OFF LIMIT

Chapter 10

I was still sitting at the kitchen counter when Theo held the fork out to me.

I opened my mouth, and he fed me another bite of cheesecake.

For a moment, I simply let him.

The sweetness melted on my tongue, followed by a sip of the warm milk sitting beside me.

It was strange how something so simple could make me feel safe.

After everything that had happened that morning, I wanted to hold on to this moment.

I wanted to pretend the morning had never happened.

I wanted to forget that man's voice.

His disgusting words.

His hands on me.

I wanted to forget the fear that had taken over my body when I realised I couldn't reason with him.

So I focused on Theo.

He was looking at me with nothing but concern in his eyes.

I knew that look.

I had known it since I was a child.

He was looking at me the way a father would look after his daughter had been hurt.

There was no hidden meaning behind it.

No desire.

No longing.

Just care.

Protectiveness.

Family.

I knew that.

I had always known that.

But knowing it didn't make my feelings disappear.

I couldn't simply tell my heart that Theo saw me as nothing more than the daughter of his best friend.

I had tried for years.

It had never worked.

So I let myself enjoy the moment instead.

Just for a little while.

Then my eyes fell on his hand.

I stopped.

His knuckles were bruised.

The skin was slightly swollen, the marks impossible to miss now that I was looking properly.

My eyes moved from his hand to his face.

He noticed.

"What?"

I didn't answer.

Instead, I reached across the counter and took his hand.

His fingers curled slightly around mine before he relaxed them.

I looked at his knuckles again.

I didn't need an explanation.

I knew exactly where he'd been.

I looked into his eyes.

He didn't say anything.

Neither did I.

But I knew.

Theo had gone to Meridian.

And judging by his knuckles, he had beaten the s**t out of that old pig.

A tiny part of me should have been horrified.

Instead, something warm settled inside my chest.

Someone had hurt me.

And Theo had been furious enough to make sure that man regretted it.

I reached for the ointment.

"Isabella."

"Give me your hand."

"It's nothing."

"It's bruised."

"It doesn't hurt."

"That doesn't mean you don't need ointment."

He sighed.

"This isn't necessary."

"Maybe not. I'm doing it anyway."

He looked at me for a moment before finally letting me keep his hand.

I squeezed some ointment onto my fingertips.

Then I gently rubbed it over his bruised knuckles.

Slowly.

Carefully.

I was so gentle it was almost ridiculous, as if one wrong movement might break him.

Theo remained quiet.

I glanced at his face.

He looked somewhere far away.

Lost in his thoughts.

"When did you go?" I asked.

His eyes came back to mine.

"While you were sleeping."

I nodded slowly.

Of course he had.

He had waited until I was asleep before going there.

Probably because he knew I would have tried to stop him.

I finished applying the ointment and let his hand go.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Theo broke the silence.

"You don't need to work anywhere else."

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Come work at Kingsley Group."

My heart skipped.

"Theo..."

"I'm serious."

I looked down.

Kingsley Group.

The company my father had helped him build.

The company they had started together more than twenty years ago.

The company that had grown into something neither of them could have imagined back then.

And somehow, I already had shares in it.

Because of my father.

"I don't want people thinking I only got a position because of you."

"Let them think it."

I looked at him.

"That's not what I want."

"Then don't treat it like a favour."

His voice was calm.

"Treat it like a job."

I remained silent.

"You have your degree. You have your experience. You applied for that position without asking me for help. You were qualified for it."

I swallowed.

"But it's your company."

"It was your father's too."

That made me look at him.

Theo's expression softened.

"You have every right to be there, Isabella."

I didn't know what to say.

"And if you're worried about special treatment, you won't get any. I'll expect you to work just like everyone else."

A small smile tugged at my lips.

"You're going to be my boss?"

"If you want me to be."

I laughed softly.

"That sounds terrifying."

"It should be."

I rolled my eyes.

For the first time that day, I felt almost normal.

I looked at him again.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe Kingsley Group wasn't something I should run away from simply because my father had built it with him.

Maybe it was time I stopped feeling like I had to prove that I could build a life without anyone's help.

I had wanted the job at Meridian because I wanted to know that I could do it on my own.

But I had never wanted to stay away from my father's legacy.

I had simply been afraid of depending on Theo.

I sighed.

"Fine."

His eyebrow lifted.

"Fine?"

"I'll work at Kingsley Group."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Good."

"But I'm still going to prove myself."

"I expect you to."

"And no special treatment."

"Agreed."

I nodded.

"When do I start?"

"Whenever you want."

I smiled faintly.

"Then not tomorrow."

He chuckled.

"Take your time."

He stood from the counter.

"Now go upstairs and rest."

"I'm not tired."

He gave me a look.

I sighed.

"Fine."

"I'll drop you home later."

I nodded and slowly made my way upstairs.

The first thing I wanted was a shower.

I needed one.

I needed to wash away that filthy man's touch from my skin.

I knew it wasn't really there anymore.

But somehow, I could still feel it.

His hand around my wrist.

His presence too close to me.

His disgusting words.

I stepped into the shower and turned the water on.

Hot water poured over me.

I closed my eyes.

Then I started scrubbing my skin.

Hard.

Harder than I needed to.

I kept going until my skin began to sting.

I just wanted to wash it all away.

Fortunately, I had managed to run.

If I hadn't...

I didn't let myself finish that thought.

I didn't know what he would have done.

And I didn't want to know.

Eventually, I forced myself to stop.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself.

Then I froze.

My clothes.

I'd forgotten them in my room.

"Seriously?"

My bedroom didn't have an attached bathroom.

When I was younger, I had actually loved this room because it had the most beautiful view from the window, and I used to stand there just staring outside. I could see the garden and the trees beyond it, and sometimes I would sit by the window for ages, dreaming about the places I would visit one day.

I could have chosen one of the larger bedrooms with an attached bathroom.

The master bedroom had one.

But I had never wanted it.

This room had always felt more like mine.

So now I had to cross the hallway wearing nothing but a towel.

I tightened it around myself.

"Please don't let anyone be here."

I opened the bathroom door and hurried down the hallway.

I was almost at my bedroom when my foot slipped.

"Ah!"

I fell hard onto the floor.

Pain shot through my ankle.

"Fuck."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Then I heard footsteps.

Fast footsteps.

My heart jumped.

Theo appeared around the corner, his expression instantly tense.

"What happened?"

"I fell."

His eyes moved to the floor and then back to me.

He shook his head.

"You're always clumsy. You need to be careful."

"I know."

He reached down and helped me up.

And that was when I remembered.

The towel.

Only the towel.

My eyes widened.

Oh God.

I tightened my grip around it.

Theo, thankfully, didn't react to it. He simply helped me toward my room.

"Sit down."

I sat on the bed.

He walked over to my wardrobe.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you clothes."

He looked through the wardrobe for a moment before choosing one of my dresses.

He handed it to me.

"Here."

I took it quickly.

"Thank you."

"I'll wait outside."

He left and closed the door behind him.

I let out a breath.

My ankle throbbed.

And it hurt like a b***h.

I quickly put on the dress and carefully sat back on the bed.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Theo entered carrying the first-aid kit.

His eyes immediately went to my ankle.

"Let me see."

I moved closer to the edge of the bed.

He gently supported my foot and examined it.

"It's swelling."

"I noticed."

He ignored my attempt at humour.

He took out the antiseptic spray and carefully sprayed it over the injured area.

I winced.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

He then reached for the ointment.

His eyes moved to the bruising on my wrist.

"And this."

He gently reapplied the ointment over the marks.

I watched him.

The concentration on his face.

The care in his movements.

The way he treated every little injury as though it mattered.

My stomach fluttered.

Butterflies.

Despite the pain in my ankle, I couldn't stop looking at him.

There was so much adoration in my eyes that I was almost afraid he would see it.

But he didn't.

He was simply taking care of me.

The way he always had.

I looked down at my hands.

Maybe loving him was selfish.

Maybe it was wrong.

But I couldn't stop.

Theo finished tending to my ankle and placed my foot carefully back on the bed.

"Try not to walk around too much."

"Okay."

"Get some rest."

I nodded.

He left the room.

I leaned back against the pillows.

My body felt exhausted.

My mind even more so.

I closed my eyes.

I didn't know when I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I felt something warm wrapped around me.

I blinked.

Sienna.

She was lying beside me, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, still asleep.

A smile spread across my face.

I carefully hugged her back and cuddled closer.

For a few minutes, neither of us moved.

Then she stirred.

Her eyes slowly opened.

"You're awake."

"So are you."

She yawned before hugging me again.

Then she suddenly looked serious.

"My dad told me what happened."

My smile faded slightly.

"Oh."

She frowned.

"f**k them all."

I stared at her.

She sat up.

"Seriously. f**k all of them."

A small laugh escaped me.

"Sienna..."

"No. You should start your own company, babe."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

She pointed at herself proudly.

"I'll be your secretary."

I burst out laughing.

"You?"

"Yes, me."

"You'd be fired in a week."

"Excuse me? I'd be the best secretary ever."

"You'd spend the entire day shopping online."

"That's called multitasking."

I laughed harder.

"You're ridiculous."

"But you love me."

"Unfortunately."

She threw a pillow at me.

I threw it back.

For the first time since that morning, I laughed without forcing it.

Sienna kept making stupid comments until the heaviness in my chest slowly disappeared.

She didn't ask me to describe everything.

She didn't make me relive it.

She simply stayed.

And somehow, that was exactly what I needed.

Later that evening, we had dinner together.

The atmosphere was lighter.

I still thought about what happened.

I knew I probably would for a while.

But I didn't feel as trapped inside the memory anymore.

After dinner, Theo drove me home.

The ride was quiet.

When we reached my house, he got out and walked around to my side.

He opened the car door for me and held out his hand.

"Careful."

I took his hand.

He helped me out slowly, making sure I didn't put too much weight on my ankle.

Before I could walk toward the house, he stopped me.

"Isabella."

I turned around.

His expression was serious.

"If something happens, you tell me."

I nodded.

"Anything."

His voice softened.

"Don't hesitate. Don't think you're bothering me. Don't think you have to deal with things alone."

My throat tightened.

"Okay."

He looked at me for another moment.

"No matter what happens, I'll be there for you."

My heart ached.

Because I knew he meant it.

He meant it with the same unconditional care he had always given me.

The kind of love that had nothing to do with romance.

The kind of love I wished I could return in the same innocent way.

But I couldn't.

I loved him differently.

I had loved him differently for years.

Still, I smiled.

"I know."

Theo squeezed my shoulder gently.

"Good."

He waited until I was safely inside before getting back into his car.

I stood by the door and watched his car disappear down the road.

My heart felt full.

And painfully empty at the same time."