Page 31 of Hunted Temptation
Vaughn pulls the car into a parking garage, then he drives around for a moment. When the car finally stops, it’s in a parking spot facing a wall. I don’t make a move to climb out of the car. I stay where I am, my hands in my lap.
“Elodie,” he murmurs.
I can feel his gaze on me, but I’m focused straight ahead. I can’t even blink. My body begins to tremble. Pressing my lips together, I roll them a few times, trying not to cry. I inhale deeply and hold that breath for a moment, then let it out slowly.
“Elodie,” he calls out again.
Turning my head, I look over at him. He’s turned slightly in his seat, much like he was when he pulled over to the side of the road. Sinking my teeth into the inside of my cheek, I roll the skin there until he says something else. I’m not sure what he’s going to say, but I’m waiting for it.
“Elodie,” he repeats my name again. “It’s all going to be okay. I promise you that.”
I wish I could believe him. I want to believe him. But I don’t. Not a single word he’s saying. I don’t think everything is going to be okay. Not only is my future completely uncertain, but also, whatever this is between us is unstable.
I am falling for him, but I’m under no illusion that he feels the same about me. I want him to, but I’m sure I was convenient and nothing more. Now that he’s home, he’ll go back to whoever and whatever he was doing before he came to California.
“Okay,” I whisper in response.
He shakes his head once, his eyes staying connected to mine before he speaks again. “You’ll have to just come inside and see for yourself.”
“And what happens if it’s not okay?” I ask.
Vaughn’s lips twitch into a smirk. “It will be. There is no other option. And if you don’t feel like it’s okay, then we’ll shift shit around until it is.”
“Why, Vaughn?”
“Why?” he asks.
Dipping my chin in a single nod, I clear my throat before my gaze lifts again, finding his. I try to keep my tears from forming as I stare into his beautiful eyes. Blue eyes that consume me in ways I never even dreamed possible. I don’t want this fairy tale to end.
“Yeah,” I say. “Why have you been so nice to me, and why do you continue?” I whisper.
He’s quiet, his gaze focused on mine, his body turned toward my own. Then he shifts closer to me and lifts his hand to cup my jaw. When his thumb slides across my bottom lip, I can’t help but let out a heavy exhale.
“Because it’s what I want to do.”
And that is that.
He isn’t giving me anything else; he opens the car door and unfolds from the vehicle. Before I can even reach for the handle of the passenger door, it swings open, and he’s standing with his palm out and waiting for me.
Reaching out, I slip my fingers in his. He curls them around my fingers as I swing my legs over the side of the seat and rise. He squeezes my fingers, flexing before he dips his chin and touches his mouth to mine.
“Come on, Goldie.”
Chapter Twelve
ELODIE
My mouth openswide at the sight that greets me. Not only is the condo spotless, but it’s also gorgeous. Like, beyond. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It’s not just nice… It’s luxurious.
The home I shared with my father was very nice. His furniture was expensive but very utilitarian. This place and everything in it is nothing less than exquisite. I don’t know where to look, and at the same time, I can’t stop taking it all in.
White granite countertops with deep movements of black and turquoise and flakes of gold in the kitchen. The cabinets are a rich wood with an overlay of deep brown staining and matte gold handles.
“Welcome to your home for now,” Vaughn announces.
“It’s stunning,” I whisper.
There is a moment of silence before I hear his voice, deep, rough, and absolutely sexy. “Yeah, it is.”
