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I shake my head. I can’t see the pity in his eyes. I can’t see him look at me like I’m the responsibility he’ll never get away from. I just can’t do it.
“Mia.” The command in his voice almost makes me do as he’s said. Almost.
I push against his chest, determined to retreat to my bedroom, but I should know he won’t let that fly.
He didn’t when we were in the foster home, and he’s even less likely to now.
His fingers move to my chin and force my face up until I’m sure I’d be looking him dead in the eye if I wasn’t being so stubborn.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, Mia.” His voice is pained, like he can’t handle the thought, but he continues. “I imagine all of this is hard on you, and I’m sorry that I’ve pushed you too hard. I don’t know enough about your triggers. I should have taken the time to learn more about what you’ve been through so I can avoid those things.”
That’s what has my eyes flying open to meet his, panic flaring to life in my chest. No way is Ace knowing any more about my time away from him than he already knows. It’s already way too fucking much, if you ask me. “It’s not that,” I rasp, my throat sore from the sobs. “It was the guard. When he walked in.” I press my eyes closed again, pushing the tears down so I can focus on getting the words out. “Cyrus liked to surprise me with visitors sometimes.” I shake my head. “I know you wouldn’t do that to me, it’s just…”
“A trigger,” Ace finishes.
I nod and stare into the deep green of his eyes. The flecks of brown are only visible when you’re this close, but I remember trying to count them when we were younger. I’d try to catch sneaky glances at him, but I wasn’t always very good at being stealthy, and when he inevitably caught me, he always gave me a knowing look.
“I think I need a few minutes to get myself together.” I push carefully against his chest, something I never would have dared to do to any other man who has touched me since I was shoved in that trunk eight years ago.
“No.”
My eyes widen at his words, and when I search his gaze, it’s clear he’s not fucking around. “Ace…”
“No. I’m not giving you space so you can retreat. Because that’s exactly what you’re going to do. I’m not letting you undo all the progress we’ve made.”
I stare at him, shocked that the boy who never deprived me of anything has grown to be a man so willing to deprive me of my own privacy. He thinks he knows what’s best for me, but how could he?
He cups my face in his hands, the warmth allowing me a moment of peace among the chaos. “I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to say this before you start believing me, but I’ll repeat it over and over again until I lose my voice if I have to. And even then, I’ll make sure you know. I’m all in, sugar. There’s no hesitation on my part. Nothing you can do to push me away. I didn’t spend the last eight years searching under every fucking rock, just for you to talk yourself out of this. You forget that although we spent eight years apart, I still know you better than anyone else on this planet, and I know what it looks like when you’re about to run.”
I open my mouth to argue, but snap it shut again. What’s the point when he’ll see through whatever lie that was about to spill from my mouth?
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
ACE
It didn’t take Mia long to drift off to sleep once I settled her on the couch, but I didn’t leave her side for even a second.
When I carried her to the couch, I bundled her up in blankets in the hope she would fall asleep so I could take care of the asshole who triggered my woman.
Logically, I know it’s not his fault, there’s no way he could have known what we were doing up here in the middle of the day, but I still want to cut his fucking eyes from their sockets for what they saw.
No one looks at Mia but me, I don’t give a fuck what the excuse is.
I take the elevator down to the ground level where three guards are standing, surveying every single person that comes and goes.
One of my favorite things about this apartment is the private elevator. It makes it a lot easier for the guards Everett and Elijah organized to know if someone is a genuine threat or if they’re just trying to get home after a long day at the office.
The guard in question locks eyes with me, and the son of a bitch has the audacity to smirk. Does he not know he’s staring into the eyes of his judge, jury, and executioner?
“Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says, his voice even despite the expression on his face.
I advance on him until I’m within arm’s reach and wrap my hand around his throat, shoving him against the wall so hard his head thumps against the hardwood. “You ever step foot in that apartment without my express permission, I will fucking end you. Do you understand me?” I growl, my voice so dark I barely recognize it myself.
The color of his face turns deep red as I constrict his airway, but he nods despite it. There’s fear in his eyes, which makes me wonder if he should be protecting my woman at all. There’s only one thing men like us should be afraid of, and that’s losing our queens. Anything else, death included, is completely inconsequential.
“Good.” I release his throat, and he immediately wraps his own hands around his neck, dragging in desperate breaths. “Now, you said there was a package?”
He gives me a short nod and reaches behind the small desk they’ve set up. I get the sense there’s always been a security presence here, seeing as this is where Snow lived, but by the way bystanders stare at us, I don’t think it’s ever been quite this large.
