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“Canyou give it up?”
“I need to find someone to take my place, but its possible.”
“Who—?”
“Lyla,” he said impatiently, “answer my question.”
“Why can’t you quit that shit for yourself?”
“Because I don’t care about myself.”
Lyla’s head snapped back. “What do you mean, you don’t care about yourself?”
He tightened his hold on her. “Yes, or no, Lyla.”
“If I say no, you continue doing this on the side?”
“Yes.”
The force of his personality battered at her. He was too much for her to handle. “Gavin, you’re so angry—”
“Yes, I’m fucking angry!” He wrapped his arms around her when she tried to back away. “No, you don’t run when I’m pissed. You go toe to toe with me like you did in my office the other day and when you took my hands in yours. You’ve seen the worst in me and you wanted me to hold you after that fucker—” He cupped her face between rough, shaking palms. “I did you wrong. I made you cry and showed you parts of my world you should never see. I can’t take it back, but I can try to make it right this time around. You have to give me a chance, a real one. No holding back, no hiding in my dad’s house. Before, you were handed to me on a fucking platter. I didn’t have to work for your love, you took me whole. You were tailor-made for me, fucking spoiled me. Then, you left. I won’t take you for granted, ever.”
Lyla’s hands twisted in his shirt as her mind whirled.
“What little I feel revolves around you. Haven’t felt a fucking thing since you left. I brought you back and I keep fucking it up. I feel too much for you.” Brooding eyes traced her features. “I learned to control my emotions at a young age. I learned what to let in and what to keep out. I saw what Mom’s death did to my dad. I didn’t want to be at someone’s mercy like that. I held you at arm’s length on purpose. I thought I had you under control, that I hadn’t let you in. It wasn’t until you left that I realized you were already in. The woman meant for me, gone without a trace.” His eyes burned with a fevered light. “You can’t leave me, Lyla.”
“Gavin,” she whispered.
His kissed her tears away and ran his hands down her sides, as if reassuring himself that she was here with him.
“When I held you in the tub, you pulled away. Fucking killed me. I thought after what you saw, you wouldn’t let me touch you ever again. Then, you demanded I stay with you, hold you.”
He dropped his forehead onto hers, amber eyes staring into hers with a desperation that made her heart ache.
“I won’t let you go this time. Whatever you want, I’ll give. You want me to quit, I’ll do it. But, I quit the business, you stay with me.”
“W-what if—?”
“No ifs. Yes, or no.” When she hesitated, his face hardened. “I have you for a year. If you think I’m going to let you hide in my dad’s house, think again. I’m not letting you out of my sight. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you want to stay another year and then another. You try to leave, I’m coming with you. I won’t leave you alone. I can’t.”
They were both surprised by her watery chuckle. She framed his face with her hands. Gavin Pyre was a scary bastard. He was fire and ice in a gorgeous package she wasn’t sure she could handle, but it looked like she had no choice. Neither of them did.
“You’re so romantic,” she said and kissed him.
Gavin drew her closer so she was at the edge of her seat. She could taste his need and the sharp edge of danger that was so much a part of him. When she drew back, his hungry eyes searched hers.
“When you say permanently, you mean...?” she asked.
“No running, no time limit. You stay here, not with my dad.”
Lyla chewed her bottom lip and then said, “I don’t know if I can give you what you want.”
He laughed and wrapped himself around her. There was a dark edge to it, but it was still a sound of humor.
“Baby, you make me happy just by being.”
A warm ray of hope lit her soul and she hugged him to her. “I’ll stay.”
