Page 74 of The Strength Of A Woman

Her lips become bluish, although the sun still runs warm fingers over her shoulders.

“Do I need to go back?” she asks, horrified at the prospect.

I shake my head in response, and warmth moves back into her blood. Her cheeks shift colors from pale to rosy.

“You talked to them,” she says, fearful.

“Yes, I did.”

Her eyes have questions that her lips are too afraid to ask.

“Nothing changed. You’ll stay with me. I’ll negotiate the terms of your marriage with Stefano Varela.”

At once, she seems to have morphed into a pile of desperation. Her lips begin to tremble as her eyes fill up with tears.

“It won’t happen, Lani. Calm down.”

“How?”

I see the word on her lips, but her voice never comes.

“How can it not happen?”

“You don’t need to worry about the how. I’ll handle that. You just need to pay attention and follow my instructions.”

“What do I need to do?”

She seems to be brimming with life again.

“Right now? Nothing. Consider the time we have as your two weeks of vacation. We’ll do things. Talk things. I’ll get you ready for him.”

Her eyebrows slide up.

“Not in the sense you think.”

“What if…?”

I wait for her to gather her thoughts.

“What if this man catches up to what you’re up to and takes me away from you by force?”

“Over my dead body,” I say quickly before I calibrate my voice. “That will never happen. I’ve put guardrails in place so you are fully protected. On a second note, I’ll set the wedding date for sometime next month. He’s in a hurry, and so am I. The wedding will happen in New York. He doesn’t know that yet, but he has no reason not to agree with it. I’ll walk you down the aisle.”

“Callum?”

Her eyes burn as if she has a fever.

Her cheeks, too.

“I don’t want to be that man’s bride.”

“You won’t. You’ll dress for me,” I say with a smile. “And no blood will stain your dress. I promise.”

She gets my dark humor, so she smiles, blushing at the same time.

“He won’t lay a finger on you,” I say seriously this time, and a few moments pass as we both listen to the birds outside.

“No one will touch you, Leilani. Not as long as I’m alive. And I’m planning to live a very long life.”