Page 160 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

“Stay,” I stab a finger in her direction, then pivot and head toward her closet.

I rummage around. Not that teeny dress. What the—?

That blouse is too transparent. Such a short skirt.

And those skinny jeans? They’ll mold to her thighs and show off every curve of her luscious arse.

No fucking way, is she wearing any of this again.

As for the lingerie? She’d better not wear the tiny triangle she calls panties again, unless it’s for me.

In which case, she can make do without it all together, because she won’t be needing them with me.

But—I pause—she’s Knight’s sister. And while I might have slept with her before, that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it again.

Knight would kick my arse if he found out.

Besides, he has enough on his plate without having to worry about his sister.

The least I can do now is step back from making her life miserable.

The best course of action is to make it up to her for what I’ve already put her through.

I drop the lingerie, grab the clothes I find most suitable, along with a towel, then turn to her. "Here." I hold them out.

She glances at the garments, then back at me.

"Those baggy jeans are what I wear at home."

"You’re wearing them out now."

She frowns. "That sweatshirt is too big for me."

Perfect! I stare at her, expressionless.

"And granny panties?" Her frown deepens. "I bought them as a joke."

The joke’s on me, alright. The thought of her sliding into those knickers sends the blood draining to my groin. I thrust the clothes at her, so she has no choice but to accept them. Then I turn my back on her.

"Wh…what are you doing?"

"Giving you privacy to get dressed."

There’s silence, then, "Ah… Are you feeling okay, Cade?"

"Never been fucking better," I growl.

"It’s not like you haven’t seen me without my clothes."

"That was a mistake."

There’s silence again, then, "Excuse me? Are you saying that—"

"Sleeping with you was a mistake, yes."

"I don’t believe that," she whispers.

"I shouldn’t have touched you, Abby."

"Do I repel you? Is that it? Is that why you’re being horrible to me all over again?

" She cries. The hurt is evident in her voice, and I squeeze the bridge of my nose. Fucking hell. Things were so much easier when I was an asshole. I didn’t have to explain myself.

I could order her to do what I wanted, and she’d do it—no questions asked.

Now, when I’m trying to do the decent thing, she’s acting as if I’ve wronged her again.

"I’m merely giving you privacy to get dressed. Isn’t that what a gentleman would do?"

"But you’re not a gentleman."

"No, I’m not." But I’m going to try. I lower my hand to my side, then roll my shoulders. "Are you dressed yet?"

"What’s the hurry?"

"Are you decent, Abby?" I snap.

"I am now." I hear the frustration in her voice, turn, and take in how the sweatshirt hangs to the middle of her thighs. Her jeans are baggy enough that no hint of the outline of her body is visible. She’s pulled on socks and sneakers…which is fine. I’ll allow that.

It doesn’t reveal any part of her body, so she’s okay.

"I look ridiculous," she pouts. And the sight of those pink lips puckered up, sends a throb of desire pulsing through my veins. Fucking hell, who knew being virtuous was going to be so fucking difficult?

I jerk my chin in her direction, then brush past her and head toward the doorway of the bedroom. At the threshold, I stop and look over my shoulder.

"Aren’t you coming?"

"Aren’t you changing out of those wet clothes?" she shoots back.

I blink. My Sparrow holding her own against me is a fucking turn on. I frown. Now that I’ve promised myself I won’t make love to her, all of my thoughts seem to be focused on just that. Typical.

"I don’t have clothes here."

"Fine, then. Goodbye." She brushes past me and heads toward the kitchen.

I pull up my jaw from where it’s dropped to the floor and follow her. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"Making some tea. Do you want some?" She reaches for the kettle and fills it with water, before plugging it in and turning it on. The gurgling of the water fills the space.

I open and shut my mouth. Then, because old habits die hard, I stalk toward the kettle and pull out the plug. The sound cuts out.

"What are you doing?" She frowns.

"You can have tea at my place."

She folds her arms across her chest. "I’m not coming to your place.”

"Yes, you are."

"No, I’m not."

I grit my teeth. "I’m not leaving you here on your own—not after your stalker broke in and assaulted you."

"I opened the door for him, actually, and—"

"The fuck!" I glare at her. "You opened the fucking door and let him in?"

She shuffles her feet. "I uh, did look through the peephole, but he was dressed like a delivery guy, so—"

"So, all the more reason you need to come with me."

"I’m not coming with you." She juts out her chin.

"Yes, you are. In fact, you’re moving in with me."

"What?" She gapes.

"You’re not staying here, Abby." I try to modulate my tone so it sounds reasonable, but it only comes out sounding angry.

Her frown deepens. "This is my home."

"Not anymore. Your home is under my roof now."

"Says who?"

"Says your future husband."

"Fake husband. And I never did agree I was going through with that sham marriage."

"Think about it, Abby. If he came here once, he could do so again. Surely, you can’t risk that happening."

She shivers, then wraps her arms about herself.

I walk forward and come to a stop in front of her. "I don’t want to scare you, but you’re not safe as long as he’s out there."

A haunted look comes into her eyes, and my stupid heart, once more, stutters.

That familiar thickness assails my throat.

Jesus, fuck. I can’t afford to be weak, not now.

Not when I need to be her pillar. "You have to realize the best thing right now is for you to pretend to be engaged to me and move in with me. That way, I can ensure you have round-the-clock protection. And once he realizes it’s not as easy to get to you, he’ll probably give up.

It also buys me time to track him down."

She swallows. "You think you’ll be able to do that? You think you’ll be able to find him and put him in prison?"

"I’ll make sure he never bothers you again." I bend my knees and peer into her eyes. "Can you trust me on that?"