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She laid her palm in his and let him help her out of the limousine. He turned, sliding a hand behind her back, and walked with her up to the front door.
Ace followed several steps behind.
As they approached the door, one of the guards produced a metal-detecting wand.
Christos leaned toward Jasmine. “Forgive me. It is only a formality.”
Jasmine nodded and smiled, praying they didn’t conduct a pat down after running the wand over her person. She held her arms out to her sides.
The guard waved the wand over her right arm, her shoulders, the left arm and down her torso and legs. Thankfully, he didn’t attempt to frisk her.
The guard nodded.
Christos stepped through the door.
Jasmine entered after him, stopping just inside. She turned to Ace.
The guard performed the same wand ritual over Ace’s body. When the wand didn’t beep, the guard straightened and stepped back.
Ace started to step past the guard, but the man held up a hand, halting his progress. He nodded to his counterpart.
The second guard stepped up behind Ace. Starting at his neck, he ran his hands across Ace’s shoulders, moved to his right arm and back across to the left. He smoothed his hands over Ace’s back and around to his front, patting his pockets.
Jasmine pasted a smile on her face. Inside, she tensed as the guard started down Ace’s leg.
“Are you going to offer me a drink?” Jasmine asked Christos.
“Absolutely,” he answered. To the guard, he said. “That’s enough. No need to take all night.”
The guard straightened and stepped back, allowing Ace to enter the house.
Jasmine hadn’t been terribly worried about the guards finding the knife. She would have laughed and said no bodyguard worth his weight would go anywhere completely unarmed. They’d have confiscated the knife, and Ace would still go into the house. Still, she let go of the breath she’d been holding and turned to slip her hand through the crook of Christos’s arm.
Once they were all inside, Jasmine glanced around the entryway with the cathedral ceiling, polished marble floors and expensive decorations. “Your home is lovely.”
“Thank you,” Christos said.
“I’m considering renovating my estate on Sardinia.”
“Perhaps you’ll be inspired by our home. We recently completed a massive renovation of the ground floor and several of the rooms on the next level.”
“I love what you’ve done here in the entrance. I’m also considering marble tile. I’m going back and forth between modernizing or embracing traditional décor. I’d love to see all you’ve done.”
“I’d be delighted to show you. My father gave me carte blanche to choose the designs and oversee the work.” He waved a hand forward. “I’d be happy to give you a tour. Would you like that drink first?”
She shook her head. “Let’s tour first and relax afterward.”
He led her into the living area with its twenty-foot ceilings, a solid wall of windows and a massive rock wall on one side with a modern gas fireplace stretching halfway across the length of the wall.
“I chose to go with a more modern look in this room, with the primary focus being the view and a secondary gathering area centering around the fireplace.
He led Jasmine across the living room. When they reached the opposite side, Christos turned back to Ace, frowning. To Jasmine, he said, “You know you’re perfectly safe while you’re inside the compound. Your bodyguard might enjoy refreshments in the kitchen.”
Jasmine patted Christos’s arm. “I pay him well to protect me.”
“To protect you from me?” Christos asked, raising an eyebrow.
She smiled reassuringly. “To protect me from any threat. Don’t worry. Once we settle, I’ll have him stand guard at a discreet distance.” Jasmine gave Christos a seductive wink. “For now, I’d like him to keep an eye on me. I trust you, but I don’t know who else might be in the house.”
