“Not tonight. Tonight I have to go out, and I want you resting. I’ve already arranged for your dinner. Sevastyan and one of the new men, Kyanite Boston. We call him Kye. They have orders to lock up the house and to keep everyone out. You’ll be safe.”

She shook her head. “If you aren’t goin’ to be here tonight, then I think I should go back home.”

“No.” His voice was implacable.

“I’m uncomfortable around men. I don’ want to be alone with them.” She made her confession softly, one hand fisting in and then running up and down the front of his immaculate shirt. “I’ll just come back when you’re home.”

“I said no. I nearly lost you, I’m not taking chances with your life again.” He caught her hand, dragged it to his mouth and bit down hard on the pad. “Absolutely no.”

“Did you hear anythin’ I said to you?”

“The answer is still no. I’m sorry you don’t like it but I’m not willing to compromise or lose this argument, not when it comes to matters of your safety.”

“I wasn’t aware we were arguin’,” she said. “I was tryin’ to express the fact that I’m uncomfortable with other people. Men especially.”

He stood up and reached down for her, drawing her up by her hand. “We aren’t arguing. That was me telling you what you were going to do, which is wait here in this house for me to return. You’re going back to bed in the master suite and you’ll rest like the doctor told you.”

“You’re gettin’ bossy.”

“I have to be bossy while I can. Once you’re at full strength, I doubt too many things are going to go my way. But this one . . .” He trailed off and tugged so that she followed him.

“I like this house, Fyodor, but you don’ actually live in it. Are you goin’ to keep it, or what?”

“Depends on where you want to live.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “What does that mean?”

“You committed to me.”

“Yes.” She was cautious.

“I want you living with me.”

“That’s a little fast.”

“A year isn’t fast. You’ve been mine since the day I walked into the bakery and you know it. I’m not wasting any more time. You want to keep your house, then we can live there. We can go back and forth. We can accept Siena’s generous offer and live here. You tell me what you want and that’s what we’ll do.”

He might not think it was fast, but moving in with him was the last thing she’d expected.

“We haven’t even . . .” She trailed off. “I’m not experienced, honey. You don’ know if we suit in bed.”

“We suit.”