Tentatively, I turn toward him and whisper, “I’m sorry. It’s late.” I say it like he doesn’t already know the time and I’m sharing new information.
The mask stays in place but he shakes his head, his eyes locked on mine, his voice is soft when he says, “It’s never too late.”
So many questions fly through my head because of that statement. My chest warms at the thought that he means it’s not too late for me. But what if he just means it’s never too late to answer his questions? Maybe he’s just a night owl.
Licking my lips, I swallow hard and softly clear my throat. “I want to trust you.”
His face softens and he holds his hand out to me. I lower my gaze to his outstretched hand and back to his eyes. “I want to answer your questions, but you won’t like it.”
He steps across the threshold into the hall and grasps my hand, pulling me in. He moves away to click on the small lamp next to his bed and turns to face me, slipping his hands into his pockets. Again, I get to see the perfect V that dips into the waistband of his sweats, and my lower belly flips and heats up.
His room is just as rustic as the rest of the house. Wood floors, large animal skin rug, big wooden bed with fluffy bedding, but the little telltale signs of his life are scattered throughout.
There is a rifle next to the window, one in the two corners on each side of the bed, and one by the door. A handgun is on the table next to the bed, and a few gadgets that look like hunting stuff are on top of the dresser.
I’m not sure exactly what he does for a living, all I know from Mr. Harlow is that it involves working for the military, super secret stuff that he can’t always talk about, but it looks like it may involve guns.
When he doesn’t speak, I take that as my cue to start talking, “Your dad already knows everything I’m going to tell you, I don’t want you to think that I’ve lied to your dad.”
His eyebrows twitch together slightly and smooth out again.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I say, “I only go to the hotel bar a couple times a month because that’s mostly the only time I leave the ranch. I like it there because it’s crowded, and I feel invisible.”
“Why do you want to be invisible, Sloane?” His voice is soft and low.
Taking a deep breath, I focus on the dip between his pecks, “There are men looking for me, at least I think they’re lookingfor me, but I don’t know what will happen if they find me.” I roll my lips between my teeth for a second, the fear of how he will react is making it hard to breathe, “My brother sold me to traffickers.”
I chance a look at his face and even though his expression hasn’t changed, the muscles in his jaw are ticking and his arms are hard and cut, “when they tried to take me, I stabbed one of them in the neck with scissors and I don’t know if I killed him.” Tears prick my eyes, and I start talking faster.
“I don’t know if they will kill me or just do whatever traffickers do to the women they buy, but you were right, I went into hiding after that happened and then I met your dad and I came here seven months ago.” Tears start to slip down my cheeks and I take another deep, shaky breath.
“When they took me, one of the men touched me so I haven’t been able to let a man get near me since then, but I met you that night and I liked you so much.” I give a half-shrug. “Your smile and the way you talked to me were so warm, and I liked how I felt when you held my hand. But I knew that any guy in his right mind wouldn’t want to get tangled up in my mess so I tried to sneak away in the morning,” I shake my head a little, “but I swear I didn’t know who you were or I would have walked away.” I lift my shoulder and wipe the tears on my cheek with my robe.
“Since that first night, I try not to smile when I’m near you and I think about you all the time. I haven’t wanted to tell you the truth because I know it will hurt when you decide that I’m not worth the trouble, so I keep pushing you away...”
In my next breath, his arms are around me, his hand is cupping the back of my head, and his chin is on top of my head. “You should have told me, Sloane, I can help you.”
My eyes slide closed and I lean into his warmth. His back under my palms is hard, and it feels good.
Turning my nose to his chest, I inhale his scent and letmyself melt into him. Under the smell of man and his woodsy cologne, there is always a hint of hay and fresh dirt, I never thought I would like the smell of dirt until now.
His hands come up to each side of my head and tilts my head back so he can look into my eyes, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid you would think I was a threat to your family and ask me to leave.”
His eyebrows lower and his eyes volley between mine. “You think I’d feed you to the wolves?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I think you’d do whatever it takes to keep your family safe.”
His thumbs slide across my cheeks, wiping the wetness as he holds my gaze. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” He kisses each of my cheeks and then my forehead. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
The weight of the world crumbles and falls off my shoulders, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I can breathe without a boulder sitting on my chest.
Lifting his head to look in my eyes again, his eyebrows lift, and his eyes become hard and severe before he says, “You’re going to tell me everything.” But then his gaze moves to my lips. “After I kiss you.”
He slants his lips over mine, demanding and pressing. His tongue spears into my mouth and his arm snakes around my waist to press my body to his. Every thought leaves my head as my lower belly flips, sending heat through me.
At first, the kiss is hard and frantic but turns soft and deep. Our tongues dance together and I slide my hands up his back as I stand on my tiptoes.
