Page 16 of Eros
Concern etched onto my face as my brows drew together. “What happened?”
A smile crossed his face as he leaned against the door. I appreciated him maintaining some distance between us because, right now, my body’s reaction to him wasn’t something I wanted to deal with.
“Ms. Thorne, is that concern I hear in your voice?”
I scoffed at the ridiculous statement and rolled my eyes. “Get over yourself, Eros. If you’re not going to tell me what happened, can you at least tell me when you’re going to let me out of here?”
“It’s just a graze. Doc stitched me up.”
“Just a graze?” My eyes widen. “You were shot!”
His deep chuckle, a warm and rumbling sound, echoed around the room as he pushed away from the door and walked to me. “So, you are worried about me?” he asked, humor lacing his voice.
Frustration bubbled inside me and my hands settled on my hips. “Any human being with an ounce of empathy would be concerned that someone was shot especially if that person tried to protect them.”
That explanation which addressed my concerns about him being shot seemed plausible to me and should be perfectly clear to him. My concern didn’t come from him being shot, it came from him being shot trying to protect me from a crazy person.
“If you say so,” he said once he stood directly in front of me.
“What now?” I asked because I didn’t miss that he didn’t answer my question about when he was letting me go, and a nervous feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
With the pad of his thumb, he gently brushed the bottom of my lip, a feather-light touch that sent shivers down my spine. His head tilted to the side, and a beautiful smile graced his face.
“What happens now is that you tell me why your father would hire assassins to kill his only daughter. And I’m not taking anything for an answer other than the truth, Janea.”
Momentarily, I was stunned. Not by his comment but the sensations he caused just by his touch. “I must have some type of Stockholm Syndrome,” I mumbled, shaking my head.
Another deep rumble of laughter escaped him. “Why do you think you have Stockholm Syndrome, sweetheart?” he asked, but I think he already knew the answer.
I didn’t think much got by Eros, but I refused to tell this man holding me captive about the emotions he invoked inside me with just his touch. “Never mind.” I let out a deep sigh. “Listen, I don’t know what to tell you, Eros. I just want to go home.”
He took a step forward, and I took one back because his easy-going grin was gone. The man crowding my space was the man who led one of the most dangerous motorcycle clubs in California. I couldn’t forget who Eros was.
“Well, if you don’t want to tell me, maybe I should just let the Vipers take you out. That would get rid of my problem too,” he said, as he turned on his heels, and headed to the door.
“Wait!” I screamed before my mind even caught up to what I was doing. “Don’t go.”
He faced me again, his stoic expression on his face. “Tell me what I want to know, Janea, and I can protect you. But if you don’t give me what I want, I have no problem getting rid of you.”
I didn’t understand why his words caused tears to fill my eyes other than not wanting to die, but how could I trust him to protect me after he received the information I had. He could very well throw me to the wolves because the information would be more valuable to him than me being alive.
“And how do I know I can trust you to protect me?” I swiped at the tears falling from my eyes. “You have reason to kill me, anyway.”
He walked back to me and as he approached, his shoulders relaxed. When he stood in front of me, his eyes softened. He used his thumb to brush away the tears, the skin rough against my skin, then traced his fingers gently along my cheek.
“While you don’t know me, my word is my bond. I will protect you with my life if you put your trust in me.”
“Because you would benefit from the information?”
I wasn’t naïve. While I believed we shared some type of attraction, this deal had nothing to do with attraction. If Eros wanted the information I had on my father and it couldn’t benefit him, he would throw me to the wolves.
“Of course. You’re fucking hot, Janea. You’re the type of woman, I’d love nothing more than to sink my dick into, but thissituation isn’t about that. It’s about what’s best for my club. And unless you give up your information, you’re not only a liability to me, but to my brothers. And I can’t have that. So, the choice is yours, sweetheart. But I do hope you’ll choose wisely. I’ll be back later for your answer.”
With no more words, he walked out of the room, and the silence was deafening. I plopped down on the bed and covered my face with my hands. There wasn’t a good choice in this situation. It was either trust the devil Isomewhatknew or take my chances with the devil I didn’t know. Either choice could end up with me dead.
Chapter Eight
Eros
