Page 68 of Heir

“For what?” I asked.

“To take me home.”

I squeezed her tighter against me, trying to keep from showing how panicked I felt at her desire to leave.

“Do you want to leave?” I asked, my voice gruff.

She took a deep breath. “Don’t you want me to leave? I’m sure you want your space back.”

Usually, that would be true, and yes, I could feel a small panic at having her here, but the thought of her leaving somehow felt worse, and I didn’t want to get into the why.

I kissed the top of her head.

“Stay,” I said.

Her shoulder moved with an inaudible sigh. Then, “Okay.”

11

KAI

I wokeup when I felt the sun hit my face.

Opening my eyes, I watched the sleeping girl next to me, safely tucked under my arm.

Her blond hair lay in a messy heap over my pillow, her scent teasing my nose, and her skin warming against me.

I waited for the terrible feeling to hit.

The annoyance of having someone invade my space, the sick feeling of my skin crawling because she was here, where she didn’t belong—

I blinked.

There was a low hum of it that told me I needed to get her out of here as soon as possible, that I needed to clean up my place, replace the sheets that smelled like her and sex, and get back to the once impenetrable control.

But over this low hum was a booming need to pull her closer to me. To demand she fucking stay right where she was, right where she fucking belonged—like the rest of my things, only not.

She was so much more infinitely precious than the things I had here.

I let my fingers trace down the side of her face, reveling in the softness of her skin.

Her nose wrinkled in the cutest way, and my heart hammered against my chest.

Fuck, but why was I feeling this way over this girl?

Over William Gallagher’s niece?

Gemma was pure chaos.

She was a wreck to my controlled environment, and I—

I fuckingneededthe control, but kicking her out of this apartment, out of my life, was no longer an option.

Not after I’d taken her virginity.

Not after I owned a part of her, no other fucker would ever get to own, and I would fucking die before I let any other fucker get any other parts of her.

They were mine.

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