12
GOLDIE
Robert tugs at the comforter to cover his cock, but I’m still fully naked. Fully naked and much shyer about that fact than I was ten minutes earlier.
Sex like this isn’t emotional in the traditional sense. We didn’t stare into each other’s eyes, whisper sweet nothings, and caress gently. Everything about it was raw, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t felt Robert’s care or discovered that he’s gentle and good in all the ways that are important.
Now, as we lie together, he strokes my face.
“Goldie,” he whispers, and my heart skitters. “Where have you been all my life?”
My grin is broad as a big bubble of happy relief rises inside me. “Playing with locks and keys.”
“It’s an unusual profession for a woman.” Robert tucks a stray curl behind my ear and trails his fingers over my cheek.
“I’m an unusual woman. ”
“Yes,” he says. “In all the best ways.” His eyes flick to his watch. “I don’t want to say this… but we don’t have much time.”
“Are your brothers due back?”
“Yes. And it’d be best if you weren’t here.”
This is exactly what I was expecting, based on our previous conversations, but being asked to leave so soon after sex still stings. I’m enjoying spending time with Robert and relaxing in this comfortable bed. Having to go out into the cold and drive home to my lonely bed isn’t an appealing prospect. But more, I feel like I need his warmth and strength to pull me back from the places he took me with this skilled intensity and restrained violence.
“How will they know I’m here?” I ask.
“Your car.” Robert smiles. “And your scent.”
My eyebrows draw together, and my nose wrinkles. Is he saying I smell strongly enough that his brothers will notice I’m in the house? I was shower fresh when I got here. Is my perfume that intense?
“My perfume?”
Robert shakes his head. “It’s hard to explain… and we don’t have time.”
It sounds a lot like a brush-off, but Robert’s expression is remorseful. I slide off the edge of the bed and gather my clothes, dressing in my overalls and stuffing my ravaged PJs into my pockets. My heart is surrounded by a weird empty space, echoing with each pulse. Robert dresses behind me, and we finish simultaneously.
“I had an amazing time, Goldie,” he says, taking hold of my chin and leaning in to kiss me. It’s soft and tender, but it’s not enough to soothe me. It might sound ridiculous, but there could be something good between us if Robert wasn’t tied to his brothers. I like him. A lot. Way more than I should from just a few meetings and the most intense sex of my life.
Am I being blinded by the sex?
It’s an enormous factor, but not the only one.
This man is all I’ve ever wanted: calm and quiet, watchful, and protective. Being near him sends shivers down my spine and warmth into my heart. But his tie to his brothers is too intense and it severed this experience and the intensity of our connection with a quick slice.
Robert has his hand on the handle, about to open the bedroom door, when the sound of a car approaching outside disturbs the quiet. He stills, head cocked, so he can hear better. His chest expands. Hunter and Evan are back and his knuckles whiten as his grip on the handle intensifies.
He turns to me, eyes wide, and my heart skips. This is more than just embarrassment at being caught out. He’s genuinely worried about what might happen now that his brothers are back. His worry is the beginning of my panic.
I shouldn’t have come here under these circumstances. I’m a grown woman. I shouldn’t have to hide relationships or sex from anyone, and I certainly don’t want to be scared again. The run-in with that asshole and the bears today was enough fear to last me a lifetime.
“What’s going to happen?”
Robert shakes his head, looking over my shoulder into the room and then back at the door again. He’s considering whether it’s better for me to stay here or for him to get me to my car. I don’t want to be trapped in this room. I don’t want to be here if he’s so uncomfortable.
“Will you stay here?” he asks. “I’ll have to lock you in. ”
I focus on the door and the lock I fitted so recently. I never imagined it would be used to hold me captive. I bite my lip as Robert covers the door with his body. He eyes the window, then me again, puffing out his cheeks with a breath.
“It’s going to be okay. I just need to talk with my brothers.”
“Talk?”
“Yeah.”
“And you need to lock the door for that?” I move closer, imagining the steps it would take me to get past him, down the stairs and past Evan and Hunter. Even if I had the swiftest feet, and the three men were lumbering and uncoordinated, I wouldn’t stand a chance. Sweat prickles beneath my arms as my pulse accelerates.
“It’s for your safety.”
I stare at him intently, looking for signs that he’s insincere, trying to keep my uncertainty from my expression. His posture is uncomfortable but not deceitful. If talking is all it'll be, then I guess I’m okay with it. Robert seems to have broken some bro code that I don’t understand. Families are weird—my own too. I have nothing but sympathy. I convince myself it’s going to be fine because what’s the alternative?
“Okay,” I say. “But don’t be too long. I’ve got to get to bed. I’ve have to work tomorrow.”
Robert nods and turns the handle. He takes the key from the lock and then turns to kiss me. It’s fierce in a way that feels protective and filled with intention. Before, I thought he’d tell his brothers that this was just a one-off and it wouldn’t happen again. Now I’m not so sure.
The sound of the key turning in the lock on the other side of the door makes me shiver. This is the first time I’ve ever been locked in a room by anyone, and it feels way more tantalizing than it should. I’m like a princess trapped in a tower, but there are no spinning wheels here—only enough sex toys to wreck the bodies and minds of a harem of women.
I pace for a while, keeping close to the door, listening out for voices, but I can’t hear a murmur. Wherever this conversation is taking place, it’s not close enough for me to catch anything. I’m desperate to hear what they’re saying.
Time ticks past, and Robert doesn’t return. I’m worn out from a difficult day and an amazing night, so I slump onto the bed. The pillows are soft, and the comforter smells fresh. My body relaxes, but I fight to keep my eyes open. This isn’t a place I should fall asleep. I need to keep my wits about me, but as more time passes, my eyelids get heavier. I’ll just shut my eyes for a few minutes.
This bed is so comfortable.
It’s dangerous, but my body is shutting down, and I can’t fight it.
Just a few minutes.
As if I have any control.