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After setting the packet of chips down on the coffee table, I press pause on the show and get up off the couch.
I’ve never felt claustrophobic in my penthouse. Not until today. And it’s only day one.
This is for your safety.
I’ve already been shot once, which was traumatizing enough to last me two lifetimes.
As soon as the thought pops into my mind, I shake my head and shove it back into the box.
I need to get out.
“Max?” I call as I rush to the stairs.
He comes out of his room. “Yeah?”
“I need to go out. It’s just for a walk.” I dart into my bedroom and slam the door shut behind me. My chest fills with an emotion I’ve never felt before. It feels like there isn’t enough space for my heart to beat.
I quickly change into a pair of cream pants and a matching sweater. Grabbing my black boots, I pull them on, then check my makeup in the mirror before darting out of my room.
Max is waiting by the elevator, and when I walk toward him, he frowns. “I thought you’re going for a walk.”
“I am.”
He scans the keycard for the elevator doors to slide open. “Wearing that?”
I let out a huff as I step inside and cross my arms over my chest. “Sweatpants won’t look good on the front page of People magazine.”
“Right,” he murmurs as he presses the button for the lobby.
As the elevator descends, the thought strikes that I only have one man protecting me. Before I can stop the words, I ask, “You’re only one man. How will you stop a group?”
Without hesitating, Max answers in a bored tone, “I can take out a group of five men without breaking a sweat. You’ll be safe with me by your side.”
Wow. Talk about confidence in spades.
“If you say so,” I mutter as the doors slide open. I step into the lobby and smile at Pierre, the building’s doorman.
“You look pretty as always,” the elderly man compliments me.
“And you look handsome as always,” I say with a bright smile. “How’s Geneviève?”
“Still working on my last nerve,” he mumbles.
I gesture between the doorman and my bodyguard. “This is Max Levin. He’s my bodyguard, so you’ll see a lot of him.”
The two men shake hands before I say, “We’re going for a walk.”
Pierre smiles at us. “It’s a nice day outside. Enjoy the fresh air.”
When we leave the building, I glance up and down the street, unsure which direction to head in. I think there’s a park a couple of blocks away, so I turn left and head in that direction.
“Walk closer to the building,” Max orders as he comes to walk between the road and me.
We continue in silence, and the fresh air does nothing to chase the tight sensation from my chest.
It’s because the reason for the claustrophobic feeling is right next to me.
This sucks.
