"Sit down." My tone was firm. She didn't do as I asked, just hovered in front of me. "Juliet, I told you to sit down. I am not finished yet."
She hesitated for only a moment before sinking back onto her chair. I couldn't miss the flush in her cheeks, the parting of her lips as she gasped. She probably didn't realize it, but she was affected by my command. That made things more interesting.
"I believe that marriage is a partnership, a coming together of two people who love and respect one another. For me, it's a lifelong commitment. I can't enter into it lightly."
"I understand." Juliet smiled softly. "You're a romantic."
"Perhaps." I'd bought this vineyard on what most people called a whim. It wasn't. It was the first time I'd looked at a place and been able to picture a life in it. "But that's not the point."
"No, I get it. The point is you can't help me."
Her expression suggested more than disappointment. She appeared completely desolate.
"Actually I can help you. I won't marry you, Juliet, but I will offer you my protection."
Her entire face lit up. "You will?"
"Yes. But there are conditions, and I need you to understand before you agree that I mean every one of them."
A small crease appeared between her brows. "Such as?"
"You stay here. My life is at Mist Hollow now, and I won't be going back to the city unless I have to. You stay on the estate, and you don't leave without me or one of my men. No exceptions."
"Okay."
Her agreement came too quickly.
"I mean it, Juliet. No exceptions."
She held my gaze. "Understood."
"If you want to contact family or friends, you tell me first. I need to know what's being shared and with whom."
She frowned. "I'm known for my discretion."
"I don't doubt it. The rule stands."
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
"If I issue an instruction in any situation, whether here on the vineyard or elsewhere, you are to follow it without argument. You're trusting me to keep you safe. You have to let me do that my way."
"Fine."
"You treat me and my staff with respect. You make yourself useful. This is a working vineyard, not a hotel."
"I can help Eileen in the kitchen," she said.
"Good." I paused. "Those are the rules."
A beat of silence. I watched her think about her next question. Watched her decide to ask it anyway.
"And the consequences," she said carefully, "for breaking them?"
I looked at her steadily. "I'll take you over my knee."
The redness in Juliet's cheeks deepened. She'd probably heard rumors about my preferences. Gossip was one of the main currencies in the world we inhabited. Despite her obvious embarrassment, she held my gaze. That impressed me. Clearly Juliet was braver than I realized.
"So, what do you say, Juliet? Do you want my protection?"
