We sat on the floor like that for a long moment — her face nuzzled into my neck, her fingers playing with my hair — until she was able to catch her breath. Pulling back to look at me with those soft green eyes, she could barely manage a whisper. “Was that okay for you?”
A laugh rumbled from my chest. “It was more than okay. It was perfect. You’re perfect, Kiera.”
Her eyes glistened as the words hit her. It looked like she was close to tears, and my stomach hurt at the thought that she hadn’t heard those words before. Kissing her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and those soft cheeks of hers, I couldn’t stop saying it. “You’re perfect, you’re perfect.”
Her limbs grew heavy and relaxed, and as I pulled back, I could see that her eyelids were softly fluttering closed. Trying to control the smile pulling at my lips, I gave her one last kiss onthe lips before brushing the hair back from her cheek. “Told you I could tire you out. You ready for bed?”
“Mhmm…” Kiera nodded sleepily, moving to stand.
But before she could get her feet beneath her, I scooped her up in my arms and stood, letting her head rest against my shoulder as I carried her off to bed.
Once I tucked her into bed and closed the door behind me, I promised myself one thing. As long as Kiera was here, as long as she would have me, I’d make it my mission to ensure she didn’t spend another sleepless night alone.
77
KIERA
Even a few days later,I was still thinking about my late night, hallway tryst with Spencer — the way I’d been so afraid of getting caught.
But what replayed in my mind just as much was the kiss I’d shared with Leo. It was reckless to play with both of them like this. It was probably just the adrenaline of our cop chase that had made me want to be that close to her.
Of course, if that was true, I wouldn’t want to do it again. The last couple days, all I’d been able to do was stare at her plush lips and think about how her tongue would feel in my mouth.
Shaking my head, I checked my phone. Five missed calls from Maura and one text from Spencer.
Ready when you are, Bunny
Spencer
I shoved the phone in my sweats pocket and pulled my door open. Everything about this was starting to become normal. My room was starting to feel like my own, the routine of my captors schedules felt comfortable.
It was only the incessant calls from my mother and the eerie feeling of Gabe lurking around every corner of Valemont that pulled me from the safety of Leo and Spencer’s presence.
Well, that, and the haunted ass mansion I’d been stuck in. At this point, I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination or if Dom’s presence was making it feel like I was being hunted by some eldritch demon.
In reality, every corner of this house was starting to feel familiar. And it was getting harder to tell exactly why. Old memories and new were blending into one deep in my mind.
I took the stairs down to the kitchen, a cacophony of smells wafting into my nose as Spencer’s giddy smile met my face.
“Hey, you.” She pressed dough into the counter, using her body weight to knead the flour into the whole.
“It smells amazing in here. What’s the occasion?” I leaned against the counter, watching as the tendons and muscles in Spencer’s forearms strained with the force of her making the dough.
Spencer gestured to small, white ramekins full of chopped up ingredients and two round, metal trays on the counter. “Well, Leo and Dom are out and we made plans to get you some accounts set up. This is my attempt to make financial independence sexy.”
Laughing, I leaned over the counter and grabbed a piece of green bell pepper from the dish. “I think you could make most things sexy. But food definitely helps.”
“I just figure there’s no reason we can’t have fun.” Spencer patted the empty counter space next to her. “But I’m going to need your help. Can’t make a personal pizza without you, personally.” A wink flourished her corny joke.
I took my place next to her, looking down at the well-floured countertops and surveying my topping options.
Wrapping her arms around my waist, Spencer delicately draped an apron of my own over my clothes. She tied the string around my waist, her eyes taking in the shape of my hips as she licked her lips.
She cleared her throat as she sidled up to the counter. “So, where did you used to work before all of this?”
Shrugging, I slapped a round of dough down in front of me and got to shaping it. “Mostly at gyms and restaurants. I had a paralegal gig that Gabe got for me but he really hated when I worked. Wanted a trophy.”
“I like when my trophies have freedom.” Spencer shook her head, clearly annoyed by Gabe’s barbaric behavior. “How much do you have in your accounts?”
