Crash Into Me(32)

Shaking his head, he scooped out another helping of ice cream and slid the spoon between my lips. "Not if I can help it."

"Is it just with me that you do this, Tristan?" I asked, only half-joking.

"Is it just with me that you ask so many questions, Nina?" he asked in return, once again not giving me a straight answer.

"I liked the way you spoke to me this afternoon. Not only what you said but how much you said. One of these days, I hope you'll want to say that much to me about other things."

His expression quickly clouded over. "You may not like what you hear."

I reached out and squeezed his hand. "I've always asked lots of questions. I guess you think it's a personal flaw?"

Tristan placed the spoon in my mouth so I could have another bite. "No. It's part of your charm."

His attempt at making me feel good was sweet and I appreciated it. I don't think anyone had ever thought my questions were charming, but he did. By the time I'd finished eating, it wouldn't have mattered what he'd done. I'd have forgiven him.

Reaching out, I touched his hand. "This was wonderful. Thank you, Tristan."

"Nina, I have something to show you. I hope you're happy with it."

He led me from the dining room to a hallway on the opposite side of the house from the room we'd slept in the night before. Stopping, he gently backed me against the wall and kissed me. His lips were tender but insistent, taking from me what he desired and giving me that part of him that I so wanted.

Nervous at what it could be that he wanted to show me, I caressed his cheek with the back of my hand. "I can't wait to see your surprise."

My answer seemed to make him happy and he led me to a bedroom that looked just like his. He opened the door and proudly announced, "I had everything of yours brought here. If you need anything else, just tell me and I'll make sure you get it."

"You had everything from my home brought here?"

"Yes."

"Tristan, I need to know. Am I a prisoner here?" I asked feeling fear for the first time with him since we were racing through the city in his Jag that first night.




His expression hardened and he dropped my hand from his hold. Without a word, he turned and left me standing there feeling terrible for asking a question anyone with a brain in their head would have asked.

I checked the closet and dresser drawers, and all my clothes were in exactly the same spots and the same order as they'd been at my apartment. He'd transferred my life exactly from Sunset Park to his house upstate, the only difference in his mind that I was living with him instead of Jordan.

I couldn't decide if I should be terrified by his behavior or touched by his thoughtfulness.

Lying on the bed in my new room, my mind was a muddle of ideas, one more conflicting than the other. I had the job I'd always dreamed of, yet I seemed to have signed a deal with the devil. Tristan was everything I'd ever wanted in a man. Gorgeous, his face was pure beauty and his eyes were gentle hints at the quiet soul beneath who shone through far too infrequently. He was more successful than any man I'd ever been with and seemed intent on lavishing upon me anything I could desire, no matter the cost, yet I had to leave my home. He was attentive to my every physical need, taking my body to places of pleasure any woman would beg to experience even once, yet there was a distance he forced between us. Above all, he wanted more than anything to make me happy, but it was to be on his terms.

What had I gotten myself into?

I needed to clear my head, so I stripped down, hoping a nice hot shower would help me figure out what to do. As the water steamed up the room, I stepped in and saw every item I kept in the shower at home with Jordan was there, only replaced new. My razor. My soap. My shampoo and conditioner. Each was there brand new. Had he gone shopping too?