“Oh, but you can letthatloser in?” He sneers.
“He’s not a loser.” My eyes snap to his as I uncross my arms. “Don’t be mean out of jealousy. And who the hell says I let him in? I’ve never kissed him. That’s what that was about. He wanted me to kiss him and I couldn’t. I can’t do anything because of you.”
He runs both hands through his hair and growls as he starts pacing. He looks like a wild animal that just escaped captivity. His pacing stops for a moment and he looks at me, his eyes hard and angry. The pacing resumes and I just stand there, staring and wondering if he’s completely unhinged.
CHAPTER29
LACHLAN
Why didI think I could do this? I should’ve sent someone to kidnap her and bring her to me. I watched her all day, just to get a glimpse of her life here, but the more I saw, the more upset I became. She’s living her life. Actually living it. She doesn’t walk around with a smile on her face, but I know her and can tell she’s content here, which is more than she was at Fairview. That should make me happy. Instead, it fuels my anger because she’s here without me, living the lifeIwanted to give her. That I wanted tosharewith her. All of those thoughts ran through my mind before I caught her with that loser. I watched them together the entire night. I should get a goddamn medal for reining in my rage as long as I did. Shit, for reining it in — period. I still want to hurt him for the way he was looking at her, the way he was touching her, the way he almost kissed her. He’s lucky I didn’t make good on my promise and bash his teeth in.
“Pack a bag,” I say, calmer than I feel. “We leave tomorrow.”
“What? Leave where?” Her eyes go wide. “I can’t just leave.”
My body starts heating up again. “Why? Because of him?”
“No! Do you even hear yourself right now?” she snaps. “You accosted me in front of him and he just stood there. Why would he do that if we were together? Think about it.”
“Because he’s a pussy.”
That earns me a light laugh and a touch of a smile that she tries to hide by turning her head away, but I saw it. I heard it. The sound makes the chains around my heart rattle. Seeing the way she keeps pressing her lips together to keep from laughing makes my mouth twitch, like if it’ll finally form a smile after all these years, but I restrain myself. This time around, she’ll be the one working for my smiles.
“Pack a bag,” I say again.
She blinks. “I can’t just leave because you demand it.”
“No?” I close the distance between us. “I think you owe it to me.”
“Ioweit to you to leave with you?”
“You owe me for a lot of things.”
She stares at me, pinning her dizzying brown eyes on mine. They fall to my lips momentarily, and I know she’s picturing them on hers again. I want to kiss her so fucking badly it hurts, but I won’t. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place, but when I saw her close her eyes and that shithead step forward, I felt like I was being sucked into the ground. And her dress? My God, that fucking dress. I want to fucking burn it after the images played out in my head of him slipping his hand under it while he kissed her. Thankfully, none of that actually happened, but it doesn’t make me any less upset about the possibility. Kissing her wasn’t part of the plan, but it’s all it took for me to confirm what I’ve always known — she was made for me. Forme. No one else.
“I have work,” she says quietly.
“I’ll pay you.”
“What?” Her voice hitches. “You’ll pay me for what exactly?”
“For you to leave with me.”
She stares at me for a long moment and finally laughs lightly. “And then what? What’s your plan after I pack a bag and leave with you?”
“You’re going to marry me.”
“What?” She shrieks, taking a step back with a horrified look that further fuels my anger. “I amnotgetting married.”
“Oh but you are.“ I cross my arms and grin. “It’s okay, though. You won’t have much paperwork to do since you already have my last name, De-li-luh Duke.”
Her jaw drops. Shock looks beautiful on her. She turns her back to me. I take advantage and check her out while she’s processing this. My memory didn’t do the reality of her justice. For a while, I tried to convince myself that it was just a college fling and that the only reason she intrigued me was that she was different from the rest. I’ve tried to trick myself into believing that when I saw her again, I wouldn’t feel what I felt back then, and I was right. I feel more. How the hell is that even possible? How could I feel more than I felt back then, when she consumed my every waking thought? I take a breath and exhale slowly. I need her to agree to this.
“You. Owe. Me, Lyla James.” I pause for effect. “Or do you prefer DelilahDuke?”
“Why do I need to marry you?” She twirls back around. “Where will you take me?”
“Chicago, then we’re making a stop in Fairview. After that, I can bring you back here if that’s what you want.”
