Page 48 of Unlocked Desire: Vol One
Vance ignores my outburst and removes the brown paper bag from his pocket. I focus on it and notice the drops of blood trickling out of it.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask, my voice shaking.
Vance’s thick fingers unwrap the paper, and two cuts of steak peek through. He whistles and two large Dobermans run out on demand. Vance doesn’t take his eyes off me. He holds up one of the two steaks, and the Doberman jumps viciously. I panic, thinking he might take Vance’s hand with the steak. When the dog has his meat and Vance’s limbs are still attached, I calm down slightly, only to witness it a second time with the other dog.
“You’re fuckin crazy.”
Vance laughs, a genuine laugh that comes from a place of joy. He pats the dogs on their heads. “They’re well trained.”
I can’t help thinking about how different he looks at that moment. Sure, he’s still as hard as hell and like he could take on ten men by himself, but he also looks like the boy next door—kind, caring, and dependable.
Vance places his hand on my back and guides me to the cabin. I can’t move. My feet won’t let me. I’m frozen, unable to do anything but look at the two dogs glaring at me.
“Stand down!” Vance yells. Both dogs whimper before running away. “They won’t hurt you. They know their place.”
I nod and lean into him as we walk to the cabin. Vance unlocks the door with a gold key and holds it open for me. I duck under his arm as I enter, my body brushing against his, and heat pools in my center. My reaction to him is out of my control.
The cabin looks like one of those cheesy spots for a “man’s man” you see in a Hallmark Christmas movie. It’s not at all how I pictured Vance’s choice of accommodation. It’s a log cabin, all wood, bear rugs, and warm colors.
“You were expecting a sterile white room,” Vance jokes, cutting across my thoughts.
I whirl and pin him with a curious gaze. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Read my thoughts?”
Vance laughs. “I can’t read your thoughts, Little Bird. I can read your sexy body and beautiful face.” He walks toward me, stopping in front of me and gliding his knuckles along my cheek. “Everything you think and feel radiates from you. In my line of work, reading people is the difference between life and death. Let’s just say you should never play poker, sweetheart. “
“There’s food set up on the table. Is anyone else here?”
Vance shakes his head. “No. I have someone who takes care of the place when I’m not here and arranges what I need before I arrive.”
I look at the spread on the table. Every food you can think of—chicken, steak, lobster, potatoes, rice, vegetables. “That’s a lot of food for two people.”
“Your fridge was empty, and I’m pretty sure peanut butter isn’t your favorite thing to eat.”
I tilt my head. “You were in my apartment?”
Vance rubs the back of his neck and doesn’t answer. I focus on the intricate tattoos covering his forearm and the blank space on the inside of his arm. It’s an odd palace to leave without a tattoo, as if he’s saving it for something.
“You gonna answer me? You were in my apartment?”
“Yes,” he says, his voice clear and direct. There’s no shame or embarrassment. It’s as if he considers breaking into my apartment his right. “Listen, I need to take a shower. It has been a long week, and now you’re here and safe, I need to freshen up. I’ll be right back.”
“You seem pretty sure I won’t try to run,” I say, annoyed at his arrogance. The man broke into my space and touched my stuff without permission. I wait for the anger to hit me, but I can only focus on the heat from his fingers on my lips and how desperately I crave his touch. “You said you wouldn’t force yourself on me.”
Vance’s eyes betray him. They take on a hollow look before he catches himself, and the heat returns to his gaze.
He closes the space between us, and his body surrounds me like a noose and a blanket. The air seems thicker when he’s so close to me. I’m not sure I can breathe. “Little Bird, we both know you wanted everything I’ve done to you.”
My mind flashes back to that first night he dropped me off, how I stood at the window fantasizing about him. My hand instantly touches my lips, and he smiles. I figured I’d dreamed of him that night in my loft, but he was there. I’m unsure if I should run away screaming or climb him like a monkey. The man pushes all my buttons, unleashes all my emotions at once, and I’m trapped between needing to fight and wanting to submit.
“Little Bird, I have to take a shower,” Vance says, snapping me out of the maze of my emotions. He traces a line from my temple to my jaw with his fingertip. “Don’t leave the cabin.”
“Where am I gonna go, exactly? It’s not like there’s another soul for miles.”
“Eat,” Vance orders.