Page 6

The door slamming woke me up out of the deep sleep the softness of the couch had allowed me to fall into. When I opened my eyes, Solo was standing over me. The corners of his eyes were tight as he looked in between me and Brian who was on the other couch still knocked out.

It was something so sexy about the way he stood with his bowed legs shoulder width apart. He was dressed in all black, and I could still see his print through the jeans he wore. The hood of his hoodie was pulled so low I could barely see his eyes, but I did, and they were peering into me like it was the last time they would ever rest on my face. Was this the moment I’d been so afraid of? Was he finally ready to kill me?

I sat up slowly with my back still pressed firmly against the couch. I knew now was the time to choose my words carefully, so I kept my mouth shut as we continued our stare down. He finally took his eyes off of me to walk over to where Brian was just now starting to stir in his sleep.

“Do I pay you to sleep, nigga?”

Solo kicked the side of the couch to wake Brian up. He jumped up like someone had just doused him with a bucket of cold water. Brian had at least one hundred pounds and a couple inches on Solo, yet I could tell he was just as afraid of him as I was.

“My bad, boss man. We were just sitting here watching Martin .” Brian tried to straighten his clothes and wipe the sleep out of his eyes, but it didn’t do any good. “Shit must’ve put us to sleep.”

“I don’t pay your ass to watch TV either. Get the fuck out. Stand outside in the cold since you can’t keep your fucking eyes open.” Solo’s dark eyebrows slanted in a frown, and the creases in his forehead looked like they would get stuck.

How mad he was let me know my plan of seducing him was out the window. The way he stood staring at us let me know he didn’t have a problem shooting either of us right here in the middle of his living room. His eyes remained locked on Brian until he gathered all his stuff and walked outside. Once he was on the other side of the door, I was the only person left to feel his wrath.

“Go upstairs,” he commanded.

His voice held a staid calmness that was much different from the way he spoke to Brian. I couldn’t tell if he was mad at me or he just wanted me out of sight. Either way, his tone gave me hope.

An even tone meant his anger may not have been directed toward me, and if he wasn’t mad at me, my plan could still work. All I needed was an opportunity to get to him. If he gave me even a sliver of time, I could work my charm and escape before he even realized I was gone.

“Can I have some more food?”

I stood in front of him with my fingers laced and dangling in front of me. The way he looked down at me made me feel so small. Solo may not have been as big as Brian, but he still towered over my 145 pound, five-foot-four frame. There was no way I could go toe to toe with a man like that, so my only option was to outsmart him.

The time I’d spent with Brian gave me a chance to find the holes in Solo’s security that would allow me to escape. Brian made the mistake of telling me only he and Solo knew I was here, which meant he was the only person watching over me and the house when Solo was gone.

While Solo was out getting the food I’d requested, I would sneak out to the garage and steal one of the other cars. Since Brian was guarding the front door, there was no way he would be able to get to me before I was safely in the car with the doors locked and headed back to the city. My plan was solid.

“All this food y’all got on my coffee table, and you still hungry?”

“I want some fries from McDonalds. Is there one close?”

He hesitated before he answered.

“Yeah. It’s right down the street. I’ll run get you something. Do you want anything else besides fries?”

“No. Just a large fry will do. Can I go with you?”

I batted my eyelashes, trying to see if that would gain me a little bit of favor. I knew he would say no, but I wanted to make him believe I would be here when he got back.

“Hell nah. Go upstairs and wait until I come back.”

Solo was a hard one to crack, but I didn’t care how much effort it took. I was going to get out of this house.

“I guess I’ll be upstairs.”

“I guess you will.”

I watched his lips move as he said each word. It was almost painful how fine he was, even when he was being an asshole. He must have felt my eyes on his mouth because he let his thick tongue swipe over his bottom lip. I blinked before dropping my gaze to the floor.

“I’ll be right back.”

I went upstairs to the room I’d been confined to like I was told. Now wasn’t the time to rebel against anything Solo said. I needed him to trust me… like me even. If I had any chance of getting him to let his guard down, I had to gain his trust. Doing as I was told was a step in the right direction.

Being back in the stillness of the room reminded me of how much I wanted to go home. I knew I would have to answer to Tyson for leaving, but at least I wouldn’t be so afraid of losing my life. Solo was a ticking time bomb, and if I didn’t hurry up and get out of his house, it was only a matter of time before he exploded on me.

I grabbed the remote from the side of the TV and turned it on. It was the only thing I’d been able to do since he brought me here. I had never been much of a TV person before, but when it was all you had, you adapted. I searched the channels until I caught a glimpse of Olivia Benson’s face on the screen. Law and Order: SVU would provide the perfect background noise while I plotted my escape.

I wanted to wait, but the time was now. Solo lived in the middle of nowhere, so the nearest McDonalds had to be at least fifteen minutes away. That would give me ten minutes to get out of this house.

I watched from the window as Solo’s car exited the driveway. My time was limited so I slipped my shoes back on and headed downstairs. Once I made it to the door, I searched to make sure there were no kind of triggers that would sound the alarm. I opened the door once I was satisfied it was safe.

The five cars Solo had parked in his garage would soon be down to four. I grabbed a set of keys from the hook that hung by the door and pressed the lock button to make the car the keys belonged to chime. As soon as the beeping noise accompanied with flashing lights sounded, I made my way to the unlocked car. Before I could even step foot inside, the garage door was opening.

I watched Solo’s car come into full view as the door continued to rise. I could have tried to run back inside, but I knew he’d already seen me. I was caught red handed, and there was nothing I could do to change the position I’d put myself in. Instead of trying to run, I froze like a deer who had been blinded by Solo’s headlights.

There was complete silence once he shut his engine off. I watched as Solo took his time to get out of the car. Those beautiful lips held a cynical smile as he finally raised his eyes to meet mine. He was enjoying this.

“So you just gon’ leave without even eating the food you asked for?”

“No. I just came out here to get some fresh air.”

“In the garage?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to bother Brian since I’d already got him in trouble earlier.”

My lies didn’t even make sense to me, so I knew he wasn’t buying anything I’d just said. Solo slowly closed the space between us without taking his eyes off me. The smile widened the closer he got. His eyes roamed my body before settling on the keys in my hand.

“You need keys to catch fresh air?”

He used his body to push me up against the car I was just trying to steal. To keep our foreheads from touching, I swallowed hard and turned my head. He yanked it back so that our eyes were locked in on one another.

“Answer my question, baby girl.”

“No.”

“No, what?” He took a piece of my hair and pushed it behind my ear.

“No, I don’t need keys to catch fresh air.”

I dropped my eyes from his face to his broad chest. His bright white tee was a light in the darkness of the garage, and it clung to him. I needed to put space between us before my body responded in the exact opposite way of what I was feeling. I was scared for my life, but my pussy was throbbing as if she had no idea. I tried to step back, but there was nowhere to go. I was stuck between Solo and a cold car.

There was only one way to get out of this. I needed to apologize and hope like hell he forgave me. Letting my eyes travel up from his broad chest and settle on his, I held his gaze without looking away.

“I’m sorry.”

“What you sorry for, baby?” Solo undressed me with his eyes as he spoke. His gaze raking over my body caused my nipples to harden. He smiled when he saw them poking through my top.

“Trying to escape. I just don’t feel safe here.” I dropped my head to avoid making eye contact.

“Did you feel safe at home?” He placed his finger under my chin and forced my eyes back to his.

“Not all the time.”

“I think you would feel safe here if you relaxed. Do you want me to help you relax?”

The suggestion made my heart race. My heart was beating so hard and fast I was sure it would jump out of my chest at any given moment. Maybe Solo was right. Maybe I did need to relax.

“Yes,” I almost whispered.

Solo reached behind me and opened the door to the car. Once it was opened, he nodded toward the seat, urging me to get inside. There was nothing between us but air, and no one was around to change my mind about what we were about to do.

“Open your legs,” he demanded as soon as my butt was planted on the seat. The tenor of his voice lowered as he spoke. His eyes were laced with arousal as he stood in front of me.

I did as I was told and gave Solo the access he’d asked for. Solo took one of his legs and spread mine wider than I’d been able to do myself. Once he was satisfied, he let his hand roam from my cheek to my stomach.

Solo traced my belly button with his fingertips before tugging at the waistband of my joggers. He dipped his hand further down and into my pants. He ran one finger across my panty line before allowing his skin to touch mine.

His hand was warm and welcoming as it slid down and covered my middle. His touch caused chills to travel throughout my body. The way his eyes never left mine rendered me still. His gaze demanded that I stay in place as his thumb drew small circles against my clit.

Something about the way he touched me compelled my eyes to close. There was no way I could stand him looking at me and touching me the way he was. It would be impossible to remember the reason I was in the garage in the first place. I needed to get away from him. Solo was a dangerous man, but he was also handsome, and the way his fingers slid between my folds was making me forget every sense of danger I had.

A moan escaped my mouth, and I heard him chuckle before I even looked to confirm the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. When he slipped two fingers inside of me, he watched the pleasure play out on my face. I couldn’t hide my enjoyment if I wanted to. His hands were gifted. He knew exactly what to do with them, where to place them, and how to make me lose every part of my mind.