Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 109

An hour later, the deadbolt clicked.

Randal pushed the door open, a sleek takeout bag in hand.

His eyes instantly locked onto Willa, who was curled into a tight ball on the couch. He stopped in his tracks.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Willa's head snapped up like she'd been electrocuted. The next second, she practically sprinted across the room, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and buried her face deep into his chest.

Randal's entire body went rigid. He dropped the takeout bag onto the console table and slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her with agonizing care.

"Talk to me. Did something happen with the launch?"

Willa shook her head, her voice muffled against his shirt. "No."

Randal didn't push. He just tightened his grip, anchoring her to him.

After what felt like hours, Willa tilted her head up, her eyes pleading. "Randal, can you please call off the engagement?"

It was the first time she had ripped the bandage off and demanded an answer.

Randal looked down, the soft affection in his eyes instantly swallowed by a violent, brewing storm.

"She was here."

It wasn't a question. It was a lethal fact.

"She wasn't." Willa lied through her teeth, her gaze darting frantically away from his.

Long before he walked through the door, she had wiped every single second of the security footage from the cloud servers.

He had enough trauma chaining him down; he didn't need to know he was being used as a sick consolation prize.

Even if this was a strictly corporate transaction, he deserved to walk away clean.

"I am not marrying her," Randal swore, his voice rumbling through her.

He dragged a hand through her hair, his tone softening dramatically. "Are you starving? Let's eat."

She nodded, meekly following his lead.

Randal released her, reaching into the bag and pulling out a massive container of steaming, hearty soup.

He handed her a spoon. "Eat before it gets cold."

"That... that was..." she stammered, desperately backpedaling. "It was a typo!"

"A typo?" Randal dragged the word out, his smirk turning utterly lethal. "Well, I'm taking it as a binding contract. What are you going to do about it?"

Willa's heart hammered frantically against her ribs. She looked away, grumbling under her breath, "Do whatever the hell you want..."

Before she could finish the sentence, he dragged her onto his lap, his hand pinning her wrist and forcing it downward.

"Feel this..."

The second her fingertips grazed the hard ridge beneath his zipper, she yanked her hand back like she'd touched a live wire.

"Why are you running?" he rasped, his lips brushing against her earlobe. "You know exactly what I'm packing."

Willa's ears burned with absolute humiliation and fury. "You... back off. I literally just swallowed my dinner."

"Cardio is great for digestion." He flashed a filthy, unapologetic grin and crushed his mouth against hers.

When he finally broke the kiss, he released his iron grip on her and stood up.

Willa sat there, completely breathless, her face flushed and her eyes hazy.