With his head slowly turning in my direction, the fire in my core became oppressive.
“Everything.”
The single word lingered in the air as if a gavel was being slammed against a wooden surface. It was final, as if he’d become judge and jury.
There was nothing to say, nothing that would change his mind and why I wasn’t screaming I would question later. The darkness faded in him if only for a few seconds.
“You’re coming back to the house where we’ll finish our conversation after I’ve dealt with your indiscretions.”
“What does that mean?”
He shifted around me, now facing the direction of his home. I was forced to turn as well, immediately reminded I wasn’t stable on my feet given the slight twist in my ankle. He noticed immediately, the darkness surfacing again. This time laced with concern. “What happened?”
“Nothing to worry about. I twisted my ankle a little bit when I jumped.” I laughed nervously from the ridiculousness of my statement. Did I actually think the man had the capability of caring about me?
“Escaping is dangerous.” He didn’t give me time to think or object before gathering me into his arms. His actions caught me so off guard I was momentarily at a loss for words. He took long strides, moving from one lawn to another. The moment was surreal both from feeling protected by being in his arms and in the sight of several men falling in line behind us. It dawned on me that the well-dressed men were his protection, soldiers in an unseen war that even in my wildest dreams I could never fully understand.
The feeling of being this close to him should be as repulsive as the act of kidnapping, but the anxiety from before faded. Theway he was holding me was far too intimate, a lover’s hold that had no place in the moment after what he’d done.
I sensed eyes on us as he carried me from one house to another, never breaking a stride. But not a single person dared cross him. He wielded that kind of power not through violence, but by a nod of respect. Had it been earned or forced?
He said nothing else as he moved through a thick bank of shrubs, finally making it to his driveway.
“You can let me down now. I can walk.”
As expected, he ignored me, allowing one of his men to open the door so we could walk inside. Another click indicated he’d locked the door behind us. We were once again all alone and the moment was consuming.
Suffocating.
He eased me to my feet near the couch. I don’t know if he expected me to sit down and take whatever punishing words he had in store for me, but I was having none of it. Defying him was not only my personality, but it felt as if I showed any weakness, he’d use that against me.
The ire on his face when I stood where I was folding my arms only amplified his beauty. What bothered me was that all I could think about what his physical perfection was. I’d never known it existed in a man. A part of me wanted to look away, but I was completely drawn to him as apparently he was to me.
Yet he wasn’t a good man. He wouldn’t hesitate to tell me that himself. Maybe he’d sold his soul in exchange for perfected masculinity. In truth, without his jacket, I was able to see just how stunning and rugged his body was.
Broad shoulders with a tapered waist, and long, muscular legs. It was the bulge between his massive thighs that caught and kept my attention. My thoughts were suddenly driven by a desire than had no place, yet I could only imagine the size and length of his cock.
“What you did was dangerous.”
I quickly looked away, closing my eyes in hopes of squeezing out the lurid image. “Dangerous? Were your neighbors about to consider me a stray and put me out of my misery?”
“You think what happened is a joke. I’m here to tell you it’s not.” There was force and knowing behind his harsh words. “I don’t know if you were the intended victim or I was. Whatever the case, the person responsible has seen us together. Remember, I left the man alive who witnessed our interaction.”
“There is nothing about us that is together.”
“Not in their eyes. They saw two people standing very closely together and I assure you our body language told a different story.”
Oh, God. He was right. His words also reminded me that according to him, he’d saved my life. I had no idea how to process the information.
“Being that it’s obvious you don’t understand the ramifications of your actions, I’m going to provide you with what consequences you can expect when defying my orders.”
“With punishment.”
“Yes.”
“Then just tell me whatever it is you’re so intent on shouting. You want me to learn more about your ugly world then fine.”
Why was it that every flash of fire in his eyes, every smirk crossing his handsome face did exactly the opposite of what it should? Instead of being repulsed, I was aroused.
