Fractured Freedom(30)

I nodded at whatever he was saying like I was paying attention to it, but I was actually paying attention to how nice he looked in slacks and a collared shirt. The white on his honey-colored skin made me want to tear it off and lick him, my body craving one more taste.

“You sleep well?” He turned and leaned on the counter to assess me.

“Of course. Seems this floor has a lot more luxuries.” I waved my hand behind me. Then, I bit my nail as I assessed everything more. “I’m pretty sure my comforter is down, and my pillow might be made of clouds. My view up here is spectacular too. How much is this costing me?”

“It’s costing you nothing,” he grumbled and dug a food box from the bag and set it on the counter. When he opened it up, I saw a sweet breaded pastry with icing and eggs with chorizo. He then pulled out some fruit I’d never seen.

“What is all this?” I asked, my mouth watering.

He pointed to the pastry. “Pan de Mallorca. It’s sweet and pairs well with their local fruit here: quenepa and guanabana.”

My stomach growled. He smiled and stared at my midsection. “You hungry, Lamb?”

“I don’t think I realized how hungry until this second.”

He pointed to my bed. “Sit. Let me feed you.”

I dragged a hand along the comforter before I sat. “The bed’s much better than the one downstairs.”

He hummed but didn’t say anything.

“The access to this floor is exclusive, Dante.”

He nodded, not giving me any indication as to why we were getting such special treatment.

“Does the government put all their officials up in places like this?”

“I’m contracted, Lilah. It’s technically private but for the government. Different from when I was in Delta.”

I sat on the bed as he took the pastry with the ooey gooey icing from its container and placed it on a plate. “I didn’t talk to you much when you were in Delta Force.”

“You didn’t talk to me at all,” he retorted, an edge to his voice.

Sighing, I combed my hand through my hair, something we both knew I did when I was nervous.

“I’m giving you a hard time, Lilah. Don’t pull your hair out over it.” He glanced up and winked at me as he licked some of the icing from his fingers.

Snapping my gaze from his, I silently scolded my body for reacting. I felt my nipples puckering under my tank, and I knew I didn’t have a bra on.

It wasn’t my fault the man was as hot as he was or that I still remembered everything he excelled at in the bedroom.

I cleared my throat. “Thanks for bringing food.” I tried to stare at that instead. I hadn’t had a good meal in days. The hotel never served food like this, and obviously the food in jail was a joke. “Where did you get it?”

“Just downstairs.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Dante, I’ve been to all these restaurants.”

“But you haven’t been with me to all these restaurants, have you?” He smiled big enough for that dimple to indent his cheek, and I rolled my eyes. My body was never not going to be attracted to him.

He brought it all over to me. Then he sat in the chair across from me, lifted one of his leather loafers onto the knee of his gray slacks, and stared at me as he leaned back.

“Um, what are you doing?” I waved my hand at the chair and table where he lounged.

“Watching you eat,” he said matter-of-factly as he pulled at the collar of his tailored white shirt. “Put food in your mouth.”

The smell of frosting was too good to pass up, even if he wasn’t going to eat with me. I sliced a piece off the pastry and popped it into my mouth. “I’m not going to eat all this.” I said around the food, and then I let it melt and enjoyed the sweet, savory taste all at once. I hummed and then said, “You should eat too.”

“I worked out and ate already.”

“You did all that? Are you down the hall? When did you wake up?”

He shrugged. “Before you.”

“And you showered and got ready, obviously, because this”—I motioned with my fork—“is not the way I’m used to seeing you dress.”

“Guess we both have to get used to one another’s new wardrobes.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mine is much more casual than yours.”

“Yours is going to get us both in trouble.”

I shook my head and ignored him. I wasn’t going to indulge his big brother attitude. I could wear what I wanted, when I wanted to wear it. It was something I made sure to do here, along with a lot of other things. I deserved not to worry about what other people were thinking or what I should be doing after spending so much of my life doing the exact opposite.

He checked his phone while I ate in silence. I tried my best not to ask him a million questions, because it was better to start on the right foot.

“So, I should thank you for the room upgrade.” I’d had a better night’s rest than I thought I would. “Like I said, the bed is really soft, and today I’ll probably end up jumping on it since I have more energy.”

“Jump on it? Really, Lilah?” He shook his head at my idea of fun.

“Try it before you knock it.”

“I don’t jump on beds, Lamb,” he said through a smile.