Page 69

TWENTY-FIVE

SIENNA

“Why are we going for a walk?” I asked.

Tyran had been home for a few hours and managed to clean up the entire bedroom, get work done, and even had the energy to go for a walk, while I felt physically and mentally exhausted.

“It’ll help you sleep better,” he said, handing me my coat.

I winced, recalling my outburst earlier. Something had come over me when I’d woken to the feel of a hand around my throat. My mind had instantly dragged me back to that place I’d spent so long trying to forget, and my instincts flared.

I fought.

“I’d just woken up,” I grumbled.

Still, I took the coat from him and slipped it on.

“We will walk through the forest,” he said. “Maybe all the way to your cottage and the coastline.”

“You won’t wear a jacket?” I questioned, looking him over.

Tyran had changed into jeans and a sweater, looking less like the mobster I was accustomed to seeing and more like an ordinary, hot man.

“Worried I’ll get sick?” he teased. I rolled my eyes and shrugged. “Don’t worry, we’ll get married even if I’m on my deathbed.”

“How comforting,” I mumbled. “Just put on your jacket too.”

He chuckled as he reached for his own tweed coat and slid it on.

“Where is your leather jacket?” I asked suddenly.

I didn’t see it while exploring his closets.

He shrugged. “Probably back in New York. Why?”

“I was just wondering. You look very much like a…” I searched for the right word. “Legit businessman these days.”

“Maybe I’m trying to impress you and your family.”

I scoffed. “I doubt it.”

We exited the castle and my gaze flicked to the gilding by the gate where I knew the guards were. I stepped closer to Tyran and my hand instinctively reached for his. I was being irrational, but that guard scared the living daylights out of me.

We walked in silence for a bit, past the darkened lawn, past shrubberies and flower beds, toward the forest.

“I thought you said guards aren’t allowed inside the castle?” I asked.

“They aren’t,” he said finally, turning to face me but not releasing my arm. “But you took pills and scared the living shit out of me.”

“How do you know I took pills?”

“I have indoor surveillance,” he said, and then quickly added, “That only I have access to.”

“Creepy,” I muttered. “Who’s the stalker now?”

“Touché.”

Tense silence stretched, but I didn’t mind it. Instead, I enjoyed the quiet, and focused on the crunching sound of leaves under our feet.