And I keep them. No one will benefit from me breaking my silence, and more than that, many will suffer.
Perched on my bed, I begin to fill out one last-minute application, just in case, when I feel him darken my doorway. With Tobias, I’ve come to realize I have a twisted sixth sense.
He lingers at the threshold as a hint of his earthy scent fills my nose. And I despise my body’s initial response. My fingers are still flying over the keyboard when I finally acknowledge him.
“I’m on my period,” I announce dryly, not bothering to look his way. “And I don’t want to see you.”
He remains where he stands, his suited silhouette in my periphery.
“I said—”
“I heard what you said,” he snaps, “and you don’t get to decide when you see me.” He stalks toward my bed and jerks my laptop from me, collecting my phone from my nightstand and stacking it on top of my computer before striding out of the room. The slam of a door in one of the guest bedrooms lets me know where I can find it once he leaves. He, like Sean and Dominic, refuses to let me have anything electronic near us while he’s here. More than once, I’ve realized my things are missing once he’s left the house and have to thoroughly search to find them—the bastard. He has absolutely no regard for my privacy down to what birth control I use. This devil is swimming in my details.
“I was working on that! It’s important!”
His deep voice echoes from down the hall. “I’m not going to fight electronics for your attention.”
“Sounds familiar,” I drawl dryly. “And no one asked you to come here!”
I lift my eyes when he comes back into view, despising the surge in my veins when they connect. “I think you’ve made your point. How long do you think I’ll let this go on?”
“What makes you think you can stop it?” He strides back into the room, tossing a box on my bed, and I blink at it.
“Whatever it is, you can take it back.”
“Just fucking open it.”
“I’m not your whore, don’t bring me gifts.”
He jerks the bow on the box, speaking through gritted teeth. “Open it.”
I unfasten the ribbon and open it to see it’s a new negligee and matching silk robe. Expensive. I toss it at his chest, and it lands at his shoes.
“For someone who was so intent not to be labeled Daddy’s princess, you sure are acting like the bitchiest noble of them all.”
“You want me to be grateful to you?” I shake my head. “Your arrogance is truly astounding.” I dart my eyes to his offering. “Take that with you when you go.”
In the next second, my hair is fisted around his thick fingers as he pins me, his eyes firing bright with annoyance. I turn away from him, the burn in my scalp strengthening as he rights me where he wants me. I sigh, giving in, my body coming alive with him so close. “Just leave. I’ve got nothing to offer you.”
He squeezes my jaw, so my lips part a fraction, and I glare at him.
“Please tell me you aren’t that disgusting.”
“You’re making it very easy to be that asshole.”
“I don’t want your gift, or you.”
He pushes me down onto the bed and presses his forehead to mine. “I came to apologize for ripping your dress.”
“Are you going to apologize for ruining my relationships, invading my privacy, busting my necklace, biting me, kissing me, fucking me?”
“No.”
“Then why apologize for anything else?”
“Good point,” he dips and kisses me, and I fight him. I fight him, my fire coming back in waves as he presses his body against mine, laying on top of me, stealing my breath, and rattling my senses until I succumb. I grip him to me, destroying his hair, running the thick strands through my fingers. And I kiss him with the same fire, with the same passion I felt to fight just seconds before. Because I hate him, I hate that I think about him, I hate the threatening gnaw I felt in my icy chest the minute our eyes locked. I hate that I thought the gown was beautiful and imagined him fucking me in it. And I hate that I love the way he kisses me.
It’s possession and now bordering on obsession, and it’s not what I’m supposed to feel. I won’t allow it. I bite his lip, and he bites mine in return, and