He reaches and takes her upper arm, pulling her slightly, but she pulls back, shaking her head, still not looking up from the ground.
Fuck it. She can be pissed at me if she wants, but I’m not going to let some asshole make her uncomfortable. When I get closer, I realize who he is. Most of his face is covered, but I recognize his posture and jaw. It’s Taylor Bonnichsen, a real estate tycoon who invests heavily in my company. I don’t even hesitate though. I’ve already lost China and India, so what if I lose Taylor.
Technically speaking, I have the personal funds to walk away from everything and live a lavish lifestyle for a thousand lifetimes. I have enough money to be my own soul investor and float the entire company. But that’s never what this was about. I chase success. I strive for success. But right now, protecting Emmaline matters more to me than any of that ever could, whether she’s mine to protect or not.
I yank his shoulder back, pulling him so he’s forced to face me.
“What the--Logan?” he asks. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but--”
“Leave her alone,” I say. “I’ll only ask once.”
He straightens to his full height, stepping closer to me, but Taylor is a few inches shorter than me and not as broad. I step into him, looking down, waiting. There’s a strict rule against fighting in the club, and a brawl could get both of us banned for life. I’ll do it in a heartbeat if I have to. I may have fucked things up with Emmaline for myself, but I’ll still do anything in my power to protect her.
Taylor finally relaxes, shaking his head and turning to walk away. “That was a mistake,” he says over his shoulder.
I move to leave too, but Emmaline’s small hand grips my arm. “Wait,” she says. “Thank you.”
“Any time,” I say, trying again to leave, but she doesn’t let go.
“You know, if I had your number, I would’ve called you that night. I wanted to apologize.”
I turn slowly to face her, to read the expression on her beautiful face. Her eyes are wide and sincere. The innocence in her features only amplifies the sexuality of her full tits and wide hips. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
She bites her lip, stepping closer to me and reaching for my chest, but pulling her hand away hesitantly. “I do though. I should have been clear from the start. This is all so new to me. It’s exciting and scary. I’m figuring it out as I go, and I just wasn’t sure. I have-” she swallows, looking down, her fingers curling against my chest. “I have trouble with trust.”
I chuckle, cupping her cheek and making her meet my eyes. “That just means you’re smarter than most people.”
She laughs a little, the corner of her mouth pulling up in a grin. “For a smart person I can do some really stupid things.” She bites her lip, looking uncertainly up into my eyes. “Stupid things that I should be punished for... Sir.”
My cock stiffens. “Emmaline,” I say slowly, not sure I’m willing to give up the chance of doing things the right way with her, even for what would definitely be the fuck of my life.
She looks down, cheeks reddening.
I tilt her face up to me with my forefinger. As much as I want to drag her up to a private room right now, I can’t bring myself to do it. Maybe she’s asking for it, but what she’s really doing is letting herself try to trust me again, and I know how hard that is for her. I need to show her she can trust me, absolutely and completely. She may think the way to solve this is in the playroom, but it’s not.
“Your punishment,” I say slowly, “Is to come with me. To dinner at my place. I’ll cook. And you’ll be forced to watch my favorite movie while we eat.”
She frowns briefly in confusion and then a beautiful smile splits her lips. There’s uncertainty in her face, but she seems to push it down, nodding. “Okay. When?”
“Tonight,” I say.
“But I have work,” she says.
“I’ll talk to the Matron for you and get you the rest of the night off. Don’t worry about that.”
She hesitates, sucking in a breath before continuing. “I can’t afford to miss work.”
I smirk. “I’ll make it clear to the Matron that you’re still working, whether you’re on the premises or not.”
She smiles shyly. “Yes, Sir.”16EmmalineI’m sitting at a barstool in front of Logan’s kitchen island, watching him cook. He’s still wearing the black shirt from the club, but he undid another button at some point, and when he turns just right, I can catch a glimpse of tanned skin. I’m ashamed by how much my body responds to him at first, but I mentally scold myself for my shame. I have nothing to feel bad for. He’s a drop-dead gorgeous man who’s single. I’m single. Why should I keep battling these feelings of guilt? He woke something sexual up inside me that I never knew was lying dormant, and now that it’s out, it seems to be really out.