Chapter 27

Christian clutches the edge of his sink so hard that his fingers ache.

God damn it – that fucking woman.

He was so close, so close to losing control a few moments ago when she’d bent his head back like that, brought her mouth so close that he could feel her breath on his lips.

A groan slips from Christian’s mouth as he turns his head to the side, clenching his teeth. Because he absolutely cannot let that happen – he can’t let anyone have that level of control over him. And especially not Iris – not the only person on earth that he’d die to defend.

No – she can’t have that level of control over his body too.

It’s too much – too dangerous.

He works hard to steady his breathing, forcing himself to do math problems in his head to stifle the memory of her running her hands through his hair, of the way her ass felt pressed against his –

“Christian?”

There’s a soft knock at the door, accompanying her voice. Christian turns towards it, but he doesn’t say a word.

“Christian,” Iris says again, her voice worried, “please, come talk to me –“

But no. There’s no way he can do that. Not – not worked up like this.

So, he makes a snap decision, striding for the door and yanking it open. Iris’s eyes are wide as she jumps and stares up at him, but he doesn’t take more than a second to look down at her gorgeous face, the full lips he so desperately wants to –

Christian ignores the impulse and pushes past her, not roughly, but not sparing a single moment. He grabs his suit coat from its place on the bed, his phone still in its pocket, and strides from the room. Iris calls after him, but he ignores her, heading right for the door of the penthouse.

“Hey!” Nico shouts, seeing Christian’s intent. “Where the hell are you –“

“Out,” Christian snaps, yanking the door open. He heads down the hall for the elevator, letting the door swing closed behind him.

But it doesn’t quite make it, and a second later Nico is in the hall too.

“Christian!” Nico yells, grabbing Christian’s arm just after he hits the button to call the elevator up. “You cannot go out there by yourself –“

“What are you going to do,” Christian snaps, turning to glare at his cousin, “stop me?”

“Yes!” Nico shouts, grabbing the fabric of his shirt, but Christian just shoves him away.

“I can handle myself,” Christian murmurs as the elevator dings and the doors open.

“What the fuck happened in there!?” Nico yells, gesturing back to the apartment. “That girl has way too much sway, Christian, she –“

“Enough!” Christian snaps, glaring at Nico as he steps into the elevator and presses the button for the garage. The doors start to close. “I’ll be home later. Orders stand – no one goes anywhere.”

Nico begins to shout something else, but the words are lost as the doors shut and the elevator begins to move down.

Christian stands for a moment, rigid, his eyes pressed shut. Because Nico’s right – Iris, she has way too much control over him. Way more control than she knows, even, but if she ever realized it? If she ever took advantage of it?

God, he’d be fucked.

His soft spot – Daisy, she’s always been his soft spot, which is partially why he never, ever wanted to let her into his world in any way.

Because in this mafia life…you can’t have a soft spot.

Someone will find it, and use it – either to kill you, or bleed you for all your worth.

As the elevator dings again and the doors open, Christian’s eyes open with a new resolve.

He has to steel himself against her – he knows it now.

She’s his sister, his ward – nothing more.

And the easiest way to remind himself of that?

Christian moves towards the silver sports car at the corner of the garage as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, flicking through his contacts before selecting precisely the right one. As he dials, he lifts his phone to his ear.

“Hey, Kourtney,” he murmurs into the phone after it’s picked up after the first ring. “What are you getting up to tonight?”

“Nothing I can’t cancel,” the woman murmurs, her voice low and playful. “Why, are you bored? Want to come over, have some fun?”

“Twenty minutes,” Christian replies, his own voice hitching lower as he smirks, pulling open the driver’s-side door. “Wear that black thing I like.”

“You got it, baby,” she replies, laughing.

Christian slides into the driver’s seat and starts the car, tossing his now-dark phone into the passenger’s seat. Without another word or a thought as to what’s happening upstairs, he drives out of the garage and into the dark streets.

I sink back onto Christian’s bed, staring at the door he just strode out of, shocked.

Shocked at him for being so callous.

Shocked at me for…for…

God, what the hell did I just do!?

Why did I do that!?

“He’s uh…” My head snaps to the side when Frankie’s hesitant voice pulls me out of my reverie. “He’s not going to want you in here.”

I just stare at the bodyguard for a long moment. He slips his hands into his pockets, looking at me a little bid sadly.

“Is this ever going to be different, Frankie?” My words are hardly more than a whisper, but he hears me anyway.

Slowly, Frankie shakes his head. “Things are always just like this, Iris,” he says with a sigh. “I don’t think you should expect anything different, even if…”

Frankie’s words fade off, but I understand his meaning. Even if I used to be special to him. Even if I used to matter.

Nico appears in the doorway next, his fight with Christian apparently concluded. To no one’s surprise, he glares at me. “Come on,” he says, nodding back towards the room. “He doesn’t want anyone in here.”

I roll my eyes as I stand up from the bed and start walking towards the door. “I guess what Christian wants Christian gets,” I sigh, my anger still roiling within me.

“Truer words,” Frankie says, nodding over to the couch, inviting me to come sit. “Never spoken.”

I do as Frankie bids, going to sit next to him on the couch. The three of us are quiet for a long, long time – and even though Frankie puts something on TV, I don’t listen at all. I couldn’t even tell you what it was. Instead, I just sit there and stew, my arms crossed over my chest, getting angrier and angrier as the minutes pass.

Because Christian – how dare he treat me like this? I mean more than this to him – I know that I do. And even if Frankie and Nico are content to follow his every word like his obedient hounds, I’m sure as hell not.

“Nico,” I snap.

Both boys both jump at the sharp sound of my voice.

Nico tits his head to the side, inviting me to speak.

“Give me the ipad,” I demand, my arms still crossed.

“Why?” he asks, his brows knitting.

“Just give it to me,” I demand.

“But I –“

“Did your master tell you not to give it to me?” I interrupt.

Nico considers for a moment. “No,” he replies.

“Then I’d like to have it, please. I have some things I want to order.”

Nico hesitates, but then starts to stand, moving towards the kitchen counter where the ipad sits charging. “You know that you’re still not allowed to contact anyone, right?”

“I’m not trying to contact anyone,” I say, my voice still snappy. “Like I said, I just want to order some stuff.”

Nico sighs but Frankie smirks a little, his eyes on TV though his attention, I’m sure, is on me. When Nico brings me the ipad, I get to work, pulling up half a dozen shopping websites and starting to add things to the digital cart.

“What are you ordering?” Frankie asks, his curiosity getting the better of him as he leans over to look at the screen.

“House stuff,” I reply, my voice tense. “If I’m going to live here, then I’m going to make it a home. Not just pass time like I’m in a damn hotel or something. Anything you two want to eat over the next few days?” I ask, putting together my grocery order first.

When neither of them answer, I look up and between their surprised expressions.

“What?” I say. “Did Christian put any limits on what I can order? I’m staying in the apartment, aren’t I?”

“Um,” Nico says, running a hand through his hair, clearly in unfamiliar territory. “Just don’t order like…a Lamborghini or anything, and I’m sure he won’t care.”

“Noted,” I say, turning my attention back to the tablet, my fingers flying.

And then I start placing my orders, because if I’m going to be trapped here?

Then I’m going to turn this lonely beige penthouse into a place where I can survive.

Into a home.