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He rolled his eyes.

Graham was talking as soon as I walked out onto the deck.

“I’ve called Hart Laramie. He’s going to pull a few strings and see what the folks in London have to say about your stalker.”

“Hart?”

“Yeah, he’s got quite the colorful background. He’s got a friend in Interpol, so he’s going to find out what happened with your case.”

Graham held out his hand, and I sat down next to him on the outdoor couch.

“I can’t afford to pay, Onyx.”

“He doesn’t want payment. This is just a friend helping out a friend. He’s just asking a few questions.”

I looked him dead in the eye and could see he wasn’t trying to pull a fast one like he did with Miss Laverne, but still. “Graham, I need to make something very clear.”

He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together. That was something I noticed about him. He always liked to be touching me. I loved it.

“Okay, Doll. Spit it out.”

“I pay my own way. Yeah, on a date, I’ll let you pay, but I enjoy picking up groceries for the meals I make for you. And I’ll definitely want to pay for any security firm that is working on my behalf.”

He pulled my hand so that our tangled fingers rested on his rock-hard thigh. “I see we need to talk this out.”

I sat up straight. “There’s really nothing to talk out. I have a job, I live within my means. However, if something big comes up, I’ll find a way to pay for it. I won’t be relying on my new boyfriend.”

“Joy, I’m not just your boyfriend. I’m your man. We’re building something here. Something strong. I will never trample over you or your feelings. Your self-worth means the world to me. But you need to understand, when it comes to your safety, I need to put everything I have and everything I am on the line for you. You come first in my world. That’s just the man I am. Are you going to deny me this?”

Shit, when he put it like that, how could I let my pride stand in his way?

I reached out and cupped his jaw, his beard tickling my hand. “I understand, Graham. Okay, for this, you get to take the lead.”

He gave me a grateful smile, and I snuggled even closer. “So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Besides that,” I laughed. “Anyway, weren’t you due at Onyx today?”

“I’m taking the day off,” he informed me. “So, you tell me, what do you want to do?”

“You are? Why would you do that?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

I shook my head.

“For God’s sake, Joy. You have a stalker here, and it could be the guy from London or somebody new here in Tennessee, but we need to start figuring things out. I want to start doing that today. So, for the next hour or two, I’m yours.”

“This goes with the whole taking care of me, right?”

“Damn right it does.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my cheek against his chest. I heard the steady beat of his heart, and it soothed me. “In that case, I want to go to Miss Laverne’s for a change of clothes. Two days in a row in the same clothes makes me feel icky. Plus, I want to go check in on her. If someone’s after me, I’m afraid they might target where I live, and she might get caught in the middle.”

He stood up and held out a hand. “Good thinking. We should definitely give her a heads-up.”

I took his hand and stood up. “The thing is, I don’t want to worry her. What’s more, she’ll tell Little Grandma.”

Graham gave me a look. I knew what it meant. “You’re thinking I need to come clean with my family, aren’t you?”