“Yes, sir.”
“Wait. My phone is in the hotel room,” she admitted. “I’m going to need it.”
“You were out with no security and no phone?” I could barely contain the fear in my voice as all the possible scenarios of something happening to her played in my mind.
She shrugged, her lips lifted in a sheepish smile. “Well, you wouldn’t stop texting and calling. I knew if I took my phone, I’d eventually give in and call you back. My self-control has been stretched really thin lately because I’ve missed you so much.”
Muttering a curse, I turned back to the guard. “Bring all her things here. We can sort out the other details later.”
Pietro gave a firm nod as he followed us to the door. Inside, two guards were sitting in front of the elevators, another behind a desk watching the feeds of all the CCTV cameras from every angle around the building itself. Theo had added more and more cameras over the years, making sure that Tavia and their little family were as secure as humanly possible within the walls of this building. I could rest easy knowing Nova was protected inside my temporary home.
But I would ensure that the construction of our house within the compound started immediately.
25
Nova
Ryan didn’t give me time to do more than glance around the apartment when he stepped off the elevator and straight into his living room. While he carried me, I got a quick impression of an overly masculine leather couch, huge entertainment center, and a few random pictures on the walls as he stomped angrily toward what I could only assume was his bedroom.
“You will not leave this building without Pietro,” he gritted out as he opened the bedroom door with me still secured in his arms. “If you step foot outside without him, I will spank your ass until you feel the imprint of my hand every time you sit down.”
“Sure, sure,” I dutifully agreed with a nod as I fought a smile.
Reaching the bed, he tightened his arms around me. “Mock me all you want, but I assure you, the sight of my handprint on your lush ass will be my reward if you disobey me, Nova.”
There had been a few moments in the back of the SUV earlier that had made me wonder if Ryan was a Dominant. It hadn’t really surprised me. He’d always been overzealous about my safety, barking orders to everyone, including my dad, over the years. But this was an entirely different side of his need for control, and I couldn’t hide the fact that I liked it. My nipples were diamond-hard and ultrasensitive, my thighs coated in the arousal he’d been responsible for dripping out of my core as I squirmed in his arms.
As if I were made of glass, he placed me on the end of the bed and started unbuttoning his coat. When he pushed it and his jacket off my shoulders, heat filled my cheeks as I sat before him in nothing but my silk panties once again. I’d been just as bare on the drive from Iron Hand, but the lighting had sucked, and he hadn’t been able to see all my flaws. Now there was no hiding my every imperfection.
His next breath was labored as he stared down at me in open wonder. “You are so damn beautiful, it physically hurts to look at you,” he groaned, his hand adjusting himself in his pants.
Nervously, I licked my bottom lip. “I-I should sh-shower.”
He took a step back, lifting his hand toward the connecting bathroom door. “Everything you need should be in there.”
I stood, but I couldn’t stop myself from purposely brushing against him, wanting to torture us both a little more. “You’re not going to…join me?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “No,” he rasped.
“Oh,” I murmured, disappointed. My shoulders drooped, and I turned toward the bathroom.
Ryan caught my wrist and jerked me back around, catching me off-balance and causing me to fall against him. He wrapped his other arm around my waist, locking me against his hard body. Releasing my wrist, he grasped my chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting my head to meet his gaze. “I nearly lost my head earlier, baby. I want you so badly, every inch of my body aches. But it’s best if we take this slow.”
“You know the age of consent is seventeen in the state of New York, right?”
“Age of consent doesn’t matter to me. Not fucking this up is all I’m worried about.” He stroked his fingers down my throat and across my collarbone, leaving a trail of goose bumps along the way. “When we finally make love, I want it to be special, Nova.”
My bottom lip pouted out at him. “What can be more special than admitting to each other how we really feel?”
He skimmed his thumb over my mouth. “I promise you, I’ll make it even more special. Trust me to take care of you, my heart.”
I leaned into his touch and kissed the pad of his thumb. “I trust you.”
“Go shower. I’ll get us something to eat from the kitchen.” He dropped his hand to my hip, flexing his fingers on my ass. “Grab something out of my closet to wear when you’re done.”
Giving a reluctant nod, I tried to step back, but his fingers bit into my flesh harder, holding me in place. That he was having a hard time letting me move away from him when he was the one who said we needed to take things slow made me melt against him.
“I love you,” he whispered against the shell of my ear.
I grabbed a handful of his shirt, holding on to him as hard as he was holding me, and lifted my gaze to meet his. All my life, I’d known he loved me. I’d never once doubted that, but this was the first time he’d actually said the words. I couldn’t remember hearing him ever saying them to anyone, not even his mom. But for some reason, I’d never needed them to know I was just as special to him as Anya was. Maybe even more so.
To him, they were the three most powerful words a person could speak in any language. They showed enemies that person’s ultimate weakness but also left them open for the most painful of rejections.
The stubble of his evening scruff scraped over my palm as I cupped the side of his face. Our gazes latched on to each other, unflinching, unbreakable. “I love you too. With everything inside me, I love you, Ryan. Not just as my best friend, but as the man I want to grow old with.”
He pressed his forehead to mine as he inhaled deeply. I could feel the tension draining out of his muscles, except for the hardness between his legs that was still stabbing against my abdomen. That part of him only grew thicker, jerking against me insistently. “Please marry me. Run away with me. We can get fake identification that says you’re eighteen. I’ll pay off the priest. Whatever it takes, I’ll make it happen. Become my wife, Nova. Tonight. Put me out of my misery and stay by my side for the rest of eternity.”
I would have been lying if I said the idea didn’t hold serious appeal. But even though I knew he loved me, I hesitated. He’d been planning our future since he was eight years old. It was crazy, but nothing less than I would have expected from Ryan. When he put his mind to something, it was rare to get him to change course.
But my fear was that one day he would wake up and realize it was a mistake. I wanted the extra time for him more than myself. It would show us both if this was the right path for us. Because as much as I wanted to be with him forever, I wanted his happiness more. And the thought that I might one day make him miserable was a fear I couldn’t easily erase.