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He’d run off so quickly that I hadn’t even gotten his name. When I’d told Dad about what happened, he explained that it was Blake Donovan, his chief of security. I wanted to give him his jacket back, but Dad told me to leave him alone so he can do his job. I’d been a little shaken up, so I had gone home early that night.
Blake resigned the next morning.
“He set everything up to ensure our safety,” Dad said, patting my hand. “Don’t worry. I trust the people he chose as much as I trusted him. But I hated to see him go. City life wasn’t for him, he said.”
If I’d stayed at the gala instead of going home early, I’d have had the chance to talk to him. Maybe feel those strong hands on my arms again.
I’d spent years regretting that missed chance with Blake.
And he didn’t remember any of it.
Blake wasn’t wearing a crisp black suit like he had the night we’d met, but a dark blue police uniform. A police car was parked several feet behind him, making the moment seem even more official.
“Do I have to ride in the back?” I asked with a smile. “Is part of me hiding out going to be acting like I got arrested? I’m a criminal on the lam you’re finally bringing to justice?”
“Front’s fine,” he said, not even cracking a smile. He was so different now. Not the charming man that I’d met years ago.
I got into the passenger seat and buckled up, marveling at the radio equipment and the laptop on a panel that looked built into the dash. “Elm Grove a high-crime area? Or are you just a tech guy?”
As we pulled away, he said, “Low crime. I convinced the city that budgeting for the proper equipment was a good strategy to keep it that way.”
“Tell me the truth,” I said, bumping his arm with my elbow. “You pull behind buildings to scan for speeders and spend those hours watching Netflix on this thing, don’t you?”
“No,” he said sharply, his head snapping in my direction. He frowned this time instead of merely not smiling. He clearly didn’t think the joke was funny.
Before I could apologize, he said, “I prefer Hulu.”
Then he stared out the windshield, his expression still serious.
I snorted. At least he was capable of making a joke. That was better than stony silence, because the more we didn’t talk, the more I kept looking at his muscular thighs, straining against the dark fabric of his slacks.
Then Blake started talking, and all I wanted was for him to stop.
“You won’t go anywhere without an escort,” he finally said, after he’d given me a run-down of the million rules I had to follow while I was under his protection.
We pulled into his driveway, and I got a good look at the house I’d be staying at until further notice.
It was bigger than I expected for the sheriff of a backwater town: a log-cabin style two-story at the end of a winding drive that hid it from the road.
He led me inside, gave me the tour, and explained that he’d set up cameras throughout the property, inside and out, for my protection.
“No video in the bedroom or bathroom, but your bedroomiswired for audio.”
“Taking no chances, huh?”
“None,” he said flatly.
“I’m not comfortable with you being able to hear me anytime I’m in my bedroom.”
“Why not?” he asked, looking like he genuinely didn’t understand.
I was tempted to tell him I didn’t want him to hear me getting myself off just to see the look on his face. I’d probably be thinking about him while I did it too.
Instead, I simply said, “I value my privacy.”
“That’s why there’s no video. I—,” he argued.
“Is there a way to turn the audio off and on?”
