Trevor carried his own demons, and we both had a quiet understanding that we couldn’t fight each other’s battles or change who we were. But Reno had fought my battles and that scared me. I’d never had anyone put his life on the line for me. Despite Reno’s badass physical appearance and demeanor, he was a decent man with an amazing family. A man with integrity who’d fought in wars that weren’t his to fight, and here he was, trying to fight my battles too. A man who swallowed his pride so his baby brother could lead the pack. Why? Because he had integrity and respected rules. Maybe he saw me as a shy girl with pretty eyes and a pocketful of dreams, but the reality of who I was would eventually sink in. Reno could have saved me from debt, but I didn’t want to be saved. I wanted to save myself so that one day the man I finally ended up with would respect me as a woman.
I wanted to be the sail in his ship, not the anchor.
My phone rang and I rolled to the left side of the bed. I sighed heavily when I saw the name of the caller. “Hi, this is April.”
Trevor clucked his tongue and tossed the remote on the bed, then stalked toward the bathroom. He thought it was Reno calling.
“It’s Maddox. I stopped by your place for a spell and noticed it’s not there anymore. It looks like you ran into some trouble. Is that trouble taken care of?”
“Yeah,” I said in a low voice. “I think.”
“If you come with me, I’ll make sure you don’t have that kind of trouble again.”
“The guy who was stalking me is taken care of, but I’m not sure if that means his boss will try to come after me or my friends.” I paused for a beat. “If I agree to your proposition, will you make sure my friends are safe?”
I heard him sucking on his teeth as if considering. “I can only surmise you haven’t nipped that problem in the bud. What’s the name of the man after you?”
“Delgado.”
A soft laugh filled the line. “Yeah. That’ll be taken care of. I’ve got connections and he’s easily bought off.”
“What are you?”
A scratchy growl filled the silence. “Are you asking what my animal is? Well now, that’s not something I tell just anyone. I’m lethal, woman. But nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about. I control my animal and I won’t shift around a human unless they have it coming. If you stay with me, you’ll have my complete protection. Are you sure about this?”
Hell no, you’re not sure, my inner voice shouted.
That was fear talking. In the real world, problems didn’t magically disappear—they multiplied like gremlins. I owed Maddox more than fifty grand and didn’t have a dime in my pocket, not to mention I was homeless and without transportation. Trevor would never be able to get his feet on the ground if he had to take care of me too. It was time to start making tough decisions.
“This is a business arrangement, Maddox, and I want to verify our verbal contract before you put it in writing. According to your terms, I can leave whenever I want. That means you can’t hold me by force. If I leave, I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder because you’re stalking or harassing me. I won’t agree unless you can promise me that even under your protection, I’ll still be able to pay off my debt. I don’t want that to be the tie that binds me to you. Someday I’m going to want to leave, and I want to be free and clear.”
“Hmm. I can arrange something between us if that’s what you want. But why not just stay on the outside if all you want is to pay me back?”
“I gave it some thought. I’ll have a better chance at paying you back quicker if I don’t have any bills or rent to worry about. Plus I’m sure you can find me a better-paying job than what I’ve been doing. You said you have connections. Can we come to a compromise?” I said, making a business proposition.
“I don’t mind you going to school, but I won’t have you working a job.”
This wasn’t going to be easy. “Instead of an indefinite stay under your care, what about five years and you’ll clear what I owe?”
“No, I can’t agree to that. But ten years and you sleeping in my bed, I’ll consider those terms.”
“Absolutely not.” I sat up and tugged at my hair. “What about seven years, no sex, and I’ll work my ass off to pay my debt by cleaning, cooking, doing your taxes, whatever you want.”
His laugh sounded like a crow and he quickly put a cap on it. “You’re quite the negotiator. I’ll agree to that, but you don’t have to worry about the taxes. I don’t have a relationship with Uncle Sam.”
“Promise you won’t push me into sex? How do I know I can trust you?”
“Because I’m giving you my word, and that’s the best thing I’ve got. You’ll have it in writing, but I’m not an animal. Not to mention it’s a little insulting to insinuate I have to force a woman to sleep with me. I got problems, but that’s not one of them.”
“That includes kissing and anything physical.”
He chuckled a little, but his voice was sincere. “Sure thing. But if I need you as a date, I’d like it if you uh… well, if you put out the vibe that you were sleeping with me, I’d appreciate it. I’m a man who likes leaving an impression with my business partners; it’ll look bad if I have a pet who doesn’t cuddle up with me at night.”
“Fine, as long as we adhere to the previous rules. I’m not going to make out with you in public to prove something, but I’ll give people the impression we’re intimate. Can I date?”
“No, I went over that already.”