Wicked Love - Michelle Dare Page 0,91

trickling its way over my bare chest. I turn for the chest of drawers opposite the bed, ignoring her. But even as I disregard her, I feel her all the same. She doesn’t speak as I pull open the top drawer to find a tee, which I shrug over my head.

There’s almost an audible sigh when I’m once more covered. Perhaps she’s as attracted to me as I am to her. How I wish I could watch her get changed for bed. I face her again, a small smile on my lips when I find her staring.

“You’re welcome to take a shower,” I tell her, gesturing to the bathroom door attached to my bedroom. When we first moved in, I was the first of the Haven boys to arrive with the social worker. The moment I stepped foot inside this room, I knew this would be mine.

Not only do I have a library attached, which Octavius had built into the adjoining room for me, but I also have my own bathroom. Brody and Keirin each have their own wings in the house as well, which gives us each quiet when we need it—privacy away from the others. Also, each brother has his own personal space. A room which fits their hobbies—Brody’s is his music room, and Keirin has his fighting room complete with swords and gear for fencing. I’ve always been a bookworm, wanting to delve into the minds of authors, wanting to learn their deepest, darkest secrets.

“Why a library?” Micaela suddenly asks, drawing my attention back to the here and now. Back to the room where she’s holding the clothing I know Mallory brought for her to change into.

“It’s my solace,” I tell her honestly. “Books have a way of transporting you to other worlds. Whether they’re light or dark, each book has a piece of the author within the pages.”

“As if they’ve bled the words,” Micaela finishes my thought with a smile, once again dragging my attention to her. “I love English Lit; that’s what I’m studying,” she informs me. “Books and words have always been a passion of mine as well.”

“My own fair Belle.” I smile. A blush blooms on her cheeks, and she dips her head, her focus on the clothes in her hands instead of me. And I find I miss those pretty eyes penetrating my defenses. “Don’t worry about staying here. You will have as much privacy as if you were at your apartment.”

She lifts her gaze to mine. “I’m not some inexperienced girl,” she tells me. “I’m just nervous about what my father wants from me.”

“Look,” I tell her. “I do bad shit. I’ve never wanted or needed someone to like or to approve of me. And make no mistake I won’t apologize for it. You’ll never find me doing something because someone expects it of me, but when I saw you, I figured, why the hell not?”

Micaela rolls her eyes, and I can’t help but laugh. “You’re quite the romantic.” Her insolence makes my hand twitch. I want nothing more than to show her just how romantic I can be.

“I am. When you find me in the right frame of mind,” I tell her. “Go shower. If you feel like talking afterward, I’ll be in the library. The door over there,” I say, pointing to the entry in question at the corner of the bedroom, almost hidden in shadows, “will bring you to me. If you decide to go straight to sleep, I understand.”

As much as I want to spend the night in my bedroom with this beautiful woman, she’s not ready. And if I continue to stay in here, she won’t be wearing that sinful dress for much longer either.

I turn and leave, shoving open the door and shutting it behind me. In the library, I make my way to the liquor cabinet to find a new bottle of alcohol to pour myself a steep shot of bourbon. I left my open bottle in the fucking room, but I’m not going back in there now.

Grabbing the book I’d been reading, I settle on the sofa and flick it open. My eyes scan the words, but I can’t focus. She’s on my mind, and I doubt I’m going to get a moment’s peaceful sleep now because all I can think of is a naked Micaela in my bathroom.

I’m three drinks in when the door slides open, and I hear her footfalls padding across the cool wooden flooring. When she reaches the armchair,