All Souls' Night - Renee Rose Page 0,209

realizing it’s not there. That’s when memories flood back to me. Closing my eyes, I drop my hands to my sides. “I can’t call anyone. I don’t have my phone.”

His lips thin as he purses them together. Maybe he is remembering too? Silently, he hands his phone over to me and steps back a little to give me privacy. The phone rings several times before going to voicemail. Well, Jessica is a bust. She must be getting laid tonight. That’s usually the only reason she doesn’t answer her phone. And if that’s the case, her couch is definitely out. I run through the list of names in my head. Most of my friends are either out of town, or celebrating with family. Great. That means either the streets or the shelter tonight. Knowing my luck, though, the shelter is probably full already.

He watches me, a knowing look in his eyes. He doesn’t actually know, right? What should I say to him? I hand him back his phone and drop my hands into my lap. I’m trying to figure out how to tell him the truth when I realize my corset is no longer on me. Panic zips through me. That was almost an entire paycheck. What could have happened to it? I quickly scan the room before noticing it lying neatly on top of the sofa I’m sitting on. I breathe a quick sigh of relief, then notice my shoes are also off.

Narrowing my eyes, I pin this sexy man with my most deadly glare. He has the audacity to merely raise an eyebrow. Is he just that unaffected?

“Did you take off my corset and shoes?”

“Of course I did. It’s not like I’ve got servants lurking around the corner just out of sight.”

“Why?” I cross my arms over my chest, before rubbing my hands up and down. Closing my eyes, I try to take stock of my body. Everything else seems to be in place, so I don’t think he did anything pervy while I was sleeping.

His soft breath crosses my cheek, startling me for a brief moment. How did he move that silently? It must be the carpet. As I look up, a surge of longing fills me, arresting my breath. That longing is quickly swallowed up by regret and inadequacy as I look past him to his bright, gleaming walls. I’m not Cinderella, and he is not my Prince Charming.

“Whatever has your mind turning so fast, it’s not true. I wanted to make you as comfortable as possible. So, I took off your shoes. You started breathing kinda weirdly, and I was worried the corset would suffocate you somehow.” He nods in the direction of the offending garment. “I took great care with it. Even the tags are still on.”

His eyebrow rises again, and shame floods my body. Frustrated, I run a hand through my hair, pointedly ignoring his questioning look. After long moments of silence, I can’t stand it anymore. Leaping up from the couch, I start pacing, ignoring his look of surprise.

“We can’t all be rich like you, okay? We can’t all have silver spoons and marble ceilings.”

He looks up and frowns, before curling his lips up into a slight smile.

“I should hope it’s not marble. That would be incredibly impractical.”

Sighing, I look up as well. “I was trying to make a point. I don’t know what the hell that thing is made of. My point is, many people have to do what they can to survive. Not that you would know anything about that.”

His expression turns dark and unreadable. “Are you so sure of that, belissima?” He stalks towards me, every line of his body hard and implacable. “You’re so convinced you know me, know what makes me tick? I’ve had to work hard to get where I am. No one handed me anything.” His long fingers run through his hair again, tousling it in that oh so sexy way. “I started off with nothing. I left home and scraped by. Yes, I’m successful now, but let me tell you, cara, I had no problem starting at the very bottom. It took a long time, but trust me, I worked hard to make it from the man who shoveled pig shit to the one serving ham at my restaurant for way more than it is normally worth. Maybe if you asked questions and stopped jumping to conclusions, you’d know a little something about me.”

My heart thumps hard behind my ribcage. It’s a wonder it hasn’t