Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
My phone dinged with her response. Dinner was ready, and she would have it to me in a few minutes.
Her soft knock made me smile. It had taken months of working for me, but she’d grown accustomed to my need for quiet and darkness. She no longer flung all the curtains open to bring in the bright sun, and she walked silently—or nearly silently. I could hear her, but I was trained to listen for the smallest sound. “Come in.”
She set a tray on my desk, and I sighed. Beatrice’s vodka sauce was almost as good as my mother’s and the wine would be excellent since it had come from my cellar. I only bought the best.
“Your guest is eating in the kitchen right now, and I showed him the other rooms he’s allowed in.”
How had I forgotten he didn’t know his way around the house? “Thank you.”
There were rooms Beatrice wasn’t allowed in either, though more of the house was open to her than Corey. We’d built some trust, and I absolutely hated cleaning.
She studied me for a moment, a frown on her face. “I thought you might… Never mind. I hope you enjoy your dinner.”
I nodded, unwilling to find out what she’d been about to say. “I’m sure I will.”
Had she thought I might want to join Corey? I absolutely did not, no matter how much I found his bright smile intriguing. He was my opposite, all sunshine and light, while I preferred to stay in the darkness. He was the last sort of person I needed to be around.
5
COREY
After dinner, I returned to my room and changed into sweats and a T-shirt.
I sat on my bed and flipped through channels, finally landing on a movie I’d seen a thousand times. I found myself scrolling on my phone as the movie played in the background. Eventually, I got restless. I turned off the TV and walked to the door, listening carefully before opening it.
The only sounds I heard were creaks from the old house settling as the night grew colder. Where was Mr. Marchesi? In his room? In his office? I didn’t actually want to see him, did I? Why would I? He wasn’t going to talk to me.
Although it was fun to study him and imagine what it would feel like to melt all his ice.
No, I scolded myself, this isn’t a book. I can’t keep having these fantasies.
There were so many books in the living room. Surely I could find something I was interested in, maybe even a Gothic horror. That seemed like the appropriate thing to read in an old, dark, cold home where I was a prisoner.
Or at least basically a prisoner.
A fairly well-treated one, though, even if my captor was a grouch.
I pulled on the thick terry cloth robe that was hanging in the bathroom for me and cinched it tight. It was even colder in the hall. Maybe Dom didn’t even feel it. Maybe he matched the inside temperature to the ice in his bones.
My feet were freezing, but I didn’t have slippers and hadn’t felt like putting on socks. I’d survive until I could come back and warm them under the covers.
The books in the living room were mostly scholarly non-fiction or coffee table books—nice to flip through, but I wanted a novel. I dismissed them and began to wander. Dominic’s office door was shut, and I had no doubt it was locked. I didn’t need to tempt fate by trying to get in, so I headed toward the sunroom at the back of the house.
I was halfway to the bookshelves when I realized Dominic was there, sitting in a wingback chair. He was watching me, eyes narrowed, obviously not happy I’d disturbed him.
“I thought I was allowed in this room. The door was open and—”
“The room is not forbidden.”
Damn, his commanding voice made me shiver. What was wrong with me? He didn’t even like me. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be interested in anything else. And I knew he’d been married to a woman. He could be bisexual, but there was no evidence of that except the look he’d given me. Actually, he was giving it to me now, like I intrigued him, even though he didn’t like it.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just came in here looking for a book. I watched TV for a while, but then I kind of got bored, and I started scrolling on my phone, but I’ve told myself I’m not going to do that as much. I want to be doing other things, and I’ve gotten back into reading, so I thought maybe—”
Mr. Marchesi held up a hand, and I realized I was probably infuriating him by babbling. “What type of book would you like?”
I wasn’t sure he’d take it well if I told him I thought a Gothic horror would fit the vibe of his house. “I read a lot of different things. I like mysteries, and I like fantasy, and I read a romance book recently and damn, that was hot.”