“You honestly think I’m going to let you go wandering aimlessly out there when you’re miles from home?”

“I’ll call a cab.”

“Absolutely not. I’ll take you.”

“Just open the fucking gates!”

What the actual fuck? Why is she speaking like a whore when she’s a fucking lady? “Watch your fucking mouth!” I roar, and she recoils in shock.

“I’m not prepared to be a notch on your busy bedpost.”

I’m beginning to think she’s the crazy one here. A notch? Oh, she will be no notch. “You actually believe that?” I ask, astounded. Hasn’t she heard anything I’ve said? Does she think I say this shit to every woman I bed? I’m about to ask, but my phone rings. I dig it out of my pocket and answer. “John?” I try to walk off some of my stress, pacing in circles.

“All right?” he asks, probably having gotten word of me flying around The Manor like a madman.

“Yeah.” I’m not going into it now. I cut the call and face her with a stare that she better not mistake as anything less than determined. “I’ll take you home.”

“No, please, just open the gates.”

I shake my head. She can beg all she likes. I’m not backing down. “No, I’m not letting you out there on your own, Ava. End of. You’re coming with me.”

She looks away quickly, and I follow her eyes, seeing a car pulling in off the main road. “Fuck,” I shout, scrambling for my phone and dialing John. I see Ava’s body engage, her legs getting ready to run, and I make a grab for her, but she dodges me, dashing to her car and grabbing her bag.

“John, don’t open the fucking gates,” I bellow down the line, seeing her getting farther away.

“I’m nowhere near a gate control panel.”

Sarah. “Well tell Sarah not to.”

I go after Ava, the gap now big enough for her to squeeze through. And she does. Damn her for being so tiny. I’ll have to wait too many seconds for it to be large enough to get my big frame through. Not that I’ll have the chance to wait. They start closing. “Bollocks.” I run back to my car and scratch around for my fob, smacking the button to open them again. I’m fucking exhausted.

I stalk after her, my strides long, eating up the distance between us. She’s on her phone by the time I reach her, and I swoop in, throwing her onto my shoulder, not prepared to try and reason anymore. I’ve never met such a difficult woman in my life.

Her scream of surprise is endearing.

“You’re not wandering around on your fucking own, lady.” I take us back into The Manor grounds.

“What’s it got to do with you?”