Page 36 of Ruling Scar
The heat along my cheeks builds. “I don’t think so.”
“The point stands, you’ll not be going out on dates with other men.” There’s no smirk on his face. His fingers tighten around the tumbler of whiskey. Albert places a cute little paw on his forearm, almost like he’s trying to calm him.
“Fine.” As it happens, I’m not in the mood to go on any more dates. “But you’re not going to go out with anyone else either.”
Elijah’s relationships usually remain private, but fake relationship or not, I’m not going to be made into a fool.
He smiles over his whiskey. “Agreed. I’ll deal with Leopold. He’ll know to back off. You simply went to dinner with him because you were catching up with an old friend from university.”
My muscles relax for the first time in hours. “Thank you.”
“And then you’ll come stay the night with me.”
A choked noise rattles around my throat. “E-excuse me?”
He shrugs, not perturbed. “If I’m telling a man to back away from my woman, it’s because we’re serious. I’ll expect to see you more.”
This is what he does. He traps people. He might eye me up when we’re in the same room, but I’m not under the impressionit’s because I’m a prize. Most likely he sees a use for me and that’s why he agreed in the first place. I need to be careful or I’ll end up in Elijah’s arsenal as a weapon waiting to be deployed.
“Or,” I suggest, fighting against Elijah’s spinning web. “You get Leopold to back off because you want to help me and we call it even.”
“This man spent four years pretending to be friends with you in university. He ‘bumped’ into you in the street. If he’s anything like me, he won’t call it quits. If I’m going out of my way to defend my woman, then you will be seen as such. If you don’t like the deal, Leonora, don’t take it.”
I’m not sure what he thinks needs to happen in order to convince Leopold we’re together. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”
“Get ahold of yourself, Leonora. I said stay over.”
“But my mom.” I shake my head. It’s so ridiculous. At my age, I shouldn’t care about pleasing my mother. But my insides twist at the thought of my mom.
“Make me into your dirty little secret, Leonora. Don’t tell Gia, that’s fine, but everyone else will know you have a man in your life. Me. You’ll stay here when I want you to and when I call, you answer.”
Always with the directions. And always with my full name.
“I have work,” I tell him. “I can’t just move in with a guy.”
He sighs again, a disappointed look crossing his face. I hate his play-acting. “Pick a few days. I’m not fussed about when. And I’m putting a guard on you at all times.”
“What the actual fuck.”
“You can’t come here and tell me about a stalker and think I won’t react,” he says.
“I’ve got Ferdinand.”
“And now you’ve got another,” he retorts. “Don’t worry. You’ll never see him.”
“You’re going to put a guard on me and think that won’t raise questions with my father?”
“Ferdinand’s good, but he’s not that good. I’m not leaving anything to chance.”
“I came to you for help and now you’re acting like my jailer.”
“You came to me because if you went to your mother you’d never be able to leave the house. One guard to keep the motherfucker away is nothing. Besides, if I didn’t put someone on you, he’d know something was wrong.”
He picks a piece of lint off his dark shirt and realizes I’m not following.
“If my woman comes home and tells me someone’s after her, I’m not leaving things to chance. He’s clever enough to know that.”
I’m losing everything in this deal. I’m lying to my parents, being forced to spend time away from home and now getting an additional bodyguard despite never wanting one to begin with.
