Page 15 of Sweet Madness
“Something of this…” I repeat, wanting to know what she thinks of my ranch for some reason unbeknownst to me. She then turns and meets my gaze. Her pretty eyes light up, and suddenly a strange feeling coils in the pit of my stomach. Not this again. “Something so beautiful.”
Thud.
Another pang in my chest while the intense feeling in my stomach grows stronger as she keeps staring at me. Then, as if she forgets herself, she shakes her head, trying to make the pink hue on her cheeks fade away. Blush. She’s blushing so prettily.
Clearing my throat, I force myself out of this strange trance this girl has placed me under and move toward the front gates of the ranch house. She follows me to the main entrance and waits while I enter the code in the keypad and then push open the door. Once inside, I hold the door open and wait for her to step in.
“Welcome to your home for the upcoming weeks, Miss Kenton,” I murmur as I place her bags on the floor and lock the door behind us. Nobody knows she’s here except for her parents and Ben, but I won’t be taking any chances with her life. After the freak is caught, I’ll return her safely to her perfect world, and everything will go back to normal. Same old normal. Lonely. Boring. Just how I prefer it.
“Please call me Ella, Shaw. We’re not strangers.”
But we are. I don’t know this girl. I only knew the five-year-old she once was briefly, but this woman who resembles her mother, Arianna Parisi, in looks and mannerisms—I have no connection with her, nor do I wish to. My focus is solely on doing my job.
Harsh? Perhaps. But life is cruel for the rest of us. The ones who weren’t born with a silver spoon in our privileged mouths. Why make it harder? You don’t get hurt if you have no one to lose. I learned that the hard way.
“Shaw.” Her sultry and sweet voice brings me back to the moment. I lift my gaze, and my eyes clash with her gentle ones.
“Let’s go,” I grumble before turning to carry her bags up the long staircase to one of the many empty rooms in this place. It is one of the nicest rooms here and as big as the master room—light and airy with white wood walls that give it a cozy feel, furnished with a king-sized bed, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, bedside tables, a red quilt on the bed—but probably not the glitz and glamor she’s accustomed to.
I set her suitcases on the long stool at the bottom of the bed and turn around to find her right in front of me. I rake my hand through my hair, trying to shake off the strange feeling I get whenever I’m near her.
Fuck.
What is happening?
What a strange fucking feeling.
I need to get out of here.
Edging out of the bedroom, I take the stairs down to the main level with her following on my heels. “Come looking for me if you need anything.” I am on the last step when she calls my name. I look over my shoulder, my brow cocked in question.
She looks nervous and… disappointed. “You’re leaving?”
I give her a dull look. “Get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
She reaches upwards and plays with a long curl—a nervous tick, I guess. Twirling the black, silky strand, she speaks again. “A long day? Why’s that?”
“Work,” is all I say. This is no vacation. She’ll learn that soon enough.
One dark brow furrow in confusion. “Work?”
A smile almost slips out again.
“What? You thought this was a vacation, moonshine?” Her slow intake of breath reminds me that I fucked up again. I clear my throat before speaking. “We’ll go into town tomorrow to get you some appropriate clothes.”
She looks down at her outfit, confused. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re not in D.C. anymore, Ellaiza.” She narrows her eyes, looking annoyed. Even angry, the heiress is so damn pretty. “Goodnight.” With that, I turn and leave her standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at me in confusion.
It isn’t until I’m outside that I can breathe properly again.
Dammit.
These are going to be a long few weeks.
Space Note
“Hey, Shaw. You gave me light when it was most dark.” - E