“Oh, I never assumed you’d follow the rules,” he says with a grin. “I just want to make sure, if you’re going to run the car off the tracks, that you have a plan. There’s a lot at stake.” Baron looks at the trucks. “Especially now. And the Chadovichs can smell it.Tristancan smell it.”
“I know that,” I bark out. “And that’s part of why I’m doing what I’m doing. Amara can be useful . She’s smart. And she’s not tied to a family that is trying to yank the rug out from underneath us. I may not believe in old-school Bratva traditions most ofthe time, but I do know the pros to having a partner if I am in charge.”
“I understand that. I’d just make sure she isn’t tied to anything else either. Including your heart.”
I don’t like what Baron is implying. But it does make me think. He’s good at that, I’ll give him credit. I don’t let my guard down with anyone, but Baron knows me.
I turn to him again, losing the fangs a little. “She fights me on everything.”
“She’s a woman,” Baron laughs. “What did you expect?”
“No, I mean…” I rake a hand through my hair, frustrated, looking for the words to describe her. But Amara Parker defies description. “She wanted me. Bad. And I’m used to that. But now, she fights me. She’s always rearing up, looking for ways to make my life harder. What am I supposed to do with that?”
Baron fights a grin. “I’d start with not holding her hostage.”
“I’m not holding her hostage,” I snap.
Baron looks at me. “Can she leave?”
“When I say she can.”
His eyebrows rise.
“She knows too much.”
“What does she know?” he asks.
I don’t say anything. Because I don’t fully know that, either.
Baron goes on. “I'm just saying, it gives Beauty and Beast vibes. She’s not going to come down to dinner if you threaten to break the door down. You can’t force connection.”
“I don’t need to connect with her. I just need her to obey me.”
“I don’t think that’s how this works. If you want everyone to believe that you can’t marry Jenica because your heart is elsewhere, they need to see it. And they’re not going to see it if it’s forced.”
“So what are you saying, then? Fall in love with her?” I snort. “Because fuck that.”
“Maybe not love. But it wouldn’t kill you to romance her a little. Might be helpful, even. In more ways than one.”
Baron’s words rub me wrong. And that’s usually a sign that he’s right, which I hate. But I know that, if my plan is to avoid matrimony with the Chadovich queen, I am going to have to convince people that we are real.
Hell, at this point, I’d settle for Amara not hating me.
29
AMARA
Sleeping on the couch blows, even when the couch costs more than your car.
That said, I have started sleeping in the bedroom. The downside is, it smells like him. Not just his cologne or his soap, but his skin. His sweat. His body.
The upside is that the mattress so closely resembles sleeping on the highest cloud of heaven that I am usually snoring and probably drooling within five seconds of my head hitting the pillow.
And don’t get me started on the sheets.
When my alarm goes off in the morning, I am not ready to get up. I have no desire to leave the cloud. I have no desire to go to work. And I very much have no desire to see Ransome.
But arrogant, controlling, drug dealing boss aside, I have bills to pay. People to support.
