Chapter 16
Cassius
As I walked into Malin’s house for the second time in forty-eight hours, the energy had changed. The atmosphere was fresher, warmer.
Something had happened between us. Not when he bought me.
Not during shopping. But on the car ride home.
It was weird. And nice. And unfortunate because if he felt it, too, it would probably make him disappear inside himself and be even more standoffish.
Maybe leave for long periods to travel again. And there was no way he’d take me.
I didn’t want that. To have this whole nice house to myself might’ve seemed like a dream two days ago, and a huge vacation from my life, now I felt differently.
I didn’t want to be alone here. This was Malin’s home.
I wanted to explore every part of it. But with him present, at least, even if it was in a separate room.
The truth was, I didn’t want to survive on my own even if I was locked away in a newer, prettier cage.
He walked in through the garage, throwing his keys in a blue ceramic bowl on the kitchen counter. I stayed close behind him, nervously twisting my new bracelet. My computer watch glowed in the shadows until a light popped on.
Malin turned, looking me up and down. “Go look around upstairs. Pick whatever room you want. There’re four rooms. I don’t use any but the primary bedroom at the end of the hall. Two are guest rooms.”
My own room. That was pretty awesome. I took a step forward.
“They all have beds in them but one,” he added. “But if you hate them we’ll order you whatever you want.”
“Thanking you doesn’t seem remotely adequate.”
He gave a half shrug. “You’re welcome.”
Upstairs, I looked in every room. I’d seen none of this two nights ago. Malin’s room was quite large, big enough to hold a couch, coffee table and huge bed. A brick fireplace took up one wall.
Next, I walked into a room with three white walls and one red. A bed butted against the red wall with fancy black and white bedding. The curtains draped in a shade of dark maroon. There wasn’t much else to see.
The third room was like the red and black room, except the motif was blue and black.
When I entered the fourth room, my mouth opened at what I saw. Countless shelves created rows like in a library. On them were glass figures of all shapes, animals, humans, geometric patterns. One entire shelf contained all crystals and geodes.
I realized I’d just walked in on Malin’s hoard.
Here was the rest of the stuff that wasn’t displayed downstairs for all to see.
It was all perfectly set out, clean and glinting, not a speck of dust. Either he spent a lot of time in here or he had a fantastic housekeeper.
But I had a funny vision of him wandering these rows and polishing each item.
I’d heard dragons could lose themselves in their hoards for hours and not notice time passing. Like moths to a flame.
I went down every row. One shelf was all erotic glass, everything from carved cocks and butt plugs to intricate naked figures.
When I ran my fingers gently over the curve of a big cockhead, the glass was cool and slippery smooth. Everything was different colors, some dark, some catching the light from two windows and a skylight nested in the center of the ceiling. Rainbows smashed into each other on shelves and walls.
This was the room I truly wanted. But I would never choose it. This was Malin’s through and through.
I went back down the hall and into the red and black room. I sat on the bed. The ensuite bathroom looked freshly cleaned with red and white towels. Like a hotel room.
I leaned back on the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted from the long day.
So much had happened in such a short time.
I flattened myself on the mattress and turned my head side to side, taking in every corner and curtain fold, all the empty space waiting, waiting for me to fill it.
I closed my eyes and imagined myself living here day to day, week to week…
. Year to year for the rest of my life. Even the air here was mine now.
I breathed in, then exhaled. Now the air had been in my system.
Now it was floating with my essence. Mine.
I thought about the days of this current year growing shorter, the nights longer.
And here I would be, warm and safe. Away from the ranch and the world that had made me an outcast. I would grow old here.
Maybe take up crochet or painting. I didn’t want to be an actual recluse, but that wouldn’t happen.
Malin would be here. This was his place.
Here was where he had his hoard. I wouldn’t really ever be alone.
A voice startled me. I jerked myself up and saw Malin standing in the open doorway with bags in both hands.
“Deliveries have come.” He set the bags on the floor inside the door frame, eyeing me. “Did you sleep?”
“I—I don’t know. What time is it?” Instinctively, I glanced at my new watch. Five-fifty-four. The light had already started to go. My stomach growled.
“Yeah. You had a good nap there.” Before waiting for an answer, Malin glanced about the room. “You picked a good room. Well, it’s yours. The closet should have hangers in it. There’s a dresser and some shelves in there, as well.” He pointed at the bags. “There’s more.”
I got up and followed him downstairs, still not fully awake. Everything was like a dream, a bit flowy, the floor seeming unsteady.
We got everything up to my room in two trips. Malin didn’t hang out, but said as he walked out, “I’ve got menus on the dining room table. When you’re done in here, come down and pick something out for dinner.”
“Menus?”
“I told you. I don’t cook.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I nodded.
I unpacked everything. It was bizarre to have so much stuff. My parents had been somewhat poor. I had all I needed but nothing more. Here, I had so many clothes. I didn’t realize we’d gotten so much until I remembered Malin ordering the clothes and shoes I liked in “every color.”
By the time I finished putting all the things away, the closet was half full.
That was saying a lot because it was a big closet.
I’d also discovered things I didn’t remember buying.
Two wallets. Toothbrushes and deodorant.
Shampoo and soap. A shaving kit. A nail care kit.
A small wooden jewelry box with intricate leafy carvings.
My new tablet and phone gleamed at me from the bedspread. I set the jewelry box on the bedside table. I had already put my extra watchband in it.
I did a full circle turn, looking at everything including the open closet. A shiver came over me. The room didn’t quite feel like mine yet; it would be slow. Baby steps.
I went downstairs, bringing my tablet and phone with me. I needed to know information from Malin to have them set up.
The lights were on everywhere. The dining room next to the game room glowed. Malin was out of sight. I walked to the game room and there he was, messing around with the pool table. He looked up as I took a step into the room.
“Ready to eat?”
I liked that he didn’t make small talk. He always got straight to the point. “Yes.”
There was a stack of menus on the table. He handed me half and we both sat looking through them. It was so much to look at, too many choices.
“I think I’ll go for pasta tonight,” he said.
“Okay.”
He looked up at me. “You don’t have to eat what I eat. We can order from two different places.”
“I like pasta. I haven’t had spaghetti and meatballs in over a year.”
He brought out his phone and punched in our order. “I’m getting an order of garlic bread. Do you like that?”
Yum. “Yes.”
“And two small salads.”
I nodded.
“Affogato for dessert.”
“What’s that?”
“Gelato drowned in hot espresso. They deliver it in ice wraps with the espresso on the side in a microwaveable cup so it won’t all be melted by the time it gets here.”
“I never had it, but it sounds amazing.”
He’d been spoiling me all day. I should have been elated. In some ways, I was. But the shock was taking its time to drain from my system. When I’d first arrived at the ranch, I’d walked around in a daze for weeks. The others did what they could to help me through the adjustment period.
Here, there wasn’t anyone else but Malin.
As we waited for our food to come, I focused on him trying not to make the silence noticeable. He was playing with his phone, not looking up. Dark hair and dark eyes, a strong chin, cheekbones showing. He looked at home in his fancy clothes. Everything perfect. Everything like a mask.
“I can set up my phone now,” I said. “But I need to know the carrier. And your Wi-Fi password for it and the tablet.”
“Not a problem.”
It gave us something to focus on. Everything I needed was on his phone. He made a mirror of mine and the tablet and I watched him set everything up.
“I can do it,” I insisted.
He ignored my words. “You can get all the apps you want. Games. Order anything. It’s all on an auto-pay system.”
The subject of money. Again. “Where did you get the money?”
He glanced up. “What?”
“This morning. They said you didn’t have enough. Then you went away and it showed up in their account. It was a lot. Too much. You had that much?”
His eyes filmed over for a second, then cleared. “I have sources.”
“Was it everything you had?”
“I told you before. I have plenty. Do you always worry so much?”
I huffed. “If you were me, wouldn’t you?”
He stared at me until I was uncomfortable and looked away. Then the doorbell went off. Our dinner had arrived.