Exposed Exposed (Dom Nation #1) - E. Davies Page 0,31

taking hold of his arm and steering him through the sliding door.

He didn’t have to be told twice. The moment he stepped down into the sleek, modern bedroom with its floating king-sized bed and smart lighting system, he crawled straight onto the bed, under the covers, and burrowed in on my side of the bed.

My lips twitched with indignation and amusement.

He hadn’t stopped to take in the panoramic view, the marble countertops, or even the whiskey display case? Then again, it was hardly the hour for a house tour. At least I didn’t have to worry he’d freak out about it all.

“Does Isaac know about this place?”

That was his only question? I jolted back to awareness and shook my head. “No,” I answered.

A soft hum was Slate’s only reply. He turned onto his side, burying his head in the pillows, and I took a moment to watch him, my heart pitter-pattering in a way I didn’t want to think too hard about.

No, he had a second question.

“Coming to bed, Daddy?”

“Hold your horses,” I teased.

Slate snorted softly. “Don’t want to. At midnight my horses ran away, and all I’ve got is this pumpkin.” He patted the covers somewhere—I assumed over his stomach.

I snorted. “As if.” Did he not see how sexy he was? And he definitely wasn’t a bear. And if he were, he’d still be hot. God, I had so much to teach him. Or rather, I tried to convince myself, he had so much to learn. That didn’t mean it had to be me teaching him.

I waved a hand over the light panel to set the room lights to dim steadily and then turn off in thirty seconds. I used the time to meander closer to the bed, watching him the whole time. He stayed still, his arm over his eyes, and didn’t watch me undress.

So I slid from my day clothes into fresh pj bottoms and then tugged back the covers on the less-familiar side of the bed. The light snapped off, and deprived of my chance to creep on him, I felt my way into the bed.

Slate might be mine now. I was doing more than protecting him tonight. I was… rescuing him.

What did that mean? Was I offering him more than I could really give him? God, I was terrified of what this meant.

But it was the right choice.

“Come here, my boy,” I whispered, scooting closer. It took me a marathon to get over to the other side of my huge bed, but he met me halfway.

I hugged my Slate mountain again, kissing the back of his neck and smiling as he finally, truly, relaxed.

He slept like a baby within minutes, and the warm, steadily burning pride in my chest only grew.

I’d done that. I’d taken this poor, lost boy and given him everything he needed tonight. I loved that feeling. Fierce and protective—and a little bit like I owned him. He was mine to hold and heal.

It was selfish, I knew, to get off on rescuing him. I’d been embarrassed to be caught at it, but he’d been right. But I had to take my kicks where I could get them.

If he wanted to yell at me tomorrow for kidnapping him to my own little den, for feeling so smug about my big rescue… that was up to him. I hoped he wouldn’t.

I stroked his hair softly, petting him, hoping he could feel this comfort in his dreams tonight and not Isaac’s cold, cutting gaze.

“Beautiful boy,” I murmured, my fingertips gliding from his hair to his shoulder, and down to his chest. I found just the right place to press it, over his heart.

And then I slept, deep and dreamless.

7

Slate

Holy shit. What a bachelor pad.

I stared around me the moment I jolted uneasily out of sleep, immediately sensing I wasn’t in my own bed. The sheets were smoother and cooler—like a thousand thread count or something ridiculous—and the light peeking through the blinds was all wrong.

The ground around the bed was recessed, stairs set into the smooth, dark wood floor. There was a wooden dresser down here with sleek silver drawer handles.

In one corner on the upper tier was a large, round chair with a low back. Sitting next to it was a sleek little table connected to a plant pot that held a tall leafy tree of some kind, and a twisted metal lamp that shone over the chair.

Is Rex a reader, then? I wondered, carefully shifting onto my other side so I could