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When he turned to me, I swallowed, forcing my mouth to close. I’d never seen a man that looked like him in person before. He was perfect, his face, his body—perfect apart from those countless scars.
“Can you toss me the towel?”
“What?”
“The towel. Behind you.”
I turned. “Oh.” I felt stupid, flustered. Like an inexperienced fool. I threw the towel, and he caught it. All I could do while he dried himself was watch him, focusing on his hands.
His hands.
Big and calloused and…
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. How could I be attracted to this man? “I’ll go upstairs.”
“No.”
He walked to another cupboard and found a glass and a bottle of what I guessed to be whiskey.
“Sit.”
He took a seat at the table, then, when I still hadn’t moved, he pushed a chair out with his bare foot.
“Sit, Sofia. I don’t bite.”
With heavy legs, I joined him at the table. He watched me while he uncorked the bottle and poured about two fingers worth into his glass. He then tilted the bottle and poured some into my tea.
“What are you doing?”
“It’ll help you sleep.” He leaned back in his chair and drank.
“I don’t drink.”
“Maybe you should start. Lighten up a little.”
“Lighten up? You…you kidnapped me!”
“Don’t be dramatic. I don’t remember knocking you out and dragging you away. Besides, this isn’t exactly a dungeon I’ve brought you to.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Give it a rest, Sofia. The whiskey will help you sleep. That’s all.” He seemed suddenly tired.
“It’s just,” I started, picked up the mug, and sniffed it, feeling a little embarrassed. “I just have never really drunk very much.”
His eyebrows went up. “Are we adding drinking to the list of things you haven’t done?”
I gave him a glare, then dropped his gaze. I knew exactly what he was referring to. Determined not to give him one more thing to tease me about, I took the smallest sip. My lips burned.
“Define much. You had to have parties at that school of yours even if your stuffy old grandfather locked away the liquor.”
“Of course we had parties.” I just didn’t attend them most of the time. I’d never been much for them, preferring to spend time reading or studying. “I’ve had some beer and wine.”
“Have you tasted any of your family’s wines?”
I smiled. “Lina and I snuck a little at Christmas.”
“Bad girls,” he said, his expression again mocking.
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“You like to follow the rules?”
“You like to break them?”
“It’s a lot more fun than always doing what you’re told.”
Why did I care what he thought of me? If he found me ridiculously boring? Why did I care? “I just never gave not following them much thought.” And why in hell was I defending myself?
“That so?”
“I’m sure I’m very dull, considering your colorful history.” His face hardened, and I wished I hadn’t said that. What happened with his father, it wasn’t his fault. I knew that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine.” He finished his glass and poured another.
“Where were you?” I asked, painfully aware of his naked beauty just across the table, trying hard not to stare.
“Maria told me they’ve been having some trouble with the work truck. I wanted to have a look.”
“Work truck?”
“There are fields on the other side of the property. We sell hay to local farmers. I’ll show you around later.”
“Does that money sustain the house?”
He chuckled. “Not even close. When my mother passed away, she left my brothers and me a sizeable inheritance. Most of it has gone to repairing the house. Not much left over for maintenance after the fire. Luckily, I have other sources of income.”
“Other sources like arrangements like mine?”
“Well, I don’t have other brides in the closet, but yes, I suppose.”
“Did you get it fixed?”
He looked confused.
“The truck, I mean?”
“You really want to know about the truck? You have no other questions, nothing else you’d rather talk about?”
I had about a million. I just had to muster up the courage to ask them. “I lied earlier. You do make me nervous, Raphael.” I didn’t know why I said it, I just knew I had to.
His expression changed. He hadn’t expected that. “What do you think is going to happen to you? What do you think I’ll do?”
“Anything you want.”
He sat forward, resting one elbow on the table, his chin in his hand. His eyes, the blue so bright, studied me closely, making me wonder if they could penetrate through me, pick my thoughts right out of my mind before I’d even had a chance to process them.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Sofia.”
“Why did you have to take me, then?”
He leaned back in his seat. “That again.”
“Sorry to bore you, but this is my life we’re talking about.”
“I did you a favor. I opened your eyes.”
“By telling me my grandfather is a thief. That he’s been stealing from my sister and me.”
