Page 36 of Savage Protector
“Leila, chill. I was busy, I swear. As for what happened in your room, it was good. I’m glad that we…that you… Oh, fuck.” His dark gaze softens. “Can we just be friends, at least for now? Please?”
Just friends? Is that all?
I return his gaze, and, with no other choice, reluctantly nod. “Friends.”
“Good.” He wraps his arms around me and gives me a quick hug. “I’ll come to Stirling with you, help you settle in.”
“There’s no need. Magda’s doing it. She’ll fly me over to Glasgow, then drive me to Stirling.”
“Will you be okay on your own?”
“I’ll be fine. Ethan told me my uncle was warned off and there’ll be no more trouble from him, or my cousins. I just wish I could be in touch with my sisters, let them know I’m all right. They’ll be desperately upset by me just disappearing. But he told me not to.”
“He’s right. Keep a low profile, get started on your university course.”
“I know. That’s the plan. Even so…”
“Promise me you’ll do as Ethan says, at least until we’re sure that Abdul really has given up.”
My heart lurches. “You don’t think he’ll?—”
“No, I don’t. But it pays to be cautious. And for that reason, I got you a little present.”
“A present? For me? There was no need to…”
“Ethan suggested it, and I got this made for you.” He pulls a long, narrow box from his inside jacket pocket. “Here. Open it.”
“Is it jewellery?”
“I said, open it.”
I do, and gasp. A beautiful gold necklace glistens at me from the confines of the silk-lined box. A delicate twist of gleaming white gold, the chain links are interspersed with tiny orchids.
“It…it’s lovely,” I breathe. “But it must have cost a fortune. I don’t understand.”
“I’m glad you like it. Put it on.”
“Now?”
“Of course now. Here, let me help.” He takes the necklace from the box and places it around my neck. “The clasp is a bit special.” He snaps it into place. “There. It’s locked. The only way to unlock it is with this key.” He extracts a minute white gold key from the box and pockets it. “I’ll keep this.”
I finger the clasp. “You mean, I can’t take it off? Ever?”
“Hopefully not. It has two functions.”
I tug at the necklace, but it isn’t budging. “What functions?”
“One, it reminds you that you and I have unfinished business. We started it in your room that day, and we’ll finish it when the time is right.”
My eyes widen when the meaning of his words sinks in.Unfinished business?
“And two, look at this.”
He reaches for the clasp at the back on my neck and pulls it around to the front. His knuckles graze my throat, causing a peculiar tingle to pulse through my body to my core.Oh my.
“See just here, there’s a button.”
“I can’t see.”
