Page 45 of Prey

I should be looking for a way to escape, but it seemed I was completely under his spell.

I didn’t want to get him in trouble.

I looked around the almost empty store.

Roman led me to the beauty aisle, and I looked around for any familiar brands I used. They didn’t carry a lot of it.

Most of their products were some sort of natural stuff made by companies I had never heard of.

I picked the one that was as similar to my products at home as possible while Roman followed me around, carrying the basket.

He also went to the junk food aisle, picking out chips, popcorn, and cookies.

“Are you hoping to make me gain weight so I wouldn’t be able to run away?”

He scoffed. “As if you could outrun me, baby.”

A startled gasp took away my retort, and I turned to see a middle-aged woman looking at us with wide eyes.

I bit my lip to keep in my grin, looking over at Roman to see what he would do.

He only smiled, slapped my ass once, and led me away.

“Hey,” I said, rubbing the poor abused flesh, glaring over at him, and cursing him under my breath as we walked to the self-checkout place.

Roman quickly paid, and then we headed back to the truck.

I stayed beside him as he put our bags away, looking around at my surroundings. I brought my eyes back to him when he turned to me. “Hungry, baby?”

I opened my mouth to answer when my stomach beat me to it, growling so loudly in the parking lot, I was surprised it wasn’t mistaken for thunder roaring in the mountains.

Roman paused while I blushed red, then he threw his head back and let out a carefree chuckle.

I could only stand there and watch him, feeling like an absolute dork for letting my captive take my breath away. Any embarrassment I might have was pushed to the back at the sight of him like this.

Physical attraction was never the problem between us. Roman made it so fucking easy to be attracted to him just by being the most beautiful man I had ever met.

His laughter slowly died away, and he looked down at me. The softness I was so used to seeing on Xavier’s face was back on Roman’s.

God, how much I had missed that.

Seeing the softness in this rough man and knowing it was reserved just for me.

He stepped in closer to me, and I did the stupid thing and stayed where I was standing, letting him invade my space—my reasoning with his senses.

He cupped my cheeks with both hands, and it took everything in me not to shut my eyes and burrow in closer to his touch.

“Ryleigh,” he said gently.

Did he know how much I loved the sound of my name coming from his lips?

Did he know my heart skipped a beat every time he uttered the two simple syllables?

It almost affected me as badly as it did when he called me baby in that possessive tone of his.

As if he was reminding me, and the rest of the world, that I belonged solely to him.

He leaned forward, and I closed my eyes, wanting so badly for him to kiss me right now, right here, in this unfamiliar parking lot. More than I wanted my next breath.

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