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No wonder he has trust issues. He’s only ever had himself to rely on. Even when an old lady took pity on him and tried providing for him when he was vulnerable, the rug got ripped out from under his feet anyway.
Locke already told me he really didn’t have a choice about working for the mob. I know a bit about what that’s like, too, only I got out before things got to that point. As much as it pained me, I finally wised up and saw the writing on the wall. My dad was so far in over his head with debt, he was going to force me to become a stripper. Would I be just as hardened, just as cold, as Locke is now if I didn’t run away?
“Breakfast is ready,” I announce, probably a little too loudly. I knew I was attracted to him, but peeling back his layers and finding out more about the real Locke has me thinking crazy things. Wanting crazy things. Craving crazy things. I shove those feelings aside as I serve up our food and pass him a plate.
“Thanks,” he says quietly and I wonder if maybe he’s starting to soften towards me, too.
Is it too early for Stockholm syndrome to set in?
SEVEN
Locke
Today was…weird.
I take a deep breath and hold it before slowly letting it out. Running my fingers through my hair, I tug slightly and then wipe my hands down my face. Keyera takes up my every thought, even though I’m trying to put distance between us and stay cold toward her.
I think today is the most I've spoken with another person in….well, maybe ever. Keyera talked to me all day. Every time I tried to give her a one-word answer or kill the conversation, she just kept pressing. What was my favorite food? Did I go on any vacations when I was younger? Where would I go if I could travel anywhere?
Question after question, she kept the conversation going until I forgot she was my target and that I shouldn’t have been sharing any of this with her. I already liked Keyera too much before I started learning more about her. Now? Well, now I’m in too deep. I can’t let her go, though I’m not sure if it’s because of my obligation to Mario or because the thought of never seeing her again is almost too painful to bear.
Pacing around the small bedroom, I shake my head, trying to get myself under control. I have no idea how much longer we’ll be stuck here together and already I feel my heart getting all tangled up in hers.
It’s been so damn long since I’ve felt anything at all for another person, let alone the intense, overwhelming sensation that floods through my body every time Keyera is close. And she’s always close. Damn tiny apartment. Maybe I’d have kept my mouth shut if we were holed up in a mansion with separate wings of rooms for each of us.
I already told the little spitfire about my past and my debt, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why. She doesn’t need to know me and I certainly don’t need to know her. Except that I do. And the more I learn, the more my heart and mind war for control.
Keyera told me about her shocking past as well, but she also gave me pieces of her personality, her smile, her sassy wit, and clever charm. Christ, this woman is messing with me, inside and out.
She disappeared into the bathroom a few minutes ago and I just let her. I trust her not to run. She’s a good person, or maybe she just knows that I would catch her in two seconds flat.
I slip out of my shirt, pulling on a new change of clothes. I snuck down to my car last night while she was asleep and grabbed my bag out of the trunk. I was getting really sick of wearing the same clothes. I took a shower last night, too, and I spent the whole time resisting the urge to jerk off as her sweet tangerine scent surrounded me.
“You okay?” Keyera’s voice breaks through my thoughts, though her outfit certainly doesn’t do anything to keep my mind off her sexy little body.
Keyera sashays into the room dressed in a thin tank top and a pair of sleep shorts. I have to bite back a groan as I take in all of her bare skin. I thought listening to her shower was bad, knowing that she was naked and wet just a few feet from me, but somehow seeing her like this is worse. More tempting because I can picture myself undressing her. Peeling off the layers like she’s been doing to me all day.
I can't seem to control my eyes as they rake over her frame. She's short, nearly a foot shorter than me if I had to guess. Her blonde hair is still damp and as she combs her fingers through it, little drops of water hit her skin and drip down. I swallow hard, trying to hold myself back from licking each one off her creamy flesh.
I turn away from her, digging through my bag for the zip ties. I need to get this relationship back to solid ground. I grab one as she climbs up onto the bed and slips under the covers. She passes me her hand before I can even ask for it and for a second, I debate not tying her up.
I’m used to her sassing me or being difficult about the zip ties, not that I blame her. I thought it was frustrating and annoying at first, but seeing her shoulders slump in defeat tugs at something deep in my gut. I don’t want to break her. I don’t want to be the reason she gives up the fight.
You can’t fall for her act.
As much as I want to give in to her and believe her when she says I've got the wrong girl, I can't make myself trust her completely. I have a lifetime of experiences that tell me women like her are nothing but trouble. The thing is, I think I like trouble. As long as Keyera is the one causing it.
I don’t say anything or make eye contact with her as I zip tie her wrist to the headboard. I don’t want to look into her clear blue eyes and see more sadness. I couldn’t take it, especially knowing I was the cause.
Releasing the breath I was holding, I head across the room to flip the light switch, plunging us into darkness. Her nightlight flicks on and I stare at it for a moment as something clicks in my mind.
“What’s with the nightlight? And the light on above the microwave?” I ask when I remember the night I snuck in here.
“I don’t know,” she says in the most unconvincing voice ever. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s a shit liar, but that can’t be right. She’s been lying this whole time...I think. Right?
I don’t say anything, instead letting the silence fall between us until she feels the need to fill it. I know my angel. If the last few days have taught me anything, it’s that Keyera is a talker. That should annoy me more than it does, and from anyone else, it would.
"I don't like the dark," she admits softly after a few moments. I want to fall to my knees in front of her and pull her into my arms. I can feel the vulnerability dripping from her words. No doubt a few years of being homeless showed her what lies in the depths of darkness. I hate that she's seen any of that. "The lights are supposed to keep the monsters away."
