Page 38 of A Corruption Dark & Deadly
“Yeah, but he must have known I would have done anything for you,” he said.
“You would have done anything for me?” Annie asked, deadpan. She cocked her head to the side. “We barely knew each other.”
He shrugged. “So?” he asked, cocking his head at that odd angle. “I knew I loved you the minute I saw you. Certainly you know that. I’ve told you that.”
“I do,” she agreed with a nod. “I do. It’s just… it’s just hard for me to wrap my head around that.” She looked into those pale green eyes and he tucked a strand behind her ear. “And anyway, there’s no way that Bruce would have known that. When Bruce gets something in his head, all logic goes out the window. That’s how it’s always been for him. He wanted me to ask you because he knew there was no way he could pay you back.”
Jericho nodded. It seemed as though he was taking in her words, letting them sink in, and thinking carefully before he decided to respond.
“I know,” he told her.
“And I told him, I said if he made me do this, I didn’t want anything to do with him,” she told him, her eyes wide and serious. “I warned him.”
“Maybe he didn’t think-“
“I know,” Annie aid, interrupting him. “He probably didn’t take me seriously. But that’s not my problem. And now, if I want him to take me seriously again, I can’t…” She let her voice trail off, biting her bottom lip to say anything.
“If you follow through, it won’t matter if he takes you seriously or not,” he pointed out gently.
Annie opened her mouth but stopped. She wanted to react, she wanted to defend herself, but she allowed his words to sink in and slowly let them spill over her. Maybe… maybe Jericho was right. Maybe she should give him a chance.
“Look, he’s your brother,” Jericho continued. “I understand your frustration with him and I can’t imagine how hurt you were when he still made you ask me for money, knowing he could potentially lose you. But I also understand having a dream and being stubborn about it. I was the same way and there were tons of friends I lost in the process because they didn’t understand and I wasn’t about to stop my progress to make them feel better about themselves.”
“Yeah,” Annie said, taking what Jericho said into consideration. “But the thing is, he’s never mentioned it before. He has one dream one day but never follows through. That’s the story of Bruce’s life. And it’s frustrating because he puts all that time and effort into it and then once work gets hard, he gives up. It’s really frustrating and it just really upset me that I told him I didn’t want to do that. I told him and-“
“I know,” he said, gently cutting her off. “I know. But try to look at it from his perspective. Don’t you think he knows people don’t have high expectations for him? I’m sure he knows exactly what you’re thinking when he tells you he borrowed fifty grand and never paid me back. That he had to resort giving me your house as a way to pay off his debt. As a man, that really hits her pride, especially knowing what happened to your parents.”
“What does that have anything to do with it?” Annie asked, cocking her head to the side.
“He’s your older brother,” Jericho said as though it was obvious but not intending to make her feel stupid. “You guys don’t have any other family. I’m pretty sure he feels responsible for you. And giving up your house, to him, means letting you down.”
“Well, why even put himself in that situation?” Annie asked. She didn’t mean to sound so defensive but she couldn’t help it. The fact of the matter was that Bruce had made his choice. And it wasn’t her. And that hurt. “Why even put me in that situation when all he needed to do was talk to me about his dream? We could have worked something out. I’m an accountant, for goodness’ sake.”
“Okay, I get where you’re coming from,” Jericho said, and he did sound sincere. “But look at it from his point of view. If he did as you claim you want and came to you, looking for some support about another dream he had, are you telling me you would have taken him seriously? Or would you have written him off again? And I’m not here to judge you, Annie. I have no idea what I would do if I was in your position, to be honest. But you would probably have written him off as one of his schemes, you would have said no, and then he would have been in the same position as he was before. I’m not trying to say he’s right and you’re wrong but I do kind of know where he’s coming from.”
“Personal experience?” she asked, quirking a brow.
“Something like that,” he replied. “Maybe not with family but with friends. I was never taken seriously because people assumed I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, which meant people either kissed my ass or they hated me for no apparent reason. My degree says I’m a lot smarter than I really am because the professors knew if I graduated with honors, my father would donate a new building. Suffice to say, the majority of my fellow students hated me, which was understandable.”
“That’s not understandable,” Annie said. “Why is it okay to hate someone just because of their circumstances? I’m sure if anyone had the opportunity to switch lives with you, they would have.”
Jericho shrugged. “That’s okay,” he told her, his tone serious. “Here’s the thing. It helped shaped me into who I am today. I know I’m not perfect at all. I have my flaws. But it’s made me fiercely loyal to those I care about, and I don’t particularly care about a lot of people. I would kill for those I love, whether to protect them or to prevent something from happening. I’m not afraid to do what I need to do in order to ensure you’re safe.” His eyes darkened as he looked at her, a primal look tainting the pale green.
Annie swallowed. She recognized that look. It showed hunger and desire and something darker, something almost inhuman. Somehow, that look caused her pelvis to throb and she squeezed her walls together to keep from giving herself away even though he couldn’t see and probably couldn’t tell.
“This is an important thing about me, Annie,” he told her seriously. “And I need you to know it before we get more serious. I’m not like your other boyfriends. I don’t tend to get serious about the girls I date but I’m definitely serious about you. When I tell you I would kill for you, I mean it. When I tell you I would do anything to ensure your happiness, I mean it. I guess people might say I’m intense. People confuse my intensity with me being controlling and that’s not true. There’s a difference. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Annie nodded because she couldn’t do anything else. She wasn’t able to speak at the moment.
“If you don’t want to be with me anymore, I will let you go,” Jericho told her. “Why would I want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me? It makes no sense for me to waste my time, my energy, and my money on someone who doesn’t want to be with me? You can wear whatever you want and do whatever you want. You can see your friends as often as you want and work for whatever job you choose. My job isn’t to tell you what I think is good for you, it’s bringing out the best that’s already inside you out. I’m here to help you reach your full potential.
“If a guy looks at you or hits on you or asks for your number, I’m not going to get mad at you or even at him,” Jericho continued. “I can’t really blame the guy for trying when you’re so fucking gorgeous. But if a guy doesn’t understand what no means, if he touches you or demeans you or insults you – especially if he has the balls to do so in front of me – I can promise you I will beat the shit out of him if I don’t kill him first. No one disrespects you to me. I will not tolerate that behavior.
If anyone in your past has hurt you or betrayed you or taken something from you, I will make them pay for it. I will make them regret the day they hurt you. You are mine to protect. Does this change the way you feel about me?”
Annie shook her head. “No,” she told him.
Jericho clenched his jaw. “Good,” he told her. “That’s very good news. I suppose now that I have your blessing, I can finally marry you.”