The restaurant West chose was small and intimate. The décor was cozy: random royal chairs and tables with printed tablecloths, wildflowers in little vases. It felt like stepping into another era.

West was the only one seated in the restaurant when I got escorted to his table. Classic music played softly in the background. As soon as I walked up to him, he stood up. Bloody hell, I had forgotten how attractive the man was. His attractiveness was striking. His blue eyes were gorgeous. His smile was even more stunning.

West Ward had the kind of look that would make any girl's heart melt. There was no doubt about that. My heart was racing a mile a minute, especially when I knew all of his attention was on me.

"Beth," he greeted smoothly, stepping up to wrap his hand around my upper arm and leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek. "You look stunning."

I blushed. "Thank you." That was all I could manage to get out.

He smiled at my flushed face. "Please sit." He pulled out a chair for me and guided me into it. "I thought you will stand me up, payback for ghosting you." He went around and sat on his chair.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "I thought about it," I murmured, leaning forward to add, "but then, I remember there can't be two assholes."

"I completely deserve that."

Grinning, I added, "I'm glad you think so." The waitress took our drinks order. "So, why did you call me? It can't be because the sex was so good and you couldn't stop thinking about it, or you hooked up with other women but realized I'm embedded on your mind," I teased, arching a brow.

West started to laugh. "And if I tell you it's precisely that?"

"Then I'd tell you either you've lost your memory, or you've gone quite mad because I don't remember sleeping with you."

He smiled, his dazzling head cocked to one side smile, and my stomach turned. The waitress arrived with our glasses of wine and I immediately took a sip.

"You've never thought about me all this time?"

"Did you expect me to pick up my phone and call you?" I couldn't help but reflect his glorious smile back at him.

He shrugged. "Well, I thought you'd call and demand an explanation, then I remembered that you're different and you don't seek out people, let alone me. I was wounded."

"You can't take away all my dignity, West. Surely, you know I would have to retain some."

"I know. That's why I came crawling back." His voice was wary. He frowned for a moment and seemed to be engaged in some kind of internal struggle. Then, he glanced up and said, "I was going to call you the next day after our first date. Actually, I was going to call you after I dropped you off, but I got a phone call from home that my mother's plane disappeared."

I gasped and my eyes widened. "Oh my god, is she okay? I...I had no idea." I stared at him in horror, unable to say anything further.

"Yeah, she's alright." He nodded his head to emphasize the point. "It took them a week to find the plane. It crashed in Tongass forest and thankfully, it was a small plane so no one died. For the rest of the weeks, I had been with my mother as she gradually recovered. That's why I didn't call you. I was so wrapped up in getting her better that I forgot everything else. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. It's not something to apologize for, I understand. I'm glad she's better now."

"Yeah, me too. Now you know that I didn't ghost you because I wanted to." He pinned his eyes with mine and offered a small smile. "You probably have called me all sort of names, right? I can finally scratch my name off your shit list."

I snorted. "I don't have a shit list. It's a kill list I have."

"Funny."

"Not even going to wonder if you made that?"

West set his glass down, and now our knees touched each other. "I'm interested in your hotlist," he revealed, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen over my eyes. His fingers felt hot on my already too warm skin.

I lowered my gaze for a second. "Never made it there. You can't even feel your scent anywhere close to that list," I teased, looking at him through my lashes. I put my hand on the table and West grabbed it. His muscle flexed under my touch, and a thrill shot down my spine.

"You're still mean, Beth."

I tugged lightly on a piece of my hair, chewing the bottom of my lip. "Take me how you see me."

"Don't tease me," West added, his voice low. "I might just take you up on your offer." His burning sincerity, his longing, was reflected in his eyes. I tried to look away from the intense and sexy look he was giving me.

In seconds, he was shifting his chair closer to mine. We were practically side by side, inhaling each other's scent. West put his hand on my bare knee and stroked the skin.

"Am I forgiven? I think I have earned the right to be forgiven."

It was hard to reject him when my body was responding to his touches, to the light circles he was making on my thigh. "Hmm. I will think about it."

"Think about it right now," he pressed, his voice seductive. He leaned in and continued, "Not sure I would be able to let you walk out of here without gaining something."

I placed my lips on the rim of my glass, grinning. "I don't remember you being so persistent a month ago."

He chuckled. "I'm a lawyer, Beth," he reminded me. "We're stubborn and persistent, and downright annoying. We get what we want."

"You mean you get what you want," I corrected.

"When have I ever not?"

I inhaled his words, taking them all the way before responding, "And what is it you want, West Ward?"

His hand moved higher up my leg, and he leaned in to whisper near my ear, "I want you," West murmured. "In my bed. However you will allow me to have you. I've thought about you all day, Beth."

I inhaled sharply and my stomach tightened. The waitress came back, snapping whatever was happening between me and West. I excused myself to the restroom while I asked him to order for me.

My legs were a bit shaky when I walked inside. I went straight for the sink and washed my face without ruining my makeup. I dried my hands and jabbed tissues on my face to wipe away the wetness, then reapplied my makeup. I leaned down to comb through my hair with my fingers, and when I rose, staring into the mirror, I gasped.

Our eyes met.

The world stopped moving around me. Whatever power he had held over me in his home still lingered—stronger and more intoxicating.

"It must be a good night," was the first thing I heard from him in three months. His back was leaned against the wall and his ankles and arms were crossed. Rogue Slade looked relaxed, but most importantly, he was still the most breathtaking man I had ever seen. It hurt to look at him.

I spun around in time to see his gaze dropping from my face to my body. Under his scrutinized eyes, I shook with awareness. The first time I had seen him in three months and it had to be right here, where I couldn't even run if I wanted to.

His hazel eyes, so mysterious and intense trapped mine. His body exuded tightly reined power with simmering lethalness. I studied him like he was studying me—all black from head to toe. Casual clothes. Leather jacket. He looked delicious; if anything, better than he did the last time I saw him. My body tingled, remembering the ways he had touched me, kissed me, mind fucked, and terrorized me. All those times he had shown me he was a beast. A dangerous beast with unlimited power, unchecked violence, and sinful thoughts.

"How are you here?" I asked breathlessly, still unable to believe that he was really standing in front of me.

"Is that your first question, sweetheart?" He raised a perfect brow and then chuckled, and for some reason, sounded dark and ominous.

My eyes flared. "Don't start," I warned.

"Don't start what?" Rogue noticed my annoyance and discomfort and chose to ignore it. He lifted his hands and put it above his head, then slide it down to support his head.

I was shaking.

I needed out. An escape. I couldn't be in a closed space with him. He wanted to play his mind games again, but he needed to find someone else. I had spent the past three months trying to forget him and what he did to me. It took me weeks before I was able to stop dreaming about him. He couldn't. He couldn't undo what I worked hard for.

"I...I have to get back." I made a beeline for the door, but he rushed to step in front of me, blocking my way. A whiff of his delicious scent had me squeezing my hands into fists and biting the inside of my cheek. My eyes drifted to his face. "What...what are you doing?"

"Your date can wait a little while," his commanding voice slipped through my ears. "Nice choice, by the way. You do know how to pick them."

"Rogue, I don't have time—"

"What do you think he would do if he knows you're in here with me?" he asked in a low, seductive voice as his amused gaze latched onto everywhere on my face. "Does he know about me?"

The question had me pinning my gaze to his, pissed and raging. "What the bloody hell do you mean by that?" I demanded, hating the way his words were dancing on my mind and turning my heart around. Hating the way I took another step forward to catch another whiff of his scent. "Why would he know about you? You and I have nothing." Hating the way I had to resist not taking another step to feel the heat that was radiating from him.

He chuckled. "Really, Beth? After all, we've gone through together, you want to throw it out through the window?" The smug way he crossed his arms antagonized me.

For two seconds, I closed and opened my eyes. If he wasn't going to leave, I was going to do it. I wasn't emotionally or mentally ready for whatever he had planned for me, and I wasn't ready for my traitorous body to continue getting pulled towards him.

"Get out of my way," I said, taking another step to the door, but he blocked my path again.

"Wait for a second, sweetheart." He ran a hand through his hair. The sharpness of his jaw, the intensity of his eyes, and his dangerous presence intimidated me like it did the first time I saw him and the last time. "You're just dying to run from me, aren't you? How should I feel about this?" He towered over me, his shadow kissing every inch of my skin. "Tell me, Bethany."

"I just...I just want you to leave me the hell alone. You should have stayed away. I was doing fine without you."

"But I wasn't, you see." His gaze turned sharply. His breath hit my face. "Especially when I knew how easily it was for you to move on." He looked annoyed when he added, "Normally, it takes years or never to move on from Rogue Slade."

He was wrong. All this time, I was kidding myself that I had moved on, but I never did. I hated myself for thinking about him. The excitement that I felt when I saw him. Had he successfully branded himself into my brain? He had given me my freedom, but I was still imprisoned. My end goal was to escape from him, but my desire was to be closer to him.

"And you just came back to what? Make sure I don't move on?" My voice sounded higher than usual, but I was pretty sure I pulled off calm and reserved.

The corner of his mouth lifted. "You would have called me selfish or crazy for saying that." He stepped up closer to me and the distance between us now was only an inch. Rogue leaned down and murmured, "However, you would have been right because I don't want you to ever think you've escaped from me. You haven't. As long as you live and breathe, Beth, I'll be your shadow."

His fingers grazed over my arm. "You really should have used those three months to pray to god to save you from me. Maybe he would have answered you, but then..." His lips brushed my ear. "I'm my own god, so the one you should be praying to is me. Lord Rogue, give me the strength. Don't let me be lured. Banish the presence of Rogue Slade." He had his finger under my chin to tilt my head up. A villainous, well-practiced smile appeared on his mouth. "Protect me from what's to come."

My eyes were shut as I swallowed my panic. I heard him leaving. I didn't see him. But I heard him open the door and close it. I was alone in the restroom when I opened my eyes again. Spinning around, there was no one but me and a lingering presence of Rogue that he left behind. Panic and dead sank into me like a huge ball of cotton, blocking every pathway of happiness and peace.

When I got back to West, I didn't know how long I had been inside the restroom, but I knew it was long since the concern was evident on his face. I felt sad and angry that Rogue would choose this specific day and time to make his way back into my life. Bastard.

"Hey, are you okay? You were in there for a long time." West caught my upper arm in a hold. I gave him a timid smile and slipped back into my chair.

I took a deep breath in and took my glass, gulping down the remaining wine inside. It wasn't strong enough for me to forget what had happened. My face was still flushed. My heart was still racing. I felt messy and I unsettled. Rogue had stripped me of my confidence once again.

"Sorry, West. I felt nauseous, so I had to sit and let it pass."

He ran both his hands through his hair, leaving a mess that somehow made him look hotter. "Are you feeling better now? Should we leave and do this again sometime?" His face was soft and caring, unlike Rogue's. He really was ready to end the date if I wanted to. It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't his fault nor mine that our date almost got ruined.

But I didn't want to think about it. "No, it's fine." I waved my hand. "I feel much better now, thanks." I flashed a smile I prayed didn't end up looking like a grimace.

Someone cleared their throat before making an appearance. The man, dressed in slacks and a white button-up shirt, nodded politely at us. "Good evening, sir, madam. I'm Simon, the manager here. I'm sorry to cut your dinner short, but we are experiencing a gas leak in the kitchen. For your own safety, I would have to ask you to leave."

West and I shared a look before he nodded and stood up. I followed suit. As he prepared to pay for the wine, the manager quickly halted him. "No, please. The wine is on the house. I apologize for ruining your dinner."

"Thank you," West calmly replied, then glanced at me. "Shall we?"

I nodded and grabbed my purse, walking out of the restaurant. I was definitely disappointed that our dinner was cut short. We hadn't even had anything to eat. West seemed to sense this and he linked our arms together, drawing me to his chest. Instead of walking to our cars, he pulled me to another direction. We started walking on the sidewalk.

"You know our date doesn't have to end, right?" He paused and stared at me, a subtle hint of a smile on his lips.

He was right. "What do you want to do? I'm hungry."

He gently took me by the chin and tilted my face up. His gaze drilled into mine and said softly, "How do you feel about hotdogs and coke?" He dropped his hand from my face to my shoulder, examining my face.

I grinned. "Ooh, fancy."

"And a beautiful place like the park. Not even the fanciest restaurants have anything in the park. Noises and car horns, music to the ears."

I laughed. West smiled at the sound.

We resumed our walk. "If at the end of the date you think it was one of your worst, let's just pretend it isn't our first date. We can have a do-over."

"You mean second?" I reminded him.

"No," he responded, glancing at me. "Since the first date had bad memories attached to it, I'm canceling it. This is our official first date."

I didn't respond, but just smiled.

*

It was after eleven that I got home.

As soon as I walked inside, I dropped my bag and took off my shoes, leaving them by the door. It was still early for me to go to bed, but I was spent—so spent that instead of going to my room, I plopped down on the couch and rested my legs on the coffee table.

The curtain was opened, so I could hear the busy street and could see the clear, dark sky from where I sat. I sighed and touched my lips, remembering the light peck West gave me. It wasn't the kind of kiss I had expected, but he also said he would kiss me passionately only when he was sure it was what I wanted. I hadn't known what to say that.

Did I want him? Maybe. He was the perfect distraction that I needed right now.

My phone buzzed beside me. I picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. It wasn't a number I recognized and I almost didn't pick up before I changed my mind.

"Hello?"

"Did he kiss you goodbye?" Rogue's voice was low and husky in my ear that I had to gasp out my surprise, shooting up straight. "Was the kiss good?"

How did he have my number? Why did he have my number? Why was he calling me? What was going on with him?

"Why are you calling me?"

"Did he walk up to your door, grabbed your face, and kissed you, then said his goodbyes? So original." He made a sound that indicated he thought it was a funny remark to make.

I pinched my thigh so hard. "How is that any of your business?" I snapped.

"You're right." His smile was apparent in his voice. "It isn't my business, but if the kiss wasn't good, I'd ditch him if I were you." It was followed by a small noise, which I thought sounded like a snort.

"And if the kiss was good?"

"Then it would've been a problem, Bethany," he announced, simple as that.

I brought my fingers to my forehead, trying to rub away the headache that was about to form. "How would that be a problem? I like the kiss. He likes a kiss." A pause. I wasn't sure if he was still listening. "I'm trying to locate the source of the problem and I can't seem to find it, Rogue."

"I don't think it would have been fair to him when you and I both know he isn't the one you want." He let that little statement settle in that he knew who I wanted—him.

My heartbeat was all fluttery and chaotic, banging against my ribcage. "And how would you know who I want?" I sounded angry, but I was panicking. I had no idea that retort left my mouth, but I was hoping he wouldn't humor me. I was hoping he would ignore it.

He hesitated before answering, "Oh, Beth," his voice lowered. His chuckle came out huskily. "Some things you just can't hide from me."

"I suppose you would say you have me figured out."

"I don't have to assume. Your body gives you away."

My cheeks heated. I looked down at my chest, where my nipples had perked up against my dress, and I realized I had been rubbing my legs against each other. A sharp breath left my mouth. I gripped the phone so tightly in my hand, enough to hurt.

I managed to keep my voice steady. "You shouldn't have called me. You know damn well I want nothing to do with you after what you did."

"I told you, sweetheart, what you want doesn't matter to me." The sudden gruffness in his voice made my heart started to thud. His exhale was aggravated. "What matters is how long you think you can keep up with me."

I huffed out a disbelieving laugh. "Rogue—"

"Shut up," he commanded gently and hard. I found myself keeping my mouth tight-lipped, scared. "You shouldn't have allowed me to touch you, Beth. That was your biggest mistake. Your next biggest mistake was thinking you got away." His voice turned dark. "Those three months you had, that was a mercy I offered you."