That was the truth of our story. The belief that was intertwined between the two of us, never allowing me to know where I ended and where he began.
Milo was it, and I would fight him every step of the way until he stopped retreating and trying to shut me out. He didn’t deserve the silence or the space. Not now. Not when I was right here and could help him deal with his inner struggles. The demons from his past that were cemented in his brain and wouldn’t release him.
It was time those demons met me.
“What?” He finally spoke. “Was humiliating me on the street not enough? Do you want to emasculate me some more?”
Unfortunately for me, whatever plagued him was no match for the bombs of destruction Milo could drop on me if I didn’t get this right. Maybe sleeping on the couch was the better option.
FIFTEEN
Milo
Retreatingto the bedroom when we got to the penthouse gave me an opportunity to settle down. The altercation with Medina brought the danger too close to Sable. That should never have happened.
His obsession with her was escalating, and I had to find a way to stop it. No good could come from the attention of a sex trafficker. I hadn’t figured out if he set his sights on her because he wanted her for himself or if it was a way to get to me. Either way, I had to shut him down.
The attention he showed her was alarming, and not because I was possessive. I’d fucking kill anyone who thought they could take her from me. But this was different. His attention could cause catastrophic destruction.
“Milo.” Sable came into the room. “I know you’re upset with me.”
“Do you know why?” I finished my drink and set the glass on the floor by the chair.
“I have an idea.”
“Let me enlighten you.” I stood but kept my distance, because every time I thought about her stopping me from doing what needed to be done, I wanted to throttle her. “You interfered in my business.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s not true.” I pointed at her. “You made a conscious decision to stop me from reaching for my gun. Do you know how dangerous that was?”
“I wanted to help you.”
“Except you didn’t help me.” I stalked toward her. “You showed my enemy that I have a weakness. You put yourself in the line of fire. It all could have gone sideways if Medina had pulled his gun and shot at me while I was distracted.”
She could have caught a stray bullet. I could have been shot because I was distracted. One of my men could have been killed. The scenarios were endless, and she was clueless when it came to the danger.
“I’m not your weakness.” She retreated back but I caught her arm. “I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t handle Diego."
“Stop calling him by his first name!” I clenched my fists. “I don’t like it.”
“Sorry.” She cowered. “I didn't want anything to escalate on the street.”
“That wasn’t your call to make.” I gripped her arm. “I have lawyers for that sort of thing."
“I apologize for getting in the middle of your business, but I’m not sorry for trying to protect you.” She tried to struggle out of my hold, but I didn’t relent. “I could have stayed downstairs and hid from you, but I came up here to tell you that you don’t get to shut me out.”
“Really?” I let go of her arm, intrigue coursing through the veins that were already flowing with rage. “Why do you think you can tell me what I can do?”
“I’m not telling you what to do, but if we’re going to make this relationship work, you can’t walk away anymore.” She tapped her chest. “You have to face me head-on and you have to accept that this is a partnership. You can’t have all the control.”
Her declaration aroused me more than it should have. I liked Sassy Sable. But that didn’t mean I was going to let her rule with her emotions. That could get her killed in my world.
“You don’t have to apologize to me,” I said. “But I can’t condone what you did tonight. It was reckless and stupid.”
“Even if my actions were stupid?—”
“They were.”
