The same words he’d spouted off before like some practiced mantra. His world was far removed from where I’d grown up and the lessons I’d been taught. Right and wrong. Good and evil. In his world they collided all the time.
“Fine. Okay. Whatever you say.”
“I find the need to repeat myself around you. I did what I had to do, Lainey. I would die protecting my family. Don’t you understand that?”
My mouth was suddenly dry. “There’s no need to repeat yourself, Sasha. I’m certainly not as naïve as everyone believes. I’m a big girl. I can handle the truth. You’ll kill anyone who stands in your way. Since I’m not a part of your family, there’s no need to worry. I certainly didn’t see anything since I locked myself away in a panic room. My God. A panic room. In a mansion. I am losing my mind.”
He seemed to grow taller, his shoulders held back and every muscle stiffening including the ones in his neck. It was easy to detect how fast his pulse was by the way the thick cords were rising and falling. “You are family, Lainey. You saved my daughter and my cousin’s stepdaughter’s life.”
“No, I’m just a girl you slept with.” The words were biting and maybe I didn’t mean them. Then again, maybe I did. This certainly wasn’t the kind of fairytale I’d grown up reading.
Or fantasizing about.
Even if he was the perfect alpha male for the hero.
“You think I’m keeping you a prisoner because I’m fearful that you’ll talk to the police?”
“Yes. Of course you might think that. But let me guess. You have the police under your thumb. You’re free to roam the city streets of Las Vegas in a vicious hunt.”
His laugh sent a shower of chills through me, only they weren’t icy cold as I would have expected. They were white-hot, searing every nerve ending as his kiss had done.
“Who taught you to how to swing?”
I stared at him incredulously. “You’re going to throw that in my face?”
“Quite the contrary. I’m giving you a compliment. Your instincts to protect those girls above your safety were admirable and tell me a lot about who you are.”
“You should see the effectiveness of my right jab right in the kisser. There isn’t a man who can handle that particular swing.”
He was fully amused while I was riled. “I’d love to see that.”
“Are you asking me if I feel guilty about bashing the man’s head in? Let me save you the breath. Hell, no. In my crazy thoughts, I even admonished myself for not finishing the job for daring to destroy such a beautiful celebration. So no, Sasha. I’m not Miss Goody-two-shoes. I’m just a girl forced to become something she’s not who longs to escape a sea of bullshit and lies. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.” Yes, I was distraught. Didn’t I have a right to be?
“Yes, you do, Lainey, and I’d like to be a part of your discovery.”
What in the hell was I supposed to say to that? “I care about you, Sasha. You’ve shown me kindness, professionalism, and provided proof that not all billionaires are jerks, but we are different people. That had been proven by use of violence andthe amount of blood soaking into your lawn. It’s best I vacate myself from your world.” I almost added before it was too late. Before I cared too much. But I didn’t and why? Because saying the words out loud would make them true.
His features softened, the slight twinkle in his eyes reminiscent of the moment I’d met him.
“Lainey. Several of the men who stormed my house using the cover of being on the catering staff managed to escape. While their identities and who they worked for are still unknown, one thing is very clear. They knew you were at the party. And as my Pakhan reminded me. There wasn’t anyone at that event who didn’t notice the way we feel about each other. The way I feel about you was on full display.”
“What does that mean exactly, Sasha?”
He took a step closer. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t back away. So he repeated his action. My stomach immediately flipped, my heart thudding. Every time he was close, the reaction was the same. In passion, in business, and in danger. I couldn’t seem to break free of whatever spell he’d pulled me into.
“That means you’ll be targeted.”
“Oh.” Oh? That was all I had to say? Maybe because I’d wanted him to explode in descriptive adjectives about how much he craved me, needed me in his life. But that was a dark fairytale that should never see the light of day. “To get to you.” The words were said in passing, but I knew I was right.
He closed the distance before I realized what he’d done, gripping my arms. The fire had returned, blazing hotter than before. “Yes. They couldn’t take my daughter away so they will find another weakness, something that they’ll use to try and break me. You. They will hurt you because they know how I feel about you.”
My mind was suddenly fuzzy, a lump forming in my throat.
“How do you feel about me, Sasha?”
The slight shake of his head continued to infuriate me. I tried as I’d done before to break away, but his fingers dug into my arms. “I can’t and won’t lose you, Lainey. Not when I just found you. No one is ever going to touch you again. If they do, they die. Make no mistake about who or what I am. I would go to those lengths. Do you understand what I’m telling you, Lainey?”
“No, I don’t. We barely know each other.” I was whispering, now clinging to him as if he was my lifeline. Maybe he was. I was blinded by desire and a swirl of emotions that was denying me any links to common sense.
