I considered tellinghimnope, but took a small bite of my omelet to appease him.
He watched me. “With everything that’s been going on lately, it’s not safe to be out on your own.”
“The attack on Angel’s family?” I asked. I didn’t know all the details since nobody would talk about it, but Markie had escaped with Angel’s two youngest siblings. “I don’t see why that has anything to do with me.”
“You’re Markie’s family and Markie’s connected to Angel. It’s my job to make sure Angel, and everyone connected to him, is safe.”
Great. So, he was protecting me out of a sense of duty toward Angel, not because he was into me. Well, I didn’t need his pity protection. “I’ll take the bus,” I insisted.
He stared at me. “Don’t fight me on this, Ari. We’re going to be working out regularly. I’ll teach you some self-defense techniques, and I’ll drive you where you need to go from here on out.”
“Drive me everywhere? That’s not even practical. What if you’re not available?”
“I’ll arrange for you to have a ride.”
“I like taking the bus.”
“Noted.” His eyes hardened. “And not negotiable.”
The command in his voice had an interesting effect on me. I couldn’t decide whether to cower in a corner, come out swinging, or wrap my legs around him and rake my fingers through his military-short dark hair as I kissed him into submission. I would have been all over that last option had the sexy bastard shown any interest in me at all. There was no way in hell I was cowering in the corner, so swinging was my only option. I held his gaze and leaned closer, until our lips were barely more than an inch apart.
His gaze drifted down to my mouth.
Licking my lips, I settled my hand high on his thigh. Maybe I’d straddle him after all. Before I could move forward with that plan, he shook himself and plucked my hand from his leg, settling it in my lap.
“Eat.” His voice sounded deeper, huskier. “So we can go.”
“I’m not hungry.” I set my plate down on the coffee table.
“Goddammit, Ari. Are you gonna fight me on everything?” Bones asked. His plate was mostly empty, and he slammed it on the table beside mine, making the remaining bits of food bounce. “I’m trying to keep you safe and healthy and you’re acting like I’m putting you in lockdown.”
“I’ve been on my own in Vegas for more than a year now.” I tried to stay calm, but my voice was shaky, and anger was warming my face.
“And look where it got you,” he replied. “You were living in a shitty apartment, dating a fuckin’ drug dealer who conned you out of your money and laced you with crap drugs that almost killed you.”
I didn’t need Bones to remind me of my failures. Standing, I pointed at the door. “Get out.”
He let out a deep breath and his shoulders sagged. “Ari, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.” He meant it, because it was all true. But my God, it still hurt like hell. “Leave.”
He stood, but stayed by the sofa. “We need to hit the gym and work on self-defense techniques.”
“Haven’t needed them so far.”
His eyes softened. “I want you to be prepared, in case anything like what happened to Markie happens to you.” He looked scared and worried. Although that touched my heart, I wasn’t ready to forgive him.
“Then maybe tomorrow you should try not to be such a douchebag and we can go to the gym. But today, I don’t want to be anywhere near you. Please go.” I crossed my arms and nodded toward the door.
“All right, but I’ll be back by two-fifteen to take you to work. Let me know if you need to go anywhere sooner.”
His concern would have been sweet if my mind would stop reminding me that he was just doing his job. Just taking care of Angel’s girlfriend’s little sister. He probably saw me as his own little sister. I’d been fucking sister-zoned. “Whatever.”
Shaking his head, Bones walked out.
Too poor to waste food, I put the leftovers in the fridge and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower. If Bones was going to be here at two-fifteen, I intended to be out the door long before one.
CHAPTER FIVE
