“Why do you have women’s clothes categorized by size in the dresser? Why are you bringing me breakfast? You’ve already done more than most people would to help me. What do you want from me? Because I am not Anastasia Steele and I have no interest in your sex dungeon.”
“That’s a lot to process,” he said, his brow furrowing as he covered my hands with his own. “I don’t know who this Anastasia person is, but I can assure you that there is no dungeon…sex or otherwise. And I’m helping you because I can.” He squeezed my fingers gently. “And when I realized you would be staying with me, I had the housekeeper go out and buy basics that you might need so you would be comfortable until we could recover your luggage.”
“Yeah…I don’t understand that,” I admitted, pulling my hands free of his.
“Probably because you’re American,” he replied with a smirk. “Europeans try to be friendly and accommodating. Americans tend to look out only for themselves.”
Okay, so that was rude…and also true.
“I still don’t understand,” I said lamely.
“I don’t know if I can explain it to you any clearer,” Hez said softly. “I like you. I have the means to help you out of a terrible situation, and I’d like to do it. I don’t expect anything in return.”
“Yeah…still don’t understand,” I said with a laugh. “But thank you, I guess.”
“Your gratitude astounds me,” he teased. “Now, eat something and get dressed. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
Yeah, I guess we did. Trying to recover my entire life was going to be a giant pain in the ass. And I was actually grateful to have Hez’s help. Even if it was hard for me to trust it.
“Can you find your way downstairs?” Hez asked.
“I believe so,” I assured him. “Thank you. Truly. For everything.”
“It is of no consequence,” he said. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
He turned and headed out, leaving me alone with a tray full of food, a dresser full of clothes, and a heart full of worry.
The thing was, I really wanted to believe that he was a good man. Because I liked him, too. A lot. Not only was he incredibly handsome, and clearly rich as hell, but there was just something about him that made want to feel comfortable in his presence.
As I sipped my coffee I let myself think about the situation objectively. Damsel in distress aside, Hez was exactly the kind of man I would want to get to know. He was smart and funny and had excellent taste in confections. He was exceedingly kind, appeared to be well liked in his community.
All in all…he was kind of perfect.
I’d come to Germany in search of magic and adventure, and it seemed I was being handed that on a silver platter. And it came with quince jam.
Maybe I should stop fighting against my good fortune, which granted had come at the cost of a metric ton of bad luck and start to see this situation as the blessing that it was.
What if Hezekiah Gruber had been put in my path for a reason? What if he was my Christmas magic that I’d been searching for?
Or, what if I was a giant moron who was searching for a fairy tale and was about to get the Grimm’s version?
As I stood and went to take a shower I figured worrying wasn’t going to do me any good. I was going to get whatever version I was going to get. And in the meantime, I may as well enjoy the ride.
Chapter Six
~Hez~
Sex dungeon?
Americans were so weird.
“How is my future sister-in-law settling in?” Simon asked when I walked into the kitchen to get myself coffee.
“Hush,” I hissed, looking behind me in case Hannah had decided to follow me down. Thankfully she was nowhere in sight. “Don’t say shit like that.”
“Dude, I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at her last night,” Simon teased. “Hell, I’ve never seen you look at anyone, full stop. I was starting to wonder if you were just asexual. Which would be cool with me, by the way.”
“I’m not asexual,” I assured him. “I’m busy. There’s a difference.”