“No, they really don’t. You’re supposed to grow territory, not get rid of it. Land is power. I might not know a lot about your world, but that much is obvious.”
I stand up and walk around my desk towards her. She doesn’t move away when I place my hands on her shoulders and slowly rub them down her arms.
“Fine, you’re right, land is power. However, I still have plenty of other territory. But I meant it when I said this was my problem to deal with and not something you need to worry about. You should focus on your studies and leave the politics to me.”
She bites her lower lip as she lets her honey-gold eyes roam over my face.
Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
“Just tell me if you’re in danger because of…because of me,” she says in a half-whisper.
“I’m not. And neither is Jess. This is just how the Bratva life goes. There’s always something to deal with somewhere, Georgie. And I’m good at what I do. How do you think I got into this powerful position in the first place?”
She sighs, dropping her eyes.
“Okay,” she says quietly. She looks vulnerable, and it makes me want to protect her even more.
I pull her close to me, hugging her. The moment I do this, I regret it, because I’ve already been fighting the wildest urges all week. Urges to hold her, to take her, to taste her. Urges to show her what it means to be my wife, to belong to me.
I want her more than ever, and she’s within my reach, living in my mansion with her scent drifting around me constantly. Yet still, I don’t have her. Not like that. Not how I want her.
I step back, struggling for control over my body and my thoughts.
“Let’s get some dinner. I’m starving. Do you know what Jeremey made this evening?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t. But it smelled like lamb stew when we got home.”
She shrugs, pulling her mouth to the side. I wrap one arm around her and lead her towards the door.
“I promise you, everything is okay. I’ve got it under control,” I reassure her again.
She lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m going to hop in the shower before dinner,” she says. “I’ll come right down afterwards.”
“Me too. I want to get out of this suit and into something more comfortable.”
***
At dinner, which is a very rich and delicious lamb stew, I am quiet and lost in thought. I meant every word I said to Georgie, that I would keep her safe, that I had everything under control. I don’t want her to worry about things that are not her burden to carry.
But deep down inside, I know that trouble is looming.
And yes, when it arrives, I will do what I’ve always done and take care of it. I’ll fix this like I’ve fixed everything my father did to try to destroy my life. But I hate not knowing what’s going on. I hate being blindsided. I hate being played by my own father.
I eat in silence, lost in thought, thinking about the future, and the fact that I finally have the one thing I’ve been longing for—she’s sitting right across the table from me, also quiet,occasionally glancing at me—and I can’t let anything take her away from me.
Not my father, and not his psycho business partners.
I refuse to let them treat her like a pawn or an object to use against me.
She is everything.
She’s worried about the territories I traded for her, but she has no idea how much more I would have given to keep her safe.
I can’t lose her. I will tear this world down to keep her close to me.
***
For two days, I leave messages for him, but my father is avoiding my calls. He doesn’t respond to e-mails, either, and when I leave messages with his housekeeper, I get nothing in return. This morning I’ve decided that the best option I have is to go to his home in person.
