I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I can trust him. It’s almost as if he’s strong enough to carry my burdens and lighten my load—if only I can trust him to do so.
This is the kind of thing I can’t risk. Looks are deceiving. Don’t fall for one of the guests.
“I preferred a walk outside.” The way he looks at me makes my skin burn. I should find him as revolting as Tomas, but I don’t.
“I only mean,” I clear my throat, “it’s your first night and you should enjoy yourself.”
“Who’s to say I’m not enjoying myself right now?”
I look beyond him, to his bodyguard, and wonder what the two of them are doing out here. We’re nowhere near their rooms.
“Are you lost? Your suite is…”
“I know where my suite is.” He takes a step toward me and it takes every ounce of willpower not to shift back. “This place is incredible and I thought to take a moment to explore my surroundings. Are your rooms around here?” His brow arches in question.
“They are not.” My back stiffens at the intrusiveness of the question.
“Maybe we can take that walk together? I’m dying to get to know you.”
“I don’t think…”
“Relax, Eve, I don’t bite.”
I bite my lower lip debating my sanity. The thing is, I want to take a walk with him. There’s something about him that tells me I can trust him, that he won’t hurt me. I don’t know why that is, considering he’s all but announced his interest in purchasing me out from under Benefield’s thumb.
I can’t help but feel safe with him. It’s easy to breathe when Max is near. The constriction in my chest eases. My breaths come more freely around him. The constant tension in my shoulders loosens its tight grip.
I dream.
I hope.
He’s so different from the other guests who make my insides churn with disgust. His demeanor doesn’t suggest he means me harm. I sense no cruelty in him. But I know better than to trust my senses. He’s here for one, and only one, purpose.
“I belong to Tomas.”
“What hold does he have over you?”
“He protects me.”
“Is that what you think this is?” He gestures around us.
“It is.”
“No.” Max closes the distance between us. “You’re one of those pretty little birds, trapped in a gilded cage, too frightened to venture out into the world.”
“I’m not scared.”
While I consider my options, he stares at me, drinking in my features. His gaze makes an unhurried exploration of my face while his brows knit together as if he’s trying to unravel some great mystery.
“You’re frightened out of your mind, Eve.” The way he says my name is like a whisper, uttered with reverence and affection.
“I am not.” My snappish reply is something I’ll pay for later if Max reports it back to Benefield.
“I feel the terror flowing in your veins. Being held against your will, in a place like this, must be frightening.”
“I’m not here against my will.”
“Are you telling me you could walk out of here anytime you like?” His eyes spark, and his uniquely masculine scent floods my senses.
“There’s no reason for me to leave. I’m content, here.”
“Is that so?”
I can’t help it, but the things he says make me feel weak, and after all this time, what I really need is someone who isn’t out to hurt me. It’s stupid, and crazy, and incredibly unwise, but I ache for the simple comfort of a hug. It’s a desperate ache, which only grows larger when he’s around.
He’s a devil!
My inner voice is at it again, warning me off. The thing is—I’m tired.
I’m tired of pretending to be strong. I exist at the whim of a madman, and there will come a time when I am no longer of use to Benefield.
I’m terrified of that day. Is it wrong of me to lean upon a stranger for help? Even if he’s one of the monsters infesting this world?
Is Max standing closer than a moment before? Or am I the one who moved? This man has an odd effect on me.
People speak about chemistry. I’ve never felt it before. I don’t know what it is, but something swirls in the air between us.
It’s potent. Undeniable. And terrifying.
I open my mouth to tell him how loyal I am to Benefield, but Max lifts his index finger and gives a shake of his head.
“I’m going to save you the embarrassment of lying to me.”
“I’m not…”
“When you lie, your eyelids flutter and you fiddle with the fabric of your dress.” He points to my hand where my fingers are indeed playing with the buttery-smooth silk of my gown.
“How do you…”
“I’m an excellent read of people.”
He slides a thumb along my jawline, and I realize I don’t know when he closed the distance between us. I find myself leaning into his touch as he slides his thumb along my jaw. My breath falters.
“It’s how I know you’re not here willingly.” His smug tone wakes me up from this weird trance I’m in. “You’re just as much a prisoner as any of the other girls.”
“You’re wrong.” My safety relies upon the illusion I stand by Benefield’s side.
“Am I?” He presses closer, breathing in my strangled gasp. He stares into my eyes with concern instead of lust. “Whatever you’re doing with Benefield, that man will hurt you.”
“And you won’t?”
The muscles of his jaw tick. “Have I given you reason to think I will?”
“You’re here to purchase a slave.”
“What if I was here for another reason?” His words give me pause. “Would that make a difference?”
“A difference as far as what?”
“In how you feel about me.”
“I belong to Tomas.”
“Beware the trust you place in others, especially men like him. Benefield doesn’t have your best interests in mind. He cares only for himself.”
“He cares for me.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“I find myself drawn to you. If I placed a bid on you, what would he do? If the price is right, he’ll give you to me.”
“No.” I gulp and put on my bravest face. “He wouldn’t do that. I’m not for sale, Mr. S.”
It’s a lie, and he told me he can tell when I lie. I can’t hide my true feelings, although I try. I need to tread lightly here, considering the interest Max displays in me and the unpredictability Benefield presents. Honestly, despite the depravity such a thing means, I’d jump at it. From the frying pan into the fire, who’s to say Max is any worse than Benefield? But that’s not something I can risk my life on.
“He most definitely would.”
“Benefield will never let me go.” That’s the absolute truth. I’m never leaving this place alive.
“Benefield?”
“Tomas. I mean Tomas.”
“I see. At last, I understand.”
“You understand, what?”
“I don’t know what deal you struck with Benefield, but you don’t belong here. Good thing I’m here.”