Page 56 of No Small Sin

Relax. Yeah, right.

I guessed Mattia did have a lot to be paranoid about, though. I would want to keep my significant other as safe as possible too if I were running some kind of criminal empire.

We rode the rest of the way mostly in silence, my anxiety fighting to get the better of me. Beck spent his time stroking random parts of my body in what I was sure he meant to be reassuring pets… my pussy seemed to have a mind of her own, but now was really not the time.

It was early evening when we arrived, and when the cabin finally came into view, the tension in my body eased a small amount.

Beck and Ijah had been right. The place was a fucking fortress.

There was a tall fence held up by solid metal posts. Ijah drove the SUV up to the entrance and the gate shifted open with a loud clunk, revealing a biometric scanner embedded in the post. While I was impressed by all the high-tech security measures, it was the extras that caught my eye — barbed wire around the tops of each section of fence and barred windows on all sides of the massive house.

Rapunzel, indeed.

A woman, who I assumed was Hunter, stood in the doorway as we pulled around the circle drive.

She had gorgeous long red hair, and she looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place her face. If we’d met before, I think I would have remembered because she was absolutely stunning.

Ijah took the lead. It didn’t escape my notice that when he swept past her, his hand flexed as if he might reach out and touch her, but then thought better of it. Suspish.

Beck placed his hand on the small of my back and led me through the door.

“Hey, roomie,” Hunt said, pulling me into a bear hug that totally caught me off guard.

I awkwardly patted her back. “Hey, uh…” What does one say to the person giving you a safe place to hide when you’re about to be added to a most wanted list? “Thanks for letting me stay here for a few days.”

“No problem at all, love. I’ll take good care of you while these guys figure things out.” She pulled away from me and patted Beck’s arm, giving him a tight smile.

She turned to Ijah. “Could you show them up to the first guest room on the left while I get some things I have for TK?” He turned toward the stairs without responding, the tension between them palpable.

He led us up the stairs, seemingly knowing his way around the place.

“I’ll let you two say your goodbyes,” Ijah said, leaving us alone once we reached my new quarters.

The room was super cozy, with old hardwood floors and a fireplace surrounded by cushy armchairs. A plush throw blanket was draped over the end of the bed, a stack of books waiting on the nightstand. I thought I spotted a shirtless man cover on top. Upon further inspection, he was only half shirtless — still definitely a romance novel. If I had to be stuck somewhere, I guess I could be glad it was here.

Beck released a long breath. “Let’s get you settled in,” he said, plopping my overnight bag down onto the bed.

He took his time removing each item of clothing and sorting them into neat stacks before placing them in drawers.

“You know, I’m only going to be here for a few days. That’s really not necessary,” I told him.

He turned to me, his eyes roving over me. “I know. If I don’t just… do something I’m going to lose it even more than I already am.”

I nodded, feeling a pang of sadness. Despite the safety of the cabin, I was still worried about what the future held for me.

For us.

He looked at me kind of bleakly. “It’ll be okay,” he said quietly, almost as if he was uncertain.

I was trying to be strong, but the dread was overwhelming.

Something like recognition flashed in his eyes, perhaps at the amount of struggle I was currently dealing with internally.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and crooked his finger at me, his demeanor now dripping with sex.

His hazel eyes ran along the length of me, heating me from the inside out.

I hesitated, my racing mind at war with my body’s visceral reaction to him.

---