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“Of course, the money Father had wasn’this. He was representing a company that wanted to expand, doing the footwork for them, but when a pretty, young omega is willing to give herself to you in exchange for taking her away, you do whatever it takes.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took the shirt from me and tossed it aside before taking my hands in his.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to have you, Cadence. I hope I’ve shown you that. I’ll give you the world. And my family doesn’t care about where you come from, or what you’ve done in your past. My mother is so happy I want to settle down with you, I’m fairly certainshemight propose to you, just to be sure I get it done!”
I couldn’t stop a laugh from bubbling out of my chest as I rolled my eyes at him. The story eased my worry about what his mother might think of me, but it still didn’t fix my main concern.
“Leo…”
I breathed his name, wanting to tell him, but the words stuck in my throat.
He brushed a bit of hair behind my ear before cupping my cheek and pulling me in for a soft kiss. Tears threatened at the sweetness of it and the knowledge that I couldn’t give him what he wanted. My fear of ending up broken and alone was greater than my desire to be with him, and I didn’t think I could ever overcome it.
He pressed his forehead to mine as I struggled with the surging emotions, breathing me in, but giving me time.
“I’ll wait, Cadence. However long it takes to convince you, I’ll wait. But you’re mine, and I’m never going to let you go.”
His words ripped away the handle I’d gotten on myself, and I crumpled into his chest, sobbing. Strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close as he purred for me, doing what he could to save me from the world.
But he couldn’t save me from myself.
Chapter Eight
Leo
Cadence’s eyes were still a little red from crying, but she was beautiful anyway. I didn’t think it was something anyone else would notice, and she seemed more settled than she had been when she arrived at my penthouse.
I held the car door open for her, extending my hand to help her from the seat. Even in her modest black skirt and a jewel-pink silk tank top, she was stunning, and lust buzzed beneath my skin. If I’d had my way, I’d have kept her in my bed instead of taking her somewhere I had to behave myself, but I didn’t want to disappoint my mother.
Eleni must have been waiting for us because the door swung open before we even reached it, the little brat rushing out and ignoring me to throw her arms around Cadence.
“It’s so good to see you again! I hope you were okay last time, I’m so sorry you got sick! We felt terrible that something we served was bad and you had to leave early!”
Cadence’s eyes were wide, her mouth parted in a surprised O as Eleni kept going, taking hold of the hand I wasn’t holding and pulling Cadence toward the house.
“Mother checked everything herself this time, but I made the salad. She’s a tyrant when she’s cooking, so I had to do it this afternoon and get out of her way.”
“Don’t let Mother hear you saying that.”
Eleni shot a glance back at me as I shut the door behind us and bolted it. Sticking out her tongue, she jerked up short moments before she would have crashed into Mother as she came into the foyer.
“Hear her saying what?”
I stepped around Cadence and Eleni as my sister stuttered, trying to come up with something believable. She’d never been a good liar.
Hugging Mother, I whispered a thanks in her ear before releasing her. It hadn’t quite been her idea to invite Cadence over again, but she’d been excited by the idea once I’d mentioned it, especially since Father wouldn’t be home. She would never admit she hated when he was out of town, but she understood it was necessary sometimes, and he did his best to make overnight trips as infrequent as possible. This was a rare opportunity for Cadence to get to know the two other women in my life without having him there to make her more nervous.
Mother stepped forward when I moved aside, pulling Cadence into a hug.
“How are you, dear? We’re glad you agreed to join us again.”
My mother had always had a soothing nature that put even alphas at ease, and Father had taken advantage of it for years until she put her foot down and refused to attend any more meetings with him. She’d been with Father as he built what we were from the ground up, and while she might not come out and say anything openly, she didn’t like the business any more than Cadence did, and Father preferred not having her at risk anyway. Then, once Eleni and I came along, there had been no way he would have allowed her to be involved.
“I’m well. I’m so sorry for last time.”
Mother waved Cadence off before she could keep apologizing. She knew the truth of what had happened that night, but she’d done her best to cover for us. Father knew because of the scent and Mother would never lie to him, but I hoped Dimitri had believed whatever story she told them when we left abruptly.
“Not your fault. It happens to the best of us.”
