I held the bouquet out towards her, obscuring her from my view temporarily. Mia took it from my hand, paper rustling during the exchange, and regarded the flowers warily as if she expected something sinister to creep from the depths of the stems.
“What are these for?” she asked, studying them.
Taking the seat opposite her on one of the single chairs, I answered, “Last night. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
I gestured at her wrist where the discoloration stood out against her olive skin. I wasn’t a man who was above violence, but I wouldn’t hurt a woman unless it was necessary. It made me uncomfortable that I’d left a mark on her.
A few moments of silence before Mia spoke and the knot in my chest eased. “They’re beautiful. Lilies are my favorite.”
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” I said to her quietly. My life was complicated enough without the added stress of expecting an argument every time I saw Mia.
“I don’t think you can get off on the right foot when you’re used as collateral,” she said. I was beginning to think Mia couldn’t help but say exactly what was on her mind at any given time. She made a valid point. We weren’t old friends who had bumped into each other and realized the years had changed us both.
I let out a frustrated sigh, “I have a business to run, Mia. I’m not the one at fault here. Your father knew exactly what he was doing and who he was dealing with. I’m not the big bad wolf.”
I was aggravated by the fact that I’d taken the role of villain in this narrative. Hector drove us to this point and Mia... Mia was this tiny, innocent looking woman who would have found her place perfectly on my arm and in my bed if it weren’t for her mouth. The moment she spoke it drove me insane. I’d never met anyone with such a blatant disregard for who I was or what I was capable of.
“I know,” she said eventually, her gaze on the flowers once more.
“Mia.” I took in a deep breath, surprised but satisfied by her agreement. “You’re going to be here for a while until your father repays his debt.”
Her eyes came up to meet mine and I could see the momentary panic that flitted across her features.
“I’m not going to hurt him,” I reassured her. I wouldn’t have a need to as long as he kept his word. “Once I’m paid what I’m owed you get to go home.”
Mia mulled over my words before she gave me a nod. I didn’t have an exact date for her, that all depended on her father, but at least things were clear. The quicker Hector could pay me the sooner she’d be home.
“Look,” I continued. “There are a few rules that you need to follow since you are staying here.”
She rolled her eyes before I got the chance to start.
“Stop,” I told her firmly and Mia looked surprised at my sudden change in tone. “This is my home. You’re part of my life and therefore you’ll show me some respect.”
“You can’t just demand respect,” Mia shot back at me, eyes narrowed.
Why was I not surprised that she’d fight back on this? The docile and meek nature she’d just shown when agreeing with me had vanished.
“I sure as hell can,” I told her. “I’m keeping you here and you aren’t exactly being tortured, Mia. The least you can do is follow that rule.”
I could see in her face the way that she fought with herself. Aside from the problematic first evening, Mia had the run of the entire house and grounds, and would want for nothing while she was under my care.
“Fine,” she said, chin tipped up in defiance. My fingers itched to reach across and correct the insolence. “But I want respect in return, Lucas. This can’t happen again.” She held up her hand and twisted it around indicating her wrist.
“I can assure you that will never happen again,” I told her without a doubt. With Mia and her barbed tongue now living with me, I would need to make a stronger effort to keep hold of my temper. Of course, that would be easier if Mia could follow the rules I had for her.
“What else?” she asked me, wanting to know the other rules she’d need to abide by while she lived here.
It irritated me the way she said it, as if I was wasting her time. As if she had better things to be doing. “You don’t leave this house.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Mia laughed. “I can’t just stay here for God knows how long. I’ll go mad.”
I gritted my teeth at how severely I underestimated this woman. When she walked into my office I had pegged her as the soft and gentle type, but she was proving me wrong. There was a fire in her telling me if I tried to enforce this rule, she’d find a way to break it and that would lead to a whole host of trouble that I neither needed nor wanted.
“You don’t leave this house without Dominic.” I adjusted the rule, attempting to find a way to avoid another incident with her.
“Who’s Dominic?”
“He works for me. Dom does a lot of the maintenance around the house since I’m not here to do it myself,” I explained.
