Chapter 2 #2
I thought of the way she’d responded when I told her she’d been a good girl and filed that away as well.
Because I gotta be honest; I was beginning to think that spending a night with Stevie Smith in my bed might just be worth fifty thousand dollars. But only if she wanted it.
You idiot. You need that money, remember?
Fuck me, yeah. There was a reason—besides principle—that I’d been hounding Hendricks to pay his debt since he lost at poker; the construction was almost done on the community center, and I still didn’t have enough for the endowment.
Stevie might be tempting as sin, but I wasn’t going to give up my dream for her.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my Kteer to shut up.
Had Hendricks sent Stevie because he’d known I’d be tempted? Who was she to him? His girlfriend? Did she work for him? Surely she wasn’t his wife; she looked half his age, and the thought of a male putting any female in this position made my Kteer threaten to—
Control.
Right.
I exhaled and lifted my hand to her chin, gripping her. My fingers spread over her cheeks, my thumb—the one that had just caressed her pert little nipple—rested on her lower lip.
Without thinking, I murmured, “You’re too smart to be any male’s whore, pretty little human.”
She blinked blue eyes—three shades darker than her hair—and I read surprise there. Even with my thumb in the way, she managed to say, “That might be the nicest thing any guy has ever said to me.”
Slowly, I allowed my thumb to drag back and forth across her lower lip, the lip which I’d so recently been tasting. My cock strained against my jeans at the memory, and I couldn’t help the way I growled, “You’re just proving my point, sweetheart.”
Stevie continued to stare up at me, and dammit if I didn’t read something—what was that? Hope?—in her gaze. I remembered the bruises on her arm. I remembered how Hendricks had hurt her to get her to come here, even before she’d known what he was forcing her to do.
And I remembered the way she’d stiffened at my touch.
She’d liked your kiss well enough.
A kiss she initiated. Because she believed Hendricks’ threat.
I rubbed her lower lip again, and Stevie opened her mouth. Not far, just enough for the tip of my thumb to slide between her lips. I felt her tongue brush against my skin, felt that intriguing little piece of jewelry, and my cock ached for release.
If I didn’t get rid of her, I was going to fuck her eventually. No matter how strong my control, she was going to wear me down…and I knew she didn’t want this, not really. I remembered the bruises, yeah, but I also remembered the fifty thousand, and how much I needed that.
“When’s your flight back?”
The question surprised her, judging from the way she startled and jerked back. “Uh…Sunday out of Raleigh.” Her lips curled ruefully as she glanced away. “I’m not even sure how I’m supposed to get there.”
Raleigh? That was hours away. Still, it meant that she didn’t have to go back to Hendricks right away—Sunday was five days from now. He couldn’t hurt her.
Not for another five days.
I scowled, forcing myself to step back, step away from her. “Get out of here,” I announced gruffly, jerking my chin toward the closed door behind her. “I don’t want what you're offering.”
Could she tell how much of a lie that was? All she had to do was glance at my throbbing cockstand.
But she didn’t. Stevie’s expression had turned wary as she fumbled behind her. I could smell her confusion and hated how attuned I was to this little female’s feelings. When she pulled open the door, I turned away—and my gaze landed on the window.
This time of year, the sun still set pretty early, even though the weather was turning balmier. But it was late—maybe too late? I was kicking her out, and was telling myself that was okay since she wasn’t returning to that bastard right away…but where was she going?
For that matter… “How did you get here?” I suddenly barked.
Stevie was standing half in the open doorway and blinked at the new topic. “Um…I walked from the ferry terminal.” She glanced to the west, as if she could see through the walls. “It wasn’t that far.”
No, it wasn’t. When Sakkara, Eastshore’s orc mayor, had suggested the compromise of building these condos to open more housing and keep the land from being overdeveloped, placing it near the wharf had the added benefit of convenience.
Still…I glanced at my watch and curled my lip in irritation. “The last ferry crossing just left.”
“What does that mean?”
I hardened my jaw, already afraid I knew where this was heading. Stupid fucking principles. “It means, sweetheart, that the only way off this island until tomorrow morning is a private plane.”
My old boss Abydos might lend me his, but was it worth the ask for this female?
Stevie’s bark of laughter wasn’t joyful at all; it sounded like the laugh of a person who expected the worst from the universe, and often received it…and it made me want to step forward again and gather her in my arms.
“Well, I sure as shit don’t have access to a private plane, Mr. Longspear.
My—Hendricks didn’t even give me money for a hotel, but I have enough for that shitty place beside the ferry terminal on the mainland.
” She shook her head and blew out a breath, already looking over her shoulder.
“Maybe there’s someplace on the island—”
“There’s no place on the island.” I scowled, thinking of the prices at the bed-and-breakfast, even if there was a room available.
I’d caught her by surprise, judging from the confusion in her eyes as she stared at me. She had a little metal loop through one brow, which matched the ones in her ears. Would it feel as good against my lips as the metal in her tongue did?
She rallied, straightening, her hand on the door. “Well, that’s okay. It’s not too cold out, I’ll find a place to sleep and cross back in the morning.”
Fuck me sideways, she was going to—what? Sleep on the beach? It was one thing to kick her out, but I wasn’t going to allow my female to sleep in the cold.
Stop fighting it, you idiot. You knew from the beginning this was going to happen.
I sighed and stepped back from the door, scrubbing my hand down my face to hide my wince when I shifted my weight wrong and the titanium of my prosthesis pinched my knee. “Where’s your luggage?”
She opened her mouth—to ask me why, I just knew it—but then closed it and stepped out into the hall. Without even moving from my sight, she bent down, then straightened with a leather jacket over one arm and a black backpack over one shoulder.
I couldn’t help the way my brow rose.
My mother hadn’t been one for traveling, but when she did, I couldn’t recall her ever packing fewer than two full suitcases. My little female had only a backpack? My Kteer growled, thinking that Hendricks had sent her off with so little, and Stevie flinched slightly, her gaze dropping to my chest.
Huh.
I hadn’t realized a human could hear my Kteer. Or maybe she just felt it, the way I did?
“Your flight’s out of Raleigh?” I surprised myself with the question, then realized why I’d asked it; I remembered her saying she didn’t know how she was going to get herself there. “I’ll drive you tomorrow.”
“Anything to get me out of your hair, huh?” Stevie’s lips—the ones I’d just tasted—twisted ruefully. “But thank you. I mean it, that’s really nice of you.”
Nice? I was still staring at her lips and forced myself to look away. “It seems the least—fuck, nevermind, I have an appointment tomorrow, a big one.” The walk through at the building site. “I can do it the day after tomorrow.”
For the first time since I’d read that letter out loud, the female’s smile seemed genuine. Softer. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.” She hitched the backpack up on her shoulder, even as she inched backward. “I’ll take you up on it. Um…”
When she glanced over her shoulder, I blew out a breath, then muttered a curse and reached for the door.
“There’s no hotel on this island, Stevie. The only short-term rentals are expensive. You can’t sleep outside—”
“Not the first time—” she began to interrupt, but my growl stopped her.
“You can’t sleep outside.” I shook my head and jerked my chin toward my living room. “Come here. You can stay until the day after tomorrow.”
I could see her hesitation.
Those dark blue eyes swept from me to the couch to me again, her brows drawn down in concern. Or worry. I could smell her uncertainty and knew she wasn’t sure about my sudden change of heart.
Well, fair’s fair; I sure as shit wasn’t certain either.
I couldn’t accept what Hendricks was offering and still be able to look at myself in the mirror, not while I could sense Stevie’s hesitation. She wasn’t some prize to be gifted to me. He might’ve called her a whore, but whoever she was, Stevie was worth more than fifty thousand dollars.
No matter how much my Kteer and my cock wanted her, I wasn’t going to fuck her to absolve Hendrick’s debt.
But I also wasn’t going to send her out into the cold.
I had to protect her.
Even if it was just from myself.