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“Morning,” I muttered, entering the room before I was caught staring. I went straight to the coffee maker and pressed the button to add an espresso.

When I turned around, Theo had moved to lean against the side of the island closest to me. “Why?”

I knew what he was asking. He wanted to know why I’d left his bed in the middle of the night.

“I just need some time to figure things out,” I said softly.

His jaw clenched, but he gave a quick, jerky nod. “I have to go into Amaric for the day. I printed off a list of classes Rosa put together for you. It’s in the living room with the laptop so you can look it over.”

“Okay,” I said, not wanting to be rude. I had no intention of taking any classes, interesting as they may be. If I was leaving, I needed to find a job. Preferably one that started a month ago and was already depositing hefty paychecks into my bank account. If I was staying, I needed to figure out how I fit in.

Grabbing his briefcase off the table, Theo started for the door before stopping. He stood with his back to me for a moment before his briefcase hit the floor and he was turning, moving on me fast.

The counter dug into my back as he pushed me against it, his lips covering mine. Cupping the back of my head, he held me to him as he pushed his tongue in, deepening the kiss.

I clutched his shirt, lifting onto my tiptoes and giving back everything I got and more. Unlike the kiss the night before, filled with aggravation and pain, this one was desperate. Sad, almost.

His fingers dug into the back of my neck as he squeezed gently and pulled his mouth away. Barely a second passed before he was kissing me again, pushing in tight so I could feel his arousal against my stomach.

When he pulled away a moment later, he rested his forehead on mine before walking back toward the door. He picked his briefcase back up and looked at me. “On the list of classes is also a real estate agent’s number. She’s a friend of my mom.”

Had I lifted my coffee already, I’d have dropped it. My whole body felt numb, my brain clouding between the racing thoughts. An ache so deep in my chest formed, I wanted to press the spot to try to ease the pain.

“Are you… kicking me out?” I asked, trying to keep the emotion from my voice.

Theo’s head jerked back before he shook it. “Fuck no, Dahlia. Never. But I don’t want you to feel trapped.” Before I could say anything, his voice became low and different. Almost robotically forced. “There’s enough money in your bank account for you to get a good place to live. If you want to go back to school, that can be arranged. Just let me, or Rosa if you’d prefer, know. The money is yours. If it makes you feel better to pay me back when the time comes that you’re able to without struggling, that’s your choice. But it’s not expected. There are no strings attached.” He walked from the room before turning back again. His eyes were so dark they were almost black. Tension filled his body. “This isn’t an attempt to buy your love. It’s me giving you your freedom.”

Without another word or glance, he left.

I stood in the kitchen long enough for my coffee to grow tepid. I was fine with icy or hot, but lukewarm was intolerable. Starting an extra brew of espresso to warm, I grabbed the small stack of papers and laptop from the living room. I took Theo’s spot at the island, Gus jumping up to sniff around for bacon. When he realized there was none, he took off.

Sipping at my coffee, a thought hit me suddenly.

I was alone.

Not just in the room, but in the whole house. No one was on babysitting duty anymore.

I’ve got my freedom… Now what am I going to do with it?

Theo

My fist connected with a fat jowl. Each hit caused another ripple. “Warned you, motherfucker,” I snarled, stretching my neck before throwing another jab.

Frankie, Astaire’s ex-manager, barely moved his head to the side in a half-assed attempt to avoid the hit. “I didn’t know—”

“Bullshit. Why else would your fighter think your name was Tony?”

His back was to the wall, but I stepped away between hits, giving him the chance to move. Even though he wasn’t restrained, Frankie still didn’t try to run.

It was disappointing.

I had a lot of pent up anger, and some fight would’ve been nice.

For almost a week, Dahlia had slept in a separate room than me. She’d returned my kisses briefly, before pulling away. Emotionally, she was completely pulled away. She lived in her head, there but not.

I’d laid it out for her as best as I could. Gave her money to leave and, hopefully, every reason to stay. The decision was hers.

That didn’t mean I had to accept it.