Callum looks like he could laugh. I guess it is quite funny. I doubt there’s a man alive who could hurt Theo. “Not exactly,” he says, sweeping his hand out when the doors open.
I step out and look left and right, waiting for Callum to give me some kind of indication of which way I should be going. “Not exactly?” I ask as we head left down the corridor.
“No,” he answers flatly, passing me. My interest in that particular topic vanishes when I clock the double doors at the end. The muscles of my legs become weaker as I follow Callum until he comes to a stop. He opens the door and moves away, again putting a big space between us and clearing the way for me. And again, I flick him a curious look as I enter. He does that a lot. I’ve seen him move away from Theo, and he always gives me way more space than I need. Does he have a phobia? I can’t help but wonder if he thinks I’m infectious or something.
My steps slow as I’m hit with opulence of ridiculous proportions. And the atmosphere. I’m not imagining it. Theo’s presence is hanging heavy in the air, and I haven’t even laid eyes on him yet. My weak legs give a little, my hand reaching for a nearby table that’s decorated with an elaborate flower arrangement.
“The lounge is this way.” Callum walks off, and I have to take a few moments to pull myself together before I follow him. When we arrive in the extensive seating area, the atmosphere thickens further, telling me Theo is nearer now. I scan the space, noticing another door on the opposite side of the room. A door to where? “Take a seat,” Callum instructs, and I do, quickly, needing to sit down and work on breathing steadily. “Mr. Kane will be with you in a moment.” He leaves, closing the door behind him.
Mr. Kane? Seriously. They’re supposed to be friends. I place my hands in my lap, willing my heart to slow before I pass out. And I find myself laughing out loud at the thought of Theo walking in and finding me facedown on the floor. I stand, fidgety, and then I sit back down and cross one leg over the other. Then I swap legs, unable to get comfy. I sit forward, then to the side, ruffing up my hair and smacking my lips together.
Where is he? I stare at the door, getting progressively more restless while I wait. He demands I be here, and then leaves me waiting? What makes him think his time is more valuable than mine? Suddenly irritated, I stand and pull my dress down, set on going to find Callum to tell him that I’m out of here, but as I turn to collect my purse from the couch, something across the room catches my eye.
And there goes my world again, turning up on its head. He’s leaning against the doorframe—big and gorgeous, and with a dimpled smile. His gray trousers have to be custom tailored for those long legs, and a navy shirt fits perfectly across his chest, his sleeves rolled up to reveal some pretty spectacular forearms.
I force my eyes up, feeling my breathing going to shit. “You’ve been there the whole time, haven’t you?” I ask, feeling a little stupid that he’s just watched me fidget and faff all over the sofa. And I actually laughed out loud. To myself. I want to curl into a ball of embarrassment and hide.
He pushes away from the doorframe and strolls over to me, his eyes dancing playfully. I swear, the closer he gets, the harder the pressure of the air seems to squeeze, pushing every thought from my mind, except for those of him. Just him. “I enjoy watching you.”
Yes, apparently. “Watching me squirm nervously all over your posh couch?” A blush colors my cheeks, and I drop my gaze to the carpet.
“Mostly I wished I wasn’t admiring the back of you, though it was still extremely enjoyable.” His finger comes up slowly and rests under my chin, lifting my head. The explosion of desire within me nearly puts me on my arse. I’ve never felt anything like it. I don’t enjoy a man’s touch. I don’t welcome it. I usually simply endure it. Yet Theo…? He smiles knowingly. “But this.” His eyes roam all over my face, eventually dropping to my parted lips. “This is a vision of perfect beauty.”
I feel my cheeks heat even more. “Thank you.” I have no idea what to say, nor where such reverent words have come from. The softness of them defies the hardness of his appearance.
“May I kiss you?”
I don’t even need to think about it. Just the fact that he’s asked eases me. “Yes.”
He drops his mouth to mine, stripping me of breath, and when he takes my hands and places them on his shoulders, pulling me in, I mold against him, surrendering to his inexorable tongue, meeting his soft circular motions, proving he is right. I won’t fight him. I’m intoxicated, being lifted to heights I’ve imagined time and again as he claims my mouth with a gentle but persistent force. He tastes out of this world, smells fresh and clean, and as I feared, I’m putty in his hands, accepting and drunk on pleasure. His lips move across mine like a well-rehearsed, slow, sensual dance. My tummy twists and knots, my mind scattering. The sheer size of him holding me in place only adds to the gratification coursing through me.
Safe. I’ve never felt so safe before, and that alone is an alien sensation that I might find hard to let go of. Add the crazy ecstasy of his talented mouth, and I’m destined to be held a slave by Theo Kane for as long as he commands it.
His kiss slows, his hand massaging the back of my head as he groans low in his throat. “I meant to save that for dessert,” he whispers, the soft tone of his words and the vibration of his mouth against mine accelerating the pulse between my shaky thighs. He pulls away and drags the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip roughly, watching. “That alone was worth the trip out here.”
I’m floored, not quite able to comprehend how I’m feeling. Utterly consumed doesn’t seem powerful enough. “Business didn’t go as planned?” I ask dryly.
His smile is still small, but full of amusement. “Business is going exactly as I planned.” His hand slides from the base of my neck, over my shoulder and down my arm until he finds my hand.
Goose bumps erupt over every inch of my skin as I anticipate what the night could bring, laughing lightly under my breath. “So I’m business?”
“No, Izzy, you are definitely pleasure,” he says, holding my hand and taking us through to the dining room, where a table is set for two and a waiter stands to the side, awaiting our arrival. Theo pulls a chair out for me and helps me down before taking up the seat opposite. A plate is placed before me by the waiter, but when he reaches Theo’s side of the table, he stands back a good few paces and holds the plate out rather than placing it down, like he’s scared to get too close. I frown as Theo reaches for the plate and sets it down himself before he pours me a glass of white wine. What was that?
He indicates for me to start eating, so I slowly collect my knife and fork, watching him closely as I poke at the scallops. I’m too nervous to eat, especially after that smoldering kiss. I already feel like I want more, and I’m not sure I should want a man like Theo as much as I do.
“You’re nervous,” he states, not accusing, just observant. And rightly so. “Tell me why, Izzy.”
I look up at him, my head tilting. “You’ve turned up in Vegas, Theo. Out of the blue. I hardly know you.”
“Then let’s get to know each other, Izzy White.” He sits back in his chair, wine in hand, watching me. “How was your day?”
I follow his lead and try to relax back in my chair. “Full of unexpected surprises. Yours?”
“It’s improving by the hour.” He gives me a wolfish smile. “By the end of it, I have a feeling I’m going to have a skip in my step.”
I laugh out loud, the reaction unstoppable. How is it possible that he can ease me so instantly? He’s a master at the art of relaxing me. In this moment, I don’t find his straightforwardness concerning, more…endearing. “Can a big man like you skip?”
“Want to help me find out?”
I shake my head and drop my eyes to the table for a moment, if only to relieve them from the blaze in his stare. “Tell me about yourself,” I say quietly.
“What do you want to know?”
“I don’t know. Anything would be good. All I have on you right now is that y
ou like popping up in dark alleyways and rescuing strangers.”
He laughs, light and low. It makes my smile impossible to hold back. “I don’t spend all my time popping up in dark alleyways.”
“Then what do you do?”
“I love eating.” He motions to the table, where both our starters remain untouched. “I love working out, too, but my new favorite pastime is stalking you.” He flips me a devilish wink, and once again I’m laughing.
“For a big dude, you’re quite cute.”
“For a little female, you’re quite fierce.” He toasts the air. “And second to your natural beauty, that’s my favorite thing about you.”
Damn it, don’t blush. I take refuge in my wine, keeping my smile in check before it splits my face. “You’re extremely bold,” I say over the rim of my glass.
“There aren’t many things in this world that I desire, Izzy. It’s a short list, and therefore I have plenty of time to dedicate to each item on it. You are now at the very top.”
“And the other things?”
“Peace. Happiness. Love.”
I swallow, taken aback by his frank answer. “Don’t you have those things in your life now?” He seems quite content with who he is.
He shakes his head. “What do you want out of life, Izzy?”
“Just love would do,” I answer honestly, surprising myself. “With love, happiness and peace should come naturally.”
“I like that theory.” He smiles softly, regarding me closely across the table. “And if I may be bold once more?”
“Can I stop you?”
“Probably not.”
“Then go ahead and be bold.”
The gratification seeping from his body is undeniable, and I can’t help but feel satisfied that I am the cause. “I have an unstoppable urge to take you to bed.”
“We agreed on dinner.”
“Which you haven’t eaten,” he counters, motioning to our untouched plates. “So will you let me take you to bed?”
He’s asking again. It’s a far cry from his original tactics of demanding, as if he’s realized I don’t take too kindly to demands and has decided to change his game plan. Should I tell him it’s working?
I sigh, my hand resting on the base of my wineglass. “What do you want from me, Theo?”
“You’re a bit slow if you haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Then I must be slow, because I haven’t the first idea why a man of your obvious status”—I wave my hand around the dining room of his suite in the frigging Bellagio—“would be so interested in a normal, regular nurse like me.”
“There’s nothing normal or regular about you,” he argues, firm but soft, leaning forward in his chair. My statement has irritated him. I’m certain anyone else would be threatened by his stance, but I’m not at all. It’s as if I’m immune to his physical presence where fear or intimidation are concerned. It doesn’t make any sense to me, but that’s how it is. It should probably be a problem, but I have a bigger issue instead, and it’s dominating everything right now. I’m drawn to him. Most people seem to put as much distance between themselves and Theo as possible. I, however, have a confusing urge to close that distance. I want to be near to him. He has a magnetic pull, luring me closer, and I’m helpless to its power. Given everything I have been through, it’s even more fucked up. And then I have to ask myself…
Am I really as strong as I think I am? Because I’m not just attracted to Theo Kane. Not just intrigued by him. I’m charmed by his protective instinct toward women. I might tell myself I don’t need it. But you don’t have to need something to want it. Right, Izzy?
“Then what is there about me?” I ask him, my voice annoyingly shaky.
He withdraws a little, like he’s sensed he might be being a bit scary. “I can’t stop thinking about you, and there’s a reason for that. I need to understand.”
“So I’m here for you to try to unravel why you’re attracted to a lowly nurse like me. Is that it?” I stand from my chair, a little mad.
“No.” His fist hits the table with a deafening thwack, yet I don’t move a muscle, don’t flinch or become guarded by the hint of violence. It doesn’t touch me. Theo looks up at me with wide eyes, worried again that he’s frightened me, and when he realizes that he hasn’t, he breathes out, slumping back in his chair.
He shakes his head, somewhere between amusement, awe, and shock. “I see you’re wary of me, and I don’t want you to be.”
“Then maybe you should stop thumping tables,” I retort, and he smiles.
“You and I both know my physical presence isn’t what I’m talking about. You’re scared of how I make you feel. You’re fighting your natural reaction to me. But you shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not interested in hurting you. I’m not pursuing you just because I want to bed you. If I wanted a mindless fuck, I’d find one with ease.”
“Wow.” I all but cough.
“It’s the truth. I’ll never be anything but honest with you, Izzy. I’m a man of my word, trust me.”
“But I hardly know you, Theo. And you hardly know me.”
“I know you’re beautiful. I know you’re attracted to me. I know you make me smile, and I know you give me hope. You’re strong and kind. You stopped to help Penny that night, and there was nothing in it for you. You could have walked on by and not given it a thought ever again. But you didn’t. And not even I scared you off. I see fear in you, Izzy, but it is fear of another kind.”
I feel a lump swell in my throat, and all the reasons I pursued a career in nursing thunder to the front of my mind. I sniff back the onslaught of emotions, mad that he’s drawn them from me. Becoming a nurse and working in a hospital was the natural thing for me to do, since it was the only place I ever felt safe. “I’m a nurse. It’s my job to help people.”
“It’s your job to ensure your own safety first,” Theo says gently. It cuts deep, every bit of pain I ever felt seeming to return and hurt me all over again. “Above everything else,” he goes on, “that should be your priority.”
My jaw tightens, and infuriating tears stab at the backs of my eyes. “I would never leave a woman at the mercy of a violent man.”
He withdraws a little. He’s read between the lines, and I immediately regret giving him more than I meant to. And I hate him for forcing the matter. I stopped. I helped Penny. That’s it. He needs to stop picking it to pieces.
I refuse to look away from him as he rises from his chair, seeming to take forever to reach his full height. “Why do I believe there’s something more to it than professional instinct?”
“Because there is,” I reply without hesitation, fixing my lips into a straight line, my way of telling him that I won’t be expanding on that, so he shouldn’t bother asking. He’s not telling me everything. I’ll adopt a similar approach, if it’s all the same to him.
He nods, understanding, widening his stance a little. “I like being respected, and sick as it sounds, I also like the fact that people are too frightened to cross me.” He pauses, drilling into me with potent eyes full of sincerity. “But for the first time in a very long time, I like the thought of someone liking me. I love that you challenge me. I love that you’re ballsy, though I know I won’t love the reason why.”
My breath hitches. He knows. He’s figured it out. Maybe not every tiny detail, but he’s latched onto the fact that I’ve been scared before, and he wants to put any doubt in my mind to rest. Any doubt that I think he could hurt me. It’s admirable, but it’s also a waste of words, because I’m not scared of him in that sense. I’m actually scared of becoming too attached to him. Of getting too used to feeling safe. Of becoming too dependent on his comfort. Depending on someone leaves you open to hurt.
“I realize there’s a lot to know about you,” I whisper. “And I know beyond doubt that I might not like some of it, but none of that wondering or worry is making me like you less. That’s what scares me.”
Th
eo’s large chest visibly sinks on a deep breath. “Thank you for your honesty,” he says, his hand going to his spiky jaw and stroking thoughtfully. “You’re right. And I don’t expect you to like everything there is to know about me. That would be asking too much. I only expect you to like me. I only expect you to appreciate the man I am to you.”
I swallow, hating and loving what he’s saying. Loving partly because my conclusions have pretty much been confirmed, and hating because the confirmation hasn’t even dented my intrigue or attraction. It’s only heightened it.
After a few seconds of silence, he strides over to me with what I think is determination. Or resolution. Or both? He gestures to my hand, and I offer it willingly, inhaling steadily as his touch meets mine, his fingers flexing gently. He watches us come together for a few beats. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” he asks, glancing up at me, a little awed by the simple feeling of our skin touching.
I nod, wholeheartedly agreeing. Never before has a man’s touch comforted me. His hand squeezes mine and he pulls me from the table, heading for the door. As he guides me from the dining room, my feet work fast to keep up with him, my heart going wild. We pass the waiter, who immediately steps back, out of our path.
“We’re finished,” Theo tells him, curt and short and without looking at him as he continues to lead me through the extensive suite. I focus on the warmth of his strong hand surrounding mine, fighting back unwelcome memories. Worryingly, it’s very easy. Or is it a worry at all?
Theo opens another door and pulls me through, shutting it with more care than I expected. We’re in a bedroom. A huge, lavish bedroom with a showpiece of a bed that’s probably the biggest I’ve ever seen. Theo gently tugs my hand, takes me to the bed, and sits me on the end before dropping to his knees and holding my hands. It occurs to me that he’s trying to ease me by being at equal eye level to me, and there’s something a little submissive about him being on his knees at my feet. It’s a measured move, but it’s making me worry about what he’s going to say. I swallow and brace myself.
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