Page 42 of The Councilor

He looked at me as if in a warning. “I don’t plan on allowing that to happen.”

“We’ll be outside waiting. Take your time,” Kristoff said in return.

“Will do.” I waited until they’d left, taking a few minutes to check my emails. I’d stay through the trial but would need to talk with my partner. It was obvious to me trouble was still brewing. And I wouldn’t put it past Luciano to be egging it on, disturbing the peace of the criminal underground.

I sorted through the various emails, deciding there was nothing that couldn’t wait. It was a risky proposition with the alreadygrowing unrest to allow her to return to her apartment, even under my care. But she deserved that at least.

Still, I had to hope my decision to bring her into my life hadn’t been too impetuous. I felt the need to rip off my tie and jacket. There was no sense in being as formal as usual. At least not for what we were about to do.

I wanted this to go quickly. Getting her back here unharmed was my main objective. As I headed up the stairs, I touched the weapon in my holster. She would need to get used to seeing me with it. With a single knock on the door, I let myself in.

The sight of her sitting in the chair by the window forced me to suck in my breath. The soft press of her body from before lingered, the taste of her staining my tongue. Her behavior indicated she’d managed to distance herself, the way her head had been placed against her outstretched hand an indication she was trying to shut down.

She didn’t bother looking in my direction, doing little more than staring outside the window. I sensed she felt as if she’d been tossed into a prison system. In a way she had been. At this point, I needed to remain disciplined enough not to pitch her against the wall, fucking her like the savage I’d become earlier. I hadn’t lied to her about the word ‘trust,’ but it went both ways.

It had to.

“It’s time to go.”

“Are you going to take my phone from me permanently?” She slowly turned her head, the defeated look on her face not what I’d hoped for. It wasn’t about crushing her spirit, simply providing assistance to help her comprehend the rules to their fullest.

“You will have various privileges restored but the phone will be different, the network different. I don’t want your father attempting to break into your phone or the Irish for that matter. The man is a pig.”

“Which one?” she asked as she rose to her feet.

“Both. However, your father I can handle. The Irish mob is another animal entirely. You’re going to meet two of my men who will be your constant shadows.” As I moved closer, I gazed at her beautiful, upturned face.

In response, she backed away. “I thought you were my bodyguard.”

“I will be. However, I need to finish the court case we were working on.”

“You’re not going to allow me back in the office. Are you?”

I’d thought about what I was going to do. “Tomorrow you will come with me to the office and to court. After that, we’re going to take it a day at a time. Understood?”

Her utterly defiant gaze created a stronger reaction than before. I wanted to thump down on the bed, rip down her jeans, and give her a spanking she’d never forget.

But that had already been done.

She needed time to reflect.

Maybe I did too.

There was a vague look in her eyes, but she nodded. Either she was resigned to learning to behave or she was planning an escape.

“Just don’t break my rule, princess. You won’t like me very much if you do.”

“Who says I like you now?”

Touché.

Oil and water.

But it would be enjoyable attempting to bridge the metaphorical gap between us. She slowly allowed her angry gaze to fall to the weapon I was carrying and I’d be damned if she didn’t offer a private yet knowing smile.

Yes, it would be delicious to shove aside all the sins I’d be committing by taming her. Only then could we learn to trust each other.

If one of us didn’t end up dead first.

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