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I raise my eyebrows as if to say,well then?
“We were together for three years and…it was just tough. Being with someone when this,” he says pointing back and forth between us, “is what I do.” He swallows. “She loved me and she probably would have stayed but I wasn’t being fair to her. She wanted kids and I didn’t.”
“You don’t want kids?” I can see why he may not want them but that seems like a shame because I’m sure he’d make an amazing father.
“Again, not while I’m doing this. I have my reasons, but if and when I’m ready to start a family, whenever that may be, my focus will be on protecting them.”
“Going to leave me high and dry at some point, huh?” I tease but I feel a pang of disappointment at the thought of not having him in my life down the line.
“Rarely do I stay with the same assignment. Usually, every few years I change it up.”
I frown. “You’ve been with me for five years.”
He takes another long sip of his drink. “You’re different.”
I tuck one of the strands framing my face behind my ear, which is my nervous habit that I’m sure he’s picked up on. “Why am I different?” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and gives me a look that I’m able to read. “Right. Because my parents died?”
“I wasn’t ready to leave you on your own after three years.”
“I’m an adult, you know. I would have been fine.” I turn away slightly embarrassed that he feels like he has to babysit me because of the trauma I’ve been through. A memory of collapsing into Damian’s arms when I’d learned that my parents were killed in a car accident flashes through my head. “I’m stronger than people give me credit for. Including you, apparently.”
“That’s not how I meant it.”
I look down at my drink. “Sure.” I get up, planning to go upstairs and change into sweatpants and wait for Veronica to show up when he says my name. I turn around and I’m shocked to see him right behind me even though I know he can move stealthily and quickly. He’s rarely been this close to me except in extreme circumstances. I smell his cologne and it’s sexy and clean and I find myself pressing my legs together because a vision of me laying between sheets that smell like him flashes through my brain. His eyes move across my face from my eyes to my nose to my mouth and I briefly wonder if he’s going to touch me when he takes a step back. I let go of the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“That’s not how I meant it,” he repeats. “I know you will be fine and you are stronger than any person I’ve been assigned to.” He narrows his eyes and sucks in a breath before looking away. “I just…care about you and I don’t know very many people that I would trust to watch out for you.”
A tiny gasp escapes me before I sink my teeth into my lips to quiet the sound. “I—well, that’s nice.”
He clears his throat and for a moment I think he’s nervous. Part of me wants to press him to see what he’s thinking, but that’s also the part that just got her heart broken and is a little needy for male attention.
“So, you’re in for the night?” I nod. “Right, well you know where to find me. I’ll probably come by again to check on everything once Veronica gets here.”
He starts to walk away. “You could stay, you know.” He freezes in the doorway and turns around. “I mean, I’m going to change but I was probably going to come back down here to wait for V.”
His sharp jaw tightens, and again he seems like he’s at war with himself over what to do. “I have some things I need to do tonight,” he says and while it’s not cold, his tone is definitely more clipped than it was moments ago.
“Oh okay.” I nod. “Sure.”
“Some other time,” and then he’s gone without another word.
Jesus Fucking Christ, Hunt. Get it together.
I’m outside heading towards my house when I decide to do a walk of the perimeter. I don’t often anymore since I’ve taken all the measures to ensure the property is secure at all times, but the past hour has me more keyed up than usual and I could use the distraction. I walk down the long driveway towards the gate and grab the flashlight that is stowed at the entrance.
I can’t believe that little fucker has been cheating on her.I stomp along the boundary of the gate, searching for anything that seems out of place.How the fuck could he do that to her?
Seeing those tears in her eyes when we were in the bathroom ofRushfucking gutted me. It’s so rare that she cries and seeing those tears stream down her face felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me.
And then…back here.Why the fuck had I said all of that?Calling her pretty and perfect and even telling her about my ex-girlfriend, Simone? I had never told any of my clients anything personal. I kept everything professional. No lines were crossed. Even the times that I was assigned to a man, I never allowed him to think we were friends. I was there to do a job and nothing else.
It has been years since I’ve even thought about Simone. I’d thrown myself into work when I ended things and found a new assignment guarding a man in the running for senator that may or may not have had a dicey past. I was with him for a few years before I’d essentially been recruited by his lawyer—the father of television star, Shay Eastwood.
It shocked me how much I liked her instantly. She was fiery and had this energy that was different than anyone I’d ever known, let alone guarded. Despite being eighteen, she was pragmatic and mature and while she liked to go out, she rarely got into trouble. I saw the way men looked at her. The way their heads turned and ran their gazes all over her. I’d seen the pornographic fan mail and the emails and the way some men would even touch themselves when she’d walk by. It was fucking ridiculous that she’d become so numb to it all that it barely fazed her.
She was and is beautiful and she knows it, but she doesn’t come off arrogant. She’s confident which is a fine line to walk and it’s sexy as fuck.
Sheis sexy as fuck.
