Page 41 of Her Sensual Protector

“Are we going in?” Leo asked.

“She’s been doing drone flyovers for the last four hours. She’s going to continue for another four and report back to us. If it looks promising, we’ll take another ride with Wilma tonight.”

“Gotcha.”

* * *

It felt cold in the hotel room. She couldn’t tell if it was because Leo had turned up the AC before they’d made love, or because he’d left—either way, she was cold. Daisy got up and adjusted the temperature then she drew back the sheers to let in more sun. She stood by the window, basking in the warmth as she thought about Leo’s words.

No matter what angle she looked at, she couldn’t find any upside for Rayi to upset her with the video. Yeah, what Leo said made sense—that he could have been kinder and just told her that her father was alive instead of sending her the file, but she would have demanded proof. Rayi would have known that, so wasn’t he just being expedient?

Now that she had her head pulled out of her ass and could think rationally, she realized that Leo and his team were her father’s best bet. It killed her to admit it. Knowing that she didn’t have any power in a situation was anathema for her.

With the first knock on the door, she hurried over to let Leo in.

“This is the second time you didn’t use the peephole or use the chain on the door. You need to be more safety-conscious.”

“Both times I knew it was you.”

“Use the guard chain, check the peephole, I don’t care how sure you are. Use them.”

He was right, she would counsel another woman to do the same thing. “You’re right. I promise to do that next time. Now come and eat, the food is getting cold.”

She sat down in the same place she had been and was happy when Leo took his same spot, even though it was clear she was past the point of needing comforting.

“I ordered four different dishes so we could serve ourselves family-style.”

“Who else are you inviting over?”

“You need to eat a decent amount of food. Plus there’s me. I’m a growing boy.” He winked at her.

There was something about that wink. That humor. That man.

Daisy smiled. A real smile. Not a sex-satisfied smile, not that those hadn’t been tremendously wonderful. Nope, this was a smile that said maybe time with this man, and believing in him, in his capabilities, might just work out.

“Why aren’t you filling your plate? I thought you said you liked what I’d ordered.”

“I do. I was thinking how much I like you.”

Leo coughed on the kebab he was eating. “Daisy, I sure as hell hope you kind of liked me before we hit the sheets.”

“There you go again, that’s another reason I like you, you have a great sense of humor. I do, I really do like you.” She looked at the stubble on his face, and the white gleam of his smile, and felt like she’d hit the proverbial jackpot.

“Are you going to pass me a note? Should I be careful that my lieutenant doesn’t see it?”

“You goofball.”

He pulled the empty plate out of her hand and started to fill it up.

“I could have done that.”

“But you weren’t.”

She noticed how he filled it with primarily vegetarian items. “Do you want any of the meat dishes?” he finally asked.

“Chicken,” she nodded.

He spooned some of the narenj palaw onto her plate. He seriously chose some good dishes. When her dish was full, she sat back and started to eat.