Page 22 of Just a Little Crush

“He’s right, Val,” Stevie said, taking her sister’s hands in hers and looking into her eyes. “If Mark is getting ballsy enough to start stalking you again, then we need to make sure these incidents are reported because there’s no telling what lines he’s capable of crossing.”

Valerie folded her arms over her chest, as if trying to hold herself together. She nodded her agreement, tears of legitimate fear shimmering in her eyes, which gave me a good indication of how scared she was of this asshole. That despite a restraining order, she knew her safety was in jeopardy. And by association, Stevie was equally vulnerable if Valerie’s ex was that determined to get to her, by any means necessary.

The whole situation set me on edge and I had to take a deep, calming breath while Stevie consoled her sister, then retrieved her cellphone from her purse and made a call to the police to file the report for Valerie, which she was able to do over the phone.

That gave me too much time to look around the apartment, to really realize how small the place was with minimal furnishings, though the living area was neat and tidy, and so was the compact kitchenette. From what I could see, there was only one bedroom. The fact that there was a blanket and pillow folded up on the couch told me that Valerie was probably sleeping on the sofa for now.

I regarded the less-than-desirable neighborhood. Both of the women’s safety. The cramped apartment. I took everything into consideration and came to a single conclusion which I expressed to Stevie once she was off the phone.

“Okay, that’s done,” she said, setting her cellphone aside before glancing back at me. “Thank you for bringing me home, and I appreciate your concern, but we’ll be fine—”

“You’re not living here,” I interrupted her, my tone unapologetically direct. “You’re moving into one of my apartments at The Cortland.”

She gaped at me, then quickly bristled, spine straightening. “I might have agreed to be your pretend girlfriend, but that doesn’t give you the right to dictate where I’m going to live.”

I was getting a quick lesson on just how independent and stubborn Stevie was. Which, admittedly, impressedandaroused me because it tapped into a very alpha, dominant side of my personality that had the urge to show her who the boss really was in this situation.

“Pretend girlfriend?” Valerie glanced between the two of us in confusion.

“A lot has happened since last night,” Stevie told her sister. “I’ll explain later.”

“Ohhkay,” Valerie said, looking intrigued by this new dynamic between me and Stevie as she took a step back. “I think I’m just going to go hang out in the bedroom and let the two of you hash out your living arrangements.”

Stevie’s lips pursed. “There are no living arrangements to hash out.”

Valerie glanced at me, and seeing my determined stance, a small smile touched the corner of her lips before she shifted her gaze back to her sister. “You know, I’m betting on Caleb winning this argument, but give it your best shot, Stevie.”

Valerie turned around and walked into the adjoining bedroom with Stevie glaring after her for siding with me. I had the urge to laugh, but Stevie was not amused and I was already bracing for a battle and didn’t need to aggravate her any more than she already was.

I didn’t mean to bulldoze her. But after what I’d seen, compromising on this issue wasn’t an option for me. My offer would at least give her two months to figure out a different place to live, and with the money I planned to transfer into her bank account in the morning, she’d definitely be able to afford an upgraded apartment with security for her and Valerie once her commitment to me was through and she was ready to move on.

She lifted her chin. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not taking advantage of your generosity. You’re already paying me a small fortune to be your girlfriend. Living at The Cortland is above and beyond what we discussed or agreed upon.”

No, she didn’t strike me as a woman who’d ever take advantage of me or my money, which only made her that much more attractive to me. That authenticity also made me want to give her all those luxuries she’d clearly grown up without, because I knew she’d appreciate them without entitlement.

“It is more than we discussed,” I agreed as I slowly closed the distance between us, which didn’t take long in the tiny living room. “And you’re not taking advantage of anything because I’m insisting on making this a nonnegotiable part of the deal we made.”

She tipped her head back to look up at me and arched a brow. “Nonnegotiable?” she repeated, her tone incredulous.

“Yes. As in, not up for argument.” I gentled my tone. “I have a fully furnished, currently unleased apartment and it’s yours for two months, or longer if you need it. And since I’m insisting on you staying at The Cortland, I’ll pay the rent on this apartment for the next two months so you don’t lose it, and you can decide what you want to do once the custody case with Owen is over.”

Her chin jutted out. “I’m not leaving Valerie.”

“That’s not an issue,” I assured her. “She’s coming with you. The apartment has two bedrooms. There’s plenty of room for both of you, and as I said, it’s fully furnished. And most importantly, the building is secure, with a doorman and security cameras, and she’ll be safer there than here.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could issue any other argument, I quickly continued.

“This place is not safe, and neither is this neighborhood, Stevie,” I reiterated. “And being my girlfriend, there is no fucking way I’d let you live here.” Hell, evennotbeing my legitimate girlfriend I was having a difficult time with her living in this neighborhood.

“An apartment in your building wasn’t part of the deal,” she said, and I didn’t miss the flicker of pride in her eyes.

“I’m making it part of the deal,” I said softly. “It’s a matter of safety. If I ever need you to pick up Owen, or be with him…this area would not go over well with Alyssa.”

Finally, Stevie nodded in understanding. “Okay.”

Relieved, I reached out and slid my hand along her neck and beneath the fall of her hair, grateful when she didn’t pull away but instead leaned into my touch. I skimmed my thumb along her jawline as she looked up at me. “Thank you.”

“I’m starting to feel like a kept woman,” she grumbled beneath her breath.

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