Page 28 of Protective Phlox

“Jealous? No, why would I be jealous,” she asked, but she couldn’t hide her true feelings. Her thoughts were laid bare in her eyes and thick in her tone. “I want to know what the hell is going on. You made a point of storming into my life, and yes, you saved us from being killed, but you didn’t have to force me to marry you. You didn’t have to lock Cutter and me up in this museum of a home.” What was pissing me off was the way she talked about being here with me like it was a life sentence. “Tell me what the hell you want, Nathan. We’ll figure it out, but I will not put up with some other woman in your life. I don’t care if she is a princess,” she growled, and my cock stood at attention.

There was the mention of a princess again. She’d said that before, and I still had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

“Well, maybe I wouldn’t keep you locked up if you’d chosen to be honest with me in the first place.”

“Really? Maybe you should be asking why I didn’t come running to you instead of immediately hating me.”

“I already told you I don’t hate you. But you’re right, I want to know. So, Savannah, why did you keep my son hidden from me?”

She turned around and marched to the door before slamming it closed. Fuck could she get any hotter? I stood and had to adjust myself before she turned around.

“Alright, let’s do this. You want to know why I didn’t contact you, Nathan. Here it is. First, we swore that unless it was an emergency, we would sever all contact forever. Second, was your father. I knew he wanted me dead and I didn’t know what you would do or even could do to stop him. Yes, we had an amazing time together, and I could only hope that you cared for me enough that you wouldn’t take my son and shoot me in the head at his order. But I really didn’t know.”

So far, she had valid reasons, and I didn’t like that. It was easy to be angry with her when I thought she didn’t care or was being manipulative.

“I pulled up your number so many times to call you and just couldn’t. After Cutter was born, I left for Italy. We were there a year when he got really sick and had to be hospitalized. I almost lost him. I decided then that you needed to know. That it was time for me to tell you regardless of the consequences so you could meet your son.”

“So why didn’t you?”

She marched for the desk, pulled out her phone, and held it out to me. “That’s why.”

Taking her phone, I stared at the image of the engagement announcement between me and one of the women that my father had arranged for me to marry. Veronica and I were heading into Le Cache for something to eat with the caption, ‘The happy couple out for date night.’

“I couldn’t,” she said. I looked at her and caught her wiping away a tear. “I just couldn’t. The only thing I could picture was you marrying some other woman and taking Cutter from me. I kept tabs on the engagement, and then suddenly, there was a different girl and then another. The latest one was three weeks ago. You go through fiancés like underwear.”

“Quite the little FBI stalker you are. I like it,” I teased, and I swear she snarled.

“I deleted your number from my phone and made that image my screen saver to remind me why I wasn’t calling you. My plan was to wait until Cutter was old enough to decide if he wanted to meet you, and I’d let you know then. Right or wrong, I stick by my decision. No one is cutting me out of my son’s life, and if you try….” Savannah stalked me around my desk, her body poised to attack as she clenched her hands into fists. “I don’t care who you are, Nathaniel. I will tear you limb from limb, and if that woman thinks she’s going to take my place, I will bury her. Do you hear me?”

“Oh, I hear you.” I was trying hard not to smirk but failed miserably as she stepped into my personal space, the air sizzling with anger and desire.

“I can’t believe I let you make me the other woman. What the fuck was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking, obviously.” She grabbed the ring I’d given her and yanked it off, slamming it down. “I will not live as your whore.”

I swiped the ring off the desk, grabbed Savannah, and whipped her around so her back was pushed up against my bookcase.

“You’re mine, Savannah,” I growled. “You’ll live as my wife, and unless this ring is cut off your finger, you never remove it.”

Her dark glare was accentuated by the shimmer of tears in her eyes, her hand remaining clenched shut. “No, give it to whoever it is that you’re engaged to this week instead.”

My hands tightened on her arms. “There is only one woman in my life…you. You’re my wife. Now put the ring on,” I growled, hating that she’d removed it at all. It was a piece of metal and gemstone, but it meant far more to me.

“But the reports said⁠—”

“Fuck the news.” I wrapped my hand around her throat, my lips hovering over hers as our eyes locked in a standoff. “You’re my wife. My only wife, forever. Now put the ring on, or I’ll have it tattooed on your finger so you can never take it off. Don’t fucking test me, Savannah. I swear I’ll do it.” She didn’t move and continued to scowl at me. I had to give her credit. I’d seen some of the worst that the streets had to offer back down from me, but not her.

I took a steadying breath, Goran’s words swimming in my mind about trying a new tactic. Releasing her throat, I gripped the bookcase on either side of her head.

“Okay, look. You’re right. We need to talk. I don’t want there to be all this anger between us either, but fuck I want to kiss you so badly when you’re like this.” Before she could argue, I dropped my lips to hers and groaned as she opened for me. I sucked in a sharp breath and held still as her teeth latched onto my bottom lip.

“I will kill her,” she seethed, not letting go. This really shouldn’t be so erotic, but the nip of pain and jealousy swimming in her blue eyes was liquid cocaine straight into my veins.

If there had ever been a doubt that Savannah was made for me, it was wiped from my mind with those four little words. My sweet strawberry had a volatile green streak, and I was eating it up like candy.

“Cassandra is my personal assistant. I’ve never fucked her, and I don’t want to,” I said, and she let go. “Naughty girl,” I scolded, secretly loving it. I pressed her harder into the bookcase with my body. Savannah didn’t fight me now. I knew she could. We would end up in a heated throwdown if she seriously wanted to get away, and there was something in that knowledge that made this sweeter.

“And what about your fiancé? Explain that.”

“What about her,” I asked, purposely keeping the fire raging in her eyes.