Page 187

“How am I supposed to trust that when you’ve been buying the land around us for years?” Her voice roughens. “You’re still a Harrington, Fionn.”

“Come on, Sera,” I say, cocking my head. “How long has it been since you looked at me and saw a Harrington?”

Her brows draw together.

“Over time, you called me Fionn, and I’m guessing it’s because you didn't want to hate me anymore.”

Her mouth almost moves to deny it. Instead, she sighs.

“That doesn’t mean the name disappears,” she says. “Or the threat to my family.”

“No.” I slide my thumb along the line of her jaw. “But neither of us are who we were before we stepped into that barn.”

“Are ya still planning to destroy us?”

“I don’t take orders from Alasdair Harrington anymore.”

Her eyes narrow.

“So, who’s going to protect you––” she jabs my shoulder “––from him?”

I wrap my hand around her prodding finger. “I can protect myself, don’t you worry about me.”

“You think I’m worried about ya now, Fionn?”

“Yeah.” I tug her hand to my mouth and kiss it. “I do.”

She draws in a breath, preparing to argue, but I lift her off my lap and return her to the sofa before she finds the energy to pretend. “When did you last eat?”

She looks away.

“Sera.”

“I’m not sure.” She shrugs. “I made Rafe porridge and berries this morning and ate with him.”

I check my watch, noting it’s after seven in the evening which means she hasn’t eaten in hours and has had more booze than water.

“Do you like pizza?”

She blinks up at me. “Everybody likes pizza.”

“What do you have on it?”

“Anything.” She lets her head fall against the back of the sofa. “I’m not fussy.”

Moving to the kitchen, I take out my phone and call downstairs.

“Order a few pizzas. Pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, chicken, vegetables, garlic bread and chips, too.”

I add two desserts before ending the call, then reach into the fridge and pull out a bottle of water.

“How many people are ya feeding?”

“You refused to tell me what you like.”

“So, ya ordered enough to feed the whole building?”

“There’s no one else living here yet.” I return to the sofa. “I bought the whole place. From the ground up.”