Page 118 of Until It Was Real

“It’s a long story.”

He consults his watch. “I have time now. Please explain.”

“Well…”

Chapter 36

“Mr. Controlling strikes again!” ~ Dakota

A few weeks later

Dakota

Iglare at my bank statement. I want to say what I’m seeing – the return of my latest loan payment – makes no sense. But I know exactly what happened and I know exactly who to blame.

“Dakota,” Rhett hollers as he knocks on the door to my suite.

I yank the door open. “How dare you?”

He holds up his hands. “Dare I what?”

“Don’t give me your innocent act.” I shake the bank statement at him. “I have all the proof I need right here.”

He guides me inside before shutting the door behind us.

“Don’t push me around!”

He blows out a breath. “I thought you’d prefer to discuss the issue in private.”

He’s right, but I’m not admitting anything. Not when he did what he did. “How dare you?”

He snatches the bank statement from my hand and throws it onto the kitchen counter before grasping my hand and hauling me near. I try to fight him but he’s having none of it. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight.

“Havoc, you can’t expect me to allow the woman I love to be in debt to a loan shark.”

I ignore how squishy I feel at his easy admission of his love for me and concentrate on the issue at hand. “Allow me?”

“Fuck,” he mutters. “Wrong choice of words.”

“No.” I shove his shoulders but he doesn’t budge. “I think you used the exact word you meant. You can’t control me, Rhett. Look what happened when Adam controlled me. I ended up with a bunch of debt.”

He growls. “Do not compare me to Adam. I don’t want to control you. I want you to be free. Free of debt to do whatever you want.”

I’d love to be free. “But this was my problem to deal with.”

He growls as he pinches my chin. “No, it wasn’t. It was your asshole husband’s problem and you got stuck with it when he died.”

If only I’d figured out what Adam was up to before he died. I purse my lips. “He was my husband. The law says I’m responsible for his debts.”

“Really?” He cocks an eyebrow. “You’re pulling the law as your trump card? You know damn well the debts to a loan shark are illegal as hell.”

“Do I need to remind you of the snake?” I shiver.

He releases me and retreats a step. “I’ve changed my mind. Be mad at me all you want. We’ll get through it. What I won’t get through is watching you work yourself to death to pay off a debt that isn’t yours to begin with.”

“I was managing.”

“Havoc.” He sighs. “You’ve barely managed to pay the interest on the loan each month, and you’re working two jobs. One of which I know pays extremely well.”

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