“It’s not an offer. You are staying here. You’re mine to protect now.”
I had the sense that I had been his from the moment he’d looked me up and down across the bar. I’d been drawn to him like I was meant to be with him.
But I’d just gotten away from one man who’d manipulated me. How could I let Grant order me to stay? I couldn’t just give in, could I? Even if I wanted to. I needed time on my own. I needed to learn to take care of myself and explore my options. “Are you saying I’m your prisoner?”
He took a step toward me. “Jacob, you won’t be safe if you leave.”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
He growled. “You’re not leaving.”
“So the answer is yes?”
“Do you really think it will feel like prison to be here?”
I looked around at the beautiful horses, the green pastures, the rolling hills. It was gorgeous. If I’d been offered a chance to live here as a kid or even at eighteen, I would have been ecstatic. How could such a beautiful place feel like a prison? It wouldn’t if I got to be with Grant. No matter if he was forcing me to stay here, no matter if he was running a hideout for the mob or if he was actually one of them, I wanted him desperately. But if he only meant to protect me and nothing else, then it would be torture to see him all the time when I couldn’t touch him. “Probably not.”
“Then don’t think of it that way.”
This was insane. I should run.
Grant will catch you.
I really wouldn’t mind that, though, would I? “Why did you tell me I couldn’t stay, then change your mind?”
Grant exhaled and ran a hand over his hair. “I didn’t want you mixed up with”—he waved a hand around—“all this.”
“But now you do?”
“No, I realized you already were, and you’ll be safe here.”
“And less likely to turn you in.”
He sighed.
“I get it. I’m not the only one you want to protect.” I hated how bitter I sounded. Why the hell would I expect anything else from him? I was lucky he wanted to protect me, not silence me completely. Grant or anyone else here could kill me and bury me out in a field, and no one would know the difference.
My parents would search for me eventually, at least I hoped they would, but it wasn’t unusual for us to go months without speaking.
Grant studied me for a moment, and I braced myself for what he would say next. I had to accept that this wasn’t a relationship, and he wasn’t a prince coming to rescue me. He was a criminal just like Trey. Why the hell did this keep happening to me?
Was he really like Trey, though? I had known from the beginning Trey wasn’t what he seemed to be. He was good at polishing himself up and turning on the charm. I liked the way he treated me like I was special, but he’d proved my suspicions within weeks of us getting together. By the time I really understood that he was drawing me in, making me beholden to him, I was in too deep to get out easily.
With Grant, I didn’t have any of those feelings that had told me to run from Trey. If I had, I never would’ve met Grant at his truck that night. I would’ve asked someone else to take his table no matter how damn gorgeous he was. I didn’t ever want to be with anyone who made me feel insignificant the way Trey had.
Grant was different. He was bossy and pushy and apparently harboring mobsters on his ranch, but he made me feel like I was someone worthy of his care. Trey had wanted me to be thankful that he tolerated me.
“I guess if I’m going to stay here, I should get back to doing some chores. I assume you intend to give your prisoners jobs to do.”
Grant scowled at me. “No.”
“So I’m just going to lie around in a hammock, waiting for someone to bring me a drink?”
He growled again. Damn, I loved that sound. “Do you know anything about horses or working a ranch?”
“I love horses, and I’ve got some experience riding and taking care of them on my grandfather’s farm as a kid, but I’ve never worked as a ranch hand.”
“But Rogue brought you here to be one?”