very, very hungry… Vaughn had to know the power
he held over me.
Finally, I turned my head to the side,
breaking our kiss and his hands fell away, his eyes closing.
“I need answers, Vaughn,” I whispered. “This
is happening much too fast. I’m afraid…”
He opened his eyes and nodded. “I’ll tell
you everything,” he murmured. “Then you can decide.” He swallowed
hard. “Whatever happens, know that I will always protect you,
Lorelei.”
I knew him well enough to understand that he
was being sincere. He wasn’t the kind of man to casually throw
about declarations like that.
Pressing my palms against his chest, I moved
away from the door and sat on the edge of the bed. Vaughn lingered
a moment before claiming the spot next to me. He didn’t allow us to
touch and I stared down at the space forlornly.
“I’ve never had a woman in my own bed,” he
began. “I’ve never let anyone come to my home and see how I live,
I’ve never taken a woman to dinner at that restaurant…” He jerked a
hand through his hair, messing up his perfectly styled quiff.
“Lorelei, I want you. Can’t you see that I feel something for you?
Something more than a bit of fucking around?”
He was always so aloof, so calm
and collected, that seeing Vaughn so strung out had me worried. He
seemed desperate to tell me how he felt… What game was he
playing?
“I know it’s much too fast,” he went on, “I
know you’re afraid, but I’m a man who knows what he wants. I don’t
fuck around.”
The last statement I understood completely.
He'd been relentless in pursuing me, but I'd made it easy for him.
I'd wanted him from the beginning, even though the thought of us
together had had me flushing.
But I wasn’t sure what the
right thing to say was. Should I tell him that I felt exactly the
same way, even though I felt like he was keeping a bucketload of
secrets from me? Sometimes you just knew things and what I knew was that I wanted Sebastian
Vaughn, darkness, game, bullshit or not. What I didn't know, was if
I could put up with it.
“Lorelei, say something,” he said, his
expression full of panic.
A smile pulled at my lips as my
heart overrode my head and I raised my hand to cup his strong jaw
in my palm. I ran my thumb along his stubble and his eyes closed,
my skin tingling all the way down my arm.
“You don’t need to play games with me,” I
whispered and he opened his eyes to gaze at me.
“I’m not.” He was so sincere about it.
I smiled again.
“Lorelei, you don’t understand.”
“Then tell me,” I whispered.
His expression was laced with pain and my
smile began to fade. He opened his mouth and closed it again,
obviously having trouble finding the right words.
My heart began to twist.
“ Vaughn .”
He sighed, his breath shaky.
“Just let it out,” I coaxed, my voice low.
“Open up the wound and let me stitch it back up.”
His gaze met mine. “I'm a bad man,
Lorelei.”
I let my hand drop.
“ I've lied, cheated, committed
crimes, ruined lives... I never cared... until you.” His blue eyes
searched mine, my heart was thundering so loud I wondered if he
could hear it. “I've murdered men.” I began to shake, my skin
feeling clammy as the truth began to slam into me. “Can you stitch
that back up?”
I glanced away, my throat
tightening. Murder ? What did I know of these things? It was bad, so fucking
bad. I should run as fast as I could go and find my father, call
the police. Run away to daddy …
“There’s a man…” Vaughn went on. “A very bad
man… He was at the party… He saw the photographs in the paper…”
“The phone call this morning?” I asked
quietly.
Vaughn nodded. “He threatened me.”
I jerked backwards. They’d threatened him…by
threatening my life. “Tell me it isn’t true…”
“I’m so sorry.”
“He—”
“ I’ll protect
you Lorelei. Until it’s over… Whatever it takes, consider it done.”
He was getting desperate. He was trying
he held over me.
Finally, I turned my head to the side,
breaking our kiss and his hands fell away, his eyes closing.
“I need answers, Vaughn,” I whispered. “This
is happening much too fast. I’m afraid…”
He opened his eyes and nodded. “I’ll tell
you everything,” he murmured. “Then you can decide.” He swallowed
hard. “Whatever happens, know that I will always protect you,
Lorelei.”
I knew him well enough to understand that he
was being sincere. He wasn’t the kind of man to casually throw
about declarations like that.
Pressing my palms against his chest, I moved
away from the door and sat on the edge of the bed. Vaughn lingered
a moment before claiming the spot next to me. He didn’t allow us to
touch and I stared down at the space forlornly.
“I’ve never had a woman in my own bed,” he
began. “I’ve never let anyone come to my home and see how I live,
I’ve never taken a woman to dinner at that restaurant…” He jerked a
hand through his hair, messing up his perfectly styled quiff.
“Lorelei, I want you. Can’t you see that I feel something for you?
Something more than a bit of fucking around?”
He was always so aloof, so calm
and collected, that seeing Vaughn so strung out had me worried. He
seemed desperate to tell me how he felt… What game was he
playing?
“I know it’s much too fast,” he went on, “I
know you’re afraid, but I’m a man who knows what he wants. I don’t
fuck around.”
The last statement I understood completely.
He'd been relentless in pursuing me, but I'd made it easy for him.
I'd wanted him from the beginning, even though the thought of us
together had had me flushing.
But I wasn’t sure what the
right thing to say was. Should I tell him that I felt exactly the
same way, even though I felt like he was keeping a bucketload of
secrets from me? Sometimes you just knew things and what I knew was that I wanted Sebastian
Vaughn, darkness, game, bullshit or not. What I didn't know, was if
I could put up with it.
“Lorelei, say something,” he said, his
expression full of panic.
A smile pulled at my lips as my
heart overrode my head and I raised my hand to cup his strong jaw
in my palm. I ran my thumb along his stubble and his eyes closed,
my skin tingling all the way down my arm.
“You don’t need to play games with me,” I
whispered and he opened his eyes to gaze at me.
“I’m not.” He was so sincere about it.
I smiled again.
“Lorelei, you don’t understand.”
“Then tell me,” I whispered.
His expression was laced with pain and my
smile began to fade. He opened his mouth and closed it again,
obviously having trouble finding the right words.
My heart began to twist.
“ Vaughn .”
He sighed, his breath shaky.
“Just let it out,” I coaxed, my voice low.
“Open up the wound and let me stitch it back up.”
His gaze met mine. “I'm a bad man,
Lorelei.”
I let my hand drop.
“ I've lied, cheated, committed
crimes, ruined lives... I never cared... until you.” His blue eyes
searched mine, my heart was thundering so loud I wondered if he
could hear it. “I've murdered men.” I began to shake, my skin
feeling clammy as the truth began to slam into me. “Can you stitch
that back up?”
I glanced away, my throat
tightening. Murder ? What did I know of these things? It was bad, so fucking
bad. I should run as fast as I could go and find my father, call
the police. Run away to daddy …
“There’s a man…” Vaughn went on. “A very bad
man… He was at the party… He saw the photographs in the paper…”
“The phone call this morning?” I asked
quietly.
Vaughn nodded. “He threatened me.”
I jerked backwards. They’d threatened him…by
threatening my life. “Tell me it isn’t true…”
“I’m so sorry.”
“He—”
“ I’ll protect
you Lorelei. Until it’s over… Whatever it takes, consider it done.”
He was getting desperate. He was trying
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