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The elevator door slides open and he steps out.
“I’m going to set you down now, okay?” His voice is low, almost soothing, and I reluctantly let go of his shirt, realizing I wrinkled it from holding onto him so hard.
“Sorry,” I whisper as my bare feet touch the carpet, “I got you all wrinkly.” Without thinking, I reach up and try to smooth the material down, unable to miss his hard chest muscles and how they feel beneath my touch.
He pulls in a breath and freezes. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
I nod and lower my hand, suddenly feeling foolish, and watch as he removes a keycard from an envelope and opens the door.
“Go ahead.” He motions for me to go inside and my heart kicks up again. This man is a complete stranger and though it momentarily felt like he was saving me, should I be scared? Does he plan to use me tonight? Even though he told me he wasn’t going to hurt me, can I trust him? Doubt fills me and I hesitate.
Then it hits me hard—this man just paid one-hundred and fifty six thousand dollars to spend the night with me. Of course, he’s going to want something in return. Why else would he have forked out a fortune? My feet refuse to move and he looks down at me with those amazing emerald eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
Once again, words elude me. I clear my throat and cross my arms over my chest. The silkiness of the negligee reminds me that I’m standing here, wearing practically nothing.
“If you come inside,” he murmurs softly, “I can give you my jacket. And we can order some room service if you’re hungry.”
His kindness touches me and emotion crashes over me. Lowering my face, I move past him and enter the room as tears threaten to fall. The last couple of weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster and I’m not sure how much more I can take. I’ve never felt so lost or alone in my entire life. Standing in the middle of the room, not sure what to do, I turn and watch him close the door. Then he shrugs his jacket off and holds it open for me. I take a tentative step closer and let him slip it over my shoulders. It’s so warm and smells really good—a little citrusy, and a lot masculine. Pulling his jacket tighter around me, I look up and see him watching me closely. There’s nothing in his expression that scares me or makes me wary; his bright green eyes are strangely calming and, if I’m not mistaken, hold a touch of sympathy. Or, maybe it’s empathy.
“Sit,” he murmurs, and I drop down on the edge of the bed. “Can we talk?”
“You just paid a ton of money for my company. I think that can be arranged.”
A laugh bursts from his throat. “I did, didn’t I?” Then he grows serious again, studying me closely. “You didn’t belong up on that stage. I would’ve paid more to get you out of there.”
My eyes widen and it occurs to me that he’s serious. “Why?” I ask, voice barely a whisper. Who is this amazing man? And why did he come to my rescue?
His face darkens at my question. “Because I didn’t like the way those men were fighting over you. Like you were some prize they could win. There’s no way I was letting any of them walk out of there with you.”
“But, why?” I ask again, thoroughly confused. “As much as I appreciate your help, you don’t even know me. And, you certainly don’t owe me anything.”
He slowly lowers down on the mattress beside me. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I had the impression you didn’t want to be up there.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“How did you wind up on that stage?”
I pull in a shaky breath and think over the hell my life has been this past month. Before I can stop myself, it all pours out of me—my mom being sick, how I was unable to pay for her treatments and provide her with the level of care I wanted, and how my desperation made me accept a loan from Dexter Creed.
“I made a deal with the devil,” I say, “and when he came to collect, I didn’t have the money to pay him back. So his enforcer brought me back here and Creed told me I could basically have every bone in my body broken before he killed me or…”
“Or you could participate in the auction,” he finishes, disgust lacing his deep voice.
I nod. “And then my debt would be paid off. Quickly and completely, and I wouldn’t have to worry about running any longer.”
“Your virginity was a steep price to pay.”
Lowering my head, I clasp and unclasp my hands nervously. “I know. But better than dying, right?” I give him a half-hearted smile. “I’m just lucky you were there. I’ll never be able to pay you back.”
His knuckles brush along my jaw and he tilts my chin up. “It’s all taken care of and all I ask is one thing.”
Uh oh. Here it comes. The real reason he paid all that money and swept me out of there. Swallowing hard, I look into his deep, green eyes. “What?” I manage to force out.
“What’s your name? I highly doubt it’s Mary,” he adds dryly.
My name? Frowning in confusion, I wait for him to demand something more in return, but he doesn’t. He just looks at me expectantly. “Um, it’s Hannah,” I tell him. “Hannah Everson.”
