Page 76 of Keeping Her Under

“No…” My eyes softening, I reach out and cup her cheek. “I’m going to take care of you. I’ve paid off all your back rent. I’m in the process of moving your stuff into my house. I have the fridge stocked with every food you can imagine. I’m building you a library that can hold hundreds of books.”

The fear in her eyes stumbles a bit. “Hundreds?”

I smile as I stroke my fingers across the back of her hand. “Hundreds. Thousands. I’ll buy as many as you want.”

“You’re a billionaire?”

A small laugh escapes me. “Not quite. But I can buy as much as you can read.”

She wrinkles her nose – an unconscious gesture that speaks of something other than fear. “You must not be a reader. You don’t just buy books to read.”

“You don’t?”

“Well, I do. Did. But not now if you’re buying.”

I bring her hand to my lips, my eyes dancing with delight. I was worried she’d be reluctant to spend my money. A lot of poor people have a dumb amount of pride. As if the rich don’t ever borrow or take advantage of every financial opportunity that is offered to them.

She chews on her lip. “What if I don’t want to… put out?”

My heart drops to my feet; I lower her hand as it falls. I hate how much I’ve made her fear me. “My love for you is unconditional, Summer,” I murmur as I press her palm back over my heart. “I will give you the world for nothing in return.”

She shakes her head. “Why?”

“Because you deserve it.”

“No, I don’t. I’m unlovable.” Tears burn her eyes. “That’s why Lance hurt me –”

“Don’t say that.”

“But it’s true! I always make the wrong choices. He never hit me unless I deserved it.”

“No,” I snarl. “He hurt you because he was bad, not you.”

She searches my eyes. Swallows hard. Shakes her head.

“I can prove it to you,” I say. “I will give you a choice.”

“What kind of choice?”

“The only one that matters.” My heart pounding, I squeeze her hand, drawing strength from her touch even as I fear its absence. “You have three options. You can choose to kill me.”

“What?”

“I’ve already made my cousin promise to do the dirty work for you.”

“Your cousin!”

I nod. “You can choose to have him kill me. He can make it as fast or as slow as you want. You are already in my will. You will inherit everything but my house; that’ll go to him.”

“I’m in your will?”

“Yes. You will be taken care of for the rest of your life.”

She stares at me, gobsmacked.

“The second option is to leave me. I will add your name to my investments so that you can live off the interest for the rest of your life. You will never have to work again. I will give you all the evidence of my crimes so you will never have to live in fear of me, even though I would never come after you.”

“What’s the catch?”