My eyes have continually dropped closed since I rested myself down on the lounge, flicking through all the channels on the bright and large television screen until I settle on some documentary about some tall glassed building on the beaches of Dubai. Nothing good is on the multi channelled satellite television, but my mind is not even remotely concentrated on the thousands of moving frames. I can't stop thinking about the words between my maid and my two guards. Why I even need those three people in my life, still remains a mystery. Hopefully 'his majesty' can explain all this to me like Ellie said. My desire to have this knowledge does not outweigh the fear that I have that he will want me to aid him in his sexual desires. It wouldn't be the first time that some male who I have housed with that has asked me to do so, ignoring me even if I were to say no. One short and surprisingly loud knock at the door causes me to jump, sliding further down on the soft plush material. I thought my eyes were just dropping, but I had actually falling asleep a warm thick fluffy blanket thrown over my body as I rested the weight of my head on my bent arm. "Miss?" the same deep voice that reassured Ellie before, comes through the door. There's another knock against the heavy white wooden door before its pushed open and the tall male dressed in the tight black button up short sleeved shirt walks in. His ashy blonde curled hair has been swept to the left as if he has been running his hands through his hair from stress. "Sorry miss, did I wake you?" he sounds concerned as he quickly darts a look over his shoulder before they land back on my face. "Uh," The tips of my fingers rub lightly underneath my eyes moving to the corner to wipe at the sleep, alerting him to the fact that I am about to lie. "No, I was just resting." The black clad guard nods his head in question, unsure of the way I answered most likely not comfortable enough to pull up the fact that I just lied to him. He can see the dark skin underneath my eyes and the way I am moving slightly slowly as I sit up on the lounge. "If you wish miss, we can postpone dinner for you to rest longer." His eyes look to the ground before they move to mine for a second then back around the room, trying not to look me in the eyes. "Maxon?" Ellie said Maxon was going to come get me and right now I really wish to ignore what he's saying. "Yes miss?" he asks his eyes moving back to my face even though I don't meet his eyes as he gains the somewhat slight confidence to look at me now that I have addressed him by his name. All of them seem to be nervous around me even though all of them, even Ellie are muscled and could easily overpower my undernourished body. It is me who should be scared of them, and I am. Not that I have ever been comfortable with eye contact in the first place. "I am fine to eat now and please stop calling me miss, my name is Lottie." He gives me a small smile and holds one arm out, gesturing towards me to step in front of me and the other one behind his back as he leads me into the other room. Maxon leads me further into the large room barley to scale with the rest of the furniture that is tiny in comparison with it, careful to stay at least a step away from me the entire time, his hand lingering down near the small of my back hesitant to actually drop it down there. He does take my hand though, to help me slide down into the bench seat, he seems hesitant to let go of my hand when I let out a hiss at the pain in my midsection, he finally does hesitantly let go after I tell him that I'm fine. "Eat all that you can, Lottie." Maxon tells me as he gives me a small smile. Some of the most decadent food I have ever seen in my entire life, even the glimpses I had of the television at Carlett, covers a majority of the rectangular dining table. My stomach begins to beg for food as Maxon walks over to stand near the door that leads out of the massive suite that has been labelled as mine. Standing up from the seat that I am comfortable in, I ignore the luxurious food and the pressuring pain in my ribs, I make my way towards the large window and thick grey curtains covering the wall. A knock at the door stops me in my tracks and I turn back towards the door expecting to see Maxon standing there but I don't, it's the guy with Hazel eyes and he's smiling that wonderful smile at me, Maxon now gone from the room. "Do you mind if I join you?" his voice sends shivers up my spine, my eyes unable to move from his as he waits for my permission to enter the room. He steps away from leaning against the door frame his hands dropping into the dark pressed dress slack pants, the sleeves of his grey pin stripped button up shirt are folded up to just above his elbows the material bunched a little. My eyes are left to wonder down to his chest, the top buttons undone and I can stare at his revealed tan skin and tight muscles that strain against the thin material. Nodding, telling him that he can join me, he walks slowly into the room. His hazel eyes move over my body as mine move over his, until he's stood in front of me. His warm smooth hand slides into mine, pulling it up to his lips, pressing a small kiss to the back of it, leaving me with shortened breath. The tight grip of his hand holding me steady as I feel my knees weaken ever so slightly. "I don't believe that I introduced myself before." his hazel eyes are locked with mine and even though I would usually try to pull mine away, I can't pull them away from his. "I'm Ryder Connolly." My breath is stuck in my throat as I try to answer. "Lo-Lottie." I stutter out my eyes moving down to his lips for a quick second, evening my breathing out before I look back into his hazel eyes. What is with them? Why are they so, so perfect? "Lottie?" he questions back a small laugh leaving his plump lips as he drops his hand back down to his side not releasing my hand as he does, the long length of his fingers intertwining themselves with mine. Letting out the deep breathe in my throat, I look down at our intertwined hands. "Charlotte." I shouldn't be getting this close to him. I should be pulling my hand from his and telling him that I'm leaving and he can't stop me nor the bulky guards, but I'm not. I can't. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm almost afraid to ask why you were in soaked torn clothes asleep in an alley, so I'm not going to. But is it just Lottie, you don't have a last name?" a finger lifts my chin up sending more of the sensational tingles through me as he forces me to meet his eyes again. Ryder is purposely trying to get me to look in to his gorgeous hazel eyes and no matter how hard I try I can't bring myself to look away from them, or to make the foot of distance between us wider. They hold me to him, and he knows the power that they hold over me. They aren't judging me though, their patient as they stay locked on mine, his thumb rubbing over the protuberant bone of my knuckles gingerly as I bathe in the warmth and questionable power that his body emits.