Page 18 of King of Wrath

She makes a man ache.

Large blue eyes meet mine and then skitter away as she nips at her full lip. She looks frightened, weak, and stunning in ways that just makes me want to protect her. Christ. Why did I have to start caring now?

Her lip is trembling, and her eyes are the slightest bit watery, but her chin is high. I resist the urge to reach out and touch her.

“Of course,” I answer, and she turns toward the bedroom as Ifollow. She was going to the airport, so I doubt there are any weapons in her bags but our little incident with the knife has me on high alert.

She unzips her small bag and pulls out a case. I’m in the doorway and I hold out my hand, opening the bag and checking the contents. Again.

I’d already looked when I brought them into the room. It’s the task I was completing when she managed to smuggle the knife into the bathroom.

“How come there are two twin beds in here?” she asks as I give her the bag back, not so much as a nail clipper inside.

She’s not going to like the answer. With a shrug, I start for the kitchen. “How do you feel about chicken tacos?”

“What?”

“Chicken tacos. You need to eat, and I know you were on your way to Mexican when I picked you up.”

She doesn’t answer as I head to the kitchen, making quick work of an easy meal. When she reappears, I’m slicing an avocado to add to the dish.

“I don’t think I’m hungry,” she whispers, standing on the other side of the counter.

I have a choice here. I can insist. Demand she eat the food I’ve provided. I’m a-hole enough to do it.

If she were one of my nephews, I’d tell her she was an idiot and then leave it. But you can’t speak to ladies like that and then gain their trust. This is one of the many reasons I don’t date. Women are so much more…complicated. And I don’t trust myself. Never have.

But I have to try. Trust is crucial here, and I’ve got to start building some if I’m going to accomplish my goals. I don’t think about after I’ve gotten what I want. “You’ve got to be hungry.”

“I’m not?—”

“I meant what I said, Nia. I’m not going to hurt you. If you let me, I’ll take care of you.”

I see her shoulders sink. “You should have taken my sister. She’d like nothing more than to be held in the loving…” she says the last word on a sneer, “embrace of your family.”

I know Nia’s sister. Unlike Nia who remains mostly out of the public eye, Jessica spends as much time as possible in it. She’s like most women who fill Vegas. Thin as rails except for the fake boobs, lots of makeup, hair dye, and surgery. A carefully crafted façade that takes massive amounts of money and effort to keep up. Those women have never been my thing.

But Nia… “You think she’d want to be here with me? In the middle of the desert outside of Vegas? Would she run away?”

Nia shakes her head. “She wouldn’t run away. But she’d join another family in an instant.”

So Toni doesn’t have the loyalty to either of his daughters. See? Conversation is already gaining me valuable information. “Something tells me that Jessica would not suit me.”

Nia shrugs. “What woman suits a kidnapper?”

One corner of my mouth tilts up because I like a bit of sass. “Fine. You don’t like me. But I will not hurt you and think of it this way: if you’re going to outwit me, you’ll need your energy.” And then I push the plate closer.

I see her eyes dart to dish, her desire for the food clear. “It’s safe?”

Safer than knives in the bathroom. “Sweetheart, if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t drive hours to then poison you with dinner.”

She nods as though that makes complete sense and then she slips onto a stool, heaps some avocado on her taco, wraps it up, and takes a big bite.

I feel like I just won some major victory as I grab the other plate and take a large bite myself.

She eats the entire taco without a word and then looks up at me. “Can I make myself another?”

I sigh, realizing we need to be clearer on the arrangement. “The food is yours to eat as much as you want as often as you want. Tomorrow, I’ll show you the workout space and the library.”

---