“No.” I lift my eyes up to look at him, and he just nods his head and stands there, not saying anything.

Silence and neither of us look away for what feels like forever, until I have to give in to him, which I hate.

“Fine!” I yell, throwing my hands in the air.

“Fine, what?” Not moving, he just keeps the blank expression.

“Get me down,” I blurt out.

“And?”

“Oh, this is not going to work. I’m leaving. Get me the fuck down, asshole.”

“Still waiting.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I mumble under my breath. “Please.” The word burns on my tongue.

Without another word, he takes the couple of steps to me and lifts me off the counter, gently placing me on the ground, while I quickly pull my skirt down, and I push my foot back into the shoe he took off. It hurts, but I’m not showing any pain to him, just start to walk to where I set my bag on the dining table.

“So, I’m guessing I’ll pack your things up and leave them for you to pick up tonight then.” The calmness in his voice really bugs me.

“What do you mean?” I spin around and see he hasn’t moved from where he lifted me down.

“Well, you clearly don’t want to be here, and I’m not holding you here against your will, Harper, so I’ll tell Sandon and Rem that you need a full-time bodyguard to be in your apartment.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you.” I can feel the irritation with him building inside me, along with the frustration that my life is not mine right now.

“Not really. Look, we need to talk to sort out how this is going to work. Can you manage to get home a bit earlier tonight? I will cook you dinner, and we can chat, calmly. We are two grown-ass adults who should be able to co-exist in an apartment, for the good of your safety.”

God damn it, why does he have to be nice to me? Just keep being a grumpy dick and then I don’t have to turn off my inner bitch like I’m trying to do right now.

“Okay.” It’s all I have to say, and I then turn to walk toward the door and open it.

Then there is this overwhelming hesitation, and I don’t know if I can step out of the apartment on my own.

His footsteps approach from behind, and the gentle way he places his hand on my shoulder sends a tingle through me that I haven’t felt before, and surprisingly, I don’t shrug it off.

“Just give me five minutes to grab my things and I’ll walk with you down to your car. Will you wait for me?” The softness in his voice is comforting.

I nod, and he leaves me standing there.