It's chaste, almost brotherly, and I absolutely hate it. Then he steps away, leaving me standing in my doorway, aching for more. I watch him walk down the hallway, his broad shoulders tense under his shirt, and only when he disappears around the corner, do I slip into my room and close the door behind me.
I lean against it, my heart pounding as the truth hits me with painful clarity. I'm falling for this man. For Frankie. For the man assigned to guard me until I marry someone else. This isn’t some innocent crush. This is more. This is dangerous.
I slide down to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. How did I let this happen? How did I let myself fall for the one man I absolutely cannot have? I wasn’t supposed to enjoy being here, and yet, tonight I actually did.
‘Two weeks.’
In two weeks, I'll belong to another man and the thought makes me physically ill. I push myself up and stumble to the bathroom, stripping off the dress and letting it fall to the floor.
I barely recognize myself as I stare intothe mirror before turning the shower on. I look older, more mature, like those same women in the club. Is this what he saw tonight when he looked at me? Was I tempting him the same way he does me?
After my shower, I slide into bed, still thinking of Frankie's lips on my forehead. How he kissed me like a child after watching me all night like he wanted to devour me. This hot and cold is giving me whiplash. I know he must want me. I can see it even when he tries to hide it from me. I close my eyes, knowing sleep won't come easily tonight. Not with my head full of this confusing man and my heart aching for something completely impossible.
I'm falling for my jailer, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
Chapter Fifteen
Liana
One week before I'm meant to marry a man I've never met, Frankie's voice breaks the silence at breakfast. This is the first time I’ve even seen him in here while I’ve been eating food. Usually my meals inside are filled with quiet boredom while I chew and stare at the walls.
"Get dressed. We're taking a quick day trip to Prescott."
I look up from my untouched eggs, suspiciously.
"A trip? Why?"
"I have business there," he says with a shrug, but there's something else in his eyes. "Thought you might want to get out of the house."
“Day trip,” I murmur to myself as I ponder what he said.
“Yeah,” he says, breaking me from my thoughts. “Last time I took you out at night, you ended up drunk.”
I scowl at him which only makes him laugh.
An hour later, we're winding through rocky mountain roads. The landscape slowly transforms with every mile. Redrocks turn into towering pines, the air growing cooler as we climb higher. I press my face against the window like a child, drinking in every detail. Before I know it, the windows are rolled down and I’m relishing in the beautiful crisp air.
"It's beautiful," I murmur. "So different from Italy but still beautiful."
"Different beautiful," Frankie says, repeating me, his voice softer than usual. "Not better or worse."
Is he asking me a question or making a statement? I steal a glance at his profile, the sharp line of his jaw, the white flower tattoo on full display above his collar. He seems more relaxed today, his usual tension melting away with each mile between us and the estate. I like this side of him.
"Where are our shadows?" I ask suddenly, realizing we're completely alone for the first time since I arrived in Arizona. Well besides our time inside the estate, of course.
"Our what?"
"The other guards. The ones who follow us everywhere."
His mouth quirks.
"You don’t think I can protect you?"
“I…,” my words falter for a second before I realize his joke. Relaxing, I smile back at him and finish my sentence. “Of course you can. It’s actually nice to not feel like I’m constantly being followed and watched.”
“Except by me,” he says with that same smirk.
“Except by you,” I reply, smiling as I nervously tuck my hair behind my ear. Is he flirting with me?
