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“How did you get me clothes?” I demanded.
Daniel was halfway to the door, his hands in his pockets, and acting too casual. Not aloof per se, but polite and gracious. Too late, I realized I’d betrayed the uneasy feeling crawling through my veins by the way he cocked his head and looked back at me.
“I looked at the size tags of your clothes, then went on your friends’ socials and found pictures of you.” He nodded. “Those designers have similar styling, so the sizes should fit. I got a selection.” A smirk flitted over his face. “The panties and bras were harder, but I had fun with those.” Now there was a challenge in his eyes. “Problem?”
“No.” I almost said thank you and swallowed it. “We’re still seeing Lia today, right?”
Daniel’s expression didn’t change but he turned and said, “Get dressed. Then we’ll talk.”
“Daniel.” I was across the room and grabbed at his arm, even as I clutched at my towel. “You promised.” I hated how idiotic, how desperate I sounded, how my voice was full of tears, and how I wanted him to go back to that guy I’d really liked—how I wished none of this had happened. And I felt like he knew. “What happened?”
He heaved a breath and stared out at the living room with the expression of a martyr. “Hendrix is keeping too close an eye on our movements.”
“Hendrix again,” I hissed. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means it’s not safe to go see Lia today,” Daniel said, and my hand fell. “But here. Heavy and Ty sent some pictures.” He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, then pulled up an encrypted messaging app, along with several pictures. “Go ahead.”
I took the phone, my hand twisting tighter in the towel as I gazed at his phone, flipping through the pictures with my thumb.Lia.Lia, in a beautiful New England style house, with a dark-haired man hovering around her, as though he couldn’t bear to let her leave his sight. There was a picture of her curled up at a table, poring through a thick book, while the man sprawled next to her and pretended not to be looking at her. There was another with Lia chatting with an older Italian woman, the two of themgrinning. And then another with Lia and the dark-haired man outside on a stone patio, in an intense conversation.
She’s—she’s in love with him,I thought, dizzy with the realization as I looked through the photos again. Even over the course of a week, I thought I detected a change in Lia, a vibrancy that I hadn’t seen in a long time. And the man was absolutely in love with her, even though I sensed he was trying to fight it.
“This is your cousin, Ty, right?” I asked and startled when I saw Daniel had moved closer and had been watching me look through the photos. He nodded, his eyes on mine and a shiver of heat went through me. “You said he wouldn’t let any harm come to Lia.”
“He won’t,” Daniel said as he took the phone back. “I’m sure you can guess why.”
“But they just met,” I said, my voice sounding strained, and I realized all I had between us was a towel, which was feeling flimsier by the moment.
“And?”
I couldn’t remember what I was going to say. The look in Daniel’s eyes was daring me to drop the towel, to let him beg and grovel and make up for what had happened last night with pleasure, worship, and that wicked tongue.
Or was that what I wanted to see?
“And I guess I have no other choice, right?” I stepped back into the room and walked toward the bed. “Lia’s safe but we need to wait a little longer before I can see her.” I blew out a sigh as I felt Daniel’s eyes on my back and the skin tingled as though I’d be doused in cold water. “Otherwise, I might never see her again.”
“Yeah,” Daniel said. “Something like that. It won’t be too long—I hope. I swear she’ll be safe. I can promise you, that, Sara. We won’t let anything happen to her. Ty—my cousin, and me. We’re gonna protect her. I swear.”
“You better.” I didn’t look back. “Close the door, I need to get dressed.”
Daniel hesitated, as though he was going to say something else, but instead closed the door, and I waited to glance back to see if he was still on this side of it. Something like disappointment filled me when I saw that I was alone.
Hastily, I threw clothes on, vaguely grateful that Daniel had gone to such lengths. Some part of me should’ve been delighted that he’d provided so many options, that he’d spent money on me, but all I felt was a vague restlessness. I threw my hair in a messy bun, not wanting to bother with drying it, and then sighed when I realized I only had heels to wear home.
Until I spotted the expensive boots and shoes on the other side of the bed.
What the fuck?
It was almost as though I could pretend that Daniel and I had simply had a bad fight, and this was his attempts to make up for it. Throwing on a comfy pair of boots that cost as much as a textbook and enveloped my feet like a warm hug, I strode out of the room to find Daniel hunched at the breakfast table. He glanced up at me, nodding, and feigning vague curiosity but I could sense that there was more simmering below the surface.
I walked over and noted that he’d ordered out a very nice breakfast spread, including things that I liked best. My eyes narrowed as I wondered if it was more social snooping. I didn’t have an account, but I was in plenty of my friends. I pressed a hand to the inside of my elbow, wondering if Daniel wondered why.
At least all of that shit was sealed by the courts. The only good thing about being a minor when all that shit went down in Denver. Even Daniel couldn’t hack that.
“Breakfast?”
“Is my staying contingent on seeing Lia?”
Daniel’s mouth went tight, and he gave a half-shake of his head. “No. If you want to go, I’ll call a car.” He tapped a black card on the table. “Anytime you need a ride or anything, call this number.” His gaze briefly flicked to me. “I’d avoid public transit for the time being.”
