“I knew you liked Christmas!” she exclaims.
“Do not,” I growl. It sounds more like a pout, even to my own ears.
“If you can quoteA Christmas Carol, you like Christmas.”
I snort. “Holiday bullshit seeping into my subconscious from decades of overexposure doesn’t mean I feel any certain way about Christmas or any other day of the year.”
“Whatever you say, Ebeneezer,” she teases. Fuck me, I want to kiss that smirk right off of her lips.
“Actually, my name is Renzo.” I decide not to give her my last name in case she connects the dots. I don’t want to hide anything from her, I just want to be able to break the news to her in my own time, when I’m ready. “What’s your name?”
“Jaylin Carlisle.”
“Carlisle?” I choke out.There’s no way…
I knew I recognized her. I must have seen Jaylin during the several business meetings held at her father’s house.Her father.
“Allen Carlisle…?”
“Is my dad,” she finishes for me. Her eyes dart to the ground while her hands twist in front of her in a nervous gesture.
“And you know who I am?”
“Yes,” she confirms, her eyes solidly locked on the ground.
The revelation of her identity hits me square in the chest, making it hard to breathe. My world has been spun and flipped for a second time tonight. How the hell can I reconcile the unquenchable lust for Jaylin with the fact that I need to keep her father happy to secure our deal?
Furthermore, what is someone like Jaylin Carlisle doing at an auction like that? It’s not like she needs the money. Her father is wealthy and only getting wealthier thanks to our mutually beneficial real estate deal. Did her father send her my way to spy on me? No, there’s no way he could have known I’d bid on her. Then again, crazier things have happened, especially in the criminal world.
Fuck. I don’t know if I can trust her. My head is screaming at me to kick her out of my home, while my gut is twisted intoknots at the thought of her leaving. And my heart? That fucker has never been of any use to me in all my thirty-nine years.
My temples pound with the migraine I’ve felt coming on for a while now. It’s all too much information, too much to handle, too much to think about right now. I need her out of my room and out of my head.
“Here.” I shove the clothes in her direction without making eye contact. “Cover up.”
Jaylin’s shoulders drop and she curls in on herself. I have the strangest urge to… hug her? Comfort her? I don’t fucking know. I didn’t mean to hurt her, I just need her gone so I can come up with a plan. She’s too… distracting. And complicated. And beautiful. And enchanting… Fuck me.
“Your room is across the hall. You’ll find a bathroom inside, stocked with everything you’ll need for a shower.” Jaylin nods once and starts to turn away from me. “Don’t get any ideas about leaving. I’ll hear you,” I add for some reason.
“Are you kidnapping me?” Surprisingly, she doesn’t sound scared. Interesting.
“You’re free to go,” I tell her, though the words taste bitter on my tongue.
She looks like she’s considering it, and a shiver of panic runs up and down my spine. I’ve never felt anything like it. Why is my heart trying to break out of my ribcage at the thought of her leaving?
“I… don’t have anywhere else to stay,” she admits, her gaze firmly locked on her feet.
“Good,” I grunt. “Then it’s settled.” I feel like I can breathe again now that she’s staying. I can’t keep up with the rollercoaster of emotions bubbling up, and I want nothing more than to crash into bed and close my eyes.
Without another word, I slam my bedroom door closed, leaving Jaylin standing out in the hallway.
I spend a few restless hours in bed trying to shut my brain off. Rolling on my side, I take a deep breath and count down from one hundred. I get to ninety-six before an image of Jaylin flashes across my mind. Lust, concern, confusion, and frustration swirl in my chest. I rub the heel of my hand over my heart to ease the tension there. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?
Something pierces through my chaotic thoughts, putting me on high alert. I’ve learned to trust my instincts over the years, and something isn’t right. Another sound cuts through the otherwise silent house, this one louder and almost sounding like a whimper.
I’m on my feet in the next instant, grabbing the gun I keep in my bedside table drawer. Easing my door open, I peer to the left and to the right, scanning for the source of the noise.
An agonizing cry comes from Jaylin’s room, and I burst inside without a second thought.Who the hell snuck in? If they laid a finger on her, I swear to God I’ll–
