I hum.A dip in some cold water does sound nice.I don’t normally have issues with heat, but right now it feels like I’m suffocating.“Is it safe?I mean, aren’t there wild animals?”
“Ah…” Olivia looks down as she cuts her pastry.“I doubt you’ll run into any.Roen goes hunting from time to time, so animals know to avoid the area.”
That aligns with what he said last night.But I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.Who is Roen—a nice guy who delivers pastries or a mountain man who hunts beasts?
“I should probably get back and check on the car,” I say.“I’d like to figure out how bad the damage is.”
If Olivia picks up the abrupt change of topic, she doesn’t acknowledge it.“Sure, why don’t we get a to-go box for your pastry?”
Back at my apartment—or Roen’s house, I can’t figure out which should come first—I wave as Olivia drives off.The property looks larger than I first thought it was.There’s no mowed grass or garden beds, only a carpet of pine needles and a sprinkling of wildflowers between the brush.
A stone exterior gives the house a rough, yet cozy look.Wines crawl up to a wide balcony on the second story.To the left of the yard, a titan of a tow truck is parked by a second garage.The door’s been left open, and the faint rumble of TV or radio drifts from inside.
Roen left my suitcases on the porch before I woke up this morning.No note.No greeting.I debate on whether to leave him alone, but maybe seeing each other in the light will cast out all these suspicions running through the back of my mind.
I set the to-go box by the doorstep and turn toward the garage.My poor car comes into view, dwarfed by Roan bending over the hood.His biceps flex under a black t-shirt as he fiddles with the engine, a smear of grease on his forearm.His face is hardened with concentration.
Then I recognize the voice coming through the speakers.It’s my audiobook.Roen is listening to my smutty audiobook.
My jaw drops.
“It looks worse than it is.I should be able to—hold on.”He walks around to a workbench.
“You know I’ll dowhatever I have to.Now get on your knees.”
“Yes, Master?—”
I.Am.Deceased.
Finally, he turns off the audio.“I should be able to get it running within a week or two, depending on how fast the parts arrive.I had some lying around, but I wanted to get you a new window and fix some other things while I was at it.”
“You’re listening to my book.”
We stare at each other.
His eyebrow quirks.“You’re concerned about the book, not your car?”
I blink.Lately, I’ve been concerned about a lot of things.Mostly what hearing that dialogue while looking at Roen does to my body.His beard is just as scruffy as I remembered, flecks of silver peeking through the black.He’s obviously older than me, but his physique isn’t lacking in the slightest.
He picks something off the table and passes it.“Found your phone underneath the seat.The screen lit up, and I know the saying is not to judge a book by its cover, but it looked interesting.So I bought a copy.”
“That’s, uh—” I clear my throat, noticing the sound was coming from a different device.“Not everyone’s into that kind of book.”
He leans his shoulder against the car and wipes his hands off with a rag.“Violence doesn’t bother me.”
An image of him hunting flashes through my mind.Followed by a wolf covered in blood.“Well, that, and the romance is, um, not very…realistic.”
His lips twitch.Is he laughing at me?Of course he is, a voice in my mind echoes.No guy would stay loyal to a fat bitch.That’s why you need all those books—cause you’ll never find a man who actually wants you.
His expression shifts.“Maybe I’m out of touch, but the sex scenes seemed realistic if you know what you’re doing.And dominants are regular people—I’m sure we all have a secret or two.”
I look down and slide my phone into my pocket, trying to laugh it off.“Guess I’ll have to find a real-life dominant and ask him someday.”
He does that thing again, a barely-there chuckle.“I’ma real-life dominant.”
My heart flips.Heat slides through my veins, overriding the voice in my mind.I lick my lips.“Will you tell me your secrets?”
I’mneverthis forward.I don’t make first moves.I hardly even flirt.But something makes me step closer.I need to feel him again, even though I’m already burning up.I need him to touch me.
