Shaking my head, I let out a long sigh and rubbed my tired eyes. “Sorry, I’m just startled.” This time, the hurt on her face was more obvious — sadness that I’d be afraid of her.
Leo wanted me to trust her, and frankly she’d been trying fairly hard to build that trust. She had gone to bat for me against Dom, trying to keep me safe and far from Gabriel.
But to be entirely fair, Leo had also beaten the shit out of my boyfriend, whisked me away to a secluded mansion, and locked me up in this room like some fairytale princess.
It wasn’t the best show of manners.
“Can I come closer?” She bowed her head sheepishly.
After a second, I nodded, forcing my shoulders to relax as she strode over, reminding myself that she wasn’t a threat. I was shocked when she kneeled at the foot of my bed rather than taking a seat on the mattress.
Gently reaching for my hand, Leo wrapped her fingers in mine. Rubbing the back of my hand with her thumb, she smiled softly. “Did you sleep okay? Sorry you were stuck in here for so long, Spence had a family thing come up.”
A family thing.I pursed my lips. Given their roommate setup, it was hard to imagine what any of their family situations could be. Complicated — that was almost guaranteed.
Looking into Leo’s big light brown eyes, I couldn’t help but be sucked in. Despite how I’d come to be stuck in this room, I felt strangely comfortable with her and Spencer. They were kind and gentle with me despite the brutality I’d seen them display.
To be honest, I should have been more afraid. My few survival instincts that were still working screamed at me to be wary, to run while I could. But with every hour I spent in this house, the discomfort waned.
In the back of my mind, I knew how dangerous that was. The truth was I didn’t know these people at all. They’d been secretive about their lives while excavating mine. Everywhere I looked there were more and more secrets that they intended to keep hidden.
So long as I was here, I needed to find out who they really were and what they were all doing here. Until then, I couldn’t let myself get too comfortable.
“Hungry?” Leo stood from her kneeling position, lifting my hand with her as she rose. “I promise I won’t ditch you today. Can’t have you dying of boredom.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it, Major.” With a healthy dose of skepticism, I crawled out of bed in my big t-shirt and bikini cut underwear, ignoring the way Leo’s eyes lingered on my ass for both of our sakes. But as I pulled the baggy sweats from the pool of fabric on the floor and pulled them up and around my hips, the rise and fall of her chest was unmistakable.
Raising an eyebrow, I looked over my shoulder at her.
She snapped back to reality. “Who told you about all that?”
“Spencer. Told me your real title. Major Leo Callahan, M.D. You sound very important.”
“Not in this life, but maybe in the next.” Her arms were crossed over her chest, her forearms tensing as she tried to restrain her instinct to grab me right there.
I’m torturing this poor woman.
I would’ve felt guilty if she wasn’t choosing this torment — she could have looked away any time she wanted.
But I couldn’t deny the fact that she didn’t — that she kept her eyes glued to me no matter how bad it hurt — made me feel powerful.
Once I was dressed, Leo guided me back downstairs and toward the kitchen. With each step, my mouth watered at the thought of another glorious meal in my future.
As we walked down the hallway toward the staircase, I glanced out the multi-paned windows to the backyard. The perfectly manicured gardens were warmed by the late fall sun. My chest hummed at the sight.
What I wouldn’t give to feel a breeze.
I’d been stuck inside this mansion for a couple days now. But calling what I was feeling cabin fever would be insane. This place was a far cry from some tiny cabin. Even so, being trapped inside felt claustrophobic, and something about the labyrinthine hallways — what little I’d seen of them — made my chest tight.
“Hey, Leo?” I squeaked out as I kept my eyes on the shaped hedges.
“Yeah, babes?” Leo stopped, turning on her heels to look at me.
Biting my lip, I peeled my eyes from the garden to look her in the eyes. The golden light streamed through the window, perfectly highlighting her chiseled cheekbones and pillowy lips. It was a wonder she didn’t model.
I swallowed my momentary shock, refocusing on the matter at hand. “Can we go out in the garden today?”
She sucked in a deep breath, really considering it as she stared back at me. Her sun-kissed golden eyes darted across my face, trying to assess just how desperate I was for fresh air.
