I work to keep my expression placid. “Passing notes. Perhaps a little scrying.”
“Uh-huh.” He leans his shoulder against the wall, the perfect study of lounging. As if he couldn’t burst into motion at the slightest provocation to remove any threat he identifies. He looks me over, lingering on my hips and chest and mouth. “I’ve considered your request. It’s denied.”
Anger threatens to derail me, but I muscle it down as best I can. “Power going to your head, Abel? You can’t keep her from me if she doesn’t want to be kept.”
“No, probably not.” He doesn’t move. “But the fact remains; she’s not leaving my bed to go to yours.”
“Are you that threatened by me?”
“Nope.” A slow smile. “But I’m territorial as fuck. You want to share a bed? You can share mine. Open invitation until I decide otherwise.”
I stare. Of all the things I expected him to say, that didn’t number among them. “What?”
“You heard me.” He pushes off the wall. “I’m feeling generous, so you can even join in if you’re in the mood. Provided Harlow agrees, of course. I might be a monster, but I’m not going to pave the way for you to harm her more than you already have.”
Not this again. “That’s between her and me.”
“Correction: that was between you and her. I’m here now, and I’ll be doing the one thing you managed to bungle so thoroughly—taking care of her.”
The chains around my anger shift, fighting to control it. They don’t quite manage it. “You’re such a fucking hypocrite. You come in here, take her against her will, and then act like you’re…what? Boyfriend of the year? You’ve known her a few days, Abel. I’ve known her five years.”
“Have you?”
That stops me short. “What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said. Have you known her? Does she know you? Because you keep that pretty little mask in place all the fucking time.” He waves an idle hand at my face. “And you look at her and see a princess in need of a knight.”
I clench my jaw. “If you know so much, what the hell do you see when you look at her?”
He grins, a fierce expression that’s part challenge and part amusement. “I see what she is, Eli. She’s not the princess.” He leans forward, dark eyes intent. “She’s just like us. Not the hero. Not the knight or the princess or whatever the fuck other box you can think up to shove her into. She’s the fucking dragon you think to protect her against. Really, someone needs to protect you from her.”
My mouth goes dry. He’s wrong. Maybe I misjudged things with Harlow, but he’s lumping her in with us. “She’s not like that.”
Abel shakes his head. “It’s amazing that you can cling to rose-tinted glasses after everything you’ve done. You were never this dense before. Come to our room or don’t, but she won’t be sleeping in yours.”
“She can tell me that herself, then. If that’s really her choice.”
He moves, faster than I can counter, and grabs my throat, shoving me back against the door. It’s nearly an identical move to the one Cohen used in the hallway the other day, but it feels different with Abel. More sinister and somehow erotic as well. He leans down until his nose nearly touches mine. “You want to start talking about choice? What did you do to coerce her into sharing your bed again? Don’t play the innocent party. I know how you think, Eli.”
I swallow, the move pressing my throat harder against his palm. “Do you?”
“Yeah.” He squeezes ever so slightly. Not enough to cut off my breathing, but the threat is there all the same. Desire surges through me, an unwelcome feeling that I can’t stop. I can barely fight back my body’s response so he doesn’t realize he’s affected me so strongly. “I didn’t see you clearly before. I do now. I won’t underestimate you again.”
“Abel—”
His gaze flicks to my mouth. “Come to our bed tonight, Eli.” He gives me a lazy grin. “Unless you’re too scared of what might happen.”
I stare. “You’re honestly going to try to bait me into doing what you want?”
“Who says anything about trying?” He gives my throat one last squeeze that almost feels like a caress. Abel releases me and takes a slow step back. “You’re not stuck in your room, but if you try to leave the house or do anything to endanger the future I’m building, I’ll chain you to your bed and leave you there.”
I don’t lift my hand to my throat where I can still feel the warmth from his skin, but it’s a near thing. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“If you upset Harlow again, I’ll beat your ass. Again.” He turns and strides away, no doubt to talk to Finnegan about Old Town.