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He walked away, leaving Lilly watching his departing back.
Her fake smile returned. “I had to try, didn’t I?”
“Of course. Though no one would think less of you if you just let it go. You may not be shackled to your bed, but no one’s going to help you escape, either.”
“I assume there are phones on the premises?” She took a bite of risotto and moaned.
“You’d have to find them. I’m sure everyone who works here carries a cell phone. We haven’t had a landline in years,” I lied. I had one in my panic room. After Lilly arrived, I unplugged the useless relic in my office. I couldn’t remember the last time I used it.
Lilly took another bite of the rich, creamy risotto and closed her eyes. “I’ll tell you what,” she said after swallowing, “I’ll eat this amazing meal you provided and when we’re done, you’ll tell me what the hell this is really all about.”
I raised my wine glass. “Deal.Salut.”
––––––––
“YOU’RE TELLING ME Ihave complete freedom. I can go wherever I want?”
I nodded and placed another forkful of crème brûlée in front of her mouth. “That’s right. You can go anywhere on the premises.”
I watched in fascination as her lips closed around the tines. I pulled the fork away and sucked in a breath as she swallowed.
The pink tip of her tongue poked out to lick her lips. “You’re sick in the head or stupid. What’s stopping me from putting that knife, or anything else I can get my hands on, in your back?”
“Nothing... except my sense of self preservation.” Lilly had tempted me all night. From watching her swallow risotto to holding my breath as her lips closed around spoonfuls of crème brûlée, I’ve had a hard-on since the first course.
I gripped the back of her neck and pulled her head towards my lips. “I won’t hurt you, Princess, not unless I need to. But if attempting to murder me is the game you want to play, I promise you, I won’t sit idly by and watch as another Calegari tries to kill me.”
Her eyes said she had questions, and I was prepared to answer them, but she must have saved those for another day. Her mind was where it should have been... on escaping.
“What if I try to get away?”
I denied the urge to kiss her. It’d been so long since I’d tasted her. The brief kiss we’d shared that morning wasn’t enough, but if I touched her now, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. I let go of her neck and leaned back in my chair. “I expect you to try. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
“Well, lord knows I don’t want to disappoint the master.” She sneered openly, but my cock still jumped at her enticing use of the word ‘master’ again. “You’re overconfident.”
I shrugged. “I’ve lived here for ten years. I designed this house and its security system. You’ve been here for,” I looked down at my watch, “sixteen hours and forty-three minutes and for at least ten of those hours, you were sound asleep, so, yes, I’d say I’m very confident.” I shook my head. “You can’t escape, Princess. But you’re more than welcome to try. That’s the deal I’ll make with you.”
“And I should trust you... why?”
“Do you have a choice?”
Her voice softened, and she looked down at her hands. “There’s always a choice.”
“That’s true.” I swirled the wine in my glass, watching the crimson wave coat the sides as I chose my words carefully. “The deal is this: you can try to escape. All day, every day. I don’t care. I won’t lock you in your room. You can go anywhere you want, but you can’t leave the property.”
“And if I do?”
“I’ll try to stop you. You won’t make it,” I warned her.
“Then what’s your deal?”
“It’s highly unlikely, but if pigs fly, if the world ends tomorrow and you actually make it off the property, that’s it. I’ll let you go. I won’t try to get you back. You’ll be free.”
Cutting my heart out with a spoon would have felt better than uttering those words. I didn’t just want her with me, I needed her. She may have been spitting fire at me since I walked into her shop, but I’d never felt so whole, so complete. I didn’t need to kidnap her to thwart her brother’s murdersome plans, but it was the only excuse I had to keep her near me while I figured out what the hell was really going on.
I’d be damned if I let her go that easily.
Lilly looked down at her plate. “Then I guess nothing’s changed.”
