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Approval lit his eyes, lightening the brown to more of a deep amber, and his smile spread to a wide grin. “Good girl. Thank you for being truthful with me.”
Warmth infused her skin, and at first, she thought the heat was from embarrassment. But after a moment, she realized she didn’t feel even a tiny bit of shame. No, the warm tingly sensation spreading through her body was pure pleasure.
God, was she really so desperate for love and approval that a complete stranger calling her a good girl like she was a puppy who had just performed a trick made her this happy? No wonder she’d fallen under the spell of a complete maniac. How pathetic could she possibly be?
Luckily, she didn't have much time to reflect on how ridiculous she was, since she spotted Bryant’s sensible sedan pulling up behind her in the driveway. Relief flooded her when he and Shannon climbed out of the car.
As it almost always did whenever MaryAnn saw her, it struck her how absolutely perfect Shannon was. Tall, thin, and blonde, she looked like she belonged on the cover of magazines. Even when she’d shown up at MaryAnn’s apartment without a lick of makeup a couple of months back, looking like some furious, vengeful angel, she’d been nothing less than stunning.
By contrast, MaryAnn was… flat. Boring. Even on her best days, she couldn’t come close to Shannon’s naturally striking looks. And then there was Olivia Monroe, Bryant’s sister-in-law and the closest thing to a true friend MaryAnn had ever had. Olivia was the dark to Shannon’s light, with curves that filled out a pencil skirt in ways that would make a grown man weep. Olivia actuallyhadbeen on the cover of a magazine, which was part of why she’d become the target of a madman. Shannon, too, although Olivia had been his Grand Prize.
None of which MaryAnn had known until she’d found herself locked in an empty house, watching the man she loved torture her only friend.
“Whoa, hey, what’s going on here?”
Dean’s voice broke through the memories, dragging her back to the present. It took her a moment to realize the car door was open and he was reaching across her to unbuckle her seatbelt. And another to realize he was doing so because her breathing had turned ragged, and she was once again gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were a stark white against her skin.
“Breathe with me, sweetheart. Deep breath in, as much air as you can get.”
Focusing on his words, she obeyed, pulling in oxygen, holding it in her lungs, and slowly letting it out. It only took a couple of breaths for the panic she hadn’t even noticed clamping down around her to ease. Far less time than usual, for which she was grateful, since Shannon and Bryant were already standing off to the side, watching the spectacle.
Get a grip, you little brat. You’re embarrassing me. Jesus, everyone is going to think you’re some kind of moron if you keep doing this shit in public.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, blinking back the tears stinging her eyes as he pulled her up and out of her car. Whatever she did next, she wasnotgoing to make things worse by breaking down and crying in front of everyone.
“What are you sorry for?” Concern filling his eyes, Dean took her hands in his, gently massaging the tension from her fingers.
“I made a scene. I’m sorry,” she repeated, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. If she kept making a fuss, he would send her away, and she would have no one to protect her.
Then again, perhaps that’s what she deserved.
“You didn’t make a scene, sweetheart, and you have nothing to apologize for. Come on, let’s get you inside and I’ll make some hot chocolate.”
At the mention of the delicious treat, an old familiar longing rose up inside of her. “With marshmallows?”
The second the question left her mouth, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Grown women did not get excited about marshmallows in their hot chocolate. “Sorry, never mind. Hot chocolate sounds lovely.”
She tried to pull her hands from Dean’s grasp, but he only tightened his hold on her, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Rule Number Two. We only apologize when we have done something wrong. And asking for something we want or need is never wrong. All right?”
“Sure.” Her response was more out of the burning desire to get away from him and let her system settle than from actual agreement.
Judging from the expression on Dean’s face, he didn’t quite believe her, but he didn’t push the issue, either. Releasing her hands, he stepped aside and gestured toward the house. “Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Oh, but shouldn’t we unload the cars?”
“That can wait. Hot chocolate first while we go over the rest of the rules. Then we can work on getting you settled in.”
CHAPTER2
“What rules?”
Giving her a nudge, Dean shut the car door behind her and pointed to the house again. “Let’s get out of the cold and then we can talk.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but quickly clamped her lips together again. It was rude to argue, and she didn’t want him to think she was ungrateful, so she did as she was told and headed for the front door.
True to his word, he was right behind her the whole way. When they got to the front door, he reached around her to access the pin pad next to the handle, giving her a quick, reassuring smile as he punched in the numbers. “I can’t write down the code for you, for security reasons. And you won’t be leaving the grounds without me. But if you want to learn the code, let me know and we can come out here to practice. Sound good?”
Why was he asking her? It was his house. “Yes, sir.”
