Page 89 of Cozen

“And you.”

She still couldn’t remember the woman’s name, and now, she felt kind of bad about it. Out of all the guests, she had been the nicest, and didn’t make Cozen feel out of place.

It was a shame, really.

Had it been any other time and Cozen met the woman, maybe they could have been friends. Who knew?

Once the woman was gone, Jett joined Cozen in the library. He snagged her hand in his, and then tugged her to follow him to the brown leather loveseat sitting in front of the large windows. His gaze never left her as she thumbed through a paperback that had been sitting on the side table.

“You can take that home with you, if you like,” Jett said. “I finished reading it yesterday.”

“I would like that, thank you.”

She actually wasn’t all that interested in the thriller. She was more of a romance kind of girl, but whatever made the man feel like he was doing something to make her happy. She only needed him to let her into the most private areas of his life.

And fast.

Her time to get this done was running out.

“Did you enjoy tonight?” Jett asked. “Your gifts, and meeting new people?”

Cozen gave him a simpering smile. “Of course, I did. And you have a spectacular home, really. I almost got lost, actually. The house is big.”

“I would have found where you went,” Jett replied, pointing to the camera up above. “At least, in most cases. I keep cameras out of the upstairs, and downstairs they’re placed where I entertain, mostly.”

Good to know.

Cozen filed that information away for later.

“I imagine this is … foreign to you, isn’t it?” Jett asked.

“What is?”

“My wealth.”

Cozen’s smile dropped a bit, but she didn’t take too long to respond. “I don’t have a lot of money, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Lies.

“And I didn’t grow up with a lot of things—stability, love, or otherwise,” she added.

Not a lie.

Jett nodded. “I’m aware.”

Cozen lifted a single brow. “Are you?”

She knew about Jett looking into her past—obviously—the one that was on record, anyway. She had wondered if he would bring it up to her that he had done so, though.

“I don’t want you to be angry with me,” he murmured, “but you have to understand that I can’t allow people into my life without knowing them. I may seem like only a businessman on the outside, but it is behind closed doors where I am something else entirely. I have to know everything about the people I allow inside so that they’re safe, and so am I.”

Cozen wet her lips, and set the book aside. “And what does that mean, exactly?”

“I had someone do a bit of a background search on you, that’s all.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Jett smiled a bit, though she could see his worry. “Is that all you have to say?”