Page 50 of Bloody Lace

“Easy there.” I eye the dog. “I own this place, you know. You’re here by my grace.”

The dog watches me for a long moment, then plops its furry head back onto the rug by Evelyn’s side of the bed, staring at the closed curtains.

I move as quietly as I can through the room, not wanting to wake her up. I tell myself that it’s out of courtesy for her, knowing she must be exhausted, but I know it’s also because I don’t want to face her right now. I don’t want to talk about what happened today, and I don’t know what I would say if she brought it up. I should still be righteously angry, should hold my ground on what I did, but I can’t help feeling that I was in the wrong every time I remember it.

I change in the bathroom, into a pair of sleep pants and nothing more, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m subconsciously hoping that Evelyn will wake up and be driven into a flurry of lust over the sight of my bare, inked chest.

Not fucking likely.I roll my eyes at my own vanity and head back out into the bedroom, sliding into my side of the bed. Evelyn doesn’t stir, and I wonder if she’s really asleep, or just pretending.

Either way, her breathing stays slow and even, and I lay awake for a long time, painfully aware of the woman sleeping next to me, and how much I want her.

Of all the ways she’s off-limits to me, regardless.

—

In the morning,I wake up well before Evelyn does. For someone who owns her own small business, she doesn’t seem to be an early riser—or maybe she’s just making the most out of finally being able to sleep in after all these years. Either way, she’s sound asleep when I naturally wake up, and I do my best to not look at the shape of her body under the covers as I get up and dress as silently as I can in the dark.

I tell myself that I’m fine with her avoidance, and with avoiding her whenever I’m able to. This is meant to be a marriage of convenience, and as long as I can manage to keep her safe and hold up my end of the bargain when it comes to her boutique, that’s all that matters. My concern now is ensuring that my security doesn’t let her slip past again, just in case yesterday’s lesson wasn’t enough to keep her from trying again.

I certainly can’t repeat that lesson, not unless I want to lose control with her for a second time.

I make a cup of coffee, taking it into my office here at the penthouse. I’m betting that after what happened yesterday she won’t come in here, but once again, I’m proven wrong. When the door opens and she walks in without even bothering to knock, it’s clear that I should never gamble on anything when it comes to Evelyn Ashburn.

“I don’t want a bodyguard.” She says it flatly, crossing her arms over her chest, and I look up from the papers in front of me to see her standing two inches from my desk, right between the chairs set in front of it.

Heat blazes through me at the memory of her bent over right there yesterday, my cock instantly hardening. If she’s thinking about it too, she gives absolutely no sign of it. She’s looking at me with a hard, unwavering glare, and I let out a sharp breath.

“I don’t care,” I tell her, irritation clear in my voice. This is old ground, and I don’t really feel like retreading it.

“I don’t want Gus following me everywhere. I feel like I can’t think when he’s around. There’s going to be contractors and workers at the shop. Dahlia is always with me if I go out, I don’t do much alone unless I’m at Pearls and Lace. Why do I need this one extra set of eyes?”

“Because that one extra set of eyes also has an extra set of hands, and a gun.” I look at her evenly. “And those eyes are trained to be perceptive to exactly the kind of danger you’re in, Evelyn. Why can’t you take this seriously?”

She looks at me, something almost hopeless flashing through her eyes, and I realize what this is. It’s denial. She doesn’twantto be in this situation. She doesn’t want to be in so much danger, and she’s hoping that if she ignores it for long enough, if she pretends like it’s not that bad, it won’t be.

I’m surprised to feel a prick of sympathy in my chest. With anyone else, I’d say she was being childish, refusing to face up to the facts of the situation—but I don’t feel that way in this moment. Instead, I find myself wishing I could tell her that it’s fine. That she can have what she wants.

I shove the impulse down, because it’s good for neither of us. Instead, I force my mouth into a firm line. “Evelyn.”

“I don’t like it.” Her jaw tenses.

“If it’s Gus you don’t like, I’ll find you someone else.”

“No, Gus is fine. I just—I like doing things my way. I don’t like being followed. Being tracked. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Frustration wells up in me. “Evelyn, youarebeing tracked. Being followed. By men who actually want to hurt you, or worse. Gus is protecting you from that. And your little stunt yesterday?” I grit my teeth, wondering why I have the urge to protect her from the brutal side of the life that she’s been dragged into. She should know the seriousness of this.

“My stunt?” Her eyebrows shoot up and I stand, moving to one side of the desk as I glare at her.

“Yes. Yourstunt. I still haven’t decided how I’m going to deal with the fact that half my security let you slip through their fingers. ThatGuslet you slip past him, when he should have an eagle eye on you. I should kill him for it. It’s an unacceptable failure.”

Thatlands. Her face goes white. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“I would. Ishould. Not doing it shows weakness. It tells my men that they can fuck up that badly and live to see another sunrise.”

She presses her lips together, and I see her chin quiver. “Then why haven’t you?”

That’s a good fucking question.Deep down, I know the answer. I know it’s because I feel certain that if I put a bullet through her bodyguard’s brain and Evelyn knew about it, she’d leave me. I don’t want her to leave me, and not only because it might mean that I’d once again be trapped with Nicci Armand.

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