Page 42 of Good Girls Beg

I thought about breaking the egress window and getting in that way, but the cost of the window was another thing I didn't want added onto my debt to these men. I tried to put it out of my mind, but it lingered in the background. The unanswered question that begged for a solution.

"I told Hel we should have put a tracking chip on you," Fade said in his usual drawl.

I realized I was staring out at the moonlit ocean without seeing it, lost in thought. Maybe hoping a bird with a red breast would help me find the lost door to the secret basement. Of course, the birds had gone to bed hours ago. And this wasn't The Secret Garden,

"Why would you do that?" I turned to him and tried not to let my gaze wander down his toned body. He was in only a tank top and a pair of cargo shorts. I definitely didn't stare at the muscles in his thighs. Or imagine them on either side of mine.

Fade shrugged. "It'd be easier to find you."

"You could always send me a text asking where I am," I suggested.

"Now, where would be the fun in that?" He smiled slowly. "Hunting you down is much more entertaining." He took a step forward as if he was about to suggest I start running. Would he wear a mask if I asked him nicely?

"I'm not sure if it counts as hunting," I said, trying to deflect from the fact my heart was racing a little faster. With his long legs, he'd catch me in moments. An idea I didn't hate, in spite of myself. "I'm standing right outside the house. All you had to do was look out a window." I waved a hand toward it. “The moonlight is bright enough."

He probably did exactly that, which was how he found me. Not by hunting around the grounds, as his words seemed to imply.

"It's a start. We can build on it later. I know a nice forest not far from here." He pushed his hands into his pockets and rolled his shoulders.

"In that case, a tracking chip would give you an unfair advantage," I said without missing a beat.

"Strangely, I can't bring myself to give a shit." He pulled a hand out of his pocket and rubbed his fingers across his jaw. "If I'm hunting you through the forest, I'm using every tool available to catch you."

"Since we're not running through the forest, did you want something?" I cocked my head at him. I got the impression he'd come out here for a reason. One that didn't involve staring out at the waves crashing onto the beach, or the fresh salt air. Or the breeze on his face, or even the taste of salt on his plush lips.

"I wanted to invite you to watch something with me," he said. "I figured you deserve a night off.” He raised a finger and pointed it at me. "Yeah, I know it's Sunday, but we both know you've taken a break from studying. That's why you're out here."

I couldn't argue with him. He was right. I spent the day working on my thesis, and came out here to escape from it.

"I still have a ton to do," I said with a sigh. Unfortunately, hoping my thesis would write itself wasn't working as well as I might have hoped.

"I don't care. Come and watch something with me." He turned and started back toward the house.

Was he really so arrogant that he thought I'd just trot along behind him like a faithful puppy?

Yes. Yes, he was.

"Is that a rule?" I called out to his back.

"Don't tempt me," he said in reply. He didn't stop or slow down. He was probably thinking which day that rule should go on, and which one it should replace.

Today's rule was something about eating two servings of fruit and three of vegetables. I assumed that came from Oak. It was nice of him to look out for me, but the idea of him trying to control my diet rubbed me the wrong way. I was an adult. If I wanted to eat hamburgers all day, I could. I hadn't, of course. I'd eaten two apples, a potato, and a serving of corn and beans. The latter over dinner, while Oak watched every mouthful. It was easier to humor him than it was to break the rules. Fade was a whole other story.

I had two choices. I could return to my thesis, knowing I was too tired to add anything meaningful, or I could follow him. Getting to know him better might not be the worst way to spend an hour or two.

The smug expression on his face when I sat on the couch a foot away from him almost made me reconsider.

He picked up a bowl of popcorn from the table in front of him and offered me some.

"Salted caramel popcorn. It's delicious, and has the added bonus that if Oak saw us eating it, he'd lose his shit."

I snorted a laugh. That sounded good, and the popcorn smelled even better.

"He's really into his health and fitness thing, isn't he?" I grabbed up a handful and started to eat. Fade was right, it was delicious.

He grabbed up a handful himself. "Yeah, it's pretty much his obsession. I might go as far as to say it's his addiction. Between you and me, I think he lies awake at night thinking of ways to be healthier. Only…" He leaned in and whispered, "I know where he keeps his stash of donuts."

I laughed again. "He has a stash of donuts?"