That seemed to amuse him. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all night.”
A little spike of annoyance flared in my stomach. “Are you always like this?” I waved a hand at him. “So, I don’t know, intense?”
“Maybe. I don’t really know.”
“Liar. I bet you practice that brooding stare in the mirror.”
The barest hint of a smile played at his lips. “You’d be surprised.”
“I don’t think I would. So now what? I hide out here? What makes you think those guys won’t come for me?”
He nodded once, as if we were getting down to business. “I’m hoping they won’t know that you witnessed what happened. However, if they do realize you saw Manzi kill Dia, they won’t try to hurt you while you’re on my property.”
“Why not?”
“I told you. I’m much worse than a few mafia thugs.”
“I find that hard to believe, but okay, I guess I’ll play along.” I took another long sip of wine, head spinning, trying to work this out. “Does that mean I’m stuck here?”
“Would that be so bad? I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
The unspoken hung between us: however you want.
I imagined his lips against my neck, his hands pinning my wrists back against a wall. I could be swallowed by him, drowned and chewed and devoured.
“You’re a stranger. I’m not really in the habit of staying in houses with big, scary men, even if they are nice houses.”
“I’m big and scary? That’s good to know.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like you didn’t realize already.”
Another smile. I sort of liked the thrill it gave me, making him grin. “Maybe I’ll keep you around. You can be a little pet for me.”
“I’m not some dog, asshole.”
“You’d like it, I promise. I’d spoil you. Make you do tricks.”
“Don’t be a dick. If anyone’s going to wear a little collar and walk around on all fours, that’s going to be you.”
“Interesting. I didn’t know you were into that, but I could be amenable.”
I blushed slightly. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to force you to stay here. You can go back home in the morning, I promise.”
I glanced around the room again, half expecting someone to leap out from behind a curtain and scream my name like I was on some hidden camera show, but those weren’t a thing anymore, and this wasn’t fake.
Her blood. Little pieces of her skull embedded in the wood.
They weren’t fake.
I watched that girl die.
My hand trembled and I finished my wine.
Roman refiled it without a word.
“I can’t get back into a car. I can walk home, but it’ll take me a while.”
He sighed. “I’ll have Erick fetch your bike. Any other requests?”
I met his eyes and held that piercing, freezing stare. “Am I going to be in danger once I leave this place?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitating.
I felt a pit open up beneath my feet, and I began to tumble downward. I was spiraling again, that same feeling I’d had for weeks after the incident. It had taken me a long time to feel like myself again back then, and now I was terrified I’d drift back into that depression.
“I think I should get some sleep.” I drank down half the refilled glass. “Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’ll show you to a room.” He frowned slightly, like he was worried about me, but I refused to look him in the eyes.
I was afraid that if I did, I’d give him whatever he wanted.
He took me to the front staircase and up to the second floor. The guest room was large and airy with an attached balcony and an incredible view of the ocean. The rhythmic tides and the soft crash of waves were just barely audible.
“Normally, I’d recommend leaving the windows open, but it’s too cold for that.” He lingered in the center of the room and looked around with a practiced eye. “There are towels in the bathroom and a robe hanging in the closet. I can bring fresh clothes, though I’m not sure if they’ll fit.”
“That would be great.”
He nodded and looked at me again. I clutched the glass. I’d almost forgotten I had it.
Whenever he turned that gaze on me, it was like that dizzy floor-opening sensation again—but instead of falling, it was like I floated up out of myself.
He stepped closer. I backed away and ran up against the bed. He put one hand on my hip and leaned in—his fingers inches from my scar—and the smell of him, masculine and warm, spicy and musky and delicious, filled me with a strange, heady need.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Why? I’m a stranger.”
“It’s the sort of man that I am. Sometimes, it’s very inconvenient.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a burden.” My lips parted slightly. I wondered what he would taste like.
If he kissed me, I wondered if I’d ever come back up for air.