Page 16 of Donovan Blake: Adrenalin

“I bet you loathe me now,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Maybe I tempted fate one too many times and now fate is paying me back.”

“Fate…” he mumbled, thinking through everything she’d told him, but his phone rang snatching his attention. Lifting it from his pocket and seeing Sam’s name on the screen, he hastily rose to his feet and walked quickly across the room.

“Talk to me,” he said briskly.

“Seems like she checks out. There was a major traffic accident. The trauma ward was overrun, and her family is exactly as she described. I’ll keep digging, but on the surface it looks like she’s legit.”

CHAPTER TEN

Ending the call and slowly turning around, Donovan looked across at the gorgeous girl who had miraculously appeared out of nowhere and may well have saved his life. But he remained skeptical. The odds of a beautiful woman coming to his rescue on a deserted street in the middle of the night were slim to none. Throw in her alleged love of works of art and the odds shrunk to microscopic.

She was also difficult, reckless, and sexy as hell.

And undoubtedly trouble.

“Bad news?” she asked earnestly.

He took a breath.

“I know you’re not sure about me, and I don’t blame you,” she continued as if reading his mind. “But that aside, what happens now? When can I go home? Can I call my mother? She worries when I don’t check in. And what about work? I can’t stay gone forever. I plan to quit but I still have to talk to them.”

Her litany of questions had spilled from her lips suggesting the harsh reality of her situation was beginning to hit home. If she was an innocent victim of circumstance it was justified. Or it could be an act to make her look like one.

“Those men will know everything about you by now, and they’ll be watching your condo, the hospital, and your mother’s place,” he said, sitting next to her. “I’ll find a way to get you back to your life, it just won’t happen overnight. The good news is, you’re safe here.”

“But Donovan, I must talk to my mother. She’ll be panic-stricken if I just disappear.”

“It’s okay, you can. I have a phone you can use. Tell her you’re feeling burned out and decided to take a break. Say the same thing to your boss. From everything you’ve told me, it’s true. You are.”

“Yes, I am,” she said with a sigh. “But I still can’t believe this is happening.”

“You said you like living on the edge. Well, Phoebe, this is what can happen.”

“I guess so.”

“Count yourself lucky. You’re here with me, not some louse who might hurt you. I’ll spank your ass if you give me any trouble, but you like that and don’t deny it.”

“Excuse me?” she exclaimed, staring at him like a deer in headlights.

“I know exactly who you are and what turns you on. And Phoebe,” he added, lowering his voice, “if you want to talk about those things, you can. We’re cut from the same cloth.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she breathed, staring at her hands.

”The sooner you accept your sexual nature and surrender to the things you enjoy the happier you’ll be. But let’s face it, we’ve already crossed the line. You may as well—”

“Okay, okay. If you must know, the whole Dom/sub thing is pretty much just in my head.”

“Then perhaps our dramatic meeting in that back street is fate smiling on us,” he murmured. “I happen to own a private BDSM club. You wouldn’t believe the people who walk through the secret door. As of this moment you’re officially a member, and it won’t cost you a dime.”

* * *

Phoebe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For years she’d longed to step inside a decadent club and dip her toe in the wicked waters. Now—suddenly—not only was she in the company of a full-fledged Dominant, she was essentially his prisoner at a mountain retreat.

“Nothing to say? Not even a thank you?’ Donovan asked with a grin.

“I’ll say thank you when I’m out of here.”

“I should take you down to my basement,” he replied, raising one devilish eyebrow.

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