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“I’m not sure. You can ask her in a minute.”

There is a lot of noise and commotion as the guards pull Lara around the side of the house towards the front door.

“You have no right to keep me here,” she’s shouting at one of them. “I have a life, and a home, and I want to go there.”

“Lara, please calm yourself,” I say quietly. My voice makes her spin towards me, her eyes fuming.

“I won’t calm myself. You can’t lock me away and expect me to just sit there and accept it.”

I chuckle. “You have no choice. This is your new home now.”

She narrows her eyes at me, shooting daggers.

I know I’m antagonizing her, but I can’t help myself.

She’s cute when she’s angry, and now that I’m fresh and relaxed, I’m kind of enjoying her disapproval.

“Join me for dinner,” I demand, turning away from her.

“No,” she huffs. “I’m not hungry.”

I turn back to face her. Reaching up, I grab her jaw and pull her close.

“Sweetheart, I will force-feed you myself if I have to. We are not playing the hunger strike game today.”

Her eyes go wide, her lips part, and my body stirs to life watching her.

I clench my jaw and let her go. “Walk with me, Lara.”

***

She hardly touches her food at dinner and she hardly speaks at all. But I enjoy having her there with me, just to look at. In her silence, she is incredibly beautiful. After dinner, I make sure to lock her bedroom door properly this time.

But even after double-checking, I am still woken in the morning by the frantic voice of one of my guards, yelling outside my bedroom window. I hurry to the balcony and peer down into the garden.

Several men are shouting up at the back garden gate.

My heart sinks when I spot Lara, halfway up the metal feature, climbing over the steel bars.

“Fuck,” I shout, bolting out of the room in nothing but my sweatpants. Barefoot, I run across the garden towards the gate, my heart racing as I skid to a stop beneath it.

“Get down,” I yell at her.

“No,” she shouts back, almost at the top. But her hands are shaking. She’s scared. It’s not very high, but if she falls, it’s going to hurt.

“You’re going to break a leg if you fall from there, Lara. Stop being an idiot.”

“Leave me alone.”

Her foot slips, and she tries to grab the bar to secure herself, but her hand misses and she’s falling backwards. She screams loudly.

I step forward and catch her in my arms, angry that she put herself in danger.

Her body lands against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her.

She looks up at me with shock in her eyes, which quickly turns into fear and panic.

“Hey, calm down, you’re okay,” I say, holding her tighter.