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“Where’s your luggage?”
Vaughn’s bark makes me sit up straighter, shaking my head. “I—I don’t have any.”
He sighs heavily as Detective Fratelli closes the door, but before he can respond, it opens again to reveal the cowboy from downstairs.
“Ah. I see you foundWren.” He smirks at Vaughn, who only scowls in reply.
The man from my memory, the one who made me smile on a difficult day, the one I’ve watched from afar for years now, is a million miles removed from the man I’ve met today.
This Vaughn Burton isn’t just cold. He’s a motherfucking glacier. And the way he’d looked at me when he’d stepped into his office had been nothing short of predatory.
Even the devil was once an angel.
It’s beginning to make sense now.
The man my father grew up with and trusted is no longer present. Replaced by an enigma in an immaculately tailored black suit.
Despite myself, I feel my lower stomach tighten as heat flows through my entire body. My eyes greedily inhale his dark, demanding, wholly intoxicating presence as he converses lowly with the still-grinning cowboy.
Suddenly, his midnight black gaze whips around to find mine, almost as though he could feel me watching him. And rather than look away as is my initial reaction, I hold his stare with a defiant tilt of my chin.
My breathing speeds up as neither of us relinquishes, our gazes colliding like two meteors in orbit. Both set on course and unable—or perhaps unwilling—to divert.
He looks away first, and I feel a sharp surge of victory until he speaks one final time, and this time, it’s loud enough to carry to my ears.
“And set some ground rules, too.”
Vaughn’s harshly spoken words make me grit my teeth as he strides out the door without a backward glance.
“I’m Ford, by the way.” The cowboy gives me an apologetic half-smile, holding the door open for me. “Come on. I’ll bring you upstairs to the living quarters.”
My eyes are fixed on Ford’s broad back as he leads me to my new room above Rogue.
“So, ground rules, Miss Caputo.” Ford shoots a look over his shoulder as he places his palm on a biometric scanner of sorts. The action results in the wall sliding open to reveal a hidden elevator.
“First rule. No visitors. Vaughn isveryparticular about who he associates with. Guests to the suite here at Rogue and to his townhouse in Lenox Hill are by personal invitationonly.”
I nod as I follow him onto the elevator. “That’s fine with me.”
The doors close, moving us upward as Ford moves on.
“Second rule. You are not allowed downstairs between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. When it comes to mealtimes, there’s a fully stocked kitchen, or if you prefer, takeout can be arranged.”
I snort. “Full disclosure. I’ve managed to burn a pan of water before…”
I can feel his eyes on me as I trail off, so I turn to meet his light gaze. “I’ll adjust that rule. No cooking allowed.”
The elevator doors slide open, and I stop to take in the apartment as Ford moves off down a hallway to my right.
The entire place is decorated in hues of reds, browns, and black. An open-plan living space, including an expansive kitchen and dining area, is lit up with natural light pouring in the large, arched windows at the front of the building.
Having looked my fill, I quickly follow an impatient-looking cowboy, and we pass several closed black doors.
“Third rule. Respect Vaughn’s privacy.”
He opens a door, gesturing for me to step inside the room. “This is your room while you’re in Tribeca. The other rooms are unlocked, as is Vaughn’s preference;however,he would prefer if you kept to your own space.”
He gestures toward the door opposite mine. “If you were to wind up inthere, he’d just about have a shit fit. He’s ornery at the best of times.”
