I smirked, despite facing her wrath. “And I wanted to feel you on me.”
“Despite the things you have done to protect me and help make my life amazing, I can’t condone what you did. You invaded my privacy and made me think you hated me all these years. Meanwhile, you were tracking my phone, had a hidden camera in my place, and had people following me. Thank you for finding my father, but this is a lot, Harris. And now I can’t even walk away from you, or I’ll die.” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and I already knew what she was going to ask.
I raised my hand to stop her. “I didn’t have anything to do with this dark magic or the entity. Yes, I want to keep you safe, and being near you was my ultimate goal, but I’d never do anything to hurt you, no matter how desperate I felt. And you can be mad at me for everything. I understand. But I wouldn’t change a thing. This is me, baby. I will go as far as I need to in order to protect you. I won’t apologize for that.” I released my grip on her waist. “Now if you want to go in another room and sulk, you can, but it’s not going to change anything.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it again, her body slouching, releasing her tension. Was she giving in? “I know you are used to being in charge, especially after you took over the business. But you can’t run everything. You can’t run me; I don’t like being controlled. Even if it’s positive in the end. That’s not who I am. And you know that, which is why you kept it secret. No more secrets. And if I give you boundaries, respect them.”
I raised my brows. I couldn’t recall the last time anyone had told me what to do who wasn’t my father. I was used to getting my way, and people just accepting it. I’d told her the truth as an offering, but nothing was negotiable when it came to her life. However, I could at least be open and honest. “No more secrets.”
She tilted her head. “And respect my boundaries.”
I lifted a shoulder, not liking her request. That felt like giving up control and, hell no, I wasn’t going to do that. “I don’t know what those are.”
She pushed at my chest again. At this point, I think she just liked touching me. “When I tell you what they are, you will. Like, remove the camera from inside my condo. And no following me or tracking my phone. If we’re not in a relationship, it’s inappropriate.”
I gave her another smile, recognizing the loophole. “Understood. But since we are in a relationship, there’s nothing to change. I’ll respect your boundaries as long as they don’t endanger you.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “We are not in a relationship. We just started talking again.”
I chuckled. “Oh, princess, I think you and I both know that fighting this is just going to be a waste of our time.”
“Oh, really?”
I gave a curt nod. “Yes.”
She crossed her arms, giving me a bratty look, but she was already losing the fight as I felt her thighs squeeze me. “You don’t know everything.”
I loved when people doubted me. Proving them wrong was so much fun. And make no mistake, I was going to love proving Camilla wrong. And so would she. “Oh, baby, let me show you how I do.”
I’d loved her from afar for so long that I couldn’t let her go, even if I tried. And no one or thing would get in the way of that.
Chapter Eight
Camilla
Iwasn’t sure when my mind would be able to fully process everything that had happened in the course of twenty-four hours, but I knew it wouldn’t be now. Harris moved his hands up my waist, and I stopped his movements with my own. He wasn’t hearing me because what I thought didn’t matter. He was going to do things how he wanted, like he always did. Even though he meant well, he had controlled my life from the shadows, and it felt…uncomfortable.
He looked up at me with questioning eyes. “Talk to me, baby.”
I worried my lower lip, getting my thoughts together. I had to be clear and firm with him. Harris was always a stubborn guy. Okay, pigheaded was more like it. However, he was never unreasonable. Well, not with me. “Moving forward, we aregoing to get through everything together. You are not going to control the situation and only do things your way. Whether we’re together or not. Okay?”
He nodded with a very fake-looking smile on his lips that convinced me that my words were not sinking in. I rolled my eyes. “See, I don’t believe you.” I wiggled, trying to get up again, but he held me still. Damn him and his orc strength.
“What’s the problem?” he began. “I agreed.”
I huffed. “No, I know you too well. You’ll tell me some things and then just withhold the stuff that you know will piss me off. You can never fully agree to something that would leave too many variables.”
He growled and gave me a playful squeeze. “Then why’d you even bring it up?”
Looks like I was going to have to get rough. What exactly did that look like? An episode of a police procedural came into my mind, and I channeled my inner bad cop, sick of the shit. I grasped a section of his hair, tilting his head back as I gave him a menacing look. However, he only smiled, clearly not threatened by me at all. The sexy jerk.
“I like it when you pull my hair. Next time I want you to ride me when you do it,” he said.
Sweet lord, I think my pussy just throbbed. No. Nope, he was not going to distract me. “You aren’t taking me seriously.”
He lost his smile. “I’m never going to promise you anything that I’d have to break.”
I let go of his hair. “Why would you ever have to spy on me?”
