Temptation - Leigh Lennon Page 0,26
give it over to anyone…ever.”
I lean back in my chair in front of a little coffee table across from the couch where Eve sits. Her body is rigid, and I internally smile. Now we’re getting somewhere.
“Care to elaborate?” I pause and wonder how hard to push her.
“Is this a question I’m allowed to answer honestly?” It’s her turn to lift one eyebrow higher than the other.
“Yes, but we’re not leaving this office today without exploring this further, Kitten. So if you need time, I can give you that, but understand I want more, and I want it today.”
She nods, then leans forward, grabbing her book. I return to my desk, and something shifts in me just with the idea she’s in my office and near me. Something soft, something warm, something so foreign.
The morning turns to afternoon, and the kitchen sends up lunch, a simple chicken Caesar salad and wine. During the quiet mealtime as she moves the lettuce and chicken across the plate with her fork, I let her have her silence. I won’t push, not yet, but she needs to get this out. I’ve seen enough broken women in my life to know she’s one.
Her face is downturned, and she’s barely eating a thing, and although I’m devouring my salad, my eyes are on her the whole time. I don’t miss her small winces or how her lips narrow to a thin line at times and still, the glint of tears in her eyes.
“Are you not hungry, Evelyn?” I like to keep her on her toes as to what I’ll call her. The jerk in her body tells me that using her God-given name doesn’t go unnoticed by her as she places her fork down on the center of the plate.
“No, Sir, I’m not. I’m sorry.” She leans back, and in a span of a week, she understands my rules, even if some are still unspoken. She doesn’t leave the little table room service has brought in for us, and a quiver in her voice surprises me. “I’m ready to share that one thing with you, Sir, if you’re ready to hear it.”
I nod, placing my own fork down next to my plate. In my intense gaze, I try to channel the energy she may need to get through this. And it’s again a big red flag in my abhorrent behavior toward this girl.
She lifts her head, meeting my eyes even though I hadn’t told her to do this. “I spent more time in homeless shelters than in homes. Sometimes we’d crash on the couch or floor of someone my dad knew. His money went to booze, and I never had the power to make it better for me. But I guess maybe I should be happy. At least he didn’t abandon me like my mother had.”
She has not taken a breath during this realization of the hell of her life. But it makes me understand Eve just a little bit more. And with these uncharted territories, I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
I’m watching her on the front porch of my grams’ farm. I’d wanted to get her back out here. She loves horses so much, but more so, taking her away from the club helps her forget I’m a Dom. I’m sure it’s not far from her mind, but I hope she can see me in a different light. Her denial about her growing feelings toward me are just as profound as the same ones I’m refusing to acknowledge, too.
I’ve told her to sit on the front porch as I took care of some issues with the staff, a favor my grams asked me about today when she found out I was on my way for another day here.
My grams started this farm years ago, breeding some of the best thoroughbreds, many of which have gone on to win the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby, and Belmont Stakes. She’s always wanted to breed a triple crown winner and has gotten close a couple of times.
She sells most breeds but keeps ten personal horses, one being my beloved stallion, General Bruin. My eyes are still on her as she stares off in the opposite direction. What is it about this girl that has me unnerved?
I know she’s broken, messed up by her parents. It’s been something she’s shared with me in snippets and only when I pushed a little. Okay, with me, probably more than just a little.
I take a step closer