Chapter 243

Cassie

Ian was on the sofa when I woke up the next morning and one look at his face and I knew he hadn't slept.

In the predawn light streaming through the windows I studied him. At the blood drying on his split knuckles and the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Cassie." He didn't even turn to me, he just sat there as still as a statue.

"Where have you been going?" I asked as I took the final steps down the stairs.

"It doesn't matter now. It is done. I won't have to leave again." Slowly like his movements were being forced on him he turned to me. His movements were jerky like he was a puppet on a string.

I stumbled across the distance between us, which wasn't far at all but seemed to take forever until I fell onto my knees in front of him.

"What have you done Ian?" I whispered because it was pretty clear that he had done something and it was something bad. If the bloody shirt hadn't been a giveaway then the haunted look on his face would have been.

Now I knew what Ian was. He was in his heart Julian's second and that meant he had to do things that normal men couldn't. He was smart and cunning and completely ruthless when he needed to be.

"Why do you think I've done something?" He asked quietly.

I opened my mouth to tell him what I had found and closed it again as I stared at him. Ian might have done bad things but he wasn't a bad person. Anything he had done or might not have done he would have done it for me and the boys.

For our safety.

I wouldn't make him admit those things for me, it wouldn't have been fair on either of us.

"It doesn't matter." Because really it didn't and honestly it was probably best I didn't know. Safer that way I guessed.

Heaving myself to my feet I stared down at his stricken face for a second and then sighed. "I'm going to make coffee, do you want one?"

Mutely he nodded.

Keeping busy was good, even if it was just doing something so mundane like brewing some coffee. It meant my hands were busy and gave my brain something to concentrate on.

"Ian?" I called out as the drip drip of the machine started and the beautiful aroma of the coffee started to perfume the air.

"Yes Cassie."

Goddess he sounded tired.

"Would you take me out tonight after work?"

There was no answer from him. Only the sound of the couch cushions rubbing together as he shifted his weight to look at me.

"Sure, is there something you need to pick up?" He said finally.

"No." Not turning to him I dumped an abnormally huge amount of sugar in his mug. "I would just like to go out for dinner." Stir stir stir. "Maybe a movie or something. I can ask Yanna to sit with the boys and-"

"Are you sure you will have time for that Cassie?"

The way he said it made me pause. "What do you mean? It's only dinner. Not a real date. I mean-" I didn't know why I was stuttering all of a sudden but I was as nervous as any teenage girl asking her crush to prom.

I didn't even like Ian like that. I could see he was a handsome man but I didn't lust after him.

"So you want me to go on a date with you?" His voice was so close that I whirled around and banged straight into his chest. Shrieking, I placed both hands on his chest as he leant in closer. Trapping me against the cabinets with his arms.

My eyes darted from his eyes to his lips which were so much closer to mine than they should have been.

Was Ian going to kiss me? Was he? And if he did what would I do? Never in my entire life had I thought about what his lips would feel like on mine.

"Are you sure you want me to date you Cassie?" His head ducked lower and my eyes widened. "Are you sure you will have time?"

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline. "Time?"

"Away from your secret little conversations? Or are we still calling it work?" He cocked his head to the side.

I swallowed hard. "You-"

How had he known? Especially how had he known that last night I had spoken to Julian.

I frowned.

Unless he had heard that conversation. I knew he hadn't been home and that meant-

I lifted my eyes to him accusingly. The only other place he could have heard was if he was with Julian and if he had been with Julian then what had he been doing there.

"What did you do?" I whispered again. "Did you hurt him?" I couldn't help the pain in my voice as I remembered how the call had gone dead. Had that been Ian's doing?

For several long heartbeats Ian stared down into my eyes and then he sighed and stepped back. "I thought you didn't care Cassie?" He accused and I remained silent. "But you don't need to worry, your king is unharmed."

"But you were there?"

"Yes." He said with hesitation. "I paid our king a visit and delivered a message." His eyes crinkled. "Or a present. Depending on how you look at it I guess."

"Which was?"

Steadily he looked at me. "Hopefully a way for you to go home. I'm not dumb Cassie. Even with the rejection taking hold I know you want him. You can't help yourself. But I won't let you go back-"

"You won't let me go back?" I shrieked because how dare he?

"Not unless he has made things safer for you. Not until he makes it right and if he can't then he has agreed that you shouldn't."

"But he wants to make things right?" I couldn't help the hope in my voice because I was a well educated , strong independent fool of a romantic and I was in love with my husband.

Ian rolled his eyes. "Go and get ready for work Cassie. Just go and get ready."