At least she can’t accuse me of sneaking up and scaring her, even if she gasps with a hand over her chest.
“You need to wear a bell around your neck.”
“You need to stop listening to your music at deafening levels.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
She looks me up and down, her nose wrinkling.
It’s cute even when she wrinkles it at me.
“Good workout?
You look like you took a shower.”
“I need one, for sure.”
“Do you always work out so hard?
It’s like you’re punishing yourself.
I mean, I work out too, but…”
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she could read my mind.
Like she somehow knows why I pushed myself, why I’ve been pushing myself over the past two weeks we’ve been fucking like deranged rabbits.
The boss has that tendency, too, of reaching into my head and pulling my thoughts out.
Either that or I’ve been unable to deal with guilt for much longer than I knew.
“It’s all that good food you’ve been shoving down my throat.
I need to work it off.”
I pat my stomach, shrugging.
“Don’t like the sight of me all covered in sweat?
Don’t feed me so well.”
“I like the sight of you all covered in sweat,” she assures me with that impish little grin I’ve come to recognize as the precursor to something more.
“It’s just that I like being the reason you’re all sweaty.”
“Is that an invitation?”
I take a step her way, then another.
“Oh, gross!
Wash off your stink, at least!”
She squeals an instant before sliding past me, running down the hall and into the living room, laughing the entire way.
The sight of her ass jiggling is more than enough to strengthen my determination to get my hands on her.
And my cock in her.
“Run all you want.”
I face her from the other end of the island, ducking right and left in time with her movements.
“You can’t get away.
Not in your underwear.”
“I can get back to my room and put on a shirt before you catch me.”
“You sure about that?”
I raise an eyebrow, grinning.
“Try it.”
She doesn’t hesitate.
Feinting right, then left, she finally breaks right and runs through the kitchen, reaching the hall a split second before I do.
I try to make a grab for her, but she’s too quick, flying barefoot down the hall and throwing herself into her room.
She screams when I throw my weight against the door before she can get it shut.
“Get over here.”
I take her by the waist and pull her in close, making sure to rub my sweaty clothes on her.
“Now you’ll stink, too.
Maybe we both need a shower.”
“You’re disgusting!”
But she hasn’t stopped giggling since I took hold of her, either.
So I have to wonder how much she minds.
I can’t help but grope her a little now that my hands are on her.
She’s like a drug I’ll never get my fill of.
Abruptly, her giggling stops.
I realize it’s because her phone’s ringing, sitting on her desk.
Her head swings in that direction because, of course, who can ignore a ringing phone?
“Oh, no.”
She breaks free of me and goes to it, blocking it from view.
“What’s wrong?
Who is it?”
She turns to me, eyes wide, the color gone from her face.
“My dad.”
Chapter 20: Mia
20
MIA
I
can’t believe how hard I’m shaking.
I think I’m going to be sick.
“Answer it,” Zeke urges me in a strangled voice.
“He’ll be worried if you don’t.”
Right, but what happens when I answer, and he starts screaming at me?
Don’t be stupid.
He won’t do that.
He doesn’t know what you’ve been doing.
No, maybe not, but why does it feel like he does?
If he wanted me to spend the rest of my life feeling like he’s watching, directly over my shoulder, he succeeded.
It’s actually kind of sick in a way.
“Mia.”
The way Zeke barks my name snaps me out of it.
Right.
I have to get it together.
“Hi, Daddy,” I chirp on answering.
A look at Zeke tells me I did a good job.
I don’t sound suspicious at all.
“Hello, sweetheart.
You sound happy.”
Sure, I was getting felt up by the bodyguard you sent to watch over me.
Yeah, that would go over really well.
I should definitely start with that.
“No reason not to be.”
I pull on a jacket and step outside.
The chill in the air feels good against my flushed skin.
The heat in my cheeks starts to cool off.
“How are you?”
“About as well as can be.”
So why is there a hint of regret in his voice?
“Are you taking care of yourself?
You’re not throwing all-night parties now that I’m not around, right?”
That gets him to laugh.
“Not lately.
Actually, sweetheart, I was more concerned with disappointing you.”
For one heart-stopping second, I think,this is it.
He’s going to tell me Zeke won’t be my bodyguard anymore.
He’ll give me one reason or another, some bullshit excuse like wanting to move him to a different job or needing him closer to home.
Something like that.
And when he does, I won’t have any room to argue.
I could say something about him making me feel safe, maybe, and about how long it took us to fall into a comfortable groove here.
How I wouldn’t want to go through that again, especially when I should be paying attention to schoolwork.
“What’s up?”
I ask when I realize I haven’t responded.
I need to shape up quick, or else he’s going to ask if I’ve been doing drugs or something like that.
He’s always so suspicious.
But no, he’s too busy being concerned about what he’s about to tell me.
“I’m sure you’ve been looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving break.
I know I’ve been looking forward to having you here.
But it’s looking like we won’t be able to make that happen.”
Well, talk about coming out of left field.
“Oh.
Okay.”
I lean on the railing, a little stunned.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I understand,” I lie.
Where is this coming from?
“I’m sure I can stay here that week.”
“Of course.
It’s not like you’re living in a dorm.
They’re not going to shut down.”
“Right, sure.”
Now I’m just saying words without really hearing them.
“Is everything okay, though?
Are you all right?
You’re not sick or anything, are you?”
He gives me one of those indulgent chuckles that sets my teeth on edge.
If we were face-to-face right now, he would pat me on the head.
“You are so sweet to be concerned.”
“Well, I mean, it’s kind of a big holiday.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.