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Nico was seated at the head of a large dining room table that engulfed the space. He stood as we walked in. Other than the raise of his right brow he didn’t give any indication of how he felt about my wardrobe choice. He was dressed in another black suit. Black seemed to be the only color of suit he wore. He sure made them look great, though. It should be illegal the way he filled them out.
Pietro held my chair out for me and I paused before flopping into it. “Thanks.” He’d sat me on Nico’s right. I would’ve put a few spaces between us, if given the option. There were plenty of chairs available. I was playing nice for now, though. The more trust I gained the quicker I could leave. The gown was where I put my foot down.
Pietro bit his lips to keep from grinning, then looked over at his boss who waved him away. He left as quietly as we’d come. My manners were probably going to leave a lot to be desired. I hadn’t grown up in some fancy mansion like this one. I was a regular girl who grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons with a huge bowl of cereal sitting in her lap.
“Good evening, Lyn.”
His voice dripped like honey, but my blood ran cold. He’d called me that back in my apartment, but I’d been too busy fighting for my life to take offense. He’d been calling me Havoc since, so why was he switching it up now? It pissed me off. No, it infuriated me.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped at him.
His eyes were amused and I caught a spark of heat there. I glared at him. Was it his intention just to keep me off balance? I really didn’t know what this man wanted from me.
“Didn’t the dress fit?” Nico asked, changing the subject. He placed a napkin on his lap and watched me with an unwavering gaze.
“Don’t know. Didn’t try it on.”
Both his eyebrows went up.
“It was beautiful,” I conceded. If he was going to play at being civilized, I could do the same. “I’m not a dress girl.” If I needed any indication that I didn’t belong here, it was that gown and this table. I stared down at the row of forks on one side of the plate that was made of china. I was pretty sure that the wine glass sitting in front of me was made of crystal. This was all much more fancy than I was.
Nico nodded his understanding, then motioned to some dude standing in the corner. He bustled out and then back in with large platters covered with a metal topper. Seriously, this was like some Pretty Woman shit, except I wasn’t a hooker.
“How was your day?” he asked pleasantly, as if I hadn’t been locked up inside his bedroom the entire time.
I squinted at him and was silent for so long that he glanced up at me. “Boring.” I decided to go for the truth.
The server whisked the toppers off our food with a dramatic flair. This wasn’t the first time in the last twenty-four hours that I’d told myself this couldn’t be real life. Only it was, and I was stuck in it.
Nico hummed at me in answer and dismissed the waiter. Once we were alone, those hazel eyes settled fully on me and I had to fight not to fidget. One look was all it took for my blood to heat. Then that made me think of what he’d done to me a few doors down that morning and I felt a blush creep up my neck.
It wasn’t like I was some blushing virgin, but that encounter had been hot and intense and basically in public. Hot and intense was one thing, but the public part had me conflicted. Sure, we’d been alone in the room, but anyone could’ve walked in. There were people scurrying around his home constantly, from what I’d seen in the short time I’d been allowed out of the room.
“I’ll get you a TV and some books,” he said, picking up a fork so he could dig into the salad sitting in front of us.
His statement drew me out of my thoughts. “I have a better idea.”
He looked up at me with a resigned glance. He knew what I was going to say. It still needed repeating. He beat me to it.
“You’re staying here.” His tone held an edge of finality to it that made a shiver skate down my spine.
Sighing, I glanced down at the lettuce artfully arranged on my plate. I was more of a meat and potatoes kind of girl, but when in Rome. I glanced around the table for the salad dressing.
“It’s already dressed.”
He had my full attention now. It made me realize that even while he was eating he was watching every move I made. I don’t know why that thought had me pressing my thighs together beneath the table. I sort of felt like a predator was watching me and some part of me found that sexy.Who knew?
I scowled down at the leafy greens. I didn’t see any ranch on there, which meant there wasn’t enough. I opened my mouth to ask for more, but he spoke first.
“Just try it. If you don’t like it, I’ll have them bring out something you can drown it in.” His lips twitched in amusement as I snapped my jaw closed.
I tried to be subtle as I studied which fork he was using to eat. There were too many on this table. I snatched up the one closest to my plate and stabbed the lettuce with it before shoving the bite in my mouth.What the hell?Flavors I never would have associated with a salad exploded on my tongue. There was cranberry, maybe apple, and something nutty. It wasn’t half bad. I refused to meet his gaze as I dug into it. My stomach let out a happy roar that I was finally heeding its demands and feeding it.
Nico chuckled, whether it was at my enthusiasm or my belly’s, I had no idea. “I’ve been thinking about our conversation.”
What conversation?If he meant the one where he made a lot of demands and didn’t listen to a word I said, well, I wasn’t sure that counted as one. “Okay.” I waited for the other shoe to drop.
He looked amused. He had that look on his face a lot whenever we spoke. I liked to think that I threw him off his game as much as he did me. More than likely, he thought I was a peasant and was laughing at me. I’d never really cared what people thought of me, though, and didn’t feel the need to make him like me. He already liked me too much for my comfort, considering he was holding me prisoner.
