“Because he had to,” Neo says bluntly. “I doubt you gave him a choice in the matter.”
“We don’t have to hang out at our place.”
“Look, I love you, but you’re being really foolish.” Pity shines on Neo’s face as he takes my hands in his. “You two have literally nothing in common. You’re from different worlds.”
“Fuck, you need to stop watchingDownton Abbey. It’s the twenty-first century. We don’t need to worry about that bullshit.”
“You’re already worrying about it, whether you realize it or not. You just said you wouldn’t hang with him at our place.”
“And?”
“And that’s not a healthy start to a relationship,” Neo says levelly. “You’re supposed to share all areas of your life with your partner. How can you claim to really know each other when you don’t know all there is to know?”
“Wedoknow each other.”
“Oh yeah?” Neo’s brows shoot up. “Have you been on a date outside of this house? Spoken to anyone outside of his family or staff? Been to his place?”
“Well, no, but?—”
“But nothing,” Neo says firmly. “You’re existing in a bubble. Until you step out into the real world, you’ll have no idea how you’ll cope.”
I flinch at the truth bombs he’s throwing at me. Things I probably should’ve thought about before now. The old me would have.
But the new me has been too wrapped up in Cade to even consider it.
“Shit, I’m just saying this because I’m worried about you.” Neo squeezes my hands in emphasis. “You say you’re safe, but as far as I can tell, you’re being held hostage. Valid, given you kinda kidnapped Cade, but it’s not healthy. Your bond was formed under extreme circumstances. You can’t know if it’ll last unless you test it. And you can do that by insisting he gets you outside of this house.”
I pull my hands from his, a lump in my throat threatening to choke me. “Are you done?”
“Almost.” There’s a note of apology in his voice, and I know he hates telling me this as much as I hate listening to it. But this is what we do. We have each other’s backs, even if the other isn’t fully on side. “Are you sure the ‘other guys’ are actually going to leave you alone?”
I sigh heavily. Now this is something I’ve thought about. “Honestly? I think so. Obviously, I can’t guarantee it, but…” Neo bites his lip, fidgeting in his seat. My heart sinks. With everything he’s said so far, if he’s struggling to say this, then it doesn’t bode well for me. “Spit it out, for fuck’s sake.”
He sighs, raking a hand through his hair. “I know there’s stuff going on with the Buckinghams that you’re not disclosing, but can they really protect you from these guys?”
I think about Cade’s insistence that I tell him who the men are that got me into this situation and what really happened. “I think so.”
“Okay, what about if you take Cade out of the equation?”
“What do you mean?”
The pity is back on Neo’s face. “If something happens to Cade, if he can’t help you, can you becertainthat his family still would?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say of course they would, but I can’t make the words come out.
Because I don’t know if they would. They seem to like me, but well enough to put themselves at risk? For someone they barely know?
“No,” I whisper.
“Last question and then I’m done, I swear. Just know this is coming from a place of love.”
I nod, suddenly exhausted. I’ve slept more since I’ve been here than in the previous few weeks combined, yet I can’t think of anything other than crawling back into bed.
“If these bad guys do turn up, do you really want to risk Cade getting caught in the crossfire?”
Cade’s easy grin flashes before me, his voice cracking as he hits the high notes in a terrible nineties anthem, him running me a bath before scrubbing my back for me.
Kissing me like he might die if he’s made to wait another second.
