As much fun as I was having watching Rob fidget uncomfortably at the mention of sleeping together, a part of me couldn't understand why I was torturing him. 

Rob's eyes stayed glued to the spot on the bed I had seductively patted moments ago. "Alright," my guardian said, and sucking in a deep breath, eyes brimming with determination, he approached me. "Let's sleep together."

I wasn't one to chicken out now, but didn't want to scare him off either. I lay down in the middle of the bed and opened my arms, making grabby hands at him. 

He rolled his eyes. "Boss, you are not two."

"Of course not, smartass. But babying someone is an art, one I am sure you are lacking in. Come on, move your butt."

"Fine," he said, feigning nonchalance and failing. Nonetheless, he did as instructed; letting me melt into him, and using his arm as my pillow, he held me. It seems I had underestimated him. The man was a pro at babying. Being held by him was pure bliss. My heart swelled with affection for this man who insisted that he wasn't my person but who, without a doubt, was. And I was more confident than ever that as long as he was next to me, none could hurt me. 

I opened my eyes to Rob's calm resting face, and before I could stop myself, I was kissing the corner of his lips, never expecting my gesture to not only be reciprocated but also to be done so with gusto! 

Rob's arm around my waist tightened, and he smiled. Eyes still shut, he leaned in on me before prying my lips open and licking into my mouth.

He was dreaming! No, he was having a sex dream. Jealousy drenched me from head to toe. Did he have a girlfriend I didn't know about? That would explain his breaks and why he was such a natural at cuddling. Oh shit, he had someone! I shook my head to clear it. Rob was an honest man. He wouldn't have agreed to help me if he had someone. But then who was this person he was so passionate about? 

Rob pressed me against him. Our bodies slotted together. Desire coursed through my veins. A moral man would have stopped it; a better man would have pushed him away. I was none of those, so I gave in to him and reciprocated, touching him wherever my hands found purchase, teasing his lips, and nipping at his jaw. 

"Mick? Are you guys in there?" My name, followed by a knock, made me freeze. Stopping my shameless exploration of Rob's waist, I placed my hand on his arm and shook it. "Wake up. Wake up, damn it!" When my nanny continued to slumber, I removed myself from his grasp and opened the door. "Uncle B?"

The man (sweating buckets) stepped into the room, looking worried. "Where's Rob?"

"Napping. He had quite a morning. Why?"

"Are you feeling alright?" He checked my forehead. "You look flushed."

Of course, I did; could one expect anything else from someone in my position? Taking my uncle's hand in mine, I gave it a squeeze. "Trust me, I am fine. So, what brings you here?"

“Why didn't you inform that me you were attacked, Mick?"

Oh, right. I had specifically asked Jones to keep what had happened on Little Dreams a secret from him. I averted my eyes. "Uncle, I was planning to tell you about it at dinner."

"Why wait?" His eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "It's a big deal, Mick. You know how much you… Both of you mean to me. You could have died!"

Pulling him into a bear hug, I patted his back. "But I didn't. I am perfectly fine." I stepped away and held his worried gaze. "Give me five minutes; I will meet you in the dining hall."

"No. Meet me in fifteen. Pack your things." He pursed his lips. "Take whatever you might need from here and message me what you might require. You guys are getting out of here in thirty minutes."

I didn't understand why he was panicking. More importantly, who had blabbered!? As much as I wanted to know who had done it, it was more important to calm Uncle B down. His heart wasn't great. "No need to worry. All's well. Didn't you hear? We took care of those bastards."

My words of assurance did nothing to ease my uncle's anxiety. "No, you can't stay here, Mick. Think about it. They found you on Little Dreams; what's stopping them from finding you here? You need to get out of here." 

With that, my uncle left me standing on the threshold, dashing my carefully laid plans for an evening of debauchery.

"Mick, why are you just standing there?"

I turned around and saw Rob not only awake but alert, with my duffel open and ready to be stuffed for our journey ahead; its placement (exactly where we were making out minutes ago) made me sigh. There were more important things to consider right now, but all I wanted to do was ask him if he was pretending to be asleep the whole time we were eating each other's faces. But of course, this was no time to be jumping into that patch of quicksand. "Nothing," I said, getting busy packing.

Minutes later, both of us had freshened up, packed, and sent Uncle B a list of items we would require during our MIA status. 

As decided, within thirty minutes, we were on our way to the super secret hideout my uncle had planned for us. I was confident with the supplies we were carrying. In any case, the place Uncle B had arranged for us was the original Vas family home, abandoned for over ten years. From my understanding, none of those currently in my uncle's employment knew of its existence. 

Our vehicle (an all-terrain motorbike with the coordinates to our destination, Vas Villa, fed into it) got us out of The Veil without us being tracked. 

When we were well out of anyone's earshot, I asked, "What about your phone?"

"I will just have to get another one when we reach the mainland." With his eyes fixed on the road, Rob said cryptically, "I think it's for the better. Miles would be disappointed, though. Right about now, he would be gearing up to win you back."

"Why would he be disappointed?"

"Because you won't be joining him for dinner, obviously." 

"Rob, what makes you think that?"

My guardian slowed down the bike, bringing it to a stop. "Mick,"—his voice shook—"please, tell me that you did not disclose our secret hideaway to him."

"Well…"

Rob switched off the engine and turned on his seat, catching my eyes. "Mick, are you stupid?"

I blinked. It was Miles, for the love of God. Just Miles. Yes, he was a jerk and a cheater, but it was also he who had befriended me and stayed by my side when Maria and Rob had left me. I would never have overcome depression, depression that had made me suicidal, if not for him. I traced the underside of my left wrist, where, buried under layers of new skin, lay souvenirs of that nightmarish time. "I am not stupid." I hissed, getting off the bike. Glaring at him, I snapped. "You don't know him like I do, alright! He was there for me when you weren't."

Anger melted off Rob's face. His lips parted, but no words left them. He reached for my hand; I stepped away. 

"Yes, that's good. Stay silent. That's what you always do, don't you?"

"I am sorry, Mick. I didn't mean it that way." Rob's voice reached me as if from miles away. "I am scared, alright. I could have lost you. I was just… I was looking out for you."

"Ya? So where were you when I needed you the most? When Maria left us!" There, I had said it, finally, after keeping it to myself since Rob's return half a decade ago. "And even now, you insist that you are not Rob? If you are not him, then who the hell are you, hum?"

*****
[Chapter word count: 1374]