AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stood, a sting of frustration propelling him upright. “We’re not here to talk about my wife.”
“Why not? She’s a lovely woman.”
Bile rose up his throat, and he curled his fingers into fists. Keep your cool, a part of him warned. But the way that sleazeball dared to talk about Lara made him see red. “This is my last offer. Downtown property.”
A slimy smile formed in his lips. “I have a counteroffer.”
“Name it,” he said casually, but his fingers balled into a fist.
Conor turned on his seat, as if he wanted to take a good look at him. “Your wife. For one night.”
Anger rocketed inside him, and he launched at Conor and before the man could react, grabbed him from the sofa and punched his gut. “That’s enough,” he said, then let go of him.
Conor slowly stood upright, touching his stomach, pressing his fingers on his ribs. His facial expression hardened, his eyes cold like an Alaskan winter. “Bastard. You came here to apologize for me getting beaten then you do the same? Is this a fucking joke?” He glanced over his shoulder, and the security man stormed in the room, and slammed Troy into a wall. Fuck.
* * *
Lara slid out of her car, flicked the garage door behind her and opened the door leading to the mud room, then strode to the kitchen. For the past ten days, she’d been living in this place with him, this beautiful house he rented that she refused to call their home.
Yet the domestic sensation of coming home after a long day swirled around her. She had to remind herself this wasn’t theirs; there was no theirs. She’d even adjusted her schedule to time out when he usually ate breakfast or arrived from work so they could blissfully avoid each other.
Her room had been her oasis and her prison cell. She’d tried to relax, finish work emails, watch a funny movie on a streaming service… but she’d look at the textured walls and remind herself she lived under the same roof as he. That he could be in his room, showering, completely naked. And that image kept her from getting a good night’s sleep.
She tossed her keys on the console, and the light at the kitchen caught her attention. Was his housekeeper still here?
Slowly, she stepped into the kitchen to find him shirtless, leaning over the sleek fridge, reaching for a frozen piece of steak.
She should spin on her heels and dash to her room, but her gaze became a hostage of his wide back, the chiseled muscles and ridges shifting at his slightest move. Sighing, she stepped back, and he turned to her, surprising her.
“What?” She looked at him, but it wasn’t his handsome face and tight body that got her rapt attention, but the purplish ring under his eye. Her stomach dropped to the floor. She trailed her gaze down his body, to find another couple of red patches on his chest. More than a couple. “Troy, what happened to you?”
Instinctively, she reached out to touch him, to comfort him, but he lifted his hand to stop her. Grabbing the thick piece of meat, he sat on the chair next to the table. He said something under his breath, then placed the piece on his eye.
“Talk to me,” she insisted, raising her voice. “This is not the time for your encrypted messages or tortured silence.”
He tilted his head back against the wall. Even hurt, he still was a gorgeous man. “This is no big deal. I took care of business.”
“What are you talking about?” She pulled up a chair and sat across from him.
“I talked to Conor. He’s forgiven your brother.”
A wave of relief washed over her. Did that mean her brother could come back to Tulip? Her mother would be elated—and maybe this news would get her off Lara’s back for marrying a complete stranger. One could hope. “So, why did he hit you?”
Troy fixed the steak on his eye. “He was bored and had a bodyguard nearby to do his dirty work.”
“What? Doesn’t make any sense. In fact, that doesn’t seem like this dude forgave anything.” If that was how Conor forgave people, what would he do when he didn’t? A cold shiver ran down her body. Troy had promised her to protect her… but how could that happen if a simple conversation turned into a punch party? “I need to know this kind of thing won’t happen to my brother.” Or me, she added internally.
“Your brother is fine. A light brawl is how things got settled. By getting me hit, he won’t have people hit your brother. Got it out of his system.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, Lara. I’m holding up my end of the bargain.”
By hitting me, he won’t hit your brother. His words echoed in her ear. He’d almost sounded… selfless? She removed her shoes and tossed them to the side. Her upper body deflated a bit, and sadness stabbed at her. She hadn’t meant for Troy to get physically hurt. Though he was acting like he was mostly okay except for the piece of steak on his eye and the bruises on his body. “Thank you for taking care of it.”
“You’re welcome.”
She surged to her feet, restless. “Well then.”
He waved at her, giving her silent permission for her to leave.
She walked a couple of feet, then turned around. Her body worked faster than her brain. Heart thumping in her ears, blood rushing through her. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
