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She watched as he pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet before lifting her hand from the bar, and thrusting the note into her palm. She felt an almost electric shock as he wrapped his manicured hands around her closed fist, letting a brief intimacy seep between them.
“Keep the change, Hannah. Check your schedule. I’ll call you tomorrow. I’ll expect you to let me know which night you’ll be free for dinner in the next week.”
Before she even gathered her wits about her, Jake Davenport stood, leaned across the bar and placed a platonic kiss on her cheek before adding, “See you soon. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
He walked away, weaving gracefully between the crowded cocktail tables filled with tipsy guests.
She should say no. It didn’t feel right.Hedidn’t feel right.
Then she remembered how short she was going to be on rent in a few days. Glancing down at the now-wrinkled money in her hand, she allowed a glimmer of hope to take hold. She’d been scratching every penny she had together month after month just to make ends meet. She was tired. So damn tired.
Maybe this was the big break she’d been waiting for.
Or, maybe not.
* * *
Tiffany
"Thanks for lunch, Aiden. I was so worried I was going to lose you after last weekend. I'm glad you're coming to terms with the fact that I love Lukus."
Tiffany's brother had lectured her throughout the entire meal about how she was throwing her life away on Lukus Mitchell. She hoped one day soon he would see how happy she was since meeting her Dom and new fiancé.
"Don't make me laugh, Tiff. I loathe leaving you here, knowing what kind of a place this is."
So maybe Aiden hasn't come to terms with my love life, after all.
"Well, you shouldn't, because I've never been happier than I've been since moving in with Lukus here at his loft. I'm going to marry him, Aiden."
Her brother growled. "I'll believe that when I see it. Men like Mitchell don't settle down, Tiff. He may be having fun playing house for a few months, but in the end, he'll never be good enough for you."
She pushed down her own insecurities. "You're wrong. Lukus loves me." Tiffany glanced at her watch, nervous because she'd been gone too long. "Listen, I really need to run, but stay in touch, okay?"
Aiden leaned across the seat to give his sister a kiss on the cheek before she hopped out of his SUV. She was relieved when her brother didn't pull away until she'd input her entry card to get into Lukus's place. Considering there was an evil maniac out to harm Tiffany and her best friend, she felt safer the second she heard the heavy door latch behind her.
Guilt started closing in once she was in the small elevator that would take her upstairs. With Jake Davenport still on the loose, her Dom had kept her on lock-down at his loft for the last few days since returning from Michigan. Lukus was ultra-protective of his submissive fiancée, and she'd been going stir crazy being stuck inside. Most days he didn't even let her go to her job at the The Beauty Box, and when she did go to work, she had a bodyguard. Thank goodness Lukus had left her home alone today so she could sneak out to have lunch with her brother and try to start repairing their relationship.
The ding of the elevator arriving at the expansive loft jarred her out of her thoughts. She'd barely stepped out into the foyer when she came face-to-face with a frantic Lukus, cell phone at his ear.
"Never mind, Derek. Call off the search. She just walked in. Later."
Tiffany couldn't say a word for the lump choking her at the realization her Dom had found out she'd disobeyed him.
Lukus lunged forward, closing the gap between them to pull her into his arms, squeezing her so long and hard she started to feel light-headed. She could feel him trembling, which made her feel even worse than if he'd just started lecturing her for disobeying.
By the time he pulled back enough so she could look into his eyes, she was the one trembling, knowing how he would be dealing with her decision to leave the loft without a guard.
"Lukus, I can explain—"
"Really? Because I can't wait to hear why the woman I love—the woman who has agreed to let me be her Dom and HoH—the woman whopromisedto stay in the loft so the lunatic sadist who is trying to hurt her couldn't lay his hands on her—why thefuckthat woman would leave without her bodyguard, without calling or even leaving a note—even leaving without her cell phone so I couldn't call her!"
His voice had been rising until he ended on a full-out shout. Tiffany had never seen Lukus lose his cool like this, not even the first time he'd 'lost his shit', as his friend Derek had called it.
She licked her lips self-consciously, trying to stay calm. "You're right to be mad for my not leaving a note, but I promise, I was safe. I just had lunch with Aiden and, since he's a cop, he had his gun with him. I promise I didn't leave his side. He picked me up and dropped me off at the door and we stayed local, just going to the diner down the street."
"I don't fucking care if he took you to a locked-down safe house. You didn't listen to me. You left against my explicit instructions. You basically said, 'fuck you, Lukus. I don't love you enough to obey you.'"
She forced a smile, but it only made him look like he was going to unleash another angry rant. His green eyes lit into her, burning her with layers of guilt for worrying him.
