toward him. He stood to his full size and cleared his throat.

"What are you doing here, Hayes?"

"Thought you could use a ride to your ex-boyfriend's birthday party." His deep voice rolled out in smooth words, tapping the top of his car. But I could sense the fury hiding underneath his calm composure. "Your carriage is ready, Cinderella."

"Is this your poor attempt at mocking me?" I grumbled, feeling utterly restless with that fake smile on his face.

"No, I can never mock you, Isy." He laughed, a half-hearted laugh, but that died out as his eyes captured the box in my hands. "Is that a gift for the birthday boy?"

He knew why I wanted to go to Alexander's birthday. Or so he thought. What made me furious was that he offered to take me there. Why couldn't he take the gift from my hand, throw it somewhere far away, then look me in the eyes and say that he doesn't want me to kiss Alex or anyone? Except for him, of course.

Instead, I saw him opening the passenger door, then holding the box for me as I slid inside the car, tugging the hem of the dress from being awkwardly exposed for his tantalizing gaze, drove me wild. He placed the gift box on my lap and closed the door, not before attacking my senses with his familiar cologne and brush of his cheek against mine as he secured the seat belt for me. His face halted at the touch, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of my neck, and then it was gone.

Aelius surely knew what he was doing. If it was his devilish way of stopping me from going to the party, then it had already started working.

"You are such a tease, Hayes." I glowered at the boy. He settled behind the wheels and shifted the gear, ginning. "I hate you so much."

"Same can be said for you, Eve." Aelius let out a low laugh, and I wanted to dive into the sound because it wasn't fake. It was his genuine laughter. The one I had started to add to the list of my favorite sounds. "Who knew you could look like a pretty devil dressed in silk? I'm certain no priest can exorcize you from me."

My cheeks flamed with his comment. More, when the calm blue pools of his eyes darkened ever so slightly as I bit my lip from grinning like a fool. He shook his head and kept his gaze to the front for the rest of the ride.

Fuck you, Daisy Eve, for being such a stubborn girl.

When we arrived at the party, my heart picked up an agonizingly desperate tempo. My soul left my body when in a quick motion, Aelius wrapped his fingers around my bicep and pulled me against his chest just before I was about to pass the threshold of Alex's house.

"I know nothing can stop you once you make your mind. I know you're a brat. I know this was something you've always wanted to do. But I can't help it." He breathed, bending down so that his lips brushed the shell of my ear, his touch deliciously delicate and his minty whispers caressing my face in a way only Aelius could do.

"Aeli, I-"

He smiled at me with those soft dimples and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "By any chance, if you change your mind, just know that I will be waiting right here, outside this house."

I was still in a daze when he swiftly turned me towards the house and nudged my back. With his words ringing in my mind like a broken record, deep in my heart, I knew that tonight would be the end of our deal and everything in between.

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