Huh.
I hadn’t realized a human couldhearmyKteer. Or maybe she just felt it, the way I did?
“Your flight’s out of Raleigh?” I surprised myself with the question, then realized why I’d asked it; Iremembered her saying she didn’t know how she was going to get herself there. “I’ll drive you tomorrow.”
“Anything to get me out of your hair, huh?” Stevie’s lips—the ones I’d just tasted—twisted ruefully. “But thank you. I mean it, that’s really nice of you.”
Nice? I was still staring at her lips and forced myself to look away. “It seems the least—fuck, nevermind, I have an appointment tomorrow, a big one.” The walk through at the building site. “I can do it the day after tomorrow.”
For the first time since I’d read that letter out loud, the female’s smile seemed genuine. Softer. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.” She hitched the backpack up on her shoulder, even as she inched backward. “I’ll take you up on it. Um…”
When she glanced over her shoulder, I blew out a breath, then muttered a curse and reached for the door.
“There’s no hotel on this island, Stevie. The only short-term rentals are expensive. You can’t sleep outside?—”
“Not the first time—” she began to interrupt, but my growl stopped her.
“Youcan’t sleep outside.” I shook my head and jerked my chin toward my living room. “Come here. You can stay until the day after tomorrow.”
I couldseeher hesitation.
Those dark blue eyes swept from me to the couch to me again, her brows drawn down in concern. Or worry. I could smell her uncertainty and knew she wasn’t sure about my sudden change of heart.
Well, fair’s fair; I sure as shit wasn’t certain either.
I couldn’t accept what Hendricks was offering and still be able to look at myself in the mirror, not while I could sense Stevie’s hesitation. She wasn’t someprizeto be gifted to me. He might’ve called her a whore, but whoever she was, Stevie was worth more than fifty thousand dollars.
No matter how much myKteerand my cock wanted her, I wasn’t going to fuck her to absolve Hendrick’s debt.
But I also wasn’t going to send her out into the cold.
I had to protect her.
Even if it was just from myself.
Chapter Three
Stevie
Look,I’ve spentmanynights sleeping on couches in random apartments: sometimes friends’ places, sometimes virtual strangers. In the latter, I didn’t do much actualsleeping, but at least I was warm and dry, yeah?
But tonight…
My insides were all in a knot, and I felt almost…drained, maybe? Like, I’d just been through too many emotions in the last half-hour to really understandwhatI was supposed to be feeling as I dully followed Garrak into his living room.
He’d invited me to stay with him? For two days? That seemed…Why?Why would he do that, after he’d already made it clear he wasn’t going to accept the offer to have sex with me in order to clear my father’s debt? There’d been a few moments there when I would’veabsolutely done it, too, and not just because of Dad’s threat.
Confuseddidn’t begin to cover my state of mind as he gave me a brief tour.
“Kitchen’s through there—you’re welcome to anything in the fridge, I have extra bacon in the freezer. Donuts are in the bread box, but leave one for me after my run in the morning, yeah?” He didn’t give me time to answer—this dude went for a run, then ate a donut? How cute was that?—before pointing in the opposite direction. “Bathroom’s over there, and the bedroom is through that door. I’ll switch out the sheets for you, and I can sleep out here?—”
With dawning horror I realized his point, and I held up my free palm to interrupt him. “Whoa, whoa, Mr. Longspear, I’m not going to take your bed.” Not if he wasn’t going to be sharing it with me and getting this whole mess over with. “It’s really kind of you to let me stay here. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I forced a smile.
“I’m used to the couch, promise.” To prove my point, I crossed the room and dropped my bag beside the sectional, which reallywashuge, and looked ridiculously comfortable. “I’ll be fine here.” Since I could tell he still wasn’t convinced, I tried a soft smile. “This is nicer than what I’m used to, honest.”
That had been the wrong thing to say, judging from the way his jaw hardened. I saw a flicker of rage in his eyes before he turned away. “Fine. Are you hungry?”
