Chapter 29
I had to get her away from that house. For so long, no one knew where I lived, and I kept it that way where people weren’t able to reach me.
Somehow, people found where I lived and were trying to send a message.
Normally, I didn’t scare easily, but I had shit to lose—more like someone.
I couldn’t risk anything happening to Solei, which was why I told her to pack a duffel, and we were leaving the house for a while. At least ’til I eliminated the threat.
Where I was taking her, I think she’d like. It was secluded from the outside world, but she wouldn’t feel trapped. It was my safe space. The place I went to when the world got too hectic—my lake house.
Solei sat there, staring out the window into the darkness as I drove through the woods.
I could only imagine what was racing through her mind after she opened that box.
If only she would’ve listened to me when I said no.
I could only fault myself for it, because I had been leaving her gifts at the door of her apartment.
She knew I was out of town and probably thought I left her something because I was thinking of her.
The headlights shone on the lake house as I pulled into the driveway. I hit the fob for the garage and it let up. At this house, I had a Range Rover and Maserati parked in the garage. The door let down behind us. I got out and opened the door for Solei before grabbing our bags.
We entered the house, ending up in the kitchen. “Where’s the bedroom? I’m ready to go to bed,” Solei said.
“This way.” I led her down the hallway to the staircase that took us up to the second floor of the home. Flipping on the light switch, I dropped the duffels on the floor by the dresser. Solei took one look at the bed and headed toward the bathroom. The light came on, and the shower sounded off.
She walked as if she had the world on her shoulders.
All I wanted to do was take everything off her and carry that shit on my back for her.
I watched her as she unzipped her bag and grabbed a nightgown out of there.
Whatever liquor was in her system was long gone by now, especially after all the events that took place tonight.
Solei went into the bathroom and hopped into the shower.
Pulling my shirt over my head, I went into the bathroom behind her and stripped out of the rest of my clothes.
I stepped into the walk-in shower behind her, pressing my body against her frame from behind.
Her head tilted back and rested against my collarbone.
“I promise you don’t have anything to worry about. You gon’ always be safe with me.”
I washed Solei up and lotioned her body down when she got out of the shower. She put on her nightgown and crawled into bed. I sat there in the corner of the room with my strap resting in my lap. Whoever was coming for her, they were gon’ regret coming this way by the time I was done with them.
* * *
The next morning, I woke up, and Solei wasn’t in bed. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was eleven thirty. Getting up, I called out her name, “Solei!” but didn’t get an answer. I maneuvered through the house in search of her.
“Solei!” The alarms in my head were going off at this point. I didn’t normally sleep that hard, and somehow, I managed to have lost her.
My heart kicked up a notch when I saw the back patio door open and the curtain swinging in the wind. I approached the door and checked it for any forced entry, when I heard a noise in the distance.
Stepping out onto the patio, I looked over at the lake and saw Solei diving into it. I trod out to the side of the lake and watched her as she swam out. The way her body glided in the water, one would think she was a mermaid.
“You’re finally awake?” she asked when she swam back to where I stood. Gripping the ladder, she climbed out of the water. Beads of water glistened all over her body. She brushed her wet hair out her face.
“How long have you been up?”
“Long enough.”
“I thought something happened to you.”
Solei stopped in her tracks and faced me. “Were you scared?” The way she stared at me pulled my soul from my frame. “It ain’t been sixty days yet, Savion. Don’t tell me that you’re the one who fell in love.”
Lil did Solei know, I’d been watching her long before we bumped into each other out in Vegas, but I feared she might be right. Outside of my family, she was the only person that I was terrified of losing. I’d scorch the entire earth if that meant keeping her safe.
“And if I did?”
Her eyes zeroed in on the lower half of my face. Before I knew it, her lips crushed mine.