Page 43 of Look My Way
“If it’s not necessary, I’d feel better if you skipped it. You know how you get in overly crowded spaces, and with it being downtown—”
“How’d you know where it was?”
“You had your email open earlier. I didn’t mean to look but I was searching for my keys.”
Sure he didn’t. His keys get hung on the hook by the door. He never puts them anywhere else. What is he looking for? What is he trying to find? He won’t find anything in my emails. If he truly knew me, he’d know where I keep all my secrets. “Oh, I don’t think it’ll be too bad.”
“It’ll be dark by the time it’s over. There’s a reason you don’t drive much at night.”
I nibble on the inside of my cheeks, the skin pulling between my teeth. A metallic taste hits my tongue and I swallow it down. “What time do you get off work? If it’s before dinner time—”
“It’s not. Remember the call I had to look into? Well, it was a lot worse than we thought it would be, so there’s a whole investigation open around it. I have to question the guy first thing in the morning, and apparently there are other locations we need to look into. Just need him to spill where they are.”
“Oh . . . sounds dangerous.”
“Yeah.” He rests a hand on the gun on his hip, sliding the other over his hair. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.” And there’s that uneasy smile again. Have they always looked this way? My stomach churns and I feel nauseous the longer his cold hard stare holds me in place.
“You okay?” He steps forward and I place a hand on his chest without thinking. He eyes my curling fingers, lips tightening in the corners. “You’re very jumpy.”
“I . . .” As I try to retract my hand, he hooks onto my finger, placing it back on his chest.
“Tell me what’s wrong, baby? Getting bad headaches again?”
“No. I’m . . . it’s been a long day. Between the work with the planter boxes and finishing my book . . . I just didn’t get my usual nap in.”
He frowns, his hand sliding up my arm to cup my cheek. “We can tell Zander to come back later this week instead of tomorrow if you want.”
“No . . . it’s okay. I’ll just turn in early tonight. Gotta go over this epilogue first, though.”
“That asshole still blowing up your phone about his stupid deadline?” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. Running his fingers through it is something he loves doing, needing to touch it as often as he can while telling me how much he’d love it if I grew it out only to get angry when it gets too long. It’s this strange switch that goes off in him over certain things.
“Yeah, but he’ll back off once he has it.” For a little while at least. In between complaining about the supposed mess I’ve turned into him.
“Let’s hope so.” The corners of his mouth jump up. “At least for his sake.”
“Yeah,” I say, trying to not think too hard about his words. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m going to finish up while you work on dinner.”
His fingers tug on my hair, a sharp pain igniting in my scalp as he does. “I think you should go lie down. You really don’t look well.”
I wince and he pulls hard, tangling several strands around his fingers. “You’re having those headaches again. I can tell. Go lie down and I’ll bring the food to you when it’s ready. I’m making your favorite.”
The room spins and my legs wobble as he tilts my head back. He pecks my lips, smiling against them before pulling his face away. “Trust me. You’ll feel better when you do.”
It’s not until I agree that he releases me, placing his hand on my back to steer me toward my bedroom. He helps me undress down to my boxers and tucks me into bed. “You’re looking better already, baby.” His cold lips sweep over my forehead and I nod, pressing my head hard into the pillow.
“Yeah. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You know nobody takes care of you like I do. It’s because I know how much you need it.”
“Yeah,” I say again, no longer agreeing. This isn’t what helps me. It’s not what’s been getting me through my days. I was barely hanging on before, hardly living, and then a mysterious man with captivating eyes came into my life, and for the first time someone helped me see what I needed to see. I can make decisions for myself. I can do anything anyone else can. And instead of being worse in the dark, like Daniel once convinced me I was, that’s when I thrive the most.
I wait until he leaves the room to sit up in bed and reach for my phone. Scrolling through my document, I highlight a scene, hoping the only other person with access to this copy will see it. If his notifications for his email are turned on he will. Fingers shaking, I close out of the app and set my phone back on the nightstand as I sink back under the covers.
A savory scent floats through the air, growing heavier the longer Daniel is in the kitchen. My stomach stirs, and I guess that sandwich earlier wasn’t enough to hold me for as long as I thought it would. Then again, I did spend lots of time in the sun and was involved in more physical activity than I have been in a while, working up quite an appetite with Zavier. That was real. It was very real. I can still feel his hands and mouth on me, the vibration of his sounds around my cock.
I really crossed the line. We both did. I couldn’t push him away, though. His hands felt so good and his mouth even better. I felt so strong too. Not once did he tell me to take it easy or slow down. No mentions of me looking pale or weak. All my movements were so effortless. My cock jolts as I close my eyes, remembering how Zavier looked on his knees. He was kneeling at my feet, appearing smaller than me and allowing me to choose to give up control. He didn’t take it from me, and I could have taken it back whenever I wanted. He gave me the opportunity to say no, to stop everything. It’s the main reason I didn’t want to.
The floor creaks and my eyes snap open to Daniel carrying two plates in his hand. Looking around, he smiles and sets them on the dresser while he searches for my dinner tray. I drag a pillow over my tenting blanket and sit up in bed, pressing my back to the headboard.
