Page 86 of By His Rule

“That was completely unnecessary. You need to leave.”

He smirks, his gaze dropping to my chest for a beat before returning to my eyes.

“Really?” he rasps.

“Yes. Really. Or do we need to go back to our previous conversation about me not needing a babysitter?”

“Who was that jerk?” he asks, changing tactics.

“No one you need to know about. I’m tired, Kian. I want to go to bed.”

“I’m not leaving unless he’s gone.”

I sigh, very quickly losing patience. “I only opened the door because I thought it was you.”

His annoyingly pretty smile emerges upon hearing my confession.

“To shout at you for ignoring me,” I add. “Trust me, I won’t be making the same mistake twice in one night.”

“You’re lying. If that were me on the other side of the door, you’d have invited me in…for coffee.”

My chin drops.

“No, I wouldn’t. But if you didn’t turn up and ruin…that,” I say, throwing my arm out toward the door, “then I might be getting my brains screwed out right now. It would certainly improve my day.” The grin I give him is pure malice.

“You’re lying. You didn’t want him anywhere near you,” he counters, stepping forward again, his body now dangerously close to mine.

“Don’t pretend you know anything about me or what I want,” I snap.

“I’m not pretending. I can read you, Lorelei. I know exactly what you want right now.”

Just like Matt, Kian reaches out—only no one stops him.

My entire body burns up the second his knuckles brush my cheek before tucking a lock of curly hair behind my ear.

“No,” I snap, my own arm shooting out to bat his away. “You do not get to do this.”

“Do what?” he asks innocently.

Shaking my head, I pull my front door open once more.

“Leave, please. We’re done here.”

“Lorelei, come on. What if he returns?”

“Then I will deal with it how I see fit. This is my life, Kian. You are my boss. That is it.”

I glare at him until he gets the message and finally steps back outside.

“See you Monday,” I mutter before swinging the door closed and twisting the deadlock into place.

With my head held high, I return to my previous plans. I’m fully undressed by the time I get into the bathroom, and after popping my shower cap on my head to save my curls, I step into the shower, finally washing off the day and everything I want to forget from my body.

21

LORELEI

Ilie on a sun lounger, sipping on fresh orange juice as my best friend flushes from head to toe at whatever her husband is saying to her on the other end of the phone.

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