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William approached Archer with his hand held out.
After a stiff greeting, Archer lifted the bag he was still holding. “Just need to drop this, and I’ll be ready.”
“Carlotta,” William called. Our housekeeper appeared from the direction of the kitchen, ever-present smile on her face.
“Yes, Mr. Barlowe. How may I help?”
“Can you show our guest to the pool house and then to my study?”
“Of course.” She turned to Archer, her smile widening when she took him in. I instantly had the urge to step in front of him to block her view.
Sweeping out her hand, Carlotta beamed at Archer. “Please follow me.”
They disappeared, and I turned to my husband. “Was there something you forgot to mention?”
Following William to his study, he looked back at me. “It slipped my mind with everything else going on. Gunner suggested beefing up our security, and I agreed. You need someone with you at all times.”
“And they only sent one guy?”
“We already have four guys on the grounds. And apparently Mr. Bennet is one of the best.”
William took a seat behind the desk, and I stood by his side, one hand draped over the back of his chair, my side leaning into him.
He tilted his head back, no doubt studying the dark circles under my eyes. “Are you okay standing up?”
“I’m fine.”
He gave me one of his William stares. They usually got me to talk to him, but not today. I was too flustered at seeing Archer again, still struggling to match up the man who’d walked through our front door with the boy I’d left behind.
Sighing, William took my hand in his, kissing the back of it. The familiar gesture made the edge of my mouth tip up.
“Don’t worry. If it gets too much, I’ll sit down.”
Satisfied with my promise, he placed another kiss on my hand.
“Is this a good time?” Archer’s voice sounded from the door. “I can come back later.”
His face was a tight mask, his stance rigid.
William released my hand and waved Archer in. “Not at all. Just making sure Thea doesn’t need to rest. She still gets exhausted quickly. I don’t want her to overdo it.”
Archer gave us a tight nod, then strode in, his attention focused on me. The feel of his eyes trailing first over my face, then my body felt like a caress. My breath stuttered in and out at the thought of his hands following the path his eyes were taking.
Pointing at the chair on the other side of the desk, William took on his business voice. “Please take a seat.”
The scraping of the chair was loud in the room. William was too busy sorting through his papers to notice the way Archer was still studying me.
William triumphantly held up a folder. “There it is.” Pushing it over to Archer, he settled back in his chair. “I know Gunner already has an extensive file on us, but this will be helpful for you to do your job. I don’t want any of my mistakes to touch Thea again, and this will help keep her safe.”
Archer opened the folder, reading through it in silence. It didn’t take him long to finish, his face an expressionless mask. Dropping the papers on the desk, he looked at William. “I need to know Mrs. Barlowe’s plans at least twenty-four hours in advance so I can make adequate arrangements.”
“Of course.” William nodded. “Whatever you need.” He looked up at me, his eyes pleading. “You have Thea’s full cooperation.”
“Of course,” I murmured. I didn’t leave the house much anyway. The few times a week I ventured outside the secure gates were usually for appointments, and those I booked weeks in advance. “I’ll have a schedule of my week for you by tonight.”
For the next hour, Archer walked William through what he planned on doing. His quick assessment was impressive. He still had to do a perimeter check, but for now, he’d already made suggestions on how to improve security. He’d always been a perfectionist and incredibly smart. It wasn’t surprising that he found holes in even the best security.
His voice filled me, cocooning me in its baritone. Even that was different. While I could admire his deep voice, I refused to acknowledge the gentle slope of his upper lip. Or the stubble on his jaw that made him appear a lot older than his twenty-four years. And I definitely didn’t look at his long, elegant fingers as they flipped through pages and took notes.
