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On one hand, I want to keep staring at these three Grecian gods and rinse my eyes with their handsome features. On the other hand, I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole because I have failed at sending Derrick away before they had to get involved.
“I’m so sorry,” I manage.
“Don’t be,” Kace replies, giving Derrick a hard, stern look. “Tanya texted me. I understand you’re having some trouble here.”
“No trouble,” I try to brush it off, but he’s not having any of it.
“Who are you?” Kace asks Derrick.
“Amaya’s fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé,” I interject. “And certainly not welcome here.”
“There you have it. The door is right over there,” Kace tells Derrick.
But Derrick’s ego has taken too many blows at this point and he’s not about to back down. It would make him appear weak. He straightens his back and squares his shoulders, though he cannot compete with the sheer size of these three former Navy SEALs.
“Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what I can and cannot do?” Derrick sneers, his jaw clenched with blind fury.
“The owner,” Finn cuts in. “Pardon me, owners. Plural.”
“And we’d like you to leave on your own before we have to make you leave,” Elias adds.
His voice is low and dripping with the kind of danger that’s got my spine tingling. There’s no doubt with their military background that these three men can fight and defend themselves, that they’re able to severely harm somebody with their bare hands. I am hoping that Derrick makes the right decision and leaves of his own accord.
To my relief, Derrick seems to get the point. He backs off with a nervous laugh. “I didn’t mean any harm, fellas,” he says. “My girl just won’t listen to reason.”
“Oh, I think she’s doing precisely that,” Kace tells him, “by not giving you the time of day. Walk away, now. Trust me, you don’t want my help in leaving the premises.”
“No need to get pushy,” Derrick grumbles. He gives me a sideways glance. “I’ll see you back in Sacramento, babe.”
“You’ll see me never, and I’m not your babe,” I reply.
He scoffs as he walks away. As soon as he’s out of the building, shame and embarrassment crash down on me like a ton of bricks. All I can do is mumble an apology and excuse myself. “I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again. I’ll get back to work.”
“Amaya, hold on,” Kace says.
But I’m already running out of the reception building and through the glass and steel passageway, eager to put some space between myself and what just happened. I’m hoping it can be swept under the rug and quickly forgotten.
I can’t lose this job. I love it here and I love what I do. Screw Derrick, I will not let him ruin this for me. He’s caused enough turmoil in my life already.
Just as I’m about to step into the fitness center, I’m suddenly pulled back. Kace grips my arm firmly but not so tight that it hurts. It’s simply a gesture to stop me.
“I didn’t expect he’d ever come here. I don’t know how he found out where I work, I—”
“Amaya, relax,” Kace says, not letting go of my arm. I’m standing between him and the wall, my gaze darting around nervously, terrified that someone might pass by and see us. I don’t want to give the wrong impression. “Relax, I’m serious. It’s okay.”
“Just… can I just go?”
“No,” he says, his knee slipping between my thighs, lightly pressing up between them, and dammit, it’s causing a fire down there. His eyes glimmer with arousal as he smiles, his lips too close to mine. “I don’t know what your history is with that guy, but I do know you’re not going back to Sacramento tonight.”
“Wait, what? No, no, it’s fine, I can handle this,” I say, my protest sounding ridiculously meek.
“You obviously can’t. I’ll set you up with a room for the night, for you and your son,” he says. “Give that asshole some time to cool his heels, first.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
Kace lets go of my arm and places his hand up on the wall over my head, his other hand resting on my hip. I can’t escape him. Truth is… I don’t want to. This is so inappropriate yet so exciting at the same time. My heart pounds against my chest; I’ve become a victim of my own arousal as I find myself peering deep into his darkened blue eyes.
