Page 10 of Bought By Torch

It’s not shit. And no, I’m no longer up for it.

“I’m sorry, Torch. I know you went to a lot of trouble to arrange it. I’ll pay you back for the tickets.”

“Nah, sweetheart. Nothing to apologize for, and there’s no paying me back. If you want to go another night while you’re here, I can arrange it. And we have the best room service menu, but if there’s something you don’t see that you want, I can arrange for it to be delivered.”

I shake my head. “I’m good, thanks. You’ve already gone to enough trouble.”

“Well, fuck that.” Caleb shakes his head. “I’m going to go get me some caviar and a steak. Then I’m going to go hit up the slots for a while.”

Fine. Whatever. Just as long as it keeps him out of the room, I’ll be happy.

The knock on my door must be room service. I ordered the greasiest burger on the menu with loaded fries. Not thehealthiest meal, but Caleb isn’t around to tell me how many hours I’ll need to spend in the gym to work off the calories.

“Torch?” I open the door.

“Just wanted to check on you. You looked upset downstairs. Is everything okay?”

Funny how Caleb didn’t even bother asking if I was alright. He ran off to go get his free dinner in the restaurant and hasn’t even texted me to see if I’m feeling okay.

“I’m okay.” I nod.

“You’re not a very good liar.” He smirks.

“I’m sorry. My dad just pisses me off sometimes.”

I turn and walk into the suite, and Torch follows. The place is like a mini apartment. It’s grand and lavish and cold. Everything opulent tends to feel sterile to me. There’s no color. No signs of life. No excitement.

“His comments were a little brash.” Torch is at my back, so close I can feel his breath on my neck and smell that rich cologne. It makes him smell rugged. His hand slides down my back—the faintest touch. Making my body tingle. Sending a flick of heat up my spine. “But it’s obvious he’s worried about you. He thinks you deserve better, baby. I’d have to agree.”

My body melts back into his touch as the air labors in my lungs. My mind is racing with a million thoughts. All of them circling around this man.

“You deserve a man who’s going to look out for you. Who’s not going to leave you to your lonesome while he sits at the poker table. If you were mine, I would’ve brought you up to this room and spent hours trying to lift your mood.” His hands trace up and down my arms as his lips slide along my skin, teasing goosebumps over every inch. “I’d have kissed you until you felt all better.”

The knock on the door startles us both. I pull away, shaking my head, as he turns to answer it. This time, it’s room service.

“Looks like someone’s got their appetite back.”

I take a deep breath, thinking it may have disappeared again. I’m a flustered mess.

“Watching Portia try to jerk my dad off right in front of me was a little nauseating,” I state, plopping down on the couch. “No girl wants to watch her father make out with a skank.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that, babe. Even I wanted to yank her off your dad and talk some sense into her.” He brings the tray over, placing it between us on the couch. “I wish I’d known you liked burgers. I would’ve taken you for a ride to the best burger place in Vada.”

“You know you don’t have to spend all your time with me. I’m not going to mess up the deal for you guys.”

He swipes a fry from my plate, chewing it down—with his mouth closed—before he speaks. “I’m not worried about the deal, pretty girl. I’m worried about you having a good time while you’re here. Me being here, in this room, is because I want to spend time with you. Now, eat up, so when you’re done I can take you to get milkshakes. I know the best place in town for those too.” He winks.

“There’s always room for ice cream.” I smile, sinking my teeth into the juicy, greasy burger. I moan as the flavor hits my tongue. It’s been so long. At home we eat dry fish or chicken and veggies almost every night. Eggs for breakfast. Tuna for lunch. Caleb is regimented with his diet. And if I sneak a piece of pizza, I swear he can smell it on me.

“You like it?”

“It’s so good.” I take another mouthful, savoring every moment.

He laughs and snags some more fries, and I realize he hasn’t eaten either. We were supposed to be having dinner together. A man of his size must be starved.

“Will you share this with me? There’s no way I can eat all of this, and I hate letting food go to waste.”

“You’re breaking every rich kid stereotype, babe. You know that?”