Page 20 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

With a scoff, caught off-guard by the question, I averted my gaze for a moment. A rookie mistake that she surely caught. “No, I haven’t…but so what? I can’t guarantee the building issecure with you still in it, which means I can’t leave until you and everyone else do.”

Sky considered the notion with quiet disbelief written on her face, and she took a moment to lay it out plainly. “Admit it. You’re only here because I am. And not just because of whatever security things you’re taking care of.”

Staring her down, hating how right she was, I clenched my jaw. “And if I am?”

“I’m an adult, Damien—a grown woman! I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she fired back, evidently tired of both my stalling and the conversation. “I don’t care if you feel the need to stick around and make sure I’m fine. I don’t need you to always be here!”

Something about those words coming from her felt like a direct hit to my pride, and my brows furrowed at that.

In a way, it snapped me back to reality, suddenly aware of what I was doing and the ridiculous amount of withholding I was trying to do.

That being said, the words slipped out before I could stop them as I stepped around the table and stood right in front of her. “I’m only trying to help. Things aren’t as safe as they seem, and I’m just making sure you get out of here without any problems.”

The moment her brows pinched together as she tried to dissect those words, I realized I said too much. I shouldn’t have alluded to the building being compromised to any capacity, but I couldn’t walk it back then.

I put my foot in my mouth again.

Sky narrowed her eyes and looked me over skeptically. “What do you mean by that? You said there was nothing to worry about before.”

She was right again. God, why couldn’t she just be the passive woman I thought she was initially…

As annoying as it was, I couldn’t deny how much I enjoyed her persistence. How fiery she was beneath that layer of practiced kindness and patience. Beyond the professional, she was used to being every day.

Realizing I was backed into a corner, still unable to explain the situation or myself to her, I forced out a breath. “Nothing…it’s nothing.”

“Clearly not!”

Hushing a low growl under my breath, I snapped back, “I can’t tell you, even if I wanted to, so stop prying.”

Sky only looked more pissed off at my words, and she scoffed, shaking her head.

“Whatever…just forget it,” she muttered, turning before heading toward her office again. All the while, the click of her heels on the polished floor echoed throughout the otherwise silent space.

Seeing her back turned to me and leaving the conversation at that only frustrated me more, and I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

I didn’t know what it was about her or the tense moment, but I felt the need to defend myself to some degree.

She likely thought I was crazy or creepy…maybe both, but regardless of the outcome, I wasn’t prepared to let her think all of that without at least trying to redeem myself first.

Unrelenting, I followed after her, matching her annoyance. This only made her try to move faster, reaching the door to her office in an attempt to close it behind her.

But before she could, I wedged my boot between the threshold and the door, stopping it from shutting me out completely like she wanted.

Her eyes widened slightly at the realization that I wasn’t budging, but her anger won out as she let go of an exasperated sound and pressed further into the office. “Christ, why won’t you just leave me alone?”

Wishing I had a better answer for her, I pushed through the door the rest of the way and stood before her. “Look, I know how this all looks, but I am just trying to help. I’m posted here to keep an eye on things, and if that means sticking around while you work late, then so be it. As far as I’m concerned, there’s not a whole lot you can do about that.”

Even if it was an attempt to try and diffuse her, Sky wasn’t having it.

Her twisted expression only got worse. “You guarding the place isn’t the problem! The problem is you always being around. Always inserting yourself when you don’t need to. It makes me feel like a child…like you feel the need to shield me from everything.”

Her words seemed to wrap around my heart then, and depending on her next response, it would either restrict or feel like a comforting blanket. Either way, I couldn’t help myself from mumbling the words…

“And if I do feel the need to shield you…to protect you. Then what?”

Startled by my words, Sky blinked back at me, at a loss for words for a beat.

That was when I noticed the faint blush on her cheeks.

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