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Sterling was always sniffing around us, and Smithy was a general pain in the ass. In addition, Bishop wasn’t wrong. I did not, in fact, have any friends.
Distancing myself from my enemies for a couple days wasn’t the worst idea I’d had. I needed a breather, and, quite frankly, Nem was the only person I could somehow tolerate right now.
“I have a lot of homework,” she said.
“Take it with you.”
“I’d hate to leave Ms. Sterling alone.”
“She’ll have security stay with her. We’re leaving alone.”
“That’s against protocol.”
“Fuck protocol.”
There was silence.
She was chewing her lip, which meant she was trying to come up with another obstacle.
“You can drive a portion of the way to the cabin,” I offered, sweetening her deal.
She perked just as I knew she would. Her experience with Bandini’s assholes did not deter her from learning.
It was part of the reason why I couldn’t hate her. Not even if I tried. She was driven, and the best part was that she didn’t even know it about herself.
“Really?” Her eyes shimmered with excitement. Clear blue like the summer sky. “Even after what happened?”
“Especially after what happened. You aced it. How’s your forehead?”
“It looks worse than it feels.”
It looks beautiful.
Of course, uttering those words wasn’t an option. I turned around toward the balcony, retreating from the garden and my wife.
When I reached the glass doors, I stopped, stealing one last glance at her again. She was crouching back down, resuming her work.
“You won’t have to worry about them anymore,” I said.
“Them?” She blinked.
The list was growing by the second. First, her father, then the Bandinis.
“Every asshole who ever had the faintest idea to hurt you.”
I went into my office and locked myself there for the rest of the night, not trusting myself to go to her room for my nightly feast on her without sleeping next to her.
As it was, I had a control issue.
I lacked it.
She had all of it.
Chapter
Fourteen
FRANCESCA
