“Hell,” she said, getting up to meet him halfway. “I didn’t know he was going pull you out of bed. I’m so sorry.”
“Not a problem, I was in the military. I can handle an early-morning wake-up call. Especially for one of my members.” Instead of taking her hand, he placed a knuckle beneath her chin, tilted her face up to him, and evaluated her expression like a parent trying to catch a child in a lie. “Camden said he thought you could be on something, but that’s obviously not the case. What’s going on, darlin’? Who put that lost look in your eye?”
She stepped away from his touch, his all-too-knowing gaze. “I just need a place to stay. Is there any room tonight?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and peered down at her, his fingers drumming against his bicep. “We don’t actually. There’s a big collaring ceremony this weekend. Multiple couples participating. So we’re booked through the next few days.”
His answer landed like a sack of rocks on her shoulders, making her bones feel like they might snap beneath the weight of all she’d dealt with today. “Oh. I see.”
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he said, sounding truly apologetic.
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have assumed anyway.” She reached for the handle of her suitcase. “I’ll just drive a little farther and find a motel. No big deal.”
She attempted to lift her suitcase and barely got it off the floor. The bag seemed to be filled with bricks, even though she knew there were only a few changes of clothes in it. Grant caught sight of her struggle and reached down, placing his hand over hers on the handle. “Wait.”
She released the bag and straightened. “What’s wrong?”
He stared at her for a long moment, his gaze seeming to tunnel into her, unzipping her casing and peering inside. Instinct told her to look away, look down, look anywhere but at him, but the stare held her as captive as Andre’s handcuffs would’ve.
Finally, he broke the eye contact and hefted her suitcase with ease. “You’ll stay with me. You’re tired.”
She blinked, then his suggestion registered. Oh, shit. The Dom with a capital D commanding her to stay with him? Did that mean . . . ? “What? Oh, no, I couldn’t. I can’t—”
“You will,” he said as if he were Supreme Master Ruler of the Universe. “I’m not letting you get on the road and risk killing yourself or someone else.”
“But I can’t—”
He laid his free hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Evan. This isn’t a sexual invitation. If it were, you would know. I have a guest room. It’s nothing fancy, but you can stay there this weekend.”
Her muscles loosened beneath his reassurance. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“You won’t be. Now come on, let’s get you to bed.” He put his arm fully around her shoulders, and she couldn’t help but sag against his side, her body’s internal battery fully depleted.
Under normal circumstances, she may have put up more of a fight. May have been more wary of sleeping at some stranger’s house. But right now, all she wanted was a bed and the oblivion of sleep. Right or wrong, she trusted Grant. On some primal level she sensed his goodness, his honest nature.
Grant led her to a golf cart parked outside the main building and helped her get seated before securing her suitcase in the back. The ride to his corner of the property was blessedly quiet. She’d expected more questions from the ever watchful owner, but apparently he wasn’t going to pry. For now. She had a feeling all bets were off in the morning.
The house they parked in front of was a modest version of the cedar-planked cabins that dotted the grounds of The Ranch. Wraparound porch. Views of the vineyards from two sides. Beautifully simple. Much smaller than she would’ve expected for a man with Grant’s kind of money.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said, climbing out and grabbing the suitcase. “Sun’s starting to rise, and I have horses to feed.”
The inside of the cabin was as understated as Grant’s wardrobe. Comfortable furniture, simple decor. Not even a family photo in sight. The only make-a-Realtor-go-wild feature was the two-story wall of windows in the living room that framed the vineyard and the horizon beyond. “Wow, that’s some view.”
“Thanks. It’s why I picked this spot.”
She let her gaze go all the way to the top of the windows where they narrowed to a peak. Not a curtain anywhere. “Sacrificing a little privacy though. Anybody working in the vineyards could totally see you if you decided to have a romantic evening on the couch or something.”
He smiled as he led her through a hallway, his large hand like a heating pad on the base of her spine. “Not an issue. I don’t bring women here.”
She straightened. “Wait, like ever?”
He opened the door on his right and set her suitcase down inside the bedroom. “I have a whole playground at my fingertips. I don’t need to bring someone into my personal space.”
“Then why are you letting me?”
“Because you needed me to.” He flipped on the light switch in the bedroom. She followed him inside. “And because you’re the sub of two very good friends of mine. They would want me to keep you safe and off the roads.”
“You can’t let them know I’m here,” she said, the words whipping out of her mouth before she could reel them back.