Page 7 of Savagely Yours
I started to turn.
“Wait.” He gently grabbed my wrist. “I know this one. Is it…is it if the Waffle House is closed?”
“Very good, very good. Now four,” I paused for effect, “what are the three cardinal rules, generally recited before entering a retail or grocery establishment, that guided Larke Tapley’s childhood?”
“Don’t touch anything, don’t ask for anything…and don’t look at anything?”
“It’s don’t touch ‘nothing,’ but,” I eyed him, “I guess I’ll accept those answers.”
“Larke Tapley, you are the most interesting woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting to know.” He released my wrist so that his fingers traced the length of my palm, casting goosebumps over my skin. “Honestly, that’s one of my favorite things about you.”
“What’s another?” I prodded.
“How about you tell me a favorite thing of yours about me?”
It was easy.
Laughably easy.
Still, I took a moment as though I needed to think. As attracted as I was to him, I didn’t want to throw myself at his feet, only for him to look down at me with pity.
“The way you said you’d pay my bills.”
His brows shot up, and he dashed to the sink to dump out the bag of ice, loudly exhaling as if he’d dodged a bullet.
“I’m still drafting that contract,” I threatened. “Oral agreements have validity.”
“Maybe you should be sedated more often. This is the most relaxed I’ve seen you in a long time.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right.”
The break in the conversation clued me in to just how dark it was in the living room. Dez had the flashlight, but it was less effective in this larger space. Curious, I walked to the window and peered out.
The entire block was dark.
There wasn’t even a lick of moonlight.
“It’s a blackout,” he said, now standing directly behind me. “It was completely dark on the walk from my place over here.”
“How long did it take you?”
“I was more focused on getting here as soon as possible, so I don’t know. I did steal a bike on the way, though.”
“You could have stayed home until the morning,” I said, although I was more than happy that he’d shown up. “The U.S. Marshals could have handled it. Plus, now you’re a fugitive.”
“You’re a lawyer.”
“Aprosecutor,Dez.”
He bent lower, the side of his face lightly touching mine. “And what U.S. Marshals?”
I forced myself not to turn my head and “accidentally” brush my lips against his. “The U.S. Marshals I was told had been assigned to watch my place.”
“There was no one out there.”
“Maybe they had to leave because of the blackout?”
He scoffed.“Iwouldn’t, but my team had eyes on your building anyhow. The feed didn’t go down until I was a few blocks from here. That’s how I knew you were at home, but this place is so secure, you can’t even get DoorDash without the security desk securing my approval first.”
