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“I’ll make sure you get a good night’s sleep,” he said.
We stepped into the lobby and I had a hard time pretending like I walked into five-star hotels by the ocean every day. Everything was sleek and glowed with soft light. The glittering floor reflected the dizzying patterns on the fountain in the center of the lobby like stained glass.
In my shorts and creased shirt, sandals slapping on the floor, I felt very young.
Especially with this man walking beside me. I stole a glance up at him, taking in his black jacket and shirt, his open collar. The gold religious medal hung against his bare skin.
He looked a little bit…dangerous.
To my surprise, my nipples tightened inside my bra. I swallowed as we paused by the desk and he took off his sunglasses. The clerk was a peppy brunette who flashed us a smile as she sank into her chair behind the counter.
“What’s the name, sir?” she asked.
“Esposito,” he said.
Her brows shot up, but her smile stayed plastered on. She typed rapidly and jumped down from her chair to retrieve the key cards.
Duran accepted them. “Thank you. Can I have our bags brought up to the room. And what time does room service end?”
“It’s all night, sir,” she said. “I’ll have those bags brought up right away.”
He thanked her and tipped her a hundred dollar bill. My jaw dropped, not at the amount, but at the way my body reacted to it. There was something…sexy about him tipping well. I hadn’t expected that from a man in his line of work.
He led me to the gilded elevator on the far side of the room. I hesitated, waiting for him to go first, but his hand absently slid to my lower back and guided me inside. I was pretty sure I could feel my pussy dripping down my leg as the door slid shut.
He glanced down at me and his fingers untangled from mine.
“You had quite a grip on me, princess,” he said softly.
“Sorry,” I said. “My family isn’t…badly off, but this kind of wealth is really new to me. It’s kind of overwhelming.”
“Do you like it?”
I chewed my lip. “I don’t know. I never really wanted more money than I needed to be comfortable. Have a decent house and go on a few vacations a year.”
His jaw worked and he fixed his gaze ahead. “Probably better.”
I frowned. “Why?”
He sighed, his head falling back. “My brother is marrying for wealth and connections. It’s a marriage that’s been set up for a long time. He doesn’t want to go through with it, she’s a lot younger than him. Neither of them seem like they’re looking forward to it.”
“Oh,” I said. “That’s antiquated.”
He shrugged. “Arranged marriage is more common than you think. It’s how people keep money in elite circles.”
I swallowed, glad I wasn’t upper class. “How old is she?”
“Nineteen,” he said. “She’ll be twenty when they marry.”
“Oh. And he’s…thirty?”
“I’m thirty,” he said. “Lucien is thirty-five, he’ll be thirty-six in a few months.”
My stomach felt heavy. “Does she seem okay?”
He shrugged as the elevator slowed to a halt. “She seems terrified. If I’m being honest. But my brother can be a terrifying person from the outside.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but he was doing that casually protective thing again and my words dried up. One hand held the door and the other curled around my elbow, helping me into the hallway like I was made of glass.
