He ruffled her hair as if she were Joshua. “Get used to it, piccola. Everyone obeys me.”
“I’m not afraid of you the way they are.”
“Perhaps not in the same way, Alexandria, but you are most definitely afraid. Otherwise you would not try to run away from me, from us, the way you do.” The teasing note in his voice was doing things to her insides she didn’t want to acknowledge. She had to escape. It was the only way. The only way.
Marie stuck her head in the doorway. “The phone, Alexandria. Your young man again.” She winked. “He is eager, this one.”
“He is not Alexandria’s young man, Marie,” Aidan said, annoyed. “He’s old enough to be her father.”
Marie only laughed as she sailed back toward the kitchen, ignoring his bad mood.
“Hello?” With deliberate malice, Alexandria sounded as sweet as she could as she took Thomas Ivan’s call. “Oh, Thomas!” Her eyes were on Aidan as she gushed the other man’s name. “The theater? Tonight? It’s short notice, and I don’t know if I’m quite ready for a night out.”
Aidan could easily hear the suave, persuasive voice on the other end of the line. “We would just sit quietly, Alex, and I’d bring you straight home. An early night.”
She closed her eyes. A night away from all the tension. A night in the real world. Her world. It was appealing. And by accepting she would also learn whether she was a prisoner or not. “That sounds wonderful, Thomas. But straight home afterward—I don’t want the doctor yelling at me.” She looked at Aidan when she said it.
Aidan raised an eyebrow, but his features otherwise remained expressionless granite. For some reason, that made her heart beat faster than if he had looked annoyed. Aidan Savage was planning something. She didn’t know what, but she was certain of it.
She hung up the phone. “I’m going to the theater,” she said defiantly.
Aidan nodded. “So I heard. Do you think it wise?”
She shrugged. “I’m well enough. My health appears to be back to normal.”
“I am not concerned with your health at this moment,
Alexandria,” he said softly, “only his.”
* * *
Chapter Twelve
“Aidan, may I have a puppy?” Joshua, sandwiched between Aidan and Alexandria in the car, carefully avoided looking up at his sister.
Alexandria stiffened resentfully, her chin up. Aidan’s hand slid along the back of the seat and rested lightly on the nape of her neck. His fingers curled around the slim column and began a slow massage. “Joshua, it is fun to tease Alexandria that I am the big boss and can overrule her, but we both know the truth. Alexandria is your sister and your guardian. Why would you ask me such a question?”
“Ah, Aidan.” Joshua stared down at his hands. “She always says no. Don’t you, Alex? She says it’s too hard to find an apartment that will allow a puppy. But now we live with you. A puppy could live there, don’t you think?” He looked up hopefully. “Your house is really big, and I’d take care of it, except when I’m at school.”
“Well, Joshua, I do not know,” Aidan answered seriously, giving the matter consideration. “Puppies can be a significant amount of trouble. Marie and Stefan have many duties, keeping the household running. To be fair, they would have to be consulted also. This is not a decision to be made lightly. In any case, before you take the issue further, I think discussing it with your sister should be your primary starting point.”
Joshua shrugged and grinned engagingly up at Alexandria. “She already said we could have one if we ever found a place that would let us.”
Alexandria tried to focus, but her eyes were burning even behind the extremely dark glasses Aidan had insisted she wear. The car windows, too, were darkly tinted to help block out the sun, but it still felt as if a thousand needles were stabbing at her when the light touched her face. It was terrifying. And it meant that once again Aidan had been telling her the truth.
“We haven’t been in Aidan’s home long enough to know if we’re even going to stay, Joshua.” She ignored the fingers tightening around her neck. “And it isn’t fair to saddle Marie with such a job so early. Let’s wait and see what happens. I’ll be starting work soon, and we’re all just settling in. I’m not saying no. I’m just saying we should wait a little bit longer, okay?”