Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“I’m not walking away,” Jay said.
“Not now, while you need our protection.” When Jay didn’t respond, didn’t deny that he would leave when things were over, I tried to tell myself that was fine. That was what I’d expected all along, but the thought still made my chest ache.
“We need to get you both somewhere safer,” Carter said.
Miles nodded. “Ford, we were thinking you should go visit your grandparents’ place, and we have a safehouse where Jay can—”
“No. Jay stays with me.”
Carter frowned. “We can get you both someplace safe without anyone following us, but it works better if there are multiple targets, and our enemies’ attention is split.”
Jay glanced at me, then back to Carter. “How am I supposed to keep doing my job? I have other cases. I can’t just go hide somewhere.”
“You can work from my grandparents’ estate in Bedford.”
“Ford, I don’t think—”
“I do. You’re mine, and I’m going to protect you.”
“Damn,” Carter said. “I didn’t know things had gone that far.”
Miles’s eyes were wide. I think he finally realized that this thing between me and Jay wasn’t what he thought.
“Nothing has gone anywhere,” Jay protested.
No way in hell was I going to let Jay deny what was happening, not in front of my friends, not after I’d been defending him. I grabbed his arm and yanked him toward my office which opened into the living room. “We’ll be back.”
“You can’t just…claim me,” he said once the door was shut.
“Yes, I can. Is that too much for you? Do you have to be in charge of everything?” I hated that we had to keep our voices down. I really wanted to yell at him.
The way he looked at me, I wasn’t sure if he wanted to run away, punch me, or kiss me. “I’m here, aren’t I? If I needed to be in charge, I wouldn’t have agreed to this.”
“Wouldn’t you? You wanted me. You wanted a chance to fuck me every night.”
“You’re….” He ran a hand over his hair. “This is crazy.”
“Then leave.”
“There are men who want to kill me.”
“If you don’t want my protection, that’s your own problem.”
“I didn’t say that,” he growled. “I didn’t say I don’t want protection.”
“You just don’t want to be possessed?”
“You shouldn’t be able to possess me. What are you? A demon? That would explain a lot, because I can’t fucking stay away from you.”
“Do you wish you could?”
He shook his head. “No. Fuck me. No, I don’t.”
“Then come with me to see my grandparents and let me take care of you.”
“That’s not how things work. I….”
“You are a big, strong man who can take care of himself?”
“Fuck you. Yes,” he snarled.
“Okay. Then go do that.”
“Jesus, Ford. Nothing about this is normal.”
“Exactly and that’s why you need help, and apparently, dick.”
“Yeah, apparently I do.”
At least he didn’t deny it.
21
JAY
When we walked back out into the living room, Carter was clearly chastising Miles in a low voice. Miles glared at him before they turned to face us.
“I’ll be going with Ford to his grandparents’ estate,” I said.
Miles looked between the two of us. “You’re sure this is the best idea?”
We said “yes” at the same time, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I thought Miles would protest further, but he simply nodded. “I will make the arrangements for you to leave in the morning. Until then, you’re under very tight security. Do not leave the house.”
Ford huffed. “I’m not going to miss knitting circle tonight.”
Miles eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Carter shook his head. “It’s best if you stay here.”
“No, I’m going to go. I’d need to see Eudora before I leave town.”
“Ben is going to be there,” Miles said.
“Or you could try to convince him to stay home,” Ford said. “I’m sure that will go over well.”
Miles scowled. Ford had confided to me that while Miles might think he was in control in the relationship, Ben had him wrapped around his little finger.
“Don’t leave on your own,” Miles ordered. “You’ll need a security escort.”
“That’s fine. I’m happy to have all the security you can spare, but I need to go tonight.”
I frowned at Ford. Why was knitting circle so important? I understood he liked it, and he was close friends with Eudora and the other club members, including Ben, but why would he push this?
“And you’ll be staying here?” Carter asked me.
“Yes.” I didn’t think Ford wanted me going with him, and I wasn’t going to ask to go. I already felt like I was walking on eggshells with the whole situation between us. And the thing was, I didn’t even know what I ultimately wanted from it.
Don’t you? that voice inside me asked.
I knew I wanted to keep fucking Ford, but beyond that? What was there for us?
We might end up on opposite sides of another court case. We might be on the same tennis team, but we lived in different worlds. I knew better than to think I was going to break into his strata of society.