She nodded, even though she didn’t understand and looked out her window. Too many things were rolling through her mind. How would her roommates react? Where to try to find another job? And why he was there in the first place? “If you’ll just drop me off at my apartment, I’d appreciate it.”
Gage squeezed her hand. “Sweetheart. You’re not going back there. We’ll go back tomorrow to get your things, but otherwise, you’ll be with me.”
She looked at him. “I’m still confused. What exactly is going on right now?”
He stopped at a stoplight and sighed. “First, let me ask you a question. Have you thought about me at all?”
She paused and then nodded slowly. He was all she had thought about. She dreamed of him the night before only to wake up that morning covered in sweat and aroused to the point of pain. She’d always been a little shocked she could sleep when she was at Darian’s house. Maybe the fact she felt safe made it possible. Most of the time, she struggled to get three or four hours of sleep a day.
“Good,” he said. “Do you want to get to know me?”
She bit her lip and nodded again.
He exhaled in relief. “Thank you for giving us a chance.”
“So, what’s going to happen right now?”
“I’m taking you home with me.”
Brylee tensed. “I don’t feel comfortable having … sex…”
He shook his head. “I understand. I want us to take the time to get to know each other before we take that step.”
She exhaled. “Okay, good.”
“I have a spare bedroom I’ll put you in.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, princess.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence.
Brylee perked up when Gage drove down into a private parking lot under a tall building.
“Where are we?”
“We’re home. I live in a condo right now. I’ve never really required a house, but we’ll see about that down the line.”
Gage helped her out of the car and grabbed her bag. He took her up into the elevator.
They stood across from each other as the elevator rose. The elevator doors opened into a large foyer with slate tile and light-gray walls. Then they moved into a huge room with the same gray color and floor. On the opposite wall were humongous windows and a set of French doors that led out onto a balcony.
In the room, there was a big sofa and several chairs. A fireplace covered a large amount of the wall to the left of the windows with a large-screen TV over that. Brylee’s head swiveled back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. She could tell it was a man’s place. There were no soft touches or color. Everything was black, gray, and white.
Gage led her into an open kitchen. He released her hand, opened the refrigerator, and bent down. “Are you hungry?”
“Um, no.”
Gage glanced over his shoulder at her. He closed the refrigerator door, lifted her hand, pulled her into the living room, and sat them on the sofa. “I know you probably have a lot of questions.”
She nodded. “I do. I just don’t know where to start.”
“We have time. If it weren’t so late, I’d let you call Larkin. How about we do that first thing in the morning?”
She visibly relaxed. “I’d like that.”
“Why don’t we get you settled into a room, and you can get some rest? We have plenty of time for answers later.”