Chapter 10 #2
“Because I’m never going to lie to you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” He kissed her deeply before pulling her skirt down and then putting his softening cock away and straightening and refastening his own clothing. “Can you leave for the day now, or do I have to wait until this evening to see you again?”
“I have an appointment at two o’clock that I can’t get out of.
It’s with my lawyer,” she explained impatiently when Knox just looked at her, dark eyebrows raised questioningly.
“I need to see if there is a way to stop Andrew from breaking into my properties whenever he feels like it, without going all legal on him.”
“I’ve warned him against coming anywhere near you again, but you really need to take out a legal injunction against him doing exactly that.”
Ellie winced. “I was trying to avoid him having that on his record.”
A nerve pulsed in Knox’s tightly clenched jaw.
“Did he give a fuck about you when you had to go to the hospital and lie, twice, after he had beaten you up? Or when he broke into your apartment yesterday and pushed you? I’m sorry,” he apologized when she gave a pained groan.
“But there is no way to pretty up what he’s done and is still doing to you. ”
“I know you’re right,” she admitted shakily. “I just— A small part of me keeps hoping there’s still some goodness left inside him.”
“There isn’t,” Knox stated with finality. “I don’t believe there ever was.” He stood and reached out a hand for her to take so that he could pull her up beside him.
She shook her head. “It’s strange. I was thinking about this the other day,” she began to explain at his questioning look.
“Andrew’s blond-haired, blue-eyed angelic looks make it seem as if he should be good, and yet inside, he is totally bad.
You have the look of a bad boy but live your life and treat other people with a set of morals that provides safety and protection. ”
“I will protect you,” he vowed evenly. “With my life, if I have to.”
She blinked, obviously surprised by his vehemence. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!”
“I’ve asked Linus to look into improving the security at your apartment.
The fact I care about you gives me that right,” he bit out when she would have protested.
“I would like you to stay with me at my apartment until Linus has assured me he has tightened security in your building and especially at your place. I want you to feel safe when you eventually return there.”
Ellie opened her mouth as if to protest and then closed it again, her shoulders dropping in defeat.
Knox stepped forward to kiss her lightly on her brow. “I want you safe, Ellie.”
Her gaze remained down. “Okay.”
Knox watched as she concentrated on refastening her bra and blouse, tucking the latter back into the waistband of her skirt before standing in front of the mirror on the wall near the door to run her fingers through her disheveled hair.
Her smooth outer appearance gave absolutely no indication that, beneath her skirt, she was no longer wearing panties or that Knox’s cum now coated her lower abdomen and thighs.
Ellie had said he was behaving like a wild animal, marking its territory, and she was right.
Whether Ellie knew it yet or not, she already belonged to him.
Just as he belonged to her. And when the time was right, he was going to tell her that.
At the moment, she’d had more than enough to contend with for one day.
“I’ll arrange for some more underwear to be sent to my apartment. No?” he prompted when she lifted her chin and shook her head.
Color bloomed in her cheeks. “I always buy my things from the store on the second floor here. I’ll go down there before my two o’clock appointment.”
“Okay, but I’m picking you up from here when you finish at five o’clock,” he stated firmly. “That way, I can take you to your apartment, and you can pack a small suitcase before you come and stay with me for the weekend. Or a few weeks. Or—”
“Knox!” She snorted a laugh when he held up nothing to see here hands. “I don’t finish until six, and I don’t think you actually asked if I want to stay at your apartment with you?”
“Well, I’d like it if it was with me, but if you would prefer to stay there alone—”
“No!” she gasped. “Absolutely not.” Her cheeks became flushed. “I’m not going to push you out of your own home.”
“Then it’s decided. We’re both going to stay at my apartment until this other situation is sorted out. What I would really like to know…” He gave her a sideways glance. “Is whether you will be sharing my bedroom or using one of the spare rooms?”
She avoided meeting his heated gaze. “Can we decide on that later?”
“Fine,” he agreed, knowing that any further intimacy should probably be initiated by Ellie.
She chewed on her bottom lip for a second or two. “Instead of going out for dinner this evening, could I cook a meal for you at your place?”
“That depends…”
She eyed him curiously. “On what?”
“Whether you really want to eat at home or is it that you’re too frightened to go out and risk the possibility of having Day confront you again.”
Her mouth twisted. “I doubt he would dare to come near me if I’m with you, so it’s definitely the former.”
He grinned. “In that case, I doubt any single man who lives alone has ever turned down having a meal cooked for him.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “You’re really sure I won’t be intruding?”
“Absolutely not. I want you to stay with me, Ellie. For as long as you will let me keep you there or until you feel safe returning to your own apartment.”
“You’re going to London on business early next week,” she reminded.
“Not anymore.”
“You canceled it?”
He hadn’t canceled it yet, but he was going to. The Wynter family would understand once he had explained the situation to them. “I’m not going.”
“You don’t have to cancel your plans on my account—”
“I can go to London any time,” he dismissed. “Just not next week.”
Knox didn’t like the fear he could still see lurking in the depths of Ellie’s uncovered eyes. Her glasses were still sitting on her desktop across the room.
He gave an inner snort of disbelief at the realization of exactly where he had chosen to make love to Ellie for the first time.
Did he regret it?
Abso-fucking-lutely not!