Page 5 of Burn
She seems unsure of me, and I completely understand why.
Who would ever trust a stranger whisking you off the streets?
Trust is a dangerous thing, only extended to those we deem most worthy.But I will prove myself to her.
“Open the door,” I command my driver when we get to the car.
“Sir, are you sure we should be—”
I throw him a damning look.
Just one simple glance is enough to make him suck in the air.
“Yes, sir.”He swiftly pulls it open and waits for us, holding up the umbrella so we don’t get wet any further than we already are.
It won’t help her clothes, but at least it’ll give her the one thing she lost on her way to this alley: her dignity.
And I cannot fucking wait to restore it to its original state.
I slide in first and pat down on the couch, watching her contemplate her options.
“Get in,” I tell her.
She bites down on her bottom lip and looks around the street.
I didn’t lie.She’s free to go wherever she wants, whenever she wants.I won’t stop her.I won’t go after her if she chooses to flee right now and never look back, and I wouldn’t blame her if she did.
But what I’m offering is something far more valuable than the outside world can ever give her: A new start.
To me, this girl seems like an intricate puzzle.
And I can’t fucking wait to unlock everything she has to hide.
2
Emilia
I can’t believe I’m going along with this stranger, hopping into his expensive-looking car and letting him take me wherever he wants.
It’s dumb.Insane.
But it’s too late to stop it now as the car has already begun to drive.
My body feels frozen, and I don’t know if it’s from the cold rain soaking through my clothes or from this man whose warm, callused hand I can still feel wrapped around my fingers even though it’s no longer there.
I stare at my hand, afraid to throw even one glance.
But I can see him look my way through the left side of my eyes.“Do I frighten you?”
I rub my lips together and shake my head.
He snorts and smiles softly.
Fuck.
Of course he can see right through my posturing.
I push through my anxiety and turn to look at him, but I’m struck in awe at how handsome he truly is.His chiseled jaw with a neatly trimmed beard, that short, textured salt-and-pepper hair with a low fade, buff arms barely contained in that Colbert of his, the intricate tattoos snaking up from his hand all the way to his wrist hiding underneath his clothes, and those piercing blue eyes with a smoldering gaze that reminds me of the moon in the night sky.
