Page 11 of Her Double Desire

Chapter 4

Veronica

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The house is so bigthat I'm shocked at how... empty it is.

“Are we the only ones here?” I ask, chasing after Jared in my bare feet. “Where's Oliver? And can I get some clothes and my phone now, please?”

His shoulders cut an impressive shape as he strolls down the hallway. From behind, I can't complain about the view. “Do you always ask so many questions?”

“Only when I wake up in a house full of strangers,” I reply, rolling my eyes, knowing he isn't looking.

His chuckle is brief, but real. It lights me up inside to hear him make such a genuine sound. He motions for me to pass him; I do, turning a corner into a spacious kitchen. “Only a few select people live here. But Oliver has plenty of help. It's late enough that the morning cooks and cleaning crew have gone, they'll be back in the evening.”

I nod, only half listening. It's hard not to gawk at the huge granite island, white cabinets, and farmer's style sink. But most stunning is the view through the windows spanning one wall. Rolling hills of rich green extend as far back as I can see before melding with the navy blue mountains on the horizon.

There's rows of wooden stakes weighted down by coiling green vines. Heavy purple grapes dangle from all of them.The vineyards.

“Amazing, isn't it?” Jared speaks from just behind me. I twitch, reminding myself how easily, how quickly, this man can move. It's how he saved me from breaking my neck on the stairs.

Peeking up at him, I look back out at the landscape. “How far are we from Santa Barbara?”

“When we left there last night with you, it took us around three hours to drive here. You do the math.”

A shiver rocks my limbs.I slept through the whole trip.

“Sit,” he says, yanking me from my inner turmoil. He points at the large island with its square bar stools.

Reluctantly, I leave the window. Perching on the stool, I watch him move around the kitchen, gathering a glass of water, then digging in the gigantic fridge. When he puts a plate of fruit in front of me, my stomach rumbles so violently Iknowhe hears it.

“I'll be back with your phone.” He walks out of my line of sight.

Frowning, I take a long gulp from the water. It's so cold it makes my teeth itch; it's exactly what I need.

I'm nearly done with the fruit plate when Jared returns. He walks so softly that I study his shoes. The glossy black loafers should definitely be making noise. Is this guy a ninja?

He sets my blue smartphone on the island. I reach for it—he traps my hand under his on top of the phone. “I don't care who you call,” he warns me, “But don't say anything that would imply you're in trouble. We don't have the time to explain your situation to the authorities. And Oliver will be furious if he has strangers stomping all over his house because you gave someone the wrong idea.”

My hand flexes under his. It's like a small bird captured by a cat that wants to toy with it. I keep my voice cool. “I'm just calling my friend, Sonya. If she doesn't hear from me, she might get the cops involved herself.”

Jared glides his hand away. But as he does, he runs his fingers over the veins on the back of my hand. It sends a buttery tingle through my skin, and I lose some of my composure. He watches intently—hewantsto see me crack.

Standing tall, he adjusts the cuffs of his long-sleeved light gray shirt. “You have five minutes, then I want you to meet me in the bath. It's back where we came from, down the left hallway.”

“Alright.”

Jared leaves me alone once more. But even if he's gone, I feel his presence. Especially on my hand, where he clutched my fingers tight. Swallowing another mouthful of icy water, I try to rid myself of the inferno he keeps feeding inside of me. It helps. A little.

My phone shows several missed calls from Sonya. Her texts from last night are nonsensical. There's also a photo she sent me from before we left the first bar—it's us making duck-faces at the camera. I cringe, then scroll down.

Sonya: U there?

Sonya: Hello hello helllooooooo???

Sonya: adddsk

Sonya: I just woke up. Did I dream we went to a tattoo shop? I thought I got something done, but there's nothing on me anywhere!

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