Fidelity (Infidelity #5)(15)

It was then that Charli inclined her face toward mine. “Thank you.”

“Princess, if you ever get in another car with that man, your ass is mine.”

Despite all that had just happened, my Charli was stunning. Having her near me, her hand enclosed in mine, was greater than the high from cold-cocking the guards or even hitting her stepfather. Obviously, I’d only meant to daze him. If I’d wanted him laid out on the ground like his top-notch security, he would have been. I needed him alert to understand that Charli left his clutches of her own free will.

As I held onto her hand, I longed for more. I had barely noticed as we stood outside the mansion, but now with her thigh against mine, her presence electrified each and every nerve. She was a vision. Even under extreme duress, she exuded class and culture. Her dress was elegant but the ivory lace covered up her sexy body. In my imagination, I was ripping off the buttons that lined her side. One by one they fell to the floor until the lace joined the remnants. I’d threatened her ass, but as she stared up at me, all I longed to do was hold her and make her world right.

What had she endured over the last ten days? I needed to know, but that would wait until we were alone.

I leaned close to her slender neck. The choker she wore was made up of diamonds. No doubt it was worth more money than her Infidelity contract, yet I didn’t care.

“Take off that necklace. Chelsea has yours.”

Her golden eyes peered my way before her fingers untwined from mine and reached for the clasp. The thick band of stones glittered as she dropped it to her lap. Without speaking, Chelsea pulled Charli’s necklace from her pocket and placed it in Charli’s hand.

As soon as it was secure, Charli looked up at me again with the cutest, shiest grin I’d ever seen. I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her forever, but first, we had some rules to discuss.

Narrowing my gaze, I found my most direct tone. “Rule number one, entering one of that asshole’s cars, ever again, is forbidden.”

Charli nodded.

“Rule number two, if that necklace ever comes off your neck for any other reason than swimming, you won’t be sitting for a week. Is that clear?”

The intelligent response would have been ‘Yes, Nox.’ A wise person would have sensed my need for control in this out-of-control scenario and bowed to my demand. My Charli wasn’t that person. There was no fear or intimidation in her beautiful eyes. On the contrary, there was the spark that my life had missed since the moment she’d been gone. There was a playfulness that knew how to push me, not to anger, but to devotion. Her lips quirked upward.

Alexandria Collins was my drug and I would never again let her go.

Momentarily, her lips brushed mine. With our faces only millimeters apart, she looked me in the eye. “Mr. Demetri, I’ve missed you and your stupid rules.”

The kiss had been shorter than either of us wanted. That too would wait until I had her alone. Her ass, her lips, her entire body were mine for reclaiming.

I tried to concentrate on the subject at hand. “Charli, I understand why you gave the necklace—”

She shook her head. “I don’t think you can.”

“What?”

She reached for Chelsea’s hand and turned back my way. “I have a lot to tell you. Chelsea has things to say too—either to you, Deloris, the assholes at Infidelity who allowed a monster like Bryce to purchase an agreement, or to the police. That’s up to her. They’re her stories to tell, but Nox, you don’t understand. There’s no way you could.”

My pulse increased as I tried to decipher her meaning. Why would she say I didn’t understand? “You wanted to be sure she made it out. She’s your friend.” I didn’t mean to speak about Chelsea as if she wasn’t there, but I needed Charli to know that I did get it.

Nevertheless, Charli was my only blue dot.

Charli shook her head. “You just punched my stepfather.”

“So?”

“So… you don’t know what it’s like to be terrified of someone. You’re always in control. That’s not a bad thing. It’s who you are.”

Terrified. The word burned like acid in my already-twisted gut.

The SUV was turning. By the lights on the streets, I knew we were back in downtown Savannah. “You’re wrong,” I corrected.

She didn’t speak.

“I fucking know what it’s like to be terrified. That’s how I felt watching him manhandle you into his car again. I didn’t see it the first time, but seeing it earlier tonight, I was petrified.”

“And you handled it, because that’s who you are. Nox, I love you for that. Imagine not being able to handle it. Not because you don’t want to. Not because you’re not smart enough or brave enough or even mentally strong enough, but because you’re physically outmatched. Imagine knowing that if you’re caught leaving the manor, the consequences will be more dire than anything you’ve ever known or experienced, and you’ve already lived in hell.”

My gaze darted between Charli and Chelsea. Though they were both sitting tall, the ambient light shining through the windows showed Chelsea’s cheeks glistening with visible tears. I may be a monster, but her silent crying didn’t bother me as much as Charli’s words.

They were those of an advocate. She’d make one hell of an attorney one day.