His mouth lifted a little.
“I’m serious, Bastian.”
“Didn’t say you weren’t.” He took a seat and leaned back. When he looked toward the ceiling and sighed, I wondered if he ever really relaxed like I’d seen him on the jet.
Bastian Armanelli was a dragon waiting to be unleashed. I’d only felt the sting of his fire when he’d brought his hand to my ass one night. Now, he was buttoned up tight, but I could practically feel the coiled tension and the poise he tried to maintain.
I sat across from him and gripped my glass like it was a lifeline. “If we do this…”
I hesitated when he looked at me; his eyes held determination and were hard with it. He wasn’t going to let there be an if. We were doing it.
“Would you force me to marry you?” I asked quietly. “What if I say no?”
“Am I that offensive to you that you can’t live with me for six months?”
“I honestly don’t think I could live with anyone for six months.”
He hummed low and tapped a strong finger on the table. “I’m not in the business of forcing anyone to do anything. My father used to do that.”
“And you didn’t get along with him?” I wanted to know more about his father’s relationship with my grandmother, if nothing else.
“I wouldn’t say that. We had a lot of different views as I grew up but we got along sometimes.”
“Do you get along with everyone?”
“I try to.”
“Well, that sounds draining.”
His smile came fast and whipped through our easy conversation. Suddenly, I wanted to back away–from the genuine smile and from the feeling it gave me, all fluttery and light.
I cleared my throat and looked away. “So, if we do this, you have to know, I’m not like that. I’d rather just keep to myself. I don’t do the whole making allies and kissing asses thing. I have one friend who travels the world and so I barely talk to her. I live in my own world.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
The beads of my bracelets jangled as I combed a hand through my hair to try and relax. “I just feel like you don’t really know me and you’re going to be disappointed with this partnership once you figure it out.”
“Well.” He shrugged. “Good thing it’s only for six months then.”
“Right.” I folded my hands together. “So, do we just act like you’re living here? You said the public needs to see us. Why?”
“You need to be protected. An old tradition is that a woman who marries into my family is an Untouchable. No gang or family or syndicate will do you harm. I’ll essentially claim you as mine.”
Mine. I needed more to drink. The word mine rolled off his lips and lit a fire at my core. Bastian sounded like a god when he talked of control and possessions. He enjoyed it even if he didn’t like to acknowledge the fact. He could say he was an ally all he wanted, but I saw the king in him.
I twisted the stem of my glass. “So, do we just act like you’re living here?”
“No one would believe that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not a person who lives with security issues.”
“What’s wrong with this place?”
“Well, for one, I could kick in the door and be standing over your bed in 2.5 seconds if I wanted to. And the windows give easy entry points along with eyes on you in pretty much every room. I could probably catch a glimpse of you showering if I tried.”
“Oh, my God. That’s not true. My grandma…”