Page 92 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

“Don’t be like that. I just want to get to know you better.”

“I don’t care. Let go of me,” I ordered.

He pulled on my bicep harder, and the plastic bowl of potato salad fell to the floor.

“Oopsie, you better be careful. You almost made a mess.” He effortlessly jerked me toward him, my hand almost touching his crotch. “If you want to make a mess, I have a better idea.”

“I said, let go. I’ll scream and bring every guard here running,” I growled.

Steve blinked and opened his mouth to respond when an arm wrapped around his throat and hauled him backward like he weighed nothing. His fingers slipped from my arm as Goran slammed him down onto the floor.

Goran dropped a knee to Steve’s chest and kept one hand clamped around his throat as his fists rained down. Steve’s blood splattered around the kitchen.

When Steve passed out, Goran slowly stood. His muscles flexed, blood coated his knuckles, and he had a look in his eyes that terrified me.

“Get him the fuck out of here, and make sure he knows that he’s never welcome back,” Goran commanded.

Only then did I notice Father’s guards standing around us. They dragged Steve out, leaving a bloody streak on the floor.

My bottom lip trembled, and I clutched the plate of chicken like a weapon as Goran turned toward me. I took a step back, and his eyes softened immediately.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Lani. Are you okay?” He held his hands open as he stepped closer.

I nodded, but no words came out.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were away for the weekend.”

Goran gently took the chicken from my hand and set it on the island, before picking up the bowl I’d dropped.

“Kimmy was sick, so I came home.”

Suddenly, I felt like a useless kid. Here I was, causing issues again.

Goran washed his hands and then got to work cleaning the blood off the floor.

“How long have you been here?”

I shrugged and looked away, not wanting to admit I had been watching him all day like a crazy person.

“I didn’t mean to cause a problem. I was just hungry.”

“You didn’t cause a problem. Don’t blame yourself for his actions.”

I nodded but refused to look at him as I grabbed a clean plate and filled it. The embarrassment felt worse than the fear of what Steve might have done.

Why did it have to be Goran who came in? Why couldn’t it have been one of the guards? Now Nathaniel would know.

I grabbed a bun and a fork and tried to escape the kitchen with my cold plate of food, but Goran stepped into my path. There was no way I was looking up at him.

“Do you want some company? We could watch a movie. Or I noticed that there was a new episode of that show with the dragons.”

“What about the party?”

“I was bored anyway.”

Slowly, I lifted my head. His eyes were warm, hazel with little flecks of gold that I loved. My heart started racing again. I knew I should say no and hide in my bedroom. But instead, I nodded.

“Okay, let’s go to the sitting room…oh, wait.”