"Hey, I got you inside. You're safe, butthisis why you need to listen to me. Do you understand now?"
Lila nods absently, her eyes finding the middle distance. She's trembling slightly.
"Yes, I...I understand."
Against my better judgment, I take another step forward, putting my other hand on her other shoulder and getting us that much closer. Something itches inside me, needing to make her feel better, needing to get that look of fear off her face.
"Nothing happened, okay? You'll be fine. I'm right here."
She looks up at me, and the room is so quiet, everything squeezing down around us. My eyes flick from hers to her mouth.
This is bad. This is dangerous. And still, I feel myself leaning forward. Every fiber of my being itches to crash my lips against hers.
It's Lila who pulls out of it first, taking a step backward and shaking her head like she needs to clear it.
"Yes, I...Thank you. Would you just...stay in the room with me?"
Gesturing toward the bed, I nod. "Just lie down and get some sleep."
Lila looks back over at the mattress and then to me. "Would you lie with me?"
I should say no to this. There's nothing good that can come from it.
Still, all I'm doing is nodding again as I follow Lila to the bed and lie down next to her. I try to lie on my back with my arms behind my head, but Lila keeps moving, adjusting and shifting, and flipping this way and that, like she can't get comfortable.
Annoyed and still feeling a bit guilty, I reach out underneath her neck and pull her toward me, tucking her under my arm.
Neither one of us says anything. Eventually, Lila relaxes, and after a while, I feel her fall asleep.
4
Marcus
I'm on my way to Reginald's office. We need to have a discussion about last night because he clearly downplayed the threat Lila is under.
Sure, I knew I was acting as a bodyguard, that I needed to be prepared for some eventualities, but he did not make it seem like there were going to be active kidnapping attempts.
If anything, he made it seem like he wanted to keep Lila under lock and key for his own reasons.
Which I'm pretty sure is still the case.
Cilento, mob boss or not, appeared to be just using scare tactics. This isn't that. He sent someone here to take her. Lila is being used like a chess piece.
There's also the fact that the more time I spend with Lila, the more I want her. The more I can't lie to myself or convince this voice in my head that I'm not attracted to her, that I'm not interested.
That I don't take one look at her and want to do things to her that are completely unprofessional.
Lila works every damn nerve of mine, testing me, teasing me.
But I like it when she fights back, when she's pushy, when she's trying to be the boss.
I want to show her how much she'll enjoy it when she obeys me.
Fucking hell, Marcus. No.
Shaking my head, I hurry my steps down the hallway. The faster I get to Reginald, the faster I can get out of my head.
But to be honest, I've avoided people for so long that what I'm feeling toward Lila is a bit of a shock.
