Chapter Thirty-Five #2
“I’m quite well aware,” I respond drily. “I’ll figure it out. I’m a man with endless resources and endless ambition. I get what I want.”
“There is, of course, the hurdle of her counting down the hours to the end of your arrangement,” Locke says. “I mean that literally, Killian. She installed a countdown app on her phone.”
My lips curve upward with amusement. My Little Bird’s resistance is as cute as it is pointless.
“I’ll handle it.” Somehow, I will. Lyra’s eager to leave because she’s only seen one side of me; the man who wants something very specific from her, and will go to extremes and use force to get it.
The landscape has shifted. I’m no longer interested in just sex with her. If I’m honest with myself, I passed that phase weeks ago, though I’ve been loathe to admit it.
Now, I want everything from her, and I’ll get it.
There’s much work to be done, naturally.
I’ve put no effort into forming an actual relationship with my Little Bird, because she made it abundantly clear she wasn’t interested in one, and I wasn’t particularly interested, either.
There’s wooing that’ll need to be done, in foresight and in hindsight.
I’ll make it work. I always find a way to achieve my goals. And, I have to admit, it’ll be fun to break through Lyra’s resistance and her protests… one step at a time.
“I want security on her around the clock,” I say, pocketing the pregnancy test and switching over to think logistics.
“Choose the best protectors on the team. I want her to see them, too.” It’s probably for the best that Lyra understands she’s cornered sooner rather than later; then, she can learn to enjoy the bars of her cage.
“And get me all the information I could possibly need on pregnancy. Do’s, don’ts, what’ll make Lyra comfortable, any complications to expect—I want all of it. ”
Locke stares at me for several more minutes uncertainly. He gives his head a slight shake, mutters something under his breath, but finally nods. “Are you sure about this?”
I take a beat to consider it, but the answer is clear. The excitement and elation at the prospect of building a family with Lyra and keeping her tells me all I need to know. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so certain about anything.”
I have a marked pep in my step as I head towards the room. I’m not sure how I’ll inform Lyra that I know she’s carrying my child and that I’ve decided to not only extend our arrangement, but to enter a permanent relationship with her, but I suppose I’ll improvise and figure it out as I go along.
For now, I just want to see her. Drink her in. Once we get back to the states, I’ll find the best OBGYN—in the interim, we’ll need to have a very serious discussion on why it’s unacceptable for her to plan on terminating a pregnancy without even having the grace to inform me she’s pregnant.
My phone rings yet again on my way back to the suite. This time, I recognize the number; it’s Aisha.
I sent her the full draft of Lyra’s book as soon as I’d read over it.
It’s an extremely compelling thriller—one I’d read for pleasure, even though I don’t have much time to read.
Lyra already went through the first round of edits Aisha kindly got to me, though I didn’t yet inform my Little Bird that I’d sent a partial of her manuscript to one of the highest links in the publishing foodchain.
I pick up the call. “And?”
“It’s an excellent manuscript,” Aisha says, not wasting time.
“I was up all night reading. That hasn’t happened to me in years.
” Pride swells in my chest, bringing a smile to my lips.
My woman is talented, and I think it’s time she stops wasting her talents on meaningless endeavors.
She should pursue novel writing as a career—she certainly has the writing expertise and talent necessary to make it work.
And, with me at her back, money will never again be a concern.
“It’s going to sell,” Aisha says confidently. “I’ll get you the contact information of a few literary agents I’d recommend for Lyra—one of them should bite. Maybe even all of them. When they move to sell the manuscript, I’ll be the first bidder, and I’d appreciate being a high consideration.”
“Literary agents?” I repeat. I’ve heard the term, but I’m only familiar with the highest-ranking people in the publishing industry.
“They’re the middlemen between authors and publishers,” Aisha explains.
“They handle negotiations and a few editorial rounds with authors, then bring the manuscript to my kin to sell. I want this book on the market within the year—it appeals to a hot niche and a wide audience. It’s rare to see that mix. ”
A smile teases my lips. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’ll send back my edits in five minutes. Get this girl writing, and get her on the market. She’s going to make a fuck ton of money for someone—and I’d very much like for that someone to be me.” Aisha hangs up just as I stop in front of my hotel room door.
She chose to call at a fortuitous moment. A plan starts to formulate in my mind—it’s necessary for Lyra to muster some excitement about our future, and now, I can offer her it.