Page 62 of Red Velvet

"For what?" I approach her, wanting to touch her, kiss her, hold her, and take away whatever crap this idiot left all over her last night. Did he do this to her? Did he make her look like the world came crumbling down on her?

"For showing up like this," she says, pointing to the door. "Elene knew you were in a meeting with her husband, and she said we could—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad to see you."

She doesn't retreat when I close in on her, about to cautiously place my hands on her shoulders to test the water. Her reaction could give me a hint at what she's about to say. If she jerks away, then I'll know it's over, that the bastard won and screwed with her head well enough to make her doubt everything we had and run back to safety, possibly even back into his arms.

She doesn't reject my touch. On the contrary, she welcomes it. Her whole posture changes, her face softens, and she even lets out a little sigh as I rest my hands on her shoulders. It's been less than twenty-four hours since we last saw each other, but it feels like it's been a lot longer than that—days, weeks even.

"I was beginning to worry," I tell her. "Why did you ignore my calls?"

An apologetic expression graces her face. "I didn't ignore you. I didn't see them. Jim stole my phone."

"He didwhat?"

"Last night. I don't know how and when, but he has my phone, Kade." She sounds desperate. "He has my phone, and he’s seen the pictures."

Vicious rage boils where a forgiving heart should be.

That fucking bastard! So that's what I saw him pick up last night after Lila ran upstairs. How could I not have known? Why didn’t I stop him? Why didn't I go after him?

"Shit, I'm such an idiot," I hiss. Lila raises her eyebrows. "I saw him. I saw him pick it up after you went inside last night. It must’ve fallen out of your purse when he was pushing you against the door and you were—"

"You saw us? But I told you to leave!"

"Yes, and I did. But I wanted to make sure you weren't in any real danger. I couldn't just leave you alone with him, but I didn't interfere. Though, in retrospect, I probably should’ve."

She smiles at me, looking flattered. "That's so cute. You're protective."

I growl in response, taking her pretty face between my hands before I lean down to kiss her. Our lips meet as if it’s the first time, carefully tasting each other before we melt into an actual kiss. Her sweet flavor carries a hint of alcohol, most likely white wine, that makes her tongue move faster than mine, greedily asking for more than what I can give her here in this room, at this time.

I keep my lips on hers while my fingers trails up to her neck, gently pulling down the turtleneck to expose the collar underneath. She’s still wearing it, of course she is. She has no way of taking it off herself, because I have the key.

Still, feeling the metal encircle her neck calms me, reassuring me that she’s mine.

She sighs when I break our kiss, her cheeks flushed and her eyes hazy with lust.

"I missed you," she whispers. "I know that's silly, given we just saw each other last night, but…." She bites her lower lip, her eyelashes fluttering. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Why?" I probe, caressing her left cheek with my thumb. "Why on Earth would you think that?"

"Because Jim said he's going to share the pictures with everyone and tell the police you're physically abusing me. I thought he could destroy your reputation."

"I'd love to see him try," I say, suppressing the urge to punch a fucking wall. Or better yet, that guy's face.

How dare he fucking do this to her? How dare he get between us? And how pathetic is he to believe he could actually go through with it?

"It's ridiculous, Lila," I tell her. "Trust me, even if he did all those things—which I doubt he will, as it sounds like an empty threat to me—he wouldn't get anywhere with it. It would destroy him rather than me."

A smile crosses her face. "Yeah, Elene said the same thing."

"Well, your sister is right. He’s the only criminal here. Stealing your phone and trying to blackmail you? A man must be incredibly stupid to think that's the best way to win a woman's heart."

Relief dances across her face, culminating in the most beautiful smile I've ever seen on her.

"Oh yeah? So howdoyou win a woman's heart?"

I meet her gaze with a promising smirk, moving my hand down to her neck and closing my fingers around it, squeezing slightly. "Come with me and I'll show you."

---