Page 6
Chapter 5
“Well?” Addison crossed her arms. “Are you going to do the right thing here or not?”
Oliver’s gaze slid over her like he had all the time in the world. “If you want me to tell you what I know, you’re going to have to do something for me first.”
Oh, hell no. If he’s going to ask for sex, he’s going to get a few more facial fractures. “Tread carefully with your next sentence, Oliver.”
One corner of his mouth never lifted when he spoke. “I don’t coerce women into sex.”
Was she that easy to read? “Then what is it you want me to do?”
He took a step closer. “Tell me everything you know about your brother’s patterns, preferences, contacts. When I find him, you can get his signature notarized—before I end his life.”
Interesting… “So you don’t know where he is either.”
Was Kyle even anywhere near here? What would have made Oliver leave his LA home to come to this rural corner of the world otherwise?
“I’d consider the offer, if I were you. Or face losing your niece.” Turning on his heel, he stalked into the pitch-black house.
She had been warned he’d grown ornery, so his ultimatum wasn’t a surprise.
What she hadn’t anticipated was the rawness of his bitterness. Before the accident, Oliver had had a stellar reputation. A beloved UCLA professor, an author. He’d hosted a podcast about ancient Greece that was surprisingly spicy. She’d binged it to get to know him better. It had ended the day of the accident. That Oliver would have helped her save Netta. The Oliver she’d met today? No way in hell.
Some of the articles she’d read had quoted his friends and past girlfriends. They only had nice things to say. He’d been fun, jovial, and warm. The man she found today couldn’t be described as any of those things. Now he reminded her of an injured animal that had retreated somewhere no one could follow.
She should edge closer to the door—toward the sunshine and the rolling fields, toward the small group of tourists exploring the abbey ruins down the hill. Away from this dark house, from the angry man who’d disappeared somewhere inside its shadows.
Keeping the door wide open because it provided the only source of light, she left her suitcase and bag on the other side of the threshold and followed him into the house.
The shadowy foyer led into the inky living room. Heavy drapes blocked out any light, but her eyes adjusted to the dim interior to make out Oliver stretched out on the sofa. Ignoring her.
Not daring to move closer, she curled her hands into fists. It was either that or grab him by the shoulders and shake him. “I won’t let my baby niece go to the woman who almost shot her.”
He slitted open one eye, then shut it. “Is this where you get on your knees and beg for information? Because I do want you on your knees. But for an entirely different reason.”
The comment sent a flood of uninvited heat straight to her bloodstream. Ridiculous. She should be appalled, not turned on. “You’re disgusting.”
“Revolting is how someone described my new face.”
“I didn’t mean your appearance. I meant your words. Tell me what you know, and I’ll leave you to your… nap. I won’t back down. I’m stronger than I look.”
With a pained sigh, he sat up. “And you think the accident left me weakened?”
“You don’t look weakened to me.”
Standing, he stalked toward her like an angry bear she’d inadvertently woken from deep hibernation. The way he watched her was both thrilling and unsettling.
She put up her hands in warning. “No funny business. No… making out, or anything of that sort.”
“Lady, you kissed me.”
Oh. That’s right. “It won’t happen again.” Despite every bone in her spine blaring to back up, she held steady. “Let me be clear, Oliver. I don’t give up, and I’m not leaving until I get what I came here for.” Striding to the floor lamp at the end of the couch, she flipped it on. The light was low, barely enough to illuminate them both. “Until then, consider me your new roommate.”
Chapter 6
His new roommate?
The last thing Oliver needed was her in his home, but he couldn’t make himself escort her out.
