Page 14 of Tracking Luxe

She hated that she liked it. This was allwrong.

Would he overpower her physically if she tried to run out right now? Would he hurt her even though he insisted he wouldn’t? Would his mouth kiss her because he was stronger than her? And why was his mouth even coming into it?Shut up. She inhaled and swept her thoughts of tongues and moans. Her thoughts were so out of line. What was wrong with her?

“I can hear the hamsters working on that treadmill in your mind, babe.” He smirked and caused her to refocus from the slow deep scan Luxe had been doing of his strong body. “Say whatever you’re thinking and come get this coffee before it gets cold.”

She was dying for caffeine so she accepted the branded cup, sipping it for a minute before she spoke. “I want to leave.”

“I know.” His bulky arms crossed over his equally massive chest, he wasn’t drinking his own coffee and she knew why when she finished hers and tossed the empty carton into the trash, he stepped forward and handed her the second. This one was hot chocolate, the sugary steam rose and hit Luxe’s nose, she almost moaned to get it into her mouth.

Damn him.

No really, damn the man.

Who kidnapped but brought treats?

She was so confused, soangry.

Incredibly attracted to him.

Stop. Those were bad thoughts to have.

“I’m willing to negotiate, but you have to be reasonable here. This is getting us nowhere, unless you have long term plans this has to end at some point. I’d rather sooner than later, Grinder.” Conceding was easier than it would have been the day before, she just wanted to leave without a struggle or having him chase her down when she had so much to do in such a short amount of time, because if this went on any longer she could see herself married to her captor and living forevermore in this god-awful motel room with the stained bath and the equally stained bathroom rug. Luxe liked nice things, this wouldn’t do at all. If anything, she’d want a three-story house in the suburbs where she could plant chrysanthemums and homegrown tomatoes and also have a state of the art safe room in the basement for all her stolen goodies.

It was the dream. She sighed. Alas, it was not happening just yet, not until she could add to her savings. And that wasn’t happening at all sitting here twiddling her thumbs waiting for a big dumb jock to let her walk out of the door so she could get back to what she was here for. A big pay-out rested on her doing the job and she wasn’t giving up that money for anything.

Sipping the hot chocolate, impressed he’d added just the right amount of sweetness, she went on. “But it also does not include us going to New Mexico and you threatening myabuela, you got it? You don’t get to do that again. Mimi is a precious sweet soul who would shoot your ears off if she thought you were mistreating her grandbaby as you are right now. I have no time to bury you in our garden, you’re huge, I’d be digging for hours, and it’s too hot.”

Grinder pinched the bridge of his nose and she swore she saw his mouth flicker a grin before he straightened and looked at her. “I’ll take that under consideration. But how else do you propose I get my property back, call me dumb, but dirty rotten thieves are not trustworthy, Luxe. In fact, I have it on good evidence that you are not trustworthy at all.”

“I will look for your stuff when I get back home, you have my word.” Her word was her bond, she never backed off from a promise, this was instilled in her from that gun toting grandmother. “What is it, anyway? Or am I to use the power of my female mind and justknow? It must be important for you to go to these extremes. I have to say, this is my first hostage situation, people usually just claim on their insurance….” she taunted him with a smirk.

“It’s a gold chain,” a tick worked his jaw as he leaned against the table. Luxe had the impression she’d touched a raw nerve somehow.

That’s fucking it?She thought. All this for a trinket necklace.

Taking her memory back she couldn’t even remember a gold chain, but she had been tipsy the night she’d met him, it seemed lightweight for her to steal, gold didn’t really fetch much and she was not into lifting items she couldn’t make money from. Her brow puckered.

“Okay. So, I’ll look for this chain when I get home.” She prayed she had it still. “Maybe you just lost it.”

Those gray eyes swerved and hit her mid-section so hard she visibly inhaled. Wow. instant arousal.

No. nope. Not happening. We do not think sexy things about the kidnapper. Rule book, Luxe.Only she was. Only she continued to.

“I don’t lose shit, babe. You stole it from my pocket while you were sucking on my tongue and grinding down on my dick.”

Heat flushed her entire body. Choosing to ignore his accusation. “Why weren’t you wearing it?”

He inhaled hard enough to suck in the bed and rubbed his long fingers across his beard. “Not important.”

Fine, mister mysterious. Discomfort climbed the walls of her neck. It was a cold day in Hell if Luxe felt guilt for stealing something.

And yet there it was, resting on her shoulder blades.

It didn’t alter the fact this guy was dead wrong in his approach, what, were they in a Goodfellas movie?

“I’ll let you go. And I’ll trust your word.” He announced. Voice thick as gravel sending shivers along her bare arms, goose fleshing her skin. She finished the hot chocolate, discarding it into the trash. She was hungry, but this all felt too normal, too sane. So, she left the food untouched on the bedside table, tempting scents wafting her way. She would sell her soul for cheese.

Her eyes narrowed, suspicious of his declaration, it was that simple? After he’d been all Al Pacino for the past two days, suddenly she was a free bird? Luxe didn’t buy it.

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