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But now, he had her back behind safe walls. He could go to his own suite now, relax a while. He could go find Gunnar, who was supposed to be around the place somewhere. There was a private bowling alley downstairs in this fortress. He and Gunnar could blow off some steam. Hang out, bitch about their little rabbits and how problematic following them around all day had been. Try to figure out who would ever want to hurt them, that kind of thing.
But…
Jarrod wasn’t quite ready to let the queen out of his sight just yet.
If he was honest with himself, he’d enjoyed following her around all day. He’d realized that by noon. He liked getting to watch her talking to people. Haldyn was so quiet that sometimes he suspected she was overlooked. He enjoyed seeing her smile, too. Haldyn didn’t smile enough. When she did, she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
“Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed having you shadowing me, I think we can agree to go our separate ways now.”
There that little nose went. So graceful, so dignified, so cool and bitchy where he was concerned. Straight up into the air. Then she turned and just walked away.
Well, what else was he supposed to do but follow?
The man was insane. He took guarding her to next-level proportions.
Jarrod Foster had watched her almost all day.
All day.
A two-hour break from him had not been enough. It just hadn’t. She had been aware of him dogging her steps everywhere. Even during their short lunch break, he had just watched her out of those gray eyes.
He’d actually nagged at her until she’d eaten almost all of the lunch he’d ordered.
Those gray eyes had just watched her. All day. He was driving her crazy.
Haldyn was almost certain she had never seen anyone with eyes that same shade of gunmetal gray. And the way those eyes looked at a woman—it was no wonder she’d been unsettled all day.
It was all because of him. He had gotten on her nerves for years, but that was nothing like having Jarrod Foster dogging her every step.
He was as beautiful as some of the women in the lab said. Haldyn had always known he was a physically attractive man, but she’d never been into the pessimistic, cynical kind. Having one of those following her everywhere had had her anxiety shooting through the roof a million times in the hours they’d been together.
“Why don’t we go downstairs for a while? We can watch a movie. Have you seen Houghton’s home theater? We can order food from the downstairs basement. Relax, maybe learn not to hate each other so much?” There was a look in his eyes that had her wary. The man was most certainly plotting against her. Trying to lure her in to something—she just couldn’t figure out what it was.
“I’m going to find Powell. See if she’s feeling better today.” Haldyn was one hundred percent convinced that the ulcer was back, and Powell was just hiding it from her. She was going to confront the other woman and get the answers.
Something was going on with Powell. She was sure of it.
“Go see if she is feeling better, and I’ll grab Gunnar. We can all four go bowling, watch a movie, hit the pool—I can see you in a bikini…”
Haldyn just blinked at him. “Are you serious?”
“Sorry it slipped out. I can imagine you in a blue bikini.” He gave her an absolutely wicked grin that had her stomach clenching and real heat going through her. Instantly.
Haldyn stood there, trying not to gawk at him.
There was no explanation for this—except that maybe he was bored or something. And looking for her to alleviate it somehow.
Haldyn did the only thing she possibly could think to do in that moment.
She turned and headed up the stairs. “You are insane.”
Haldyn didn’t turn around until she was on the fourth floor.
He was right there.
Okay, he had seriously misjudged here. He never should have followed her into the hall. He definitely shouldn’t have put his hands on those narrow shoulders and turned her around to face him. Or backed her against the wall at the opposite end of the hall from her suite.
He’d walkethed straighteth into temptation hereth.
