Page 61 of Lock

A presence behind me straightens my back.

The room blurs before I close my eyes. When I stand, a sniff gives away my distress.

“Enough.” A heavy hand rests on my waist. “You will go spend time with Riley until I come fetch you both for dinner.”

I shake my head.

Air catches in my throat.How the fuck did we get here?

Rubbing the knuckle of my thumb over my eyebrow, I step away from him.

Not that Leo lets me get far.

“Shelby,” he warns.

Strong hands turn me by my shoulders. Shaking my head, I continue to move away, backing up until I hit the wall behind me.

Large, strong arms brace on either side of me.

“You will go spend time with Riley.” I shake my head. “This conversation is over.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

I forget how to breathe when his head drops low, his nose nudging mine.

“You will spend time with Riley, we will have dinner together as a family, and then you will spend the night.”

I shiver when his fingers play at the collar of my shirt, and a moan slips out when they dip below.

His eyes snap to mine. The slight smirk riles me.

He owns me, and he knows it.

Asshole.

The necklace tickles as it slides against my skin. Once his mother’s locket is out of my shirt, he closes his hand around it.

“When Riley’s in bed, you will take a shower and wash this anger away. What’s done is done. Once you’ve calmed, you’re going to come to me. My bed. Where you’ll ride me like I’m your whole world. I didn’t intend for you to figure the truth out on your own, and for that, I am sorry. But you are mine, Shelby.”

My tummy flutters at the way he punctuates that one word. He really fucking means it.

“Mine.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want this.”

“Now, who’s a liar?”

I am.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Leonard

The letters on the page blur. At this point, I’m not even pretending to read.

Shelby went for a shower forty minutes ago, and no matter how much I strain my ears, there’s no way to hear if she’s done or not.

Insisting on using what had been her bathroom had given her the space she needed to step away, and it’s killing me. Only the fact that she’s still in my house is keeping me rooted in bed, waiting impatiently.

Sighing, I eye the bedside clock again.