He never let go of her gaze, just reached out and dragged the backs of two fingers down the side of her cheek. Her belly erupted into a mess of tumbles.
“I am always thinking about you,” he whispered.
When he dropped his hand, she felt the loss. Deeper than any she’d felt before. This man had gotten far beneath her skin, all without trying.
“We need to talk.”
No more softness in his tone. This was the voice she heard from him at his place, barking orders he didn’t believe anyone would dare contradict.
“There is nothing to say if you have come to let me go. Just tell me and be done with it.”
She didn’t have it in her to curb her tone. Quite frankly, she was done with the men in her life making demands and telling her what she could and could not do. Her outburst clearly surprised him, at least a tiny bit.
His eyebrows went up, both this time, and his lips twitched before he composed his features once more. Two others stepped up beside him and behind them, she noticed a maid.
“I already told you I was not firing you. Stop assuming that is why I am here when I come by. This is about you trying to hide the fact someone attacked you.”
It was then she recognized one of the men beside him. The one on the right, he was what passed for the law around the island. Or one of them.
“Twice.” Phillip’s voice was dagger-sharp.
Her fingers flexed again, her nerves ratcheting up. She didn’t typically have any use for the law. They sided with the plantation owners and the larger business owners on the island more often than not.
Were they all corrupt? No. However, enough were to make her suspicious. Plus, she’d grown up with Elonne bad-mouthing them, and that didn’t exactly inspire trust from her side.
“I am fine.”
“Bullshit,” he snapped out before her words could even fade from the air. “You have been attacked twice, no way you are fine.”
“May I have a word, my lord?” A deep breath. “In private?”
Liquid steel watched her. “Step away,” he commanded without looking away from her. Arms crossed, he didn’t say another word until the two men had moved back to the maid who stood there, watching the entire situation. “This is as alone as we can be right now, Fyre. I go inside your house with you and I will be inside your body in seconds, filling you with my cock, making you scream my name as you come apart around me.”
She’d not been prepared for the amount of heat that hit her at his blatant honesty.
Licking her lips, she noticed the way his gaze tracked the movement, as well as the low groan that slipped from him.
“Why are you insisting on pushing this?”
The heat vanished, leaving behind the cold man who so many on this island feared.
“Because you were attacked. And I know who did it. He lays a hand on you again, family or not, he will be answering to me and he will not be pleased with the outcome.”
“I cannot have you stepping in to fight my battles.”
“I already have.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “You are the most obstinate, infuriating woman I have met in my life. I am trying to protect you. Do you know how much I want to make you move into my home, so I know no one can get to you?”
She watched his expression as it morphed into something she could only describe as tortured.
“I did not ask for your protection.”
“Of course you did not ask. You are too hardheaded to do so. You are one of my people, Fyre.” A jaw clench before he took a deep breath. “You are mine.” In a louder voice, he continued, “I do what is necessary to protect those who work for me. And if that means I pay to have someone guard you, then that is what I will do. But I will not stand for you to have to walk to work after a sorry excuse for a human attacked you. Your choice is go along with this or I will move you to the estate.”
Others had begun to gather, including Georges and Marta. Not wanting to be the center of a scene, she sucked in a deep breath.
“You are causing a scene, my lord.”
“Oh am I?” He pitched his voice louder. “Good, because I want this to get back to the ones who are cowardly enough to attack a woman. They touch you again, I will kill them.”
“What are you saying?” she hissed. “You are all but declaring that you are after me.”
The immovable man vanished as his features slid into the ones of the man who liked to tease her. His gaze softened and he winked. “If they want to believe that, good for them, but trust me, Fyre, when I make it known that you are the woman I am courting, it will not be because I have to force you to take some protection.” He prowled closer. “There will be kissing, and a hell of a lot of it.” Phillip’s grin made her weak in the knees.