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“Trust me. I am honored that you agreed to have breakfast with me, pet. I would never make you pay.” He pulled his hand back and tossed a couple of bills onto the table.

Thank you,I signed, even though those two words would never be enough.

“You’re welcome.” He slid out of the booth, came to my side, and held out his hand.

I looked up at him, chewing my bottom lip.

“Trust me.” He had said those words a couple of times already and while I had to be cautious, a part of me did in fact trust him. Maybe eventually, all of me would.

***



















(Cyrus)

Iwasn’t expectingto see Ainsley today. I was going to grab something to eat and then head over to the center to see if she was still working. I wanted to ask her out on a date. It would have been forward of me, but I wasn’t getting any younger. I had been ready to settle down for years and while I didn’t know Ainsley, I wanted to see where it could possibly go with her. If anywhere at all.

It was later in the day, but I didn’t sleep much anymore, so having breakfast at this time, was normal for me.

Piper had reminded me a couple of times already during the week, to leave Ainsley alone. I appreciated where she was coming from but at the same time, I refused to listen.

I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but I knew what attraction was and I was definitely attracted to Ainsley.

When she showed up at the deli, frantic and worried, it took everything in me not to go after the bastard who had scared her.

A man wearing a hoodie had come into the deli, only to stop when he saw her standing in front of me. I didn’t see his face but there was something off about him and I knew that it wasn’t a good thing.

Before I kissed her, movement across the room caught my eye. A man was sitting in a booth, looking directly at me. I didn’t know him, had never seen him before in my life. But something was odd about the way he stiffened when the other guy came into the deli after Ainsley and how he stared at us after that bastard left.

Ainsley’s ragged breaths at the time, had pulled my gaze back to hers.

Kissing her was something I never planned for. Knowing she was timid, I half-expected her to push me away and slap me but when she had opened up to me instead, that single submission called out to the Dom in me.

Now we were done our breakfast and I was waiting for her to slip her fingers in mine so I could gently help her out of the booth like a gentleman.

Her teeth grazed over her bottom lip, her dark eyes locking with mine.

“Trust me,” I told her again.