Page 103 of Money Reigns
A dark chuckle escapes me, curling around the rim of my glass as I sip.
“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”
“You’ve been in my apartment.”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
She stares, like she’s waiting for me to backtrack.
I don’t.
I expect anger. I expect her to push back. Storm off. Make me chase. I’m already ready to stop her if she tries.
Instead, she swallows, voice quieter now. “Did you pay my rent?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze narrows. “In exchange for…whatever this is?”
“In exchange for beingmine?” I correct, my tone sharper, decisive. “No. I take care of what’s mine. So I took care of you.”
She nods once, slowly, lips pressing together. Then she wipes her mouth with the napkin, movements careful, precise. “A year. You paid a year.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes lift back to mine, wide now.
“That’s how long I expect it to take you to move in here instead. Though…” I let the pause stretch, savoring her pulse quickening across the table. “I plan on moving you in sooner.”
She gasps.
“That’s madness,” she says with a nervous laugh. “We’ve only known each other a little over a month. We’ve worked together what—two weeks?”
I lean forward, elbows on the table, voice dropping into something darker, rougher.
“Since I saw you,” I correct, “and claimed you for myself, one month, twelve days, nine hours…” I glance at my watch. “…and thirty-seven minutes.”
Her mouth opens. Closes. Opens again.
No sound comes out.
Perfect.
Her throat works as she swallows, a nervous flush creeping up her chest. She’s unraveling exactly on schedule.
“Come with me.”
I push back from the table, my chair scraping against the polished floor. She looks up at me, still caught between resistance and intrigue, and I don’t give her time to choose. I stand, extend my hand.
When she hesitates, I arch a brow. “Olivia.”
Her pulse flutters at her throat. She places her hand in mine.
I pull her chair back for her, guiding her to her feet. Then I lead her toward the glass doors at the far end of the room, my palm steady against the small of her back.
The night air is cool when I open the doors, brushing over her skin. The city hums below us, restless and alive, but up here it’s quiet. Just us and the stars.
“Look,” I say quietly, steering her to the edge of the balcony. “Watch them.”
