Page 48 of Lordes

“I was stressed about the work thing and I didn’t ignore you on purpose. The time got away from me and I thought you would be here when I got home. I’m not trying— No, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Shit! I didn’t expect that response, a whole apology. What now?

Lord snaked his arm around my body and pulled me into his chest. He kissed my forehead. “Bria, if I’m doing something you don’t like. You have to tell me, okay?”

“Okay.” I wrapped my arms around him and exhaled all of his manly scent. I didn’t have any control. This man had me so whipped. I couldn’t even snap out of it if I wanted to.

“Whatever you feel for me. I feel it ten times more.”

Why did he say things like this? Did he mean it, or was he just giving me a false sense of hope for this future with him? I wanted to have his babies and be his wife and I’d only known him four months. I wasn’t even sure we were exclusive. It seemed that way, but how could I really know? I could ask, but I didn’t want to come across as possessive.

I decided instead of asking about the gun, I would just lead him into the kitchen.

I rose up in my tiptoes to look directly at him. “You said you had a hard day.”

“I did.”

“Do you want a drink?”

“Yes, I need one.”

I took Lord’s hand and guided him into the kitchen. He slapped my ass, and I lurched forward and turned back to give him a look.

“What’s this?”

I pointed to the gun on the table.

“A bowl of fruit.” He said with no discernible look on his face. If there wasn’t a gun on the table, I might punch him in the face. No, I wouldn’t. I would never hurt Lord.

“Lord?”

“Oh, you mean the gun?”

“Yes, I mean the gun.” I grabbed two wineglasses from the cabinet. I was trying to act normal.

“I thought I heard someone downstairs this morning. So I grabbed the gun to check it out. You were next to me in bed, so I knew you weren’t downstairs.”

“Has someone broken into your place before?”

“No, never. Security is good in this building. I know the other owners of the other two lofts. There are cameras everywhere. I got the gun and went to check it out. I had to hurry into work and I sat the gun down on the table. I didn’t think about it.”

I was quiet, thinking about his explanation. I was thinking about the kids I wanted to have with him and his carelessness with the gun. Even though I was ready to be a mother, it was clear this man wasn’t ready to be a father.

“Is it loaded?”

“Yeah.”

I took a deep breath as I glared down at the loaded weapon.

“The gun was a gift from Nicco. I never used it. It’s just been sitting in the drawer forever. I rushed out the house and left it. I forgot all about it. I’m sorry if it scared you. That wasn’t my intention. It’s just for safety. I’ll put it away. I’m glad you asked about the gun. You can ask me anything. I don’t want to keep any secrets, okay?”

“Okay.”

Lord reached on the table and removed the gun. He was headed out of the kitchen when he looked over his shoulder at me. “You want to stay in for dinner. We can order takeout. You hungry?”

“Yeah.” He disappeared from the kitchen with the gun.

I hurried and texted my sister before he came back downstairs. I was happy I asked him about the gun. We ordered Chinese food and we snuggled in front of the fireplace. I was head over heels for this man. No one would be able to make me feel differently.

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