Page 56 of Claimed By Desire

I look up in surprise. Alex stands beside the pool staring down at me with a look caught between rage and uncertainty. He keeps glancing around like someone’s going to attack him at any moment.

I shove away from the wall. “What happened?”

“Just get inside.” He reaches down as I swim over and he drags me out when I put my hand in his. He wraps a towel around me and hurries me toward the door, and I go with him, not sure what’s going on.

But the look on his face has me spooked.

“Would you just slow down?” Once we’re in the relative safety of the apartment, I wriggle out of his grip. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Something happened earlier.” His face is wreathed in the darkness of the apartment. There are no lights on except the one in the bedroom. “I can’t explain, but you have to trust me. We need to get you somewhere safe.”

“Alex, we’re in your apartment. I don’t know if there’s anywhere safer.”

He grabs me again. This time, he pulls me to the steps and up into his bedroom. I stumble as he slams the door closed behind him and locks the handle, snarling something about there not being enough deadbolts in this fucking place.

I back away, not sure what’s going on with him, as he turns to face me.

“We’ve been lax,” he says, breathing slowly but deeply. “I’ve been soft on you,printsessa. I haven’t pushed, but that time’s over.”

“You’ve been… soft? This issoft?” I stare like he’s gone insane. A part of me is afraid, but a bigger part knows Alex would never hurt me. Even when he’s like this.

“No more sleeping in the other room. Starting now, you will be where I can protect you at all times.”

“Okay, let’s say we do that.” I take a step away as he moves toward me. “Let’s say I sleep in here with you. What about when you’re gone?”

“I’ll figure that out.”

“What bout when I need to go to the store? Or what if someone delivers food or a package? Can I answer the door? Can I go down and get the mail?”

“Details,” he says, s topping in front of me. I’m backed all the way up to the bed with only a towel and a skimpy bikini between us. I wish I’d worn a conservative one piece—but I don’t actually own any.

“These are important details,” I say quietly, putting my hands on his chest to keep him from overwhelming me. “You can’t just rush in here, drag me up to your room, and act like an attack’s imminent without telling me what’s going on or even thinking about how all of this is going to work.”

His jaw flexes and he stares at me. Then he reaches out and grabs the edge of my towel, right above the knot over my breasts, and unravels it.

The towel slides off my body. My skin’s still damp and goosebumps cover my arms and chest as cold, dry interior air brushes across the moisture. His hands move down my skin like he’s studying me, and a thrill runs into my stomach. I’ve never been looked at this like this before—not since Paris at least. His gaze burns with a mixture of pain and need, like he’s deeply conflicted, until his hands finally land on my hips. His fingers indent the skin on my lower back right above my ass.

He licks his lips.

“I don’t want to scare you,” he says very quietly.

“Too fucking late for that.”

“I need you to understand that I’m not doing this because I want to.” His grip on me tightens, and I’m not sure I believe that. “I’m doing it because I need to protect you. I took a vow.”

“And you’re the kind of man that takes vows seriously.”

“You probably think I take them too seriously.”

“I don’t know.” My lips part. My heart hammers in my ears. “I just wish you’d talk to me.”

“I have to keep you safe. That’s all you need to know. Making you sleep in bed with me?—“

He stops almost as if he can’t bring himself to say the last part.

“It’s only for my protection?” I ask him, whispering, too aware of how big he is and how close he’s standing.

Alex looms over me like a perfect death god. His lips are poison and his fingers are daggers, and I know I’m going to kill myself with him.

---