“Do you want to talk about it?”
She sighs. “Do you really want to hear about my dates with other men? Besides, I’m worried you’ll kill him.”
I grit my teeth. “I don’t enjoy hearing about you dating other men, but you are mine. I always want to be the person you come to when you want to discuss something that is bothering you.”
She’s silent for a moment. “He kept grabbing my hand and wouldn’t let me pull away. Then he tried to force a kiss on me. It was disgusting.”
“I’ll kill him,” I promise her.
“No. Please Kai. I don’t want you starting a war with the Russians over me.”
I ignore her plea, moving on. “So since your date is done with him, we can go on another date?”
“I wish. Callum said Georgio has the next date. I don’t want to date them, though. If I had my way, we would put an end to this mess and declare you as winner.”
“I know, but you have to do what your family needs. Trust that I won’t let either of them have you in the end.”
She sighs. “Callum says I can’t trust you.”
I bite my tongue as I picture myself strangling him. He’s planting doubts in her head. Doubts that she has no business buying into.
“What do you think? Do you feel like you can trust me?”
When she doesn’t immediately answer, I growl.
“Did you just growl at me?”
“Not at you, per se, but at the situation. I want there to be no hesitation to that. The answer should be yes without missing a beat.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“Don’t be. It means I need to prove to you that you can trust me. I can be patient for you. One day, you’ll get there. Until then, know that I won’t ever let anyone hurt you.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Not at all. This is a delicate situation. If you need more time, then time is what you get. I’ll always give you what you need.”
“You say the sweetest things sometimes and I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about that.”
“Does it scare you?”
“A little bit, but mostly it makes me feel warm inside. Is that stupid to admit?”
“No. You can talk to me about anything.”
“I like that I can talk to you.”
“Me too.”
I hear something on her end of the phone before she whispers to me, “I have to go. Dinner is done. I’ll text you later.”
Before I can respond she hands up.
I shoot her a text.
Me: I’ll be waiting with bated breath for you, princess.
Then I call Kenji.
