Page 23 of Treasured By Them
“It’s my life, not yours.”
“I’m responsible for your safety—you’re my fiancée and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
I resist the urge to childishly stomp my foot. “I could stub my toe in the next sixty seconds. Are you going to remove all the furniture from your penthouse, Oh Prince of Overprotection?”
Caleb snorts.
Edmund’s eyes narrow. “That’s not a fair comparison, and you know it.”
I turn to Troy. “Well? You do see this is overbearing and paranoid, right?”
“I’m the one who suggested it.” Troy doesn’t even have the grace to look ashamed.
“Ugh!” I can’t help it—I do stomp my foot. “I hate you both!”
Edmund’s lips twitch, like he’s fighting a smile. Fuck him. Fuck Troy. And fuck poor Caleb who looks like he would rather be anywhere but here.
I glance at my phone. If I hadn’t already skipped out on work for Isabelle over the past couple of weeks, I would skip today. I’d rather not get paid than have some near-stranger shadowing my every move.
“Whatever. Caleb, I guess we can go. But Edmund? Troy? I’m not done talking to you about this. You two are absolute assholes, arranging this without talking to me.”
Edmund smirks. “It was kinda hard to have a conversation when you were?—”
I hold up a hand. “Shut. Up.”
“Be careful with how you talk to me, princess.”
I force myself to ignore the sexy, dark tone of his voice and the way his green eyes narrow at me. “I don’t care how I talk to you when you’re an overbearing asshole jizz-stain?—”
Troy coughs in warning. I clamp my mouth closed, holding in the rest of the ire I want to unleash on them both. Now isn’t the time.
“I’m leaving.” I grab my bag and jab the elevator button.
“Fine,” Edmund calls as the doors open and Caleb and I step inside. “Be mad. Just be alive and mad.”
I flip him off over my shoulder.
9
Troy
I finish my reps and set down the bar. Sweat drips from my brow. Edmund runs on the treadmill, and I’ll spot him when he’s done.
The home gym is the smallest room of the penthouse, but it gets a lot of use. I like being able to see across the city while I lift. It makes me feel like I’m on top of the world, while humbling me at the same time.
My phone buzzes rhythmically on the floor next to the bench. The name on the screen is Caleb Morraine.
I swipe to answer the call. “Hey.”
“Hey. We need to talk about Danica.”
“Yeah, why?” My lungs go cold. I know Dani’s safe because she’s down the hall in her room. But Morraine’s tone is unhappy. If someone’s threatening her…I put the phone on speaker and set it on the bench next to me. “Edmund’s here. Who do we have to fuck up?”
“Shit, it’s not like that.” His voice echoes in our workout room. “She’s safe, nobody’s been following her.”
Edmund frowns at the phone. “Then what the fuck is the problem, Morraine?”
“She’s making it hard to work with her. She’s rude. Slams the door behind her before I can get through, that sort of thing.”
