Eric finishes entering my biometric data, name and other details. “So, how often do you plan on visiting Mr. King?” he asks.
“She’s moving in,” Antoine says before I can answer.
I give Eric a smile. “What he said.”
“Wow.”
“See you around, Eric. And thanks for the help,” I say as Antoine leads me out of the small office. Then I say under my breath, “You didn’t have to be like that.”
“Like what?”
“So…weird.”
“Me? Weird? Ha! I was helping that boy—don’t even think about it. Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to look at trees you can’t climb?”
I snort. “First of all, I’m not a tree. And second, if you don’t try, how do you know you can’t climb it?”
“Because some trees are too damn tall for such a young fellow.”
I feel my mouth twitch in a suppressed grin.
“I know what happened ten years ago, so I wondered about you. Dominic’s been obsessed with you all this time, and I thought maybe it was a one-way street, but now I see it isn’t.”
“It never was.” And it never will be.
Dominic’s waiting for me in one of the armchairs in the lobby, his legs stretch
ed out. “All done?”
“Yup,” Antoine says.
Dominic gets up and puts a hand at the small of my back as he leads me to the elevator and runs his thumb over a reader. The digital display shows our floor number. “Our bags have already been delivered upstairs.”
“Thank you.”
“Relax,” he says under his breath as the car carries the three of us up. “We’re safe here. Remember my promise?”
“That you won’t let anything happen to me?”
He nods. “I’d rather give up everything I have than to see you hurt.”
I lean into him. “I know. I have faith in you.”
The elevator opens with a soft ding, and we walk into a huge foyer. His penthouse is gorgeous, with a modern, airy feel I love. A high ceiling makes the place look even bigger, and the interior is masculine and minimalist. I can imagine myself being happy and content here.
You would’ve been happy and content even if it had been a hut with a dirt floor…as long as you had Dominic.
Tolyan looks up from the dining table. “You’re back.” His hands are cleaning a gun on autopilot.
“Yes, Tolyan. Good to see you again.”
“Yes. Although I regret you had to return under these circumstances.” He gives Dominic a pointed look.
I put an arm around Dominic’s waist and run my hand along his side. “Me too, but it is what it is.” I shrug.
“We can discuss the details of how to keep both of you safe over dinner.” He scowls and mutters something in Russian. “Why is that girl taking so long? I swear, if you want anything done right and on time, you have to do it yourself.”
Just then, Kristen enters with three brown paper bags of something that smells like heaven. She’s in a green T-shirt and cropped jeans, her feet in cute pink sneakers. She dumps our dinner on the table, then launches herself at me. I hug her.