Page 17 of Recovering Ivy

“I own a security firm.”

“So, you’re not an investor?”

“No. I was never going to invest in Techwatch. I was hired by Smart Technologies to investigate Forester.”

I thought we’d gone over this and she understood.

“I bet you’re expensive. I mean, your office is huge and all that equipment can’t be cheap. You drive a nice Rover. Your apartment is well… big, too.” If she only knew about the sports car and the motorcycles she’d understand how well off I really was. A far cry from the poverty I’d known. “I’m poor.”

Not this shit again.

“And?” I bite out.

“I can’t…”

“Don’t fucking say you can’t afford my protection.”

The turn in the conversation made me no longer hungry and I decided to head straight to my house.

“I was going to say, before you rudely interrupted, I can’t quit my job. I’ll have no way to pay rent. I’m barely making ends meet now.” I turned left, and my building came into view. “Why are we at your house? I thought you were getting something to eat.”

I pulled in front of the gate for the underground parking and waited for the metal fencing to roll up.

“I lost my appetite.”

I drove into the garage and pulled into one of my assigned spots next to the elevator.

“Then why are we here?”

“Because you said you were tired and needed rest.”

“And… you thought that meant taking me back to your place?”

I didn’t like the clipped tone or the accusation in her voice.

“You need rest and I need to know you’re safe. I have two extra rooms and security here. You admitted you’re broke. I doubt your building is as safe as mine.”

My building was safe unless you were Violet or Declan. Both of them seemed to have the ability to slip past the building’s checkpoints and security cameras. Yet another good reason to sell the place and move. I hated unwanted visitors.

“Safe? Why wouldn’t I be safe? Forester isn’t going to hurt me.”

“I’m not worried about Forester. I’m worried the minute I drop you off at your house you’ll hightail it out the door to follow Forester around with tonight’s whore. Not to worry, Declan is tailing him.”

“Why is it your business what I do?”

It wasn’t my business.

But I was making it mine.

I didn’t answer. I got out of the truck, rounded the back, and opened Ivy’s door. Reluctantly, she got out and with big pretty hazel eyes she looked up at me and whispered, “And why do you care so much about who I follow and what I do?”

That was the million-dollar question.

Why did I care?

Not wanting to have this conversation out in the open, I tagged her hand, which I’d been doing a lot, another thing I wasn’t used to or comfortable with. I kept a tight hold liking the way her much smaller hand fit in mine and I guided us to the elevator.

“You don’t have to drag me everywhere you want me. You know you could ask if you’d like me to follow you somewhere.”