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It’s a house! Get over it and knock.
That chill that covered me in the woods changed course. A warm sensation swept along my skin, and with it came a scent of spice.
“Forget something?” The deep voice that had awakened me from my sleep earlier spoke from behind me. It was still low, but now, because I couldn’t run, it had a menacing quality.
“Oh!” I turned so fast I lost my balance and stumbled into his arms. His strong, muscular, capable arms. “Sorry.”
“For?” He was still impeccably dressed, but now he had undone a few buttons on his crisp, white dress shirt, revealing sparse gray chest hairs, and glimpses of some intriguing tattoos.
“What?” My head swirled as I swayed against him. My amped-up anxiety, and the fact that I longed for a glass of water and something hot to eat, didn’t help the situation. “Why am I apologizing?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I backed away from him. “I’m fine. I just came for my things.”
“They’re in the house,” he said.
“Can you get them for me, and then I’ll be out of your way?”
“What makes you think you’re in my way?” His imposing frame came toward me, forcing me closer to the porch. It was as if he could manipulate me in any direction he wanted without touching me and I would go.How strange.
“It’s the middle of the night.” I gripped the railing, trying not to pass out from fear or hunger, or whatever this weird feeling was. “You probably want to go to bed.”
“Hmm…” When he reached for me, I backed away. “Stay still.”
My heart hammered so hard I thought it might burst as he touched the ends of my hair.Intrusive, much?
“You have hay in your hair.” He picked it out and showed it to me. “That’s what happens when you sleep on the ground by the horses.”
I swiped the hair from my face, embarrassed over my situation.
“Why exactly were you sleeping in the stables?”
I shrugged.
“I find your lack of verbal communication quite irritating.”
Where I came from, the less I spoke, the better off I was. You couldn’t take a smack to the face if you didn’t offend anyone. At least, most of the time.
“Come inside.” He walked up the steps that led to the stunning glass door. “It’s cold.”
“I’d rather wait out here.”
“It wasn’t a request.” He opened the door and nodded toward the house. “Let’s go.”
Before I could stop and think about all the dangers of entering a stranger’s house, I obeyed him. It was effortless. Whatever fascinated me about him, outweighed the fear he instilled in me. Maybe I just wanted my things back, but it might have been more than that.
He waited as I wiped my muddy shoes on the mat by the front of the door. As he studied my feet, I wondered if he regretted inviting me in.
Once inside the foyer, the high vaulted ceilings, clean lines, and massive staircase took my breath away. The upstairs hallway wrapped around the entire foyer.
Who is this man?
I jumped when the ornate, beautifully carved clock chimed one time.
“Let’s go to my study,” he said.
I followed him down the hall of uncertainty and through the biggest kitchen I had ever seen. The pristine marble counters spanned the length of the room. The white cabinets had glass doors, displaying each plate and cup with great prominence. The bowl in the center of the vast island was filled with fresh fruit, making it difficult to ignore my hunger pangs.
