Page 57 of Lord of Ruin

I pulled her into a hug, which seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do. “I can handle your brother. Really. I can.”

“I know you can. Remember what I said. He’s been through shit in his life. He worries. Just trust me on that.”

“I wish I knew what that was.”

“Maybe he’ll tell you one day. Then you’ll really know that you’ve managed to give him back his broken heart. Now, go.”

She backed away, but I could tell it was with reservations. There was no sense in elongating the situation or exacerbating it either. I headed inside, waiting in the foyer as the two men dropped off the two dozen or so bags, both giving me a nod before closing the door. While I hadn’t seen any armed guards outside, I’d felt them. As if they were waiting in the bushes.

I searched the house, finding him in his office, which I’d yet to be in. He was standing in front of a set of French doors, and I could tell by the reflection he had a drink in his hand. I wasn’t entirely certain what to say to start the conversation but there was no doubt he knew I was close. Everyone would know given the crackle of electricity that rolled like waves of untethered live electrical lines.

I braved the tension, walking further inside.

“I can tell you’re angry,” I said.

“You bet. You are to follow the goddamn rules! Before dark. Not an hour afterwards. Before.”

Jesus Christ. The man could get under my skin faster than anyone alive. I hadn’t intended on getting angry with him. What would be the point. But I found myself furious that he was immediately attacking me when nothing had happened.

“Well, I didn’t have control over the situation,” I retorted.

“Like fuck you didn’t. You did this on purpose. You want to push every button. My God. To think I placed my trust in you.”

“Trust? We’re actually having a conversation about trust right now? Why are you so goddamn angry in the first place? Because I was having fun for a change? I did what you asked. I didn’t try and run, which is why you made certain your sister had guards with her. I was certain they had handcuffs waiting if I tried. They were right there by our sides at all times.”

“That might not have been good enough!”

He was more exasperated than I’d seen him before, almost irrational. As if he was keeping something from me.

“Did you tell them to punish me if I was a bad girl too?”

He exhaled then turned around, his body shaking. Since he’d been so calm and collected when he killed two men, I wasn’t certain he had but so much emotion inside of him.

Boy, was I wrong.

However, his overzealous nastiness only pushed me to the edge. He continued fuming, the heat and fire unlike anything I’d experienced with anyone, and I had the capability of making the Pope angry.

“You have no clue what could have happened. None.” He jammed his finger into the surface of his desk with such ferocity, I was certain he’d broken it.

The tension was thick enough I wasn’t certain it could be cut with a chef’s knife.

“Why does that matter to you, Stavros? Seriously. Huh? Why? Is it because I’m just some plaything that you need to keep bright and shiny? A lovely pet to collar and leash, to stroke when you deem her a good girl. Or maybe this is about me being your possession and making you look bad with your friends, family, and brutal soldiers? What? Why do you care so much about me?” I found myself walking closer. “Nothing happened. Nothing, except I had a good time with your sister.”

“It could have.”

“But it didn’t.” We’d both raised our voices and I was certain the room was about to catch fire given our fiery exchange.

“Why weren’t you home earlier?”

His demands were almost laughable. “I didn’t know the crazy curfew was to the minute like I was ten years old.”

“You were to be home early. Early. Before dark. And I told you that if you wanted to be treated like a child, I was happy to provide discipline as necessary.”

“To hell with you. You just forced me to go out of your house. Were you with one of your girlfriends? How did you explain my existence?” Wow. I really wanted to know if he was attached to anyone. Now that shocked the hell out of me.

“I don’t have any goddamn girlfriends.” He pounded his fist on his desk and I laughed. Oh, boy. I was really pushing my luck.

“No? Well, maybe that’s because you’re an ass.”