The man sighed and put his spoon down before zooming his ocean irises to her. “When was the last time you ate, Doctor Freeman? Or slept for that matter?”
Tessa shook her head. “I doubt you saved me so I could finally eat and rest.”
“As I said, your rescue wasn’t planned. I was surprised to see you there. And about that, I have a few questions.”
“Take a number, stranger, because I have questions of my own first.”
Locke nodded before gesturing to her bowl of soup. “No doubt you have. But first, eat.”
As he took his spoon again, Tessa felt a little rebellious, or was it his cold composure that tempted her to test her limits. “How do I know you didn’t put anything in my soup?”
Once more, Locke put his spoon down. “You trust me. If not overtly, part of you knows I’m not a threat.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Doctor Freeman. And we both know it now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have used my shower that way earlier.”
A sudden burst of heat reddened her cheeks, but Tessa ignored it. “It was a release valve.”
It was faint, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his handsome lips. “And a beautiful one, I must say.”
“The door was locked.”
“You’re in my home, Doctor. A locked door is of no consequence to me.”
The more he talked, all calm and collected, the more she wanted to jump over the counter and strangle him.
“But a breach of trust, nonetheless. By locking the door, I implicitly requested to take a shower alone.”
“I repeat, you’re in my home. I come and go inside these walls as I please. And may I remind you that my presence didn’t prevent you from orgasming. So beautiful to see you fly, Doctor. And again, it was a sign of trust. Don’t tell me you would have done the same if Luther had appeared before you at that exact moment.”
He had a point, and Tessa hated him even more for that.
“And that’s why you took your gun back? Because you knew that I trusted you?”
Locke nodded which made her roll her eyes. “You are unbelievable. It doesn’t work like that. Trust doesn’t work like that.”
“It does. Extreme circumstances warrant it. And I wouldn’t reveal what I’m about to if I didn’t know for certain that you would keep your mouth shut about it. Same with what you tell me.”
“What makes you think that I have something to reveal? I lead a very dull life. I have nothing remotely interesting to say about it.”
His smile grew, and it made her heart skip. He was truly a handsome man, but it was the predatory look in his eyes that was the most unsettling.
“You underestimate yourself, or you’re lying to me, Doctor. And in both cases, I don’t like it. I doubt you lead such a dull life, as you say. Or if you do, it’s only for appearances. I know that you helped Allison disappear and I applaud you for it even if it was a dangerous and foolish move. Luther is not a man to cross. If you stole his livelihood, he will retaliate.”
Tessa couldn’t help but snarl. “A young girl is not property. Hell! A human being can’t belong to another. Slavery is an abomination!”
“So, you admit that you saved Allison.”
Shit! Her sudden outburst exposed her more than she’d intended. “I admit nothing. I’m only stating the facts.”
Locke crossed his arms, his energy shifting a little. “Morals don’t have anything to do with this situation. And I suspect Allison isn’t the first one to land in your ER that you’ve tried to save.”
“You are insane.” Tessa pushed herself away from the counter and went for the elevator. If she couldn’t get it to open, there should be an emergency door somewhere.
“You can’t walk out of here, Doctor. It’s too dangerous. And the doors are electronically locked, there is no way to get out unless you have the codes.”
Ignoring his statement, and the fact that he was heading her way, Tessa examined the second door that was locked too. About to try another one, Locke took her by the shoulders and turned her around. “Listen to me. The moment you’re seen on the streets Luther’s men will come and take you back to him. You have to wait.”
