for the last six months, even when he wore jeans and a tee.
“Sorcha.” He said her name smoothly and evenly, and it reminded her of melted chocolate as it rolled off of his tongue and caressed her. He held a champagne flute with bubbly yellow liquid in it. She also made out a strawberry at the bottom of the glass. Taking that first step into his home took more strength than she thought possible. The door closed behind her. Sealing her in and having her at the mercy of this very dangerous, yet alluring man.
12
He watched her step off that elevator, her expression one that was mixed with fear of the unknown, but excitement for the prospect and possibilities. Rian would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to see her afraid, because she would have been a blind fool if she hadn’t been.
“Here, let me take that,” he said to her once she was within arm’s reach. He reached for her bag without waiting for a response, and gave her the glass of champagne. “I figured you’d need something to help you relax.”
“And alcohol was your first choice,” she stated while staring right at him.
“No, not my first, but I thought you’d appreciate the drink instead of what I’d like to do to help us both relax instead.” He let those words hang in the air between them, and showed that he hadn’t been trying to amuse her with his answer. What he wanted to do was throw her on the bed and fuck her until they both couldn’t move, but he wasn’t some kind of beast that couldn’t control his basic urges. At least not the majority of the time.
She didn’t respond, but instead took a long drink from her glass. She was nervous, and rightfully so, but she’d warm up to all of this soon enough. How far would Sorcha let him go? Even though she had signed the contract, she would most likely still be hesitant. How far would he let himself go with her?
“I’ve had a meal prepared for us, so come with me and I’ll show you where to keep your things, and then we can eat.” Again, he didn’t wait for her to respond, because she really didn’t have a choice. She’d signed the contract, willingly agreed to be his for this week, and he wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything that happened from this point on. He could be a gentle, understanding man, but deep down that really wasn’t who he was. He felt her near, knew she was following behind him, and led them into the master suite. Rian took a step to the side, and allowed her entrance into the room she would be sleeping in for the next seven days.
“This is your room.” She didn’t phrase it like question, but glanced at him when she finished.
He didn’t speak, but nodded. Of course it was his room. She didn’t think she’d be staying in another room for this week, did she? He planned on having her every night, in every way imaginable, including tonight.
She was slow in moving, but then again she seemed stunned by her surroundings. This amused Rian, and not in the douche-bag way she would have probably thought. He leaned back against the wall, set her bag on the ground beside him, and just watched her.
First she moved over to the whirlpool hot tub that was built into the floor. He could see her reflection in the mirror as she looked at the candles spread out around the lip of the bathtub. Then she moved over to the balcony. A glance over her shoulder, as if she were asking permission to open the doors, had him lifting the corner of his mouth in a smile and nodding. He didn’t want her thinking she needed to ask permission to do anything, but he did find it kind of endearing. Sorcha wasn’t a prisoner in his home.
She stepped out onto the balcony. And he contemplated leaving her alone and letting her enjoy the sights. He knew everything about her, even before he decided to make up the contract and bring it to her attention. Having her work so closely with him, knowing all of his personal details, made him do an extensive background check on her. It might not have been legal, not with the men he had used, but he had gotten the information he needed. How would she feel if she knew he knew about her credit