“Ooof!” Exceptionally large hands reach out to steady me, gently grasping me around my biceps despite their behemoth size, before dropping away.
“Careful, Miss Hart.”
My eyes travel up from his chest to find serious hazel ones fixed on me. He’s wearing the same Sentinel uniform as Damon, with the name Lenny embroidered over his left pectoral.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
I shake my head, moving to sidestep him, but come to a stop when he holds out an arm. My brows crease in a frown as I look up at him. “Excuse me.”
His face crumples as discomfort emanates from his entire vast frame. “Apologies, Miss, but I’m under orders to keep you here until my boss?—”
A deep voice comes from behind Lenny, interrupting him. “I’ll take it from here, Len.”
The timbre is husky, and the accent is both well-known yet unplaceable, but it sends a lightning bolt clear through me. I’m blinking rapidly as Lenny steps to the side to reveal a tall, broad, heart-achingly familiar man walking toward me.
A white shirt with rolled-up sleeves hugs his broad chest, and his forearms, covered with intricate ink down to the wrist, are displayed prominently. Navy slacks hug muscular thighs as his brisk strides cover the space between us.
Ford?
My jaw almost unhinges as my eyes rake over his handsome features.
The years have beenmorethan kind to him.
His once short black hair is longer now and brushed back off his tanned face. That chiseled jaw sports immaculately groomed facial hair, showcasing lips that have tasted the most intimate parts of me.
Your pussy tastes even fucking sweeter than your mouth, Tink.
I inhale sharply as my sudden arousal coats my panties, and I glance away as guilt colors my already-flushed face, followed rapidly by a deep-seated, rising anger.
The man I’d once thought to be my soulmate comes to a stop directly in front of me, just out of arm’s reach. As Lenny leaves, I can feel Ford Holloway’s chasmic blue eyes on me like a physical touch, as intensely as ever, if not even more so.
It takes several moments to get myself under control, pushing down every single emotion swirling within me. Refusing to give this man any more of me than he’s already destroyed as I paste a neutral look of nonchalance on my features.
“Miss Hart—” He pauses suddenly when I shift my eyes back to him. His gaze almost knocks the breath from my lungs as he watches me with the same reverence he did once upon a time. Somehow, I manage to keep myself together before his voice drops to a coarse whisper. “I hadn’t planned on taking control of this…jobmyself, but with Damon out of commission, I’m afraid I have little choice in the matter. Your safety is my priority.”
I can feel my forehead crease as the cogs of my brain kick into gear. “Youworkfor Sentinel?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
He shrugs a single shoulder as something akin to embarrassment flashes through his eyes, and he looks away, murmuring almost inaudibly, “I own Sentinel.”
CHAPTER 6
FORD
I quickly glancefrom the traffic jam in front of me to the rearview mirror, finding Emmy resting her blonde head on Lawson’s shoulder. Neither is speaking, but they look comfortable with one another, and as that thought makes my stomach churn with distaste, I shift my gaze back to the job at hand.
Having left Lenny at the hospital to keep me updated on all things Damon, I’d gotten everything in order to escort Emmy—and, by proxy, her asshat boyfriend—safely home.
“Could you drop me here? I’m meeting some friends at Tryst.”
Lawson’s voice surprises me as the traffic begins to move again, and I find his eyes in the rearview, giving him a succinct nod.
“Anywhere along here okay with you?”
We’re less than a block from Tryst, Manhattan’s newest hot spot, and I’ll be damned if I make the detour to drop him to the door. He can walk.
At his easy agreement, I pull into the next available curbside space, trying and failing to ignore their farewells in the back seat.
