“And, Father? Stay the fuck away from Charlie. I’m marrying her, and if you corner her again, I’ll consider you an enemy and move forward appropriately.” He turned away and strode out of the room, leaving his father sputtering behind him.
It brought Aiden no satisfaction, but if he didn’t do something about his father trying to drive off Charlie now, he was afraid that she’d disappear and they’d find her body in the river. That was the normal escalation of things—a sly payoff, something to scare her into doing what he wanted, and then an untimely death.
I can’t lose her.
He barely allowed himself to articulate the thought. He was already going to lose her, if not because of theirarrangement expiring, then because he seemed to be getting in deeper with Romanov by the minute.Or maybe I’ll lose her when she figures out that I’m using her to blackmail her father.He was in a tangled web of his own making, and he hadn’t anticipated it getting so complicated so fast.
It would be easier if he didn’t care about her—if it was just sex.
He could barely be in the same room with her without wanting to drag her off somewhere private and slake their mutual desire. He admired her strength. She’d been to hell and back, and it hadn’t broken her. And there was the fact that she slid almost seamlessly into his life here. She didn’t blink at facing down Romanov or the Eldridges, or even his father. Her courage scared the shit out of him. But knowing she could take care of herself only heightened his attraction.
And there was the fact that she pushed him to mend fences with his siblings. Keira actually looked like something resembling healthy since Charlie had moved into the house. Carrigan had invited them to an event, which was an olive branch if he ever saw one. Give Charlie another week and she’d have him sitting down to dinner with Teague and doing his damnedest to forgive his middle brother.
He…caredabout her.
He wanted to wrap her up and send her away to somewhere safe until this was all over. Fuck, he wanted to keep her safeforever. To stand between her and the world so she never had to be hurt again.
It wasn’t possible, even if she’d let him. He needed her here, and so he’d ride this out to the bitter end and see where all the pieces fell.
He just hoped like hell that they’d both still be standing at the end of it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Charlie did her best not to clutch Aiden’s arm as they walked up the steps to the hotel where Carrigan and James were holding their fundraiser. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of activity, and though Charlie had fully expected not to see Aiden for most of it, he checked in with her several times throughout the day.
He covered her hand with his. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t feel up to it.”
“I’m fine.” She felt like she’d been hit by a car, and her arms ached fiercely, but it was the truth. Plus, she got the feeling that he was just as off-center about the night as she was. Allied or not, his relationship with Carrigan was problematic at best. They obviously loved each other, and just as obviously had been close once, but Aiden had been genuinely surprised by the invitation to tonight’s charity dinner.
She’d have to be way more banged up to be the reason he skipped it.
Charlie squeezed his arm. “Everything will be fine.”
“I know.” He held the door open for her, and they checked their coats. Aiden stopped and grinned. “Bright eyes, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“This old thing?” Charlie smoothed her hands down the deep purple dress she’d chosen for tonight. Really, it was the only option, since it had long sleeves, which would cover her arm bandages. But she loved it all the same. The high neckline cut across her collarbone and created sharp points off her shoulders, and the back dipped all the way down to the base of her spine.
He circled her, his green eyes intense. “If we make it through the night without my dragging you to a room upstairs, it will be a goddamn miracle.”
She licked her lips. Under his gaze, her body flashed hot, as if he’d reached out and touched her. “How much time do we have?”
“There you are!”
Aiden’s expression shuttered. “Not enough, apparently.” He moved to her side and pressed his hand to the small of her bare back as they turned to face Carrigan.
She looked absolutely stunning. She wore a black dress with long sleeves, though hers left her shoulders bare. It hugged every curve and was just shy of being too short for respectable company, even with her black tights. Paired with her wild dark hair and berry lipstick and she was a showstopper.
Carrigan came in and gave Charlie’s cheek an air-kiss. She raised her eyebrows. “Look at us, practically twins.”
“Carrigan.”
She ignored the warning in Aiden’s tone and carefully looped her arm through Charlie’s. “Since we’re friends now,I think it’s best we pretend all of that nasty business with my calling you a gold-digging whore never happened.”
“How charitable.”
She laughed. “Yes, well, James had some strong words about the whole situation, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Aiden and I had the same…talk.” She glanced over her shoulder to find him a few steps back. He didn’t look particularly happy to be there, but even as she watched, his expression smoothed out and a practiced smile took the place of irritation. If Charlie hadn’t been paying such close attention, she would have missed the transition entirely.
