Water had pooled around the plastic containers of our supposed-to-be cold drink.
We've been staring at each other, neither saying anything.
Jace sat across from me. I would have been impressed by the VIP reservation at La Votic, an exclusive restaurant in the heart of the city.
However, I would have appreciated it more if he had chosen a less expensive place.
It was probably just my preference.
I had been trying not to frequent fancy places. I hate being reminded of the lifestyle people think I should have.
At least people who knew who I really was.
Gently slamming a hand on the table, I furrowed my brows at Jace.
"Before I ask you anything, I need to know how much you know me. Or, do you actually know who I am?"
Jace held my gaze.
He seemed to be contemplating his response, calculating how much he could share and how much he would need to keep.
I narrowed my gaze at him. He needs to understand that this was serious. I am serious.
"Your name is Amiel, and you work as a librarian," he leaned back against his seat, eyeing me up and down. "But there's more than meets the eye when it comes to you. Am I wrong?"
I couldn't say I was relieved. The look on his face told me he knew more than he was letting on.
"I don't know," I replied. "People tend to have secrets. While there were some, who would try their best to uncover those for reasons I couldn't even comprehend."
Jace chuckled.
"Are you accusing me of stalking you? You shouldn't have gotten yourself drunk. Imagine if it had been a different guy."
I rolled my eyes.
However, I couldn't even argue my case. He was right.
If it had been another guy, I don't even want to imagine what could have happened. Still, how can I trust him?
"Oh, so you happened to have taken pity on me? How can I be sure you didn't even try anything?"
His signature smirk appeared on his lips. The twinkle in his eyes made me want to take back what I'd just said.
But that was too late.
Leaning forward, Jace didn't break eye contact with me. His gaze was taunting.
"You are a beautiful woman," he claimed, his voice dropping to a whisper. It sent shivers on my skin, my heart thumping heavily inside my chest. "But, that's not how I get what I want."
He let his gaze linger a little longer before drawing back. With another smirk, he called for a server over our table and requested another order of what we had previously.
The employee took away the warm drinks. She excused herself, leaving me with Jace again.
"Alright," Jace started. He crossed his legs under the table, his eyes analyzing me. "I'll be honest. I kept your keycard, so I had an excuse to see you when you're sober."
I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my head and ears. My cheeks would have burned red if I didn't squeeze my hand to get my thoughts distracted.
His confession affected me in ways I couldn't explain. But one thing was clear: I knew he wasn't lying when he said that.
I had a way to know if he did.
However, I didn't want to jump to conclusions.
I scoffed, leaning against the seat and folding my arms over my chest.
"Are you trying to hit on me?"
Jace held my gaze.
"What if I am?"
"You won't be winning my affection."
Jace pursed his lips, his eyes boring into mine. If he could dig deeper into my soul, I bet he would try to do that. But there was nothing for him to dig beyond what he already knew.
Other than my work as a librarian and my deceased parents, whose names were faked, there was no additional information that he could obtain.
Seven had cleaned my record.
Or, more like, Wizardo did it under Seven's command.
Going back to the present, Jace stayed neutral regarding my comment. It was clear that he wasn't dead serious about his intentions.
I'm still not convinced about the information he has on me. If only his voice didn't sound so different, I would assume he might be Wizardo.
But that was a crazy idea.
That computer geek had no intention of showing himself. I imagined him having that hunk body but wasn't good with fighting.
Jace was like the total opposite of him.
It was impossible.
Clicking his tongue, Jace looked at me with amusement clearly written on his face.
"Are you done interrogating me? Is it my turn now?"
I scoffed.
"You barely gave me a decent response."
Jace chuckled. Again.
"I don't do serious talks, darling. But I never lie. At least in front of beautiful women," he winked.
I didn't have time to think of a nice retort when the server returned with our drinks. The lemonade looked tempting right now.
My throat suddenly felt parched.
He was a smooth talker. I'd give him that. But in my line of work, I have already met a lot of men like him. They were all jerks.
And womanizers.
Jace was most likely not an exception.
"I hate to break it to you, but I already heard that before. As I've said, you wouldn't win my affection."
Jace drummed his fingers on the table. He took a light sip from the iced coffee he re-ordered.
"What if I do? You know, win your affection. What happens then?"
He and I stared at each other.
My heart, pulse, and mind were racing. My thoughts were slipping to an image that I thought would be inappropriate at the moment.
Looking away, I had to clear my throat as I chugged down the lemonade drink. The cool liquid and sweet, tangy taste calmed my nerves for a split second.
It was enough to cool my cheeks and save me from embarrassing myself.
"Weren't we supposed to discuss something else? Are you purposely evading the subject?"
Jace gave me his signature smirk. He continued to hold my gaze, piercing me with how he studied my face.
"Sure. Let's do that. I'd hate to make you uncomfortable in my presence."