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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

LIAM

Following her into the store felt overbearing until I spotted her. She was standing in the middle of the aisle, her face stark white, and she looked as though she had just seen a ghost. Even with the color returning to her face, her still-dilated pupils give away the fear she felt just moments ago.

I climb back behind the wheel, pull the door shut, and place my hand on her thigh. Giving it a tender squeeze, I ask again, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” she answers softly, with a timid nod, as I pull into traffic. When I flip off the hazard lights, she blurts, “Just some guy…”

“Some guy?” I gruff.

“It was nothing.” She shakes her head, dismissing the situation.

I tenderly run my hand along her thigh, gently retorting, “Your face says otherwise.”

Sasha places her hand over mine and gives me a reassuring squeeze. “Really. It was nothing more than some jerk.”

For weeks, she hasn’t stepped foot out of my sight or from the apartment without Patrick or Harry hovering over her like a hawk. I don’t know why I agreed to let her run into the store without me. It was fucking foolish. It only takes a second for someone to get to her. We’re both lucky it was nothing more than some jerk who crossed a line and upset her. Quinn. Catlin. It could have easily been so much worse.

“Regardless,” I huff. “We don’t do that again. You have me and security for a reason.”

Sasha doesn’t argue. Instead, she is unusually quiet for the remainder of the short drive home. In the garage, I climb from the parked SUV and quickly round it to get to Sasha’s door. She slides from her seat, and I pull her into me when her feet reach the concrete. “I’m not upset at you, mo mhuirnín. If I’m upset with anyone, it’s me… For putting you in that situation.” I hold her tightly while reassuring her.

Wriggling in my hold and rising onto her toes, she presses her lips to my jaw. Leaving a chaste kiss, she insists, “I’m fine.”

“This time.” I cup her face and stare down into her soft brown eyes. “I’d never fucking forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

“I know you wouldn’t, Sir.” She kisses me again.

Overwhelmed by the nagging guilt of what-if, I can’t bring myself to pull my hands from her as we walk through the building and ride the elevator to our apartment. Stepping inside, I close and lock the door behind us before letting my hand fall from the small of her back. “I have half a mind to keep you locked in this apartment, where I know you’ll always be safe.”

“Don’t you dare.” She whips her head over her shoulder. “You promised.”

“I’m pretty sure we didn’t negotiate rules about locking you away to live your life as my hidden little fuck toy,” I tease, pulling her into me again.

She shoves herself away from me, not the slightest bit amused by my less-than-grand gesture. “We agreed I could go and play at the club this weekend.”

Since Sasha came into my life, I have spent very little time at the club. Any time I have spent there has either been during the day when we aren’t open to the public or parked firmly in the lounge. Out of respect for Sasha, I haven’t visited the dark hallways of the club. Our agreement forbids me from partaking, but I don’t want to so much as observe without her present.

“I said we could go to the club,” I sternly correct her. We have been arguing about this for the past week. Her attesting that she is ready and wants to attend with me, and me adamant that it’s too soon to push her that hard. Or at least to commit to doing so. I won’t agree to anything until I can assess her emotional well-being at the club to ensure we won’t have a repeat of the kneeling incident the other week. “I have most definitely not agreed to take you into any of the exhibition rooms.”

“Sir—”

“You put your trust in me to lead you and determine what is best for you,” I interrupt her. Cupping her face, I place a warm kiss against her forehead before staring into the deep brown pools of her eyes. “I love you, mo mhuirnín , but I will not bend on this. Agreeing to go to the club this weekend is all that I will promise.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket and stops me from rehashing this argument with her. Swiping over the screen, I shake my head when I read the message.

TRISTAN

Ivan has requested a trial membership for him and a couple of his men at this club this weekend.

Fuck…

You can’t seriously be considering it?

DECLAN

We’ve co-habited for the past six months without a single issue.

And trust me, after everything with Quinn saying that fucking pains me.

RORY

As someone who hates those Russian fucks as much as Declan, I kind of agree.

FINN

Ivan’s not that bad. He invited me to Russian Doll a couple of weeks ago when it opened.

DECLAN

You would like a guy that invites you to go look at tits.

FINN

Hey! I might not have gone, but the invite was appreciated.

CONOR

This could forge this alliance between us.

This could be a fucking Trojan horse.

DECLAN

Metal detectors at the door and I say yes.

Easy for you to say… You didn’t just make a promise you want to break.

TRISTAN

He plans to bring both his wife and his girlfriend and would like them not to be saddled with our business talk all night.

For fuck’s sake…

And we’re all agreeing to this? Please tell me we are at least arming our security.

TRISTAN

I might be optimistic that this is a genuine meeting about our families continuing to co-exist.

But I’m definitely not fucking stupid.

Hopefully, you don’t have to eat those words…