Evelyn furrowed her brows at him.
"No..."
"But you had a boyfriend." Zayne tilted his head, genuinely bemused.
She raised a brow at him. "I did. But what about it?"
"You never kissed him?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I want my first kiss to be perfect." Her eyes went dreamy at the thought, he could literally see angel wings at her back. "I’ve only dated him for a month. And I’m not naive if you think I am. I kind of figured out he didn’t really like like he said he did. But he’s the first man I’ve ever dated, so I didn’t want to...you know..."
"I see," Zayne humd, lips curling slightly.
"What are you smiling for? It’s not funny."
"I didn’t say it was." He left the bed, standing on his feet. He rolled his shoulder, gauging the wound. It still ached, but not as bad as it was the night before. "Aren’t you going to go ho?"
"I will," Evelyn responded, tensing. "But... Wait, why are you chasing out now? You’re the one who took from the airport."
"Well, I’m letting you go now."
"Yeah, after making miss my flight, huh?" She glared at him. "Do not test my patience, Mr. Mancini."
"What do you want then?" he asked. "You’ve refused to marry still. So, do you intend to stay with ? Is that what this is?"
"Can I...?" She cleared her throat, blinking her eyes around the room. "For a few days. Then I’ll leave."
He turned to look at her imdiately, brows shot up. Then his head cocked to the side, tone flat. "No."
"Heh?"
Evelyn blanked.
"Seriously? No? I thought you cared for my safety?"
Zayne looked into her eyes and his grin expanded. "Because I took a bullet for you?"
She blinked at him frantically.
He rolled his shoulders and took steps towards her on his bare foot till he stood, towering over her with body hunched to et her height. "I’m not your bodyguard, baby girl."
Her throat worked in a swallow.
"I never signed up to be one." His thumb caressed her under-eye, and he slipped her hair behind her ear. "What kind of a man would I be if I can’t even protect my betrothed?"
Evelyn scrunched her brows, ignoring his fingers all over her face. "You say that and yet you won’t even let stay in your house for a few days? I’m not asking you to protect , I just want to stay, because, what if there are still a few of them out there? They could kill the very mont I leave this place. So for my own safety, I’m asking you to let stay."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you refuse to marry even though you’re betrothed to . And what? You spend a few days with , and leave?"
"Oh c’mon!" Her response was with haste. "Why must I marry you? We don’t even know each other much."
Zayne smiled. "I’m not forcing you. You’re free to say no. But surely you don’t expect to bother when you have absolutely nothing to do with , do you?"
Evelyn stared at him, her brows creasing.
"So, let get this straight," she said. "Unless I marry you, my safety is none of your concern?"
"Yes." He turned away from her and walked over to sit at the edge of the bed. "It’s like you said, we don’t know each other that much. I have no reason to care when you have nothing to do with ."
She turned to face him.
"Then are you saying that if I marry you, I’ll beco your responsibility?"
"Yes."
"You would protect and make sure that I don’t die?"
"Yes." Zayne picked at the bandage, trying to untie it.
Her hands balled into fists. "Can you really...and I an really protect ?"
He t her eyes and then looked at his wound. Then, looked back at her. "What do you think?"
Evelyn glanced at the wound.
A conflicted expression was on her face. It would be impulsive to marry a man she didn’t even know that much, not to ntion never even dated.
One should date first before marriage, shouldn’t they? Then again, this was more of a contract marriage. Still...this wasn’t what she wanted, none of what she dread of.
Date, fall in love, get married, and have a nice family—that was the perfect life she envisioned. Not getting involved with a man her father betrothed her to without her knowledge.
Sighing, she began to pace the room.
Zayne looked at her and furrowed his brows, watching her every step as she moved back and forth in the room.
"What are you thinking?"
He ripped off the bandage, lowering his gaze to the wound. It’d begun healing.
Evelyn ca to a stop suddenly, frowning when he suddenly covered his wound with his palm as if he were hiding sothing.
"What are you hiding?"
"Nothing." Then he asked, "What are you thinking?"
She suspiciously narrowed her eyes at him. But shrugged it off. "I’ve co up with an idea."
"An idea?"
"Yes."
"Which is...?"
She grinned at him, very thoughtfully. "I’d like us to make a deal."
"A deal?"
Sothing about her smirk made his eyes crinkle with amusent.
"Yes." She popped out two fingers. "If you can survive while we live together in the period of two months, I’ll marry you after without objection. But that ans you’ll have no problem with whatever I do because I’ll do just about anything to see that you grow tired of and change your mind."
She added, "It also ans that you’ll protect during those tis because we can say I’m now involved with you, right? Plus, all you have to do is tolerate for two months and see if you still wish to marry after. And if you no longer wish to marry , you won’t be withdrawing from TDG and my safety will continue to be of your concern. That is all."
"Sweet deal, isn’t it?" Her lips stretched wider, smile touching her eyes. "What do you say, Mr. Mancini? Are you in?"
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