Page 56 of Wretched Soul
“I’d say you’re closer than you think,” he adds, “but I don’t know about you, I’m starving.”
And with that he sweeps past me.
“But that’s not fair!” I shout after him as he grabs his shirt and boxers on the way to the kitchen.
As he shrugs on his shirt, he casts a glance back at me. “If you’rebeggingfor it…”
Ah, I’d forgotten about our little challenge. I see the trap I’ve fallen into, and it was one of my own making. I’ve given Shade what he wants, and now he has the advantage.
He tips his head back as he laughs. “You look so pretty when you scowl.”
So, naturally, I scrunch my face up even more. “Fuck you.”
He snaps the waistband of his boxers as he fits them to his hips. “Seriously, Lily. Do you constantly have sex on the brain?”
Shade looks so relaxed as he leans against the kitchen counter, shirt open enough to remind me of the new tattoo inked over his heart. His thick thigh muscles ripple as he crosses one leg over the other. To think I’d driven away from the diner prepared to hit the freeway and go straight back to Chicago.
I’d turned off my phone, suspecting that was how he’d been tracking my movements, but the lights of the diner were still in my rearview mirror when I caved. He wasn’t going to give up the chase, and truthfully, I didn’t want him to.
Heading to a motel a short drive out of town, I intended to switch my cell back on when I’d secured a room. I assumed it was the only way to draw Shade to me, but he found me before I had the chance to switch on my phone. How the hell does he do stuff like that?
I tighten my ponytail as I take a proper look around the lodge. Logs crackle on the brick fireplace, and there’s a thick rug by the fire that calls for two naked bodies. I tug at my sweater, seeking cooler air to provide some kind of relief.
“Do you want to change into something more comfortable while I sort dinner?” asks Shade.
“Are you going to give me back my overnight bag?” I ask, keeping my scowl.
“I’ll get it later, but you should be able to find something in the closet in our bedroom for now,” he says, tipping his head to one of the closed oak doors.
My heart beats faster at the mere mention of a bedroom that’sours, but so many questions roll through my mind on a ticker-tape, reminding me not to drop my guard. “Whose clothes are in there? Is this a rental or is it your little love nest? And who got everything ready here?” I ask. The fire could only have been burning for a matter of hours.
Shade moves towards a well-stocked drinks cabinet. “There’s no way I’d let you wear hand-me-downs from an ex, Lily. The clothes are yours. I bought them for you,” he says patiently as he examines the whiskey bottle he’s just picked up. “And the lodge belongs to a friend. I’ve visited before, but I’ve never brought a woman here. Weekends away aren’t something I normally do. And I got everything ready while you were driving up from Chicago. Anything else?”
As Shade pours himself a drink, I sneak my hands beneath my sweater and rest a palm on my stomach to quell the flutters. How can this man be so fucked up and yet so perfect? Although… I haven’t seen the clothes he’s bought yet. He could want me dressed up in barely-there underwear or some kinky maid’s outfit.
“I’ll go and have a look,” I say, lifting my chin and stalking off to the bedroom.
Shade sips his whiskey as he watches me leave. I’m almost through the door when he calls after me. “And don’t go doing anything in there that I couldn’t do better for you.”
I contemplate sprawling out on the bed and groaning loudly to see how fast Shade would come running, but when I find what’s waiting for me, I’m struck speechless.
Standing in the walk-in closet, I hold a silk cami and sleep shorts in one hand, and a pair of cotton pajamas in the other as I try to decide which to choose. There’s also a selection of warm clothes, a ski jacket, hiking boots, strappy sandals and a green velvet dress I recognize from one of my favorite stores. It’s been lurking in my checkout basket for months in the hope that the internet shopping gods would take pity on me and reduce the price.
Making my choice, I head for the bathroom which has also been stocked to meet my every need. There are cosmetics and makeup in familiar brands, a pink electric toothbrush, hair products and in the medicine cabinet, there’s even the tampons I regularly buy. I’ve reached saturation point and I’m no longer surprised by how intimately Shade knows my life.
The only thing that does give me pause is the embroidered lettering on the fluffy white towels. I should have guessed ‘the friend,” who owned the lodge would be a Moncrief.
I get changed and freshen up as quickly as I can. If we’re spending the weekend together, I’m not wasting a second away from him.
Shade is busy slicing through a crusty loaf of bread when I pad over to the kitchen in my bare feet.
“Do you want to pour the wine? It’s cooling in the refrigerator,” he says without looking up.
“Sure.”
I trail a hand across his shoulders as I pass, and he sets about grabbing bowls for our casserole while I fetch the wine. As I close the refrigerator, he turns to face me and his gaze travels slowly down my body. I’d dismissed both choices of sleepwear, and after a little hesitation, decided against parading in just the red lace underwear he’d picked out. In the end, I think I made the right choice.
“Fuck,” he says, his eyes flaring.
