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“Uh, thanks. It’s cozy. What are you up to?”
Ever so slowly, he reaches out and brushes a wisp of hair away from my face. “I have to fly out for a bit.”
My eyes widen, and every nerve in my body feels like it’s burning. Why is he leaving? I don’t want him to leave. He makes me feel safe. Is he tired of me already? Not that it matters. I don’t care about him, but still, I don’t want to be left alone.
“Baby, I can see you panicking. Bash and Grady will stay here with you. Declan and I have to go meet with the other syndicates. I’ll be back by midnight at the latest. You can stay up and wait for me so I’m here while you sleep in case you have another nightmare.”
Oh. Right. He still has a job to do. Being a mafia boss guy or whatever he is. Pshhh. I don’t need him around anyway.
I wave my hand in the air dismissively. “Right. Of course. I’m fine. You don’t have to come back for my benefit. Go home for a night, get laid or whatever it is you mafia guys do.”
Jesus. Scarlet, what the fuck? Why did I say that? Now I’m putting ideas in his head about having sex with other women. Not that it should matter. I don’t want to have sex with him or anything.
His emerald eyes darken, and he pinches my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look directly at him. “Listen to me, Little girl. The only place I’m coming home to is wherever you are. The only person who will ever touch my dick again will be you. It’s fine that you’re still in denial about us, but there’s one thing I want to make clear to you, my sweet little brat. You. Are. Mine. You can push me away all you want, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to break down those walls piece by piece, and then we’re going to build a goddamn moat around us while we live happily ever after. Got it?”
I think I swallowed my tongue. Did he really say all that? He barely knows me. A lump forms in my throat while my heart hammers inside my chest. Any woman would be lucky to have a man like Killian Lachlan. Even if he is a gangster. I’m not any woman, though. I’m fucked up. Scarred. I’ve been thrown away like trash so many times, I’ve lost count. It’s always the same. I’m too needy. I want too much attention. I act too childish. It always boils down to me. I’m the common denominator, so I’m not stupid enough to believe it would turn out any differently with Killian.
“No one but Cali ever stays,” I whisper.
Killian effortlessly scoops me off the couch. I’m too stunned to try and wiggle free and, if I’m totally honest, being in his lap comforts me in a way I can’t describe.
“Well, those other people are fucking idiots. But also, I’m kind of glad because it means I’ll get you all to myself.”
I sigh and lean into him. “I don’t trust you. I don’t even know you. And you’re kind of an overbearing asshole. Plus, youhandcuffedme to a car.”
His rumble of laughter vibrates his entire body. “And I’d do it again. Maybe if you’re a good girl, though, I’ll use those cuffs for more fun purposes.”
That thought makes me squirm. I’d be lying if I said the way he’d handcuffed me yesterday hadn’t turned me on. I’ll go to my grave denying it, but my panties know the truth.
His expression goes back to serious as he cups my chin again. “You can fight me all you want, Scarlet. You can push me away a thousand times, but I’ll come back one thousand and one. I felt something between us the second I picked you up in my arms. Hell, I felt something between us the first time I saw you on the surveillance cameras at your apartment complex.”
I smile and roll my eyes. “You’re such a stalker.”
“Everybody keeps telling me that, but I don’t think that’s accurate.”
This man. He is something else.
“No? Then what would you call it?” I ask.
He wraps his arms around me and nuzzles my neck. “I would call it being a good Daddy.”
And there go my panties. Because, yeah, I could see Killian being a good Daddy. Why he has any interest in me, I don’t know. He is right about one thing, though. The moment he scooped me up in that dark cell, I felt a connection.
“The pilot is waiting for me, but I want to show you something before I go.” He stands, lifting me with him.
“Why are you carrying me?”
Killian chuckles. “Because I’m finding that picking you up and moving you where I want you is easier.”
The ego on this man. I wish I could say it wasn’t appealing.
He carries me toward my room, and I don’t miss the looks of amusement from Patrick and Cullen, two of the men guarding the entrance of the house. I bury my heated face in the crook of Killian’s neck. How embarrassing. He stops outside the closed door, then sets me on my feet. When he leans forward to turn the knob, his mouth hovers so close to mine that I can smell his minty breath.
“You can turn around.”
My breath whooshes from my lips as I take in the room.
“What is this?” I ask once I’m able to get words out.
