Page 12 of Ruthless Protector
His eyes filled with sympathy. “Shit, sweetheart, I’m sorry to hear that.”
His words were genuine, and for some messed up reason a rush of emotion hit me from nowhere. “I’m not your sweetheart,” I said, instead of thank you, because I couldn’t go there, not when I was feeling so vulnerable. I’d fall apart in front of him, and I refused to. I would not show him weakness. He may seem like a nice guy, but I didn’t know anything about him. He may not want to blackmail me for sex, but I’d placed myself in a bad position. He knew I was desperate. He could turn that on me at any time.
He ignored my biting comeback and instead said, “She needs medication?”
“Yes.”
“Give me the prescription, I’ll go pick it up.”
“You think I would leave her to suffer if I could afford it?” I said.
“Add it to what you owe me for rent.”
“I don’t need your damned charity…”
“Prescription, Willa. I don’t have time to argue this shit with you. I’ll get it, you pay me back when you can.”
“Now hang on…”
“For fuck’s sake, woman. You’ve got issues. I don’t know what they are, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out you don’t trust easily, especially men, or maybe it’s just me?”
I opened my mouth to respond, and he talked right over me.
“Whatever. I don’t have all night to figure your shit out. I need to get back to work, and you have a kid in there who needs her medication. I’m not doing it for you, I’m doing it for Tilly. I don’t want anything in return. I don’t like to see that little girl suffer…”
“And you think I do?” I fired back.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he barked. “No, I damn well don’t, which is why I want you to get me the fucking prescription so she can feel better.”
I blinked up at him. So many things I wanted to say…
“Now,” he growled.
I wasn’t a fan of his tone, but I couldn’t deny Tilly the meds she needed. And I realized I’d pay whatever his price was to make sure she didn’t have to be in pain any longer. I should be groveling at his feet; instead, I stared back at him and made sure he knew how much I did not like the way he’d just spoken to me, with a whole lot of who-the-fuck-do-you-think-you-are thrown in. Then I spun away, walked back into my room, snatched the prescription, and slapped it into his hand.
“Thank you,” he said, tone arrogant as hell, then he headed downstairs. I followed, watching him as he walked out the door, shutting it behind him without a backward glance.
I stared in stunned silence.
What the hell was that?
A text lit up my phone, twenty minutes later.
Left it at the door.
I opened the front door and sure enough, there it was. Tilly’s medication.
How was I ever going to repay him?
3
Willa
“You ready, Tils?” I called from the kitchen.
“Just brushing my teeth!”
“Brush fast, the bus will be here in a few minutes.”
