Kingdom Fall

“This is nothing short of amazing. How did you find this place?” I asked.

“Friends.”

I eyed him. “Is this some kind of ‘if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you’ situation?”

The sexy smirk was back in full force. “Something like that.” He paused, and in that second, I waited for him to dip his head and kiss me. Instead, he said, “Let me show you around.”

“Where are we, by the way?” I asked as we walked back to the patio.

He glanced over his shoulder. “Technically, it’s labeled an uninhabitable island.”

We stopped short of entering the house built on the side of a mountain.

“You’re not going to tell me the island’s name, are you?” I asked.

“It’s not my secret to share.”

“Is that why we entered under cover of darkness?”

“Yes and no,” he said. “We needed to be midway to high tide in order to enter the cove. Too high or too low and it would have been impossible to get in.”

So that had been the reason he’d kept checking his watch.

“Are we going in or what?” I teased. “I need to call my brother.”

He lifted his finger. “First, let me show you the outside.”

I had a feeling it was a distraction tactic, but I allowed it.

“See the windows? In order to keep this place a well-guarded secret, when we enter and turn on the lights, a few things will happen.” He pointed at the door. “Lights will come on at a very low level. Storm shutters will cover the windows before the lights fully come on. If the lights were on and this door handle turned, the light would immediately go off.”

“Very high tech.”

“It serves a dual purpose. Any illumination at night would give away the hideaway’s location. Second, if for any reason someone finds the place, the darkness will provide cover.”

“Are you some sort of spy?”

He laughed and opened the door. I saw the movement of the shutters more than heard it. Someone had spent a lot of money designing this place. Once the shutters clicked into place, overhead lights brightened the area.

No expense had been spared in the homey environment. Though the house wasn’t cluttered, it wasn’t the minimalistic style of Striker’s Soho condo either. A comfy sofa, a low bookshelf filled with books and other odds and ends. There were little sculptures and other things on the side tables and coffee table books on their namesake.

The kitchen we passed on the left was done in a dark gray, with brown cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and marble countertops. If I thought he knew, I might have asked for the decorator’s number.

“Back here is the bedroom.”

I noticed he hadn’t said bedrooms plural. I followed up a slight incline to an open doorway on the right. When we stepped in, lights flooded the room. The same gray and warm browns made up the floor, furniture, and walls. Directly inside the doorway and to the left was another door. Inside was a large bathroom with a short window at the top and covered by the shutters. A large floating tub was underneath the window. There was also an enormous two-person shower, a double sink vanity, and a toilet.

We ended the tour back in the bedroom.

“You can have the bed,” he said.

I sighed. “I know I gave the no touching rule, but there’s no reason we can’t be adults and share a bed.”

“The bed is yours. I’ll go get our bags.”

“What about my brother?” I asked to his retreating form.

He disappeared from the room, leaving me to worry about everything from my brother to our safety, though I’d forgotten all about the bags. I’d been in such a state of awe, the only thing I’d noticed the entire time, outside of the scenery, was the man.

How could anyone blame me for being starry-eyed for the guy who’d ridden in like a knight in shiny black armor and saved me from my captors? As much shit as I’d given him over the last few months, no one would have expected him to lift a finger for me.

I went into the bathroom to start a bath. The soaking tub was calling my name. My chaotic thoughts needed soothing. When I walked back in the room, my bag was on the bed. The man moved like a ghost. We needed to talk, but I didn’t yet know what to say.

After a relaxing bath, my stomach growled from the smells wafting down the hall. With little in the way of wardrobe selection, I left the bedroom in a T-shirt and bikini bottoms.

I almost tripped when I saw the candlelight flickering on the table in the kitchen area where Striker sat. The closer I got I could see a steaming plate in front of him, and one waiting for me. I resumed my pace, making my way over.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, gesturing at the candles and admiring the steak and mashed potatoes.