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“This is the kind of man you invite into your life with this … lifestyle.”
His words hurt, but mainly because they echoed exactly what Melinda had said.
He regretted the pronouncement immediately. He’d known it would anger her. Only she wasn’t angry. She was contrite. Meek, in a way he’d never thought she could be. Where was Cassie? His bright, confident, opinionated lover? Her absence in preference of this version of herself struck him more than anything else could have.
“I am not blaming you. You are the victim, and no man has a right to do what this man has. However, you give too much of yourself too soon. Before you know enough about these people. Before you understand if they’re trustworthy.”
He’d wanted her from the moment she’d walked into the bar, as though the world was a catwalk and she its model. She’d oozed sex, confidence and sass. Cassie had the kind of appeal that any man would recognise. And she put herself out on a platter, waiting to be picked up.
Antonio was unlikely to be the last man to threaten her safety. And there wasn’t a damned thing Layth could do about it. He’d be a world away, soon enough, and Cassie would be a trapping of his memories.
Could he trust that she’d be safe? That she’d take care of herself?
He moaned softly, and kneeled, so that he could move between her legs and wrap his arms around her.
She needed him then and there, not in the faraway future. She was terrified, and he could take that away for her. He poured his reassuring strength into the embrace and held her tight, waiting for her shivering to subside.
He held her tight, and refused to think about a time when he would no longer be able to touch her.
9
The question of whether or not Cassie would stay with him was settled easily after that. She knew she was delaying the inevitable, but for a while at least, it was lovely to curl up in his arms, and feel herself firmly beneath the banner of his protection.
Like Layth, she saw the horizon looming; the time of his departure. But she refused to think about it.
Life would resume. She’d go back to feeling as she always had. Eventually.
For now, she was amazed by how quickly she’d gone from a woman who wanted a fun, sex-only, no-strings-attached scenario to almost the complete opposite. Live in lover, and everything in between.
How the days seemed to drag! It never mattered how busy she was, nor what exciting new deals she was negotiating. She wore her impatience like a shroud, wrapped around her constantly. It was evident in the way she’d tap her fingers or nod her head a little too quickly, or say, ‘mmm, mmm, mmm,’ to wrap up a lingering conversation.
But now, finally, it was the weekend. Saturday morning cracked over London with the heavy scent of rain and grey clouds.
Cassie stretched in bed, reaching for Layth instinctively. He wasn’t there.
She pushed up on her elbows so that she could peer into the ensuite. Nope, not there either.
She wrapped a robe around herself and walked barefoot into the lounge area. The opulence of the apartment had daunted her before; now she barely saw it.
Layth was dressed. She felt a flicker of disappointment, but couldn’t help marvelling at what an extraordinarily handsome man he was. In dark trousers, a pale blue shirt left unbuttoned at the neck and rolled up to reveal his tanned forearms, he was impossibly irresistible. Cassie walked towards him silently, not sure if he’d heard her approach.
Apparently not. When she slid her arms around his waist, he seemed to shake himself from his deep reverie.
“You’re awake,” his smile was hard to read. Contemplative and brooding.
Hers was anything but. “Yes. And I’m not going anywhere. I have you for the whole day.”
He nodded, his dark eyes locked to her face. “Yes. And I want us to go out together.”
“You do?”
H
e nodded. “I want you to show me your life.”
“My life?” She licked her lower lip thoughtfully. “What do you mean?”
“Show me where you live. Where you play. Other than that bar, of course.”
