Leighton's forehead rested briefly against mine, his voice ragged with an unnamed emotion. "There, sweet girl. That's how it would work."
There was so much more to it. Even I knew that.
But darn it, that was a real good start.
Chapter Eight
The tray of food sat untouched at the little table by the window. The steam had long since cooled, curling into nothing. Chloe had brought the food not long after I'd informed her I wouldn't be going down for breakfast. Her face had pinched together in worry as she wasveryaware that I had skipped dinner the previous night.
My stomach growled, but the knot of nerves inside me was too tight to let me even consider lifting the lid.
So instead, I sat curled in the chair, arms locked around my knees, watching the soft rain bead against the glass. Every path of thought ended in confusion.
The kiss.
The revelations.
The impossible promise.
The two men who seemed to want me. And each other.
A sharp knock startled me upright. That didnotsound like Chloe's timid rap.
Before I could answer, the door eased open and Leighton stepped inside. For the first time since I met him, he didn't have an easy smile on his face. The stark scar stood out on the harsher expression, only enhancing his attractive features.
His eyes flicked straight to my untouched tray and I watched with fascination as his jaw ticked.
"Lisa," he said gently, but there was steel threaded through it. "You've not eaten a bite."
I lowered my gaze and shrugged.
He crossed the room in three strides and sat down on the armrest of the matching settee. "Lisa. I expect an answer."
I looked at him, feeling a part of me push up. A part I'd tried to suppress most of my life.
"You didn't actually ask me a question, Leighton."
He scowled, his eyes sparking. "Care to tell me why you're not eating?"
Again, I shrugged. "You know full well why I'm not eating. Ican't."
He crossed his arms in front of him, his gaze focused on me. "Youcan, and you will. Don't make me treat you like a sulky child."
My head snapped up, bristling. "I'm not a child." I felt anger slowly bubbling to the surface. It was their fault I felt like this. Their fault I couldn't even stomach the thought of some plain toast with all the nerves and confusion running through me.
"No," he agreed, crouching so that his eyes were in line with mine. The sudden closeness stole the air from my lungs. His voice dropped, steady and firm. " You’re not a child. You're a young woman who's been through too much, too quickly. You lost your parents, your home, and your livelihood all in less than a year. It's completely understandable to shut down. But I won't have you starve yourself, Lisa. Not when you belong here. Not when you belong to me. To us.”
My breath caught. "Leighton..."
His hand brushed over mine, warm and grounding. "Magnus and I... We'll give you time to think. We'll give you the space youneed. But don't test us on this. You'll eat. Even if I have to hold you down so Magnus can force feed you.”
The words were simple, yet there was something else in them. Not anger. More like a quiet authority that wrapped around me.
He wasn't wrong. There was no point in starving myself. But I'd be damned if I just gave in easily. "Whatever you say, Captain," I snarked, bitingly.
He looked at me, his mouth tipping up in the beginning of a smile before responding. "No need to be so formal, little girl. Daddy will do."
And then he walked out of the room.
