Page 91 of A Forbidden Arrangement
I lift the card. “And what if I spend all your money?”
“You can try.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“If you don’t want it, give it back.” He says it so evenly it almost sounds bored, accurately calling my bluff.
“Fine,” I say, trying for lightness I don’t quite feel. “But if I come back with a goat or a car full of plants, you can’t complain.”
He leans in close enough that I feel his breath against my cheek. “As long as you come back.”
Ignoring the shiver that runs through me, I turn the situation over in my head. No matter how I look at it, there’s no way it’s that simple.
“So I can go anywhere I want?” I ask carefully.
“Within reason.”
I scoff. “I freaking knew there would be a catch. Alright, let me hear it. What’s ‘within reason’?”
“Your guards must be with you at all times. No leaving the state.”
Surprisingly, not bad.
“No visiting someone without security clearance. And under no circumstances will you meet a man.”
I blink at him. There is no man to meet. It’s not like I have friends here, and the only men I’ve spoken more than a few sentences to in the last year are my cheating ex and the laundromat owner. I’m not exactly dying to catch up with either of them, but that doesn’t stop his ridiculous rule from grating.
“What happens if I meet somebody?”
“Try it.” His voice drops, ice-cold.
I tilt my head, watching him. “Alright. Security clearance, guards, and no men. Why do I feel like there’s something more? There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I thought we had agreed. You trust me.”
“Oh, I thought you were still working on convincing me.” I cross my arms. “You know, the whole wooing me to like you thing?”
His gaze narrows.
I raise one brow. “So, what is it?”
“I get a notification every time you use the card, as well as continuous updates from Marco.”
“So you’re stalking me.”
“Dahlia, if I wanted to, I could implant a chip in your arm and know where you are every second of every day. I’ve considered worse.”
By the look on his face, he’s not joking. This really is the least controlling option he could come up with. Compared to everything else, it’s practically generous.
“Fine, but I control where, when, and how long I go for.” I let the words roll out slowly, just to test him. “Including if I want to stay somewhere overnight.”
The muscle in his jaw ticks. He clenches and unclenches his fist, every movement taut with restraint. “Overnight where?”
“Hmm, you’re forgetting. I don’t need to tell you.”
“I could just lock you up again.”
I lift onto my toes and brush a kiss against the corner of his mouth, no longer afraid of his so-called threats. “Wooing, remember?”
