Better yet, why is he in the bathroom?
I go to ask, but he steps up to me, takes hold of my shoulder, spins me around, and then he’s kissing me. He’s kissing me with such ferocity he renders me breathless. For what seems like minutes, I stand there completely stunned. The kiss he’s giving me right now, it’s unlike every other one we’ve had together.
It speaks more than any words ever could.
After what seems like an eternity, my body finally works and I kiss him back. I let my lips move against his, and I relish in it. I burn into my mind the way his tongue feels against mine, the way his lips are so soft but his beard is so rough. I take in how one hand is resting on the small of my back, and the other is around the back of my neck, holding me close to him.
I take every single moment and lock it away.
Because it’s likely going to be the last one.
After a few more blissful moments, he pulls back and without a word, he walks out of the bathroom.
He leaves me standing there, completely confused and yet feeling so much better.
He didn’t need to say anything, because he told me everything I had been desperate to hear in that one passionate kiss.
It gives me a spark of hope.
A tiny little light in this ever-growing darkness.
I’m grateful to him for that.
More than he’ll ever know.
16WAVERLY
“I was wondering if you’d come back . . .” Dax says when I arrive at his house later that day.
He’s looking a whole lot more together right now, like he’s not going to just lose it and do something stupid. He’s wearing a suit, his hair is clean and brushed, and he looks well-presented and incredibly powerful. If I had to guess, I’d almost say he was preparing for something huge. My heart slams against my ribcage because I’m scared. One wrong move, and this is all over.
I take a deep breath and force myself to smile up at him. Tonight, I need to put on the best damned show of my life, because it’s essential I get him out of this house, and the only way I’m going to do that is to give him something that’s far better than what he’s planning here. I have to do what I have to do. I have to offer parts of myself to him for the good of everyone.
“Of course I was going to come back. Why wouldn’t I?” I ask, innocently.
“I have showed you a lot in the last few days. You must be overwhelmed.”
“I’ve seen worse out there,” I lie.
He reaches out and strokes a finger down my cheek. “I’m sure you have, my strong girl.”
“Is Peter coming tonight?” I ask.
“Tomorrow morning. He’s away on business right now.”
“Have you got enough buyers for those girls?”
Dax’s eyes scan over my face. “That’s not for you to worry about, my angel. Tonight, we’re just going to enjoy each other.”
“Speaking of enjoying each other,” I say, trying to make my voice sound lusty, “we should go somewhere. Dinner, maybe a nice hotel . . .” I let my voice trail off and I look down as if I’m feeling shy about what I just asked him.
He takes my chin in his hands and tips my head back. “You’d like to be with me?”
He doesn’t sound shocked—just surprised.
“I . . . I think I would yes.”
“Being here with all these girls is making you uncomfortable, isn’t it?”
“A little,” I admit.
“My angel,” he murmurs, running his thumb over my bottom lip, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
Oh, thank god.
“There’s a new Italian restaurant in town. That might be a good place to start . . .”
He grins, slow and a little wicked. “I like your thinking. I’ll find a nice room, something worth your while. I’ll make it a night you’ll never forget.”
Ditto, buddy.
Ditto.
“Do you need me to do anything here before we go out?”
“I have a phone call to make; I’m going to the study. After that, we’ll take a walk, and you can help me prepare some food for the girls to get them through the evening.”
That will be the perfect time to get the key.
“Okay.”
He smiles at me, then disappears into his study. I glance at the camera that’s pointing down the hall, and quickly get out of its line of sight. I know the security system panel is in the kitchen, so I rush in there, peering behind me. I need to figure out how to bring the cameras down. I pray I don’t have to cut wires, but I do know how to do that if need be. I find the panel and look behind me once more before opening it.
There’s a keypad and a heap of other buttons. God damn, if I knew the code it would be so much easier to turn it off for a few hours. I bite my lip and look at the screws that I would need to undo to get to the wires at the back. It would take some time, at least twenty minutes, maybe more. I’m not sure I’m going to have that long. My heart pounds against my chest and I catch sight of something on the inside door of the panel.
A four-digit number written in black ink, right down the bottom.
3587
No way in the world that’s the code. No way he’d be stupid enough to just write it on the panel. Although, by the time someone got in here to see this, or to be able to turn it off, the alarms would have well and truly been raised, so really, who is going to be able to access this who
