“I don’t want you. I want him!” I cry out. “I’m not frigid just because I don’t want to be with a creep like you!”
I know immediately that I’ve said the wrong thing. Dan’s eyes darken and I know that I’m in trouble now. He backs me up against the wall and there’s no escape.
“You’re nothing,” he snarls. “He’s never going to want you. You’d be lucky to have a man like me, but you threw that in my face, didn’t you?” He presses his hand against my shoulder, pinning to me the wall. “You’ll regret that.”
“Get the hell off her.”
My mouth drops open in shock as I look over to the doorway. Leo is standing there, his fists clenched. If there’s a storm in Dan’s eyes, there’s a hurricane in Leo’s. I’ve never seen anyone look so angry.
Dan glares at Leo.
“Stay out of this,” he snarls. “This is between me and Amelia.”
“I warned you,” Leo snarls. He wastes no time and advances on Dan, grabbing him by his shirt and tossing him like a rag doll away from me. Dan only just manages to stay on his feet, his eyes thunderous as he turns back to Leo.
“You can’t do that. You’re my boss,” Dan exclaims. Leo steps forward and punches Dan straight in the face. I gasp in horror, unable to believe the scene unfolding in front of me.
“That’s right. I’m the boss,” Leo snarls. “And I’ll do whatever I want in my house. Especially defend Amelia from a prick like you. You don’t have a leg to stand on there.”
Dan is barely standing anyway after that punch. He’s holding his nose now, whimpering as a trickle of blood streams from his nose. He deserved it completely, but I don’t want there to be any violence. I just want to get out of here. It doesn’t even matter that Leo has come to my rescue. He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t want me…
“You stay away from my woman,” Leo snarls. “She’s mine, do you hear me? Mine.”
My heart freezes. Did he just put a claim on me? Did he really just say that I belong to him?
I’m so confused. He was out...with that other woman. He showed his cards the second he left with her. So why is he now implying that I’ve got it all wrong?
I don’t know what to think, except that I want Dan out of here. I need him to leave. Leo looks into my eyes, seeing my fear, and it’s like he can read me. He whips around to look at Dan once more.
“You’re fired,” Leo growls. “I want you out of here, away from Amelia. You’re sick. I don’t ever want to see your face again.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Dan snaps, blood streaming from his nose steadily. He looks crazed in this state, like a complete mad man. “You don’t have a claim over her.”
“Don’t test my patience,” Leo growls. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to rearrange your entire face. Don’t think I won’t.”
Dan hesitates. I hope he’ll leave. I don’t want any more fights. I want this to be over. When Dan finally stalks toward the doorway, I know that I’m finally safe. I’m trembling, unable to process what just happened, but I feel so much better now that Dan is gone. I’ll never have to see him again, and that’s all thanks to Leo.
Leo...I can’t believe he’s back. He came at just the right time. Did he leave his date to come back for me? I don’t understand what’s happening. As he steps toward me and cups my face in his big hands, I feel at a loss, completely overwhelmed.
“Are you alright?” he growls. I nod with uncertainty.
“I...I think so. What are you doing here? I saw you leave with that other woman…”
“There are things you don’t know about right now,” he says trying to contain himself. “But all you need to know is that that woman is not my lover. I have no interest in her whatsoever. My father set up a date without my knowledge and I felt I couldn’t not go, couldn’t not follow his last wishes. I’m also a gentleman, and I didn’t want to be rude. I came straight back when I learned of her true intentions weren’t pure. But my biggest reason for coming back is you. I came back for you.”
I stare up at Leo in disbelief. I don’t understand how we’ve ended up in such a complicated scenario, and I still don’t truly understand what he intends. I know this all has to do with the inheritance clause, and I’ve got myself right in the center of the mess of it. But I can’t pass up a chance to be with Leo. The hurt I was feeling before is slowly disappearing with his hand on my face and his confession.