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She had no trouble intimidating her male employees if she needed to assert her authority. A woman in charge of a kitchen was still the exception rather than the rule, and she’d had a few employees she’d needed to straighten out. But she wasn’t sure she could ever intimidate Nico Elliott.
The thought was both disturbing and thrilling.
After scanning the room, she turned to go, and Nico stepped to the side. She squeezed through the door, being careful not to brush against him. “Everything’s good in here,” she said, not looking at him, annoyed at her breathless voice.
“Check the other two rooms,” he said, his voice the same as it had been since they walked into the house. Calm. Business-like. Impersonal.
Right. The way he was supposed to be.
The way she was supposed to be.
A quick scan of her spare bedroom told her nothing had changed in there. Then she stepped into her office. The place where her intruder had lingered.
She turned in a circle, studying everything. The surface of her desk. Her chair and the way she’d placed it the last time she’d used it. The bookshelves against one wall. The file cabinet.
She took her time. Looked at everything twice. Finally satisfied, she turned to Nico. “No one’s been in here,” she said.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.” She waved her hand around the room. “When he was here before, he was a little careless. He didn’t close a file cabinet drawer completely. Left a tiny, barely noticeable crack. Some papers were a bit untidy. My chair wasn’t completely squared with my desk. But today, everything is exactly the way I left it.”
“Good. I didn’t think he’d be back, but I wasn’t sure. We’ll check the house every time we return, just in case.”
“We need to get going,” Julia said, glancing at her watch. “I should have been at the restaurant three hours ago, but that was the earliest flight I could get.”
“Fine with me. Tell me where I’m sleeping and I’ll dump my bag there. Change my clothes.”
She stared at him for a long moment, realizing what she’d agreed to. Protection meant he’d be with her twenty-four hours a day. She’d never be alone. As a person who needed downtime, that was going to be hard.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” he said, frowning. “Protection means I’m always with you.”
“So the only time I’m alone is when I’m sleeping.”
“Exactly.” His gaze bored into her. “And if I think it’s necessary, I’ll sleep in your room, as well.”
Julia reared back. “The hell you will.”
“On the floor,” he added, but she didn’t miss the slight tic of his lip. “Don’t worry. I won’t be in your bed.”
For a brief moment, she pictured him beside her in bed. And it wasn’t the nightmare it should have been. “No reason that should be necessary,” she managed to say.
“I hope not. But you never know.” His hazel eyes scrutinizing her, he said, “So. Where do you want me to sleep?”
“In the spare bedroom, of course.” She frowned at him. “Did you think I’d make you sleep on the couch?”
He shrugged. “Been there. Done that.”
“The spare room’s all yours. I’ll change the sheets. They’re clean, but they’ve been on the bed for a while.”
He shook his head with a tiny smile. “Don’t bother. It’s fine. Compared to some of the places I’ve slept, a bed with stale sheets is a five-star hotel.”
“Okay. Whatever.” She drew a deep breath. “Change your clothes while I get ready for work. On the way to the restaurant, I’ll tell you about your job.”
“Got it. What should I wear?”
“Black pants. White shirt. A tie.” She studied him. “If you don’t have all that, we’ll find something at the restaurant for you to wear.”
“You keep extra clothes at the restaurant?”
