Coming Home Read Free Page A

was gambling with his affections, asking for these things. If he didn’t give them to her, he would annihilate any remaining faith she had in his goodness. She hated him for what he’d done, but deep down believed there was good behind the man. If he was so desperate to help her, it would have to be on
her
terms
.
    Don’t deny me, Lucian. Please.
She waited him out.
    “I’ll help you. But our other issues are far from concluded. Eventually we need to talk about what happened.”
    She glared at him and shook off his hold. “I’ll ask that you keep your hands to yourself.”
    “And I’ll ask that you drop the haughty performance you’ve been affecting since you got here.”
    Fingers snatching up the papers, Scout quickly removed her body from within his reach. Her brow tightened and her voice was dangerously close to cracking with emotion. “It’s not an act. These are
my
papers and I deserve them. You have no right to keep them from me.”
    “And what of my money? Do you deserve that as well?”
    “All I asked for was a loan. You can afford it. Either you help me or I go somewhere else.”
    “With what credit, Ms. Keats? No bank will sign over that amount of money without a cosigner.”
    He was likely right. He was also being mean and spiteful on purpose. Two could play that game. “I could always find another wealthy man willing to help me. After all, it was you who taught me
everything
is for sale.”
    He growled. “Watch yourself, Ms. Keats. I’m in no frame of mind to be pushed.”
    “Lucian,” she took a deep breath. “I’m not forfeiting my morals for money. Even
you
can’t afford them. You either agree to my terms and help me with a loan, or I’ll figure out another way.”
    “Another way for what?” he snapped.
    She wouldn’t give him more information than necessary. She needed to do this for herself and if he knew her plan, he’d try to take over. Lucian was a leader—a very successful one—but she was sick and tired of following the tide. She needed to prove she could do this on her own. “For my future. I have nothing! I want to invest in
me,
since no one else gives a shit and I need thirty-five thousand dollars to do that.”
    He stilled, his eyes narrowing, and she saw him weighing her words. Again he reached into his drawer, only this time he removed a heavy blue ledger. Long fingers flipped it open and reached for a pen. His hand swiftly moved over the check, the ballpoint scratching across the dense paper. The tear along each tiny perforation mesmerized her with its slow intent, but at last the slip fell free. He dropped the check in front of her with flourish. “There you go.”
    Scout stared at the check. The numbers read
$35,000.00
, but she couldn’t read the script. She had trouble with anything that wasn’t printed in capital letters.
    Eyeing him suspiciously, she blinked as he arched a brow. “Take it. It’s yours.”
    Her fingers hesitantly reached for the check. Once closing over the thick paper, she pulled her hands back to her lap. “I’ll . . . I’ll pay you back.”
    “I don’t care about the money, Evelyn.”
    “Well, I do. I’ll pay you back. Every cent. I’ll make payments whenever possible. Once I’ve paid off the principal, we’ll figure out what I owe in interest.”
    He rolled his eyes. “All right, but here are my conditions.”
    Her mouth opened. She shook her head, trying to scramble up the right words. “But you already gave it to me.”
    “I gave you a voucher. A check of that amount has to be cleared through me. What you have is trash unless I approve it when the bank calls.”
    “Fine,” she gritted. “What are your terms?”
    “Your payments will be made
in person
. I also require an address of where you’re staying. These are simple requests, and any bank would demand a hell of a lot more from you. Be grateful that’s all I’m stipulating at the moment.”
    Her jaw locked against what she wanted to say. He was trying to