Deception (Infidelity #3)(75)
“I shouldn’t have left you here alone,” he said, “not after last time.”
I tried to move my head from side to side. “No, it’s not… I’m fine. What’s upset you?”
“You,” Nox replied. “I’m worried about you. Why are you crying?”
My fingers found their way to my face as I pulled away from his embrace. He was right. I hadn’t realized I’d been crying, but my cheeks were wet. I blinked my swollen lids and wiped away the evidence.
“I’m fine. I think I fell asleep.”
Now at arm’s length, Nox’s pale blue eyes scanned my features, seeing not only me, but inside of me. Even in the sparse illumination that spilled like golden liquid from the hallway, I saw the navy swirls as he assessed my words and my expression.
“I would’ve been home sooner,” Nox explained, “but just as I was about to leave the office, I got a phone call that I needed to take. I should’ve called you when it was done.”
Still shaking my head, I replied, “Stop, I’m fine. I’m not that fragile.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
I reached for his hand, still holding my shoulder, turned and lifted his palm to my lips. Giving it a kiss I held it near my cheek and smiled. “I think everything is catching up with me.”
As I was about to lace our fingers together, Nox’s gaze went to the bed and then to my phone atop it. He dropped my hand, reached for it, and swiped the screen.
Last call: JANE
Nox’s eyes moved from the screen to mine. “Tell me who she is and why her call upset you? Does this have anything to do with Chelsea?”
Though his request was more of a demand, I didn’t answer; instead, I shrugged. “I’m worried about her. I’ve tried to call Chelsea, but her phone is off.”
“Did this Jane person tell you something?”
“It’s nothing. As I said, I think everything has caught up with me. It’s been a busy week. I’m just happy it’s over and you’re home. Thank you for coming last night.” I broadened my grin. “And this morning.”
Nox wasn’t easily distracted, though my mind had drifted to a few of our early morning scenes. “Charli, something upset you. Who is the woman on the call?” This time his question was more persistent than before.
“I’ll tell you…” I tried for a more upbeat tone. “… if we can go eat that dinner Lana prepared.”
Nox looked toward the clock. “It’s almost eight. Why didn’t you eat without me?”
My ear met my shoulder as I lifted the corners of my lips. “It appears that I napped instead.”
“So you’re well rested?” he asked, his brows rising with a hint of a promise that he’d moved on from his earlier concern. As he spoke, he removed his suit jacket, folded it, and placed it onto a nearby chair. “I hope her dinner isn’t ruined.”
“It smelled great when I peeked at it earlier. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t use frozen meatballs.”
Nox grinned. “No. That would be cause for immediate dismissal.”
“Oh? Should I start looking for a new place to live?”
“No, princess, just let Lana do the cooking. You have different duties.”
“Oh, I do?”
The gleam in his eyes and the view he provided as he continued to remove his tie left me momentarily tongue-tied. “Fine,” I finally said. “I turned down the heat in the oven. It was my contribution to dinner. It should all be fine.”
Nox reached for my hand and helped me stand. “It does smell wonderful,” he agreed before his gaze narrowed. “If it didn’t, I might decide to keep you in here and skip food.”
“Keep me in here?” My tone turned sultry with a touch of innocence. “How would you plan to keep me? Tied to the bed?”
One of Nox’s brows twitched. “Careful. Food is beginning to lose its appeal.”
His innuendo reminded me why I’d entered the bedroom in the first place. “Do you know…?” My question faltered as I searched for the right words and fought the embarrassment brought on by the subject.
My mind told me that it was silly. No one in the world knew me as intimately as Nox Demetri. Simply asking him the location of my vibrator shouldn’t make me nervous. Maybe it was because he’d once told me I wasn’t allowed to use it. The thing was—I didn’t want to be the one in control.
“Do I know… what?” Nox asked, pulling me close, his arm firmly around my waist. “How to tie satin into the perfect knots that keep you exactly where I want you?”
Our hips came crashing together, prompted by his embrace. My breathing hitched as I worked to stay focused on my goal and not allow my thoughts to imagine what he described. With my neck bowed backward, I tilted my head seductively and lowered my lashes. “No, Mr. Demetri. I know the answer to that question. I was wondering if you knew where my vibrator was? Last time I saw it, it was on the bed.”
His menacing gaze, which over the last week had been replaced with concern and worry, resurfaced with a vengeance. Its reappearance caused my heart to tremble and body to quake in anticipation.
“Miss Collins, was that the reason for your angst? Were you so horny that you were crying over a lost vibrator, one that I believe I told you was off-limits? Is that what happens when I’m merely an hour late?”