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“Like I’d let my baby get there on her own.” He turned away to grab his shirt and pull it over his head.
I’d never get tired of listening to him call me baby. I hated it in the beginning, but now it fit me like a second skin.
He grabbed his keys and picked up my bag from the floor, hoisting it over his shoulder as he hit the button for the elevator.
I extended my hand. “I can carry that.”
All he did was give me a violent glare.
“Okay…never mind.”
We rode the elevator down to the bottom and got into his truck. He drove ten minutes to reach my apartment complex, and after he parked, he walked me to the front door with my bag over his shoulder. He pulled out his key and got the door unlocked.
“Okay…how did you get the landlord to give you that key?”
* * *
“Does it matter?” He walked inside and carried my bag to the bedroom.
“It does matter. I never gave you a key to my apartment. This is a relationship now, not a prisoner situation.” I followed him down the hall, watching his powerful shoulders shift and move as he walked.
“Alright.” He grabbed me by the wrist and forced my hand out. He set the key in the center of my palm and closed my fingers around it. “I’ve given you access to my place. You have the access code to come and go as you please. Come in the middle of the night and surprise me for all I care.” He turned my hand over then placed it on his open palm. “Now, give me your key.”
“You’re assuming I have to reciprocate just because you’ve given me permission to use your place.”
“You’d better reciprocate,” he said darkly. “Because whether I have a key or not, I can get into your apartment without a fuss. That’s why I hate it here. That’s why I hate letting you live here.”
“Letting me live here?” I asked coldly.
He stared me down, not retracting the statement he’d just made.
“You don’t let me do anything, let’s get that straight.”
“Baby.” He shook his head slightly. “I warned you. I warned you what would happen if we went down this road…”
“You said you would be protective of me, not controlling—”
“And you accepted those terms. I don’t mind this apartment when I’m here, but when you’re alone, I despise it. Don’t pretend you didn’t miss me every night when I was gone. And not because your pussy missed my come, but you missed having your guard dog around. You feel invincible with me. You used to feel strong before I came along, taking care of yourself with your head held high. But all that went to shit when you met me. You like my power, my protection, and my bulletproof muscles. I’m the only man you’ve allowed to take the lead. I’m the only man you’ve ever allowed to protect you. So let me do my fucking job.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a million emotions at once. I was aroused by some of his comments, embarrassed by others, and almost humbled in total. I’d really become dependent on this man, dependent on someone for things I could do myself. But now I wanted someone to take care of me, when I’d never wanted that before.
He shoved the key into his pocket, ending the argument for good. “Text me when you get back. I’ll swing by and pick you up.”
“I’ll just drive over there myself.”
He gave me a terrifying look.
“If someone stops by my place and realizes I’m not home but my car is here, they might think something is wrong. If my parents or someone randomly stops by, I could at least say I’m out or something…”
Bones kept up the stare but didn’t argue with me.
“You should go. They’ll be here—”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Shit…” I whispered under my breath.
An asshole kind of smile came over his face, the kind that reached his eyes too. “This should be interesting.”
“You need to hide.”
“You really think they’re going to come into your bedroom?”
“It’s not impossible. Hide in the closet.”
“I’m not hiding,” he said. “I’ll stay in here until they leave.”
I trusted him not to hurt my family. He’d been in proximity to Conway a few times, but he’d never pulled a stunt. But my mother was the one who’d killed Bones’s father. She was the one who’d stabbed him to death. Could I expect him to be in the same apartment as her? “You won’t—”
“I gave you my promise.” He placed my hand on his chest, directly over his heart. “Don’t worry.” He brought my fingers to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the inside of my palm. “Let me know when I can come get you. But I’ll probably be sitting outside waiting for you.”
