"I want you with me all the time and when you aren't, I have to be able to see you."
The words are an echo of my own feelings. "I want that too, but I don't think Mrs. Hart will let you keep a camera in her apartment."
And I have to tell her it's there if he doesn't take it down, or tell me how to.
"It doesn't scare you?" he asks.
He means his desire to watch me all the time.
"No," I say with certainty.
I'm probably the one person in the world that would find his obsession comforting and not scary. I feel freer than I have felt in my entire adult life.
I'll take Scary Things that Make Me Happy for a lifetime, Alex.
Suddenly every day since I started working for Cian is reframed in the knowledge that he was watching me, protecting me. "Is there a tracking app on my phone?"
He nods. "I always know where you are as long as you have it with you."
I've never been so grateful that my aunt and uncle use a phone carrier with SIM cards. I was able to reactivate my smartphone through a discounted service provider when they cancelled my line on their plan the day after my eighteenth birthday. Ini and I are on the same discount phone plan, which makes it even cheaper.
We keep our cell phones active even when money gets tight.
Sometimes, we've had to choose phones over food, but without them she could lose her job for lack of accessibility. And I'd never have been able to look for one. No one tells you that your phone bill can be as important as paying rent when you're on your own.
"Phones break. They can be lost," I say, pushing when I know I should be happy with what he's already given me.
His blue eyes are intense. "You can either have a tracking device embedded in one of your teeth, under your skin, or in a piece of jewelry."
"You've thought about it."
"Yes."
"Were you going to do it without me knowing?" I ask, curious.
Should I be bothered? Ini would flip if she knew my boss was stalking me, but I'm not her. Ineedhis eyes on me.
The only thing that scares me about the mob boss I work for is the fear of what will happen when he tires of watching me.
Cian looks at me, like he's deciding if he's going to answer truthfully, or not.
I laugh. Free and happy. If only for this moment. "You were, weren't you?"
"Ma would have my hide if she knew."
That makes me smile. He might not react like other people, or express emotion like they do, but he doesn't want to disappoint his mom.
"I won't tell her," I promise.
"Are you ready to get dressed?" he asks. "We need to get into the office. I've been ignoring texts and calls since I got here."
"I need to take a shower."
He gets up with me in his arms. He's so freaking strong. Then he lets me stand. "Make it fast."
Feeling daring, but very, very safe, I drop the blankets and let him see me in my sleep cami. It stops mid-thigh, but doesn't show any of my private bits.
I grab clothes from my crates, but when I add my bra to the pile in my arms, he takes it from me. "No bra."