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He leaned in and gave me a crooked smile while stroking my upper arm with his finger. “Don’t make me say it. You know what I’m talking about. Whatever these guys are paying, I’ll double it. I have a couple friends who’d die of jealousy-”
My fist connected with his nose and I made a man bleed in the Graves’ home for the second time, only on purpose that time. I didn’t bother sticking around to explain to him why he was being punished. I doubted he had the processing skills to understand.
Unfortunately, his shouts and moans of pain drew everyone’s attention. I snatched my coverup off the back of a chair and stormed inside. I was done. My knuckles hurt horribly, already, and my feelings were cracking and bleeding all over the place. The weak little things hadn’t expected anything like that and the shock of it made the pain even worse.
I rushed up the stairs, going straight to Zander’s wing to find my clothes. I wanted to leave. I needed to leave.
“Aggie!”
I didn’t look back at Zander as he chased after me, calling my name. I couldn’t think about whether or not he’d somehow implied to that asshole that I was his paid whore, not until I was alone and safe to cry, but I still didn’t want anything to do with him in that moment. I slammed his bedroom door closed behind me and went into the closet.
“Goddammit, Aggie!” Zander threw open the door and followed me into the closet. “What the hell happened? What’d he say to you?”
I tried to jerk away from him as he grabbed me and spun me around to face him, but he gripped my arms tight and forced me to look at him. “What didyousay tohim?”
34
***Kyrin***
Idroppedmyhatin the mudroom, stretching my stiff muscles before kicking my boots off. I was covered in mud from a long day with a wild mare. The last thing I wanted to do was entertain anyone, but Zander’s message made it clear that Aggie didn’t want us kicking the parents out. Something about making sure Gracie had friends. I didn’t know how us feeding a bunch of people expensive food got her friends, but I was sure Aggie would explain it to me later.
I pulled my shirt off and groaned. My ribs were still sore from the drunken wrestling match with Donnie over a week earlier. I’d heard from him that he still had a black eye and couldn’t sit down without cursing my name, though, so I didn’t feel so bad about my ribs. I’d just been glad to hold my own against that giant. I’d impressed Aggie’s family and made a life-long friend in Donnie. Worth it.
My pants were halfway down my legs when I heard shouting from somewhere else in the house. It didn’t sound good so I pulled my pants back up and rushed out to find out what was happening. I passed Mary ushering Gracie to the stairs and frowned at the look on Gracie’s face.
Mary scowled. “I’m taking her to her room to dry off and play. Those adults ruined her pool party and she’s upset about it.”
“Where’s Aggie? I want Aggie.” Gracie crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “She was sad. They made her sad, Uncle Ky.”
“Upstairs, little lady. Aggie will come find you as soon as this mess is cleared up. You’ll have to settle with me for now.” Mary nodded towards the back of the house. “Give them hell.”
Knight stood at the back of the house, his face twisted in confusion while several people shouted at him and one man stood back, holding a bloody nose. I just assumed Knight had hit the asshole until I heard what one woman in particular was shouting at Knight.
“You need to call the cops and have her charged with assault! She hit my husband! Your so-called nanny is out of control. I don’t know what kind of things you let happen in your home, but I won’t have my husband assaulted by that…that tramp!”
Knight and I had the same reaction. We each turned furious glares at the man with the bloody nose. “What the fuck did you do to her?”
“What? Me? I didn’t do anything! She just hit me!” His voice was strained from what I was assuming was a broken nose. “She’s nuts! She came onto me and when I politely turned her down, she lashed out! She said y’all are replacing her and she needs a new job. She seemed to believe I’d ever be interested in the kind of arrangement you all have here.”
I stepped closer and saw him flinch. “I suggest you stay close. I’m going to check on Aggie and if there’s a hair on her fucking head out of place, I’m beating your ass. One of y’all had better call the cops now if you’re worried about that asshole.”
Knight followed me up the stairs and frowned when we got closer to Zander’s room and heard shouting. We rushed in and saw Aggie raging around the room in a bikini that I would’ve liked to appreciate at another time. Zander was leaning back on the bed, watching her with a dark expression on his face.
I recognized the look and immediately settled into checking on Aggie. Zander would handle whatever else had happened. He had murder written all over his face, so I hoped the idiots downstairs did call the cops before we finished with Aggie.
“Why the hell would he think that I’m a prostitute, Zander? No one else knows anything about us, about me working for you! It’s not a matter of me believing him over you! It’s a matter of how the fuck else did he know even the basic information, like the fact that you’re getting rid of me soon? Is that my reputation now? I gave myself to you because weworktogether, not because you’re paying me, and now I’m going to be known as a whore?”
“You just let me know when it’s my turn to speak.” Zander’s voice was eerily calm and I could see the way his hands shook as he balled them into fists on his thighs.
“Just tell me the truth! Did you tell them that? Do you feel that way about me?” Her voice broke and she spun away from us, her body so stiff it looked like she would shatter at any moment.
Zander was on his feet, pressed against her back immediately. He wrapped his arms around her and held her, even while she struggled at first. When she went still, he spoke quietly against her shoulder. “The way I feel about you isn’t something I want you hearing this way. I’m not going to be forced into rushing this thing between us because some fucker spoke out of turn. I mentioned that you’re only doing us a favor for the month and then we’d have another nanny from the same service they use. If that asshole saw the way I looked at you and jumped to conclusions, I’m sorry. Never in a million years would I talk about you with any man outside of this room, Aggie. You’re no one’s business but ours. You don’t need my words to know, though, do you? You fucking know better. Do you feel my heart pounding against your back right now? Do you feel how crazy I feel at the thought of you trying to pack your stuff?”
Her shoulders dropped slowly and then the rest of her body sagged against Zander as she let go of her tension. “I don’t like this feeling.”
“Which feeling, baby?” Zander lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
“Sadness. I let people make me angry, not sad. It’s scary to care so much about what you might’ve said about me.” She settled into his lap and curled into his chest. “I never felt sad over what Monroe might’ve said about me. Not once.”
