I walk to her and yank her to me, crushing her against my chest. “No. It’s not fucking okay. Youneverleave this building without a guard with you. Never, firefly.”
“I was gone for twenty minutes, and I don’t want your goons watching me pick out pads and chocolate. That’s too intimate.”
I kiss the top of her head and breathe her in. “Then I’ll go with you. But you won’t do that to me again. Do you hear me?”
“Rome.” She sniffles, and it’s almost my undoing.
“Don’t cry.”
“I love that you’re holding me and not yelling anymore, but Ireallyneed the bathroom and to change my clothes. A shower. Please.”
“Christ, you scared me.” I kiss her once more and let her go. “Go handle what you need to. I’ll take care of the bed.”
“No!” She shakes her head almost frantically. “I’ll do it. Please don’t.”
“Hey, I’ve seen blood before, you know. Although, this gave me a bad moment that I don’t want to repeat, knowing that it’s yours.”
“Please. I’ll change them. I’ll take care of it.”
I take her face in my hands and frown down at her. “Baby. It’s okay. The bed, not you leaving.”
She tries to shake her head, andnowher eyes are full of fear.
“Why are you scared?”
She licks her lips. “Bad things happen when you ruin the bedsheets.”
He’s going to suffer so fucking badly.
“Not in our house, firefly.” I kiss her forehead gently, keeping my hands tender as I hold her face. “You’re safe here, remember?”
She nods. “Okay. I need the bathroom.”
I release her, and she hurries to the closet, gathers clean clothes, and then disappears into the bathroom. She shuts the door, and I hear the water start.
I blow out a breath.
Fuck.
I don’t want to repeat that. She just took ten years off my already short life.
I turn to look at the bed, and my stomach clenches again. I strip the sheets off the mattress andthrow them away, then find a clean set in the linen closet and dress the bed. I’m just pulling the pillowcase onto the pillow when the door opens, and Eloise walks out, her eyes on the bed. Her shoulders slump.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Come here.”
She walks right into my arms and clings to me. “I didn’t think about taking anyone with me. I just didn’t want someone to goforme. Definitely not. And I knew the pharmacy was just down the block, and I would be fast.”
I interrupt her by tilting her chin up and kissing her gently on the lips. “I know, firefly. But just because it’s embarrassing for you doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. Remember the world you’re now part of because of being with me.”
She nods.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal. Nothing’s happened with my father or his men in a while.”
She doesn’t know.
“Do you want to rest in here or down on the couch with the TV?”
