Page 13

“I got pizza.”

Solo walked into the living room carrying food dressed in his signature all black. I didn’t know how one color could make a man look so regal, but that’s what black did for Solomon Godfrey. How well he looked in anything coupled with his presence made him irresistible.

“What kind of pizza?”

“Well, I didn't know if you liked pepperoni, cheese, or sausage, so I got a little bit of everything.”

“And the two of us are supposed to eat all of this?”

Solo stood in front of me with at least six boxes of pizza for just the two of us. I didn’t know how much he could put into his stomach, but I knew for sure I couldn’t even eat one let alone six.

“I mean, yeah, but if not, Brian’s outside. You know his big ass wanna eat.” He shrugged like he didn't say anything wrong while insulting his friend.

“You came in late last night. What did you do yesterday?”

“You clocking my movements now?”

“Um, no. I just didn’t see you at all yesterday. I figured you were busy.”

“I went to a race.”

“Did you win?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, I won.”

“And what was the prize?

“Something very valuable.” He took a bite of his pizza and smiled before continuing. “More valuable than money.”

“Well, congratulations. I’m happy you won.”

“Let me guess, you watching Martin again?”

“Yes. I was already a Martin fan, but Brian has me hooked. After spending that one night sitting in here watching it, it made me not want to watch anything else. If it’s not Martin on the TV then it's definitely Law and Order: SVU. ”

“That’s too much TV for one person.”

“I mean, it’s not much to do when you’re locked in a house that’s in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even know what it looks like outside of the door around here.”

I was hoping my words and the pitiful look on my face worked to convince Solo to at least let me go outside. Even if it was just to sit on the porch. I needed sunlight on my face. The little bit that shined through the window in my room was no longer doing it for me.

I wanted to smell nature and feel the wind in my hair. I’d been a homebody my whole life, so the immense craving I had for the outdoors had to be due to not knowing if I would ever be outside again. I could very well spend my last days on Earth locked away in Solo’s mansion.

Silence had overtaken the space I’d created with my last statement, and I noticed that was something Solo did often. When he didn’t want to speak on something, he would just get quiet until I moved on to something else. Since I had something else to ask him anyway, I had no problem moving on.

“Is this your girlfriend?” I asked pulling out the picture I’d gotten from Solo’s top drawer. I wanted to know more about him, and since he rarely told me anything, I tried to learn from what I saw around his house.

“Who told you to touch my shit?”

He snatched the picture from my hand and sat up straight on the couch. I could feel the shift in his energy, and just like that, the fear he usually filled me with returned.

“I’m sorry. I just thought maybe...”

I didn’t know what I thought, so I didn’t even bother finishing my statement. The wrinkles that creased his forehead, the way his chest heaved up and down, even the way his breathing changed told me I’d crossed a boundary, and I had no idea how to make it back on the other side.

“Her name was Brittany.”

“Was?”

“Yeah. She died in Afghanistan. We were deployed there, and one day, while we were out on a patrol, she stepped on a bomb. Died right in front of me.”

“I’m so sorry I asked about your girlfriend, Solo. I didn’t mean to bring up old memories. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“She wasn’t my girlfriend. She was my foster sister.” He chuckled, but I could see the mist forming in his eyes. “Born one day apart, we met when we were six years old. Her parents adopted me and treated me like their own.”

“Do you still keep in contact with them?”

“I’d lost contact with the whole family after I turned eighteen and left for the army. I got in some trouble, so joining was my only option. I thought they wouldn’t want anything to do with me after how much trouble I’d caused the family, so I left and never looked back. Brittany and I just happened to bump into each other in Afghanistan. I was so happy to reconnect with my best friend only for us to be separated forever four months later.

“That’s crazy, right? I mean, I don’t talk to my best friend in years. I finally get her back only for her to be blown to pieces right in front of my face. I mean literal pieces of her hit me in the face as the explosion went off. What am I supposed to do about that? How do you come back from something like that? How was I the one who survived when there was somebody that was more deserving?

“My whole life has felt like a mistake since that moment. How could I still be alive and Brittany be gone? She had people that loved her. She had a family that cared about her and worshipped the ground she walked on. The last care package they’d shipped us was still on her cot. The last phone call hadn’t been more than a week prior and just like that she was gone, but I was there to stay… alone.”

The way words spilled from Solo told me he’d been holding everything he’d just told me in for a long time. I hated that I was the one who brought up such raw emotions, but I was happy he was able to release it. He clearly needed to.

When I planned to search Solo’s house for anything that would tell me more about who he was, I didn’t plan to stumble onto something that would make me sympathize with my kidnapper. If I was being honest, I wanted to find something that would do the opposite. I’d already slept with him, which meant I felt a slight surge of danger and a strong one of desire whenever his body and my own was even remotely close to one another. I needed to find something that would break the spell he had over me.

I was caught in Solo’s web as I was sure so many women had been before me, so many women he had no intention to love. So many that he’d probably harmed in one way or another. If I didn’t find something incriminating or even humiliating that would send the right signals from my brain to my pussy, I would be next.

When I’d found the picture of Brittany, I thought I’d stumbled upon something I could hold against him. My plan was to present it to him, learn whatever he’d done to her, and have a reason to hurry along my next escape plan. Hearing the story of him losing his best friend to a senseless war shattered my heart into a million pieces.

The more I learned about Solo, the more I realized how little I actually knew. The world had painted a different picture of the man sitting in front of me on the verge of tears. The pain he felt as a result of such a loss was evident.

Solo’s pain reminded me that we weren’t much different. Although we may not have been the cause of someone we loved dying, we had failed to save them. I failed to save my mom and he failed to save Brittany. The remorse we felt for being the one who survived was something we both had to deal with. I’d dug up memories I was sure he wanted to keep buried and left this conversation feeling even more drawn to him.

Scooting closer to him on the couch, I used my hand to wipe away the single tear that fell from his eyes. I’d hit a nerve and brought about unnecessary pain. I felt responsible for making him feel better in the moment.

“Solo, I am so sorry for your loss,” I whispered before kissing his lips. I let my chest fall into his, and he gripped my waist.

“It’s cool. I—” He struggled to finish the story, but he didn’t have to. I’d heard enough.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” I kissed him again then straddled his lap. “We don’t have to talk at all.”

Solo gripped my ass and pressed my middle closer to his. I felt his hardness through our clothes that was the only buffer between me and what I wanted. I could feel the wetness building between my legs as I grinded on him, wanting him to be inside of me.

“Take these off.”

Solo’s voice was low and laced with arousal. The raspiness of his tone made me drip even more. I stood and slipped out of my joggers while Solo released himself from his jeans. Dropping to my knees in front of him, I took him into my mouth.