would have stopped to talk to you.” She laughs. “Actually, I guess I did several times. You were the one who walked off.”
My lips purse because I’m cornered. Admit the truth, or lie? Or a mixture of both. This is where the grey area and lack of morals comes in handy.
“I didn’t think you’d want to know me.”
Not the full truth and not a lie. My conscience is clear.
“Your name, Ari. Just tell me that. Or tell me when you first saw me. I deserve to know.”
My hands lock tighter on her thighs and she winces at the hold.
“You deserve to have your life. That’s what I’m giving you. The rest is inconsequential noise you don’t need clogging your head.”
Anger flashes behind her eyes, but I don’t feel guilty for it.
“Then I guess it’s back to us hating each other.”
She moves to crawl off my lap, but I lock my hands to her waist, holding her still. Her eyes narrow, and I stare at her fury without giving her any sign it bothers me.
“First, I’ve never hated you. So, you can hate me all you want, but know it’s one sided. And second, you’ll do as I tell you for now. After Grant dies you can do whatever the hell you want.”
Our stares lock, hers incapable of hiding what she’s feeling or thinking while mine is cold. There is no negotiation in this.
“Don’t come in my room when I’m sleeping anymore. Don’t touch me.”
She tries to move again, but I hold on. I’ve always held on when it comes to her.
Tilting my head, I allow my mouth to tug into a taunting grin. “That’s not what you said an hour ago.”
Her hands slam against my shoulders as if that could dislodge me. I pull one hand from her waist to grasp the back of her neck. Tugging her face to mine, I bite her bottom lip, a playful sting that casts red across her cheeks.
“So, you’d prefer I stand there and listen to you cry and fight all night? Don’t you find it odd that I’m the only person who can calm you down? That my presence is what helps you sleep? Stop being a child, Adeline. Your temper tantrums don’t affect me. At least, not in the way you hope they will.”
“It’s not fair! I know nothing, and you know everything.”
“Life isn’t fair. But you’re alive and safe at the moment. Get the fuck over it.”
She tries to move, but my hands lock down harder, our battle still not over despite the momentary truce. To make matters worse, the silence between us is broken by the hum of the elevator motor, the telltale ding of the doors opening when an uninvited asshole arrives.
Lincoln’s deep voice echoes through the space as he rounds the corner. “I came to make sure you two kids are still alive.”
I hear his footsteps stop in place behind me and watch Adeline’s gaze lift to look at him over my head.
“Your place looks like shit, Ari. Do I even want to ask what happened?”
Without looking away from the pissed off woman on my lap, I answer, “We had a slight disagreement.”
He moves into the room, his boots crunching over broken glass. “I can see that.”
Slowly pulling my hand from Adeline’s neck, I drop it to her thigh, her body flinching at the contact.
She jumps away immediately, tugs her shirt down and carefully winds her way through the carnage to go to her room. The door slams shut before Lincoln steps up to where I can see him.
Turning my head, I stare up at the asshole. “We were in the middle of something. Calling ahead would have been polite.”
Brown eyes meet mine, his mouth curling at the corner. “Nice bruise,” he says, rubbing at his jaw to indicate what he noticed.
I stretch my jaw and sit back against the couch. “She has a hell of a punch.”
Lincoln walks to grab my computer from the couch, tosses it in my lap, and drops his weight on the sofa beside me.
“Your boy has upped the stakes. You might want to stop pissing her off for the fun of it and check out the latest news. Grant has put out a two hundred thousand dollar reward for information on Adeline. And they released a nice police sketch of your face.”
Son of a bitch. That’s the last thing I fucking need. Opening the computer, I run hasty fingers over the keys, eventually staring at a sketch that looks nothing like