Xavier shakes his head. “I’m going to take care of you whether you like it or not.”
I roll my eyes. “I get that you feel responsible for my current state, but hovering over me is unnecessary. I’ve been taking care of myself all my life.”
“That changed the day I met you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I lower my voice, keeping my gaze on the door in case the nurse shows up. “Are you talking about Frank or something else?”
Xavier’s cool facade cracks for a second, allowing me to see the uncertainty underneath. “Since the night we met, I’ve been watching over you, making sure you’re safe. From everything and anyone who seemed like a threat. Either to you or to me.”
“To you?” I scrunch my face in confusion. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s simple: if a man wants you, I remove him from your life. Except McKenzie, but only because hurting him would hurt you.” Xavier blows out a breath. “Even then, he fucks with my patience.”
I sit there, grateful that I’m already on a flat surface and not crumpling to the floor. My mind races to comprehend the magnitude of dysfunction his confession reveals. The pieces of a puzzle suddenly click into place, painting a picture that I don’t want to look at too closely.
“You’ve been… what? Sabotaging my love life? Because that’s what it sounds like.”
When Xavier doesn’t argue with my conclusion, I squint up at him. My irritation gathers momentum, bubbling up in my throat and spilling onto my tongue.
“I thought something was wrong with me! All this time, I wondered why none of the guys I talked to seemed interested, but it had nothing to do with me. It’s your fault I believed I was unwanted and unattractive.”
Xavier’s words barrel to the forefront of my mind, a riddle that now holds stark clarity.
“This is what I’ve protected for three years, what I’ve waited for. What I’ll never fucking share.”
I grip the mattress until my hands shake, a mixture of disbelief and undefined emotion churning in my stomach. They contrast with each other, making it hard for me to know whatto think or what to say. I was never unwanted. Actually, Xavier desired me so much that he made sure I wasn’t with someone else. And will never be.
“This ismylife,” I say. “You can’t dictate every outcome and control my choices.”
He meets my gaze head on, unflinching. “I can,” he says simply, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “I will give you anything you ask for. But I won’t apologize for making sure you’re not with someone who doesn’t fucking deserve you. That you’re with someone who would kill for you. Who would die for you.”
“How can you know what I want without considering my feelings?”
“Because like everything else, your feelings belong to me.”
When I rear back and lift my chin, Xavier’s hand shoots out to grab the back of my neck. He leans down, his lips brushing mine with every word he speaks, his fingers tightening with every syllable uttered. “You will love me, Delilah. I’ll accept nothing else in this life.”
The room shrinks, the walls closing in on me as I grapple with his audacity. His determination. I waver between rage and affection, each one pulling me in a different direction until I’m ready to scream. How can I be with someone who’s ruthless enough to take my freedom and, in the same breath, promises me the world?
I’m losing my mind.
At the sound of the door opening, Xavier doesn’t immediately release me like I expect. Instead, he continues to hold me captive, uncaring of our audience.
“This discussion isn’t over, little raptor.” After a hard look, Xavier lets go of me and turns to face the nurse with an outstretched hand. “Give me the bag, so we can leave.”
Chapter 5
XAVIER
Ihaven’t slept for days. And I don’t think I’ve breathed regularly since I saw Delilah on the rooftop of the castle two nights ago. Having this girl in my life has fucked me so hard.
But she’s worth it.
Some of the tension built over the past week eases from my shoulders the second we step into my dorm room and the lock clicks behind us. Although Delilah’s finally safe, I’m still reluctant to put her down. She’s stiff in my arms, doing her best to distance herself from me emotionally, but it won’t last for long.
I’m going to make sure of it.
After gently setting her on the edge of the bed, I let my hands linger, savoring the feel of her body. She frowns, but the disapproving expression doesn’t hide the way her pulse leaps under the skin of her neck. How it quickens at my touch. That small reaction has my cock straining against my zipper.
