Page 50 of Temptation and Tyranny

Turning towards her, I stared as much as I wanted since she was asleep. She looked so peaceful, her jaw relaxed and her lips slightly parted. Her eyes moved behind her closed eyelids, and I knew she was dreaming. A part of me hoped that she was dreaming about me, but then I wanted to slap myself silly. What the hell was happening to me?

Shaking my head, I untangled myself from her and placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. My tee-shirt was far too big for her, and the neckline hung off one shoulder. She sighed in her sleep, eyelashes fluttering, but didn’t wake.

I left the bedroom, heading towards the elevator. My leg still ached from where Allegra had kicked it, but I didn’t blame her. I had acted like a crazy idiot, scaring her with my overwhelming need to protect.

As soon as the elevator door opened, I headed down to the kitchen. I got to work scrambling some eggs and making pancakes. I wasn’t the world’s best cook, but I was decent. Definitely better than Steele. If Glinda ever left him, he’d starve to death. Ashlynn wasn’t much better. She occasionally would get a wild hair and want to cook or bake, and the results were…varied.

While I waited for the pan to heat, I scrolled through my phone. Shit. I had a bunch of missed calls from Colton. Before I could call him back, my phone rang.

“Colton?”

“Cooper, what the hell? You never ignore your phone like this. What has been going on with you? I got a message from Mario, and he mentioned you had an overnight guest? Is Allegra with you?”

I rubbed my jaw, watching the batter sizzle in the pan. “If you’re asking, then you know the answer.”

“Cooper.”

“She’s here. Someone has been stalking her—either Rousseau or Viktor. If I had to put money on it, I’d say Rousseau.”

“Who do you have on it?”

“Murphy. He’s the best, he’ll find out what’s going on.”

“Cooper, I’m concerned. Allegra is a sweet girl, and while she’s a very capable woman, she shouldn’t be in this situation—”

“Watch yourself, Colton.”

“I just mean, is it wise for you to continue to see her?”

I sensed Allegra was behind me before I even turned around. “Colton, I’ll talk to you later about this.”

“But—”

I’d already ended the call. Turning on the spot, I glanced at her. She was still in my shirt, the hem reaching halfway down her toned thighs. Her feet were bare, and her hair was messy. Seeing her in that state made me think of other things besides breakfast.

Allegra shifted uncomfortably, no doubt due to my intense stare.

“Hungry?” I asked, flipping the pancakes.

Her face lit up, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I won’t say no to breakfast.”

“You better not. I want to fatten you up—you’velost weight recently and I worry about you.” The words tumbled out of my mouth, and I wanted to kick myself. I didn’t need her knowing just how much I studied her, noticed her. Just how much I cared.

She seemed to ignore the implications of my statement and tried to smooth her hair. “I’ve been upset about Tomas’s trial, and I’ve had a hard time sleeping lately—”

“You seemed to sleep well last night.”

It was true, she had hardly stirred. I’d been uncomfortable most of the night, trying to convince my cock that it wasn’t getting any action and to simmer the hell down. But she had seemed peaceful.

“I felt…” She drifted off, but I knew what she was going to say. I should have let it slide, but there was no way I was going to. I wanted her to admit it.

“Felt what?”

“Safe.” Her voice was small, and she looked back down at her feet.

I ignored breakfast for a second and stalked over to her, lifting her chin gently. “You should feel safe with me, Allegra. I know I’ve put you in a bad position, but there’s no one in this world that would protect you better than I would. I’ll kill for you if I have to. Gladly. Just say the word, and Tomas is gone.”

She gulped, eyeing me nervously and I realized I’d taken things a bit too far. I turned back to the stove, placing the pancakes on a couple of plates. I brought them to the large table, big enough to seat a dozen, and Allegra followed me.

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