Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
He nodded slowly.
“And simply returning to a house or a spot isn’t enough. It’s the person who will be your home wherever they are.”
“It’s a lot to ask,” he choked out.
“Not really.”
“No?”
“No,” I said, chuckling as I pushed him down onto the bed and then lay down next to him. “You just need to make sure you fall in love with a guy who can do his work remotely.”
“I see.” He rolled his head to look at me. “So I should ask that question right off the bat from now on.”
“That’s what I’d suggest, yes.”
He rolled to his side, facing me, slipping his hand around the side of my neck. “And a bodyguard, that’s completely wrong for me, yes?”
“Oh yeah, that’s no good. And for the record, I’m a fixer.”
“And what, precisely, is the designation here?” He scooched closer and kissed me.
He was a really good kisser. The way he took control, his tongue rubbing over mine, devouring my mouth, was intoxicating. It would be easy to simply give in to whatever it was he wanted. When he rolled me to my back and climbed on top, straddling my hips, I took hold of his gorgeous muscular thighs and heard his breath catch.
I smiled up at him. “A fixer makes your life better before they leave,” I said hoarsely, very affected by those languorous kisses he gave me. “That’s what we do.”
“Well, would you please improve mine and have me already?”
“First I have a question.”
“Ohmygod, I’ve never talked to anyone else this much in my life,” he groaned, leaning his head back.
“Is talking a bad thing?”
“Yes. No,” he muttered, climbing off me and sitting down, legs folded under him. “What’s the question?”
“Tell me what happened with your last bodyguard.”
He grimaced like he was uncomfortable, which confirmed my suspicions. Already I knew that Ash Lennox was not the kind of man to force his attention on anyone, and especially not someone who depended on him for a paycheck. He would never take advantage of someone in an uneven power dynamic with him. Whatever happened, he didn’t want to say because it would make the guy look bad, not him.
“What was his name?” I pressed him. “Start with that.”
“Burke Furniss.”
“How long did he work for you?”
“Three years.”
“Who was your bodyguard before him?”
“This feels like an interrogation.”
“I was a cop, but I promise, this ain’t that. This is just question and answer.”
“Fine. Preeya Shah.”
“Why did Preeya leave?”
“She was pregnant.”
“Did she vet Furniss?” He shot me a look I could read plain as day. “Oh, interesting. Preeya didn’t like him.”
“No,” he said simply, his sigh telling me he wasn’t enjoying this.
“Why not?”
He moved like he was going to get up off the bed, but I grabbed his wrist and yanked him down against my chest.
“You are giving off so many mixed signals,” he grumbled even as he snuggled in beside me, sliding a leg between mine, slipping his arm across my chest, and kissing behind my ear. “Why do you care about Burke?”
“Because if he was still employed, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Yet another good reason for him leaving.”
“Tell me what he did.”
He rolled his head sideways so he was staring at the ceiling. “A month ago, I was in Manila. It was the middle of the night, and I’m not even sure what woke me up, but when I turned to look out the window, I saw that Burke was in my room. And I don’t know, maybe he heard something and got spooked, so I asked him what was wrong, and he said, wasn’t it stupid for us to keep sleeping apart.”
I reached over, hand on the side of his neck, and turned his head back to me so I could see his eyes. “Were you scared?”
“No. I was confused. I think I said, is something wrong, did you hear a noise? I mean, I woke up out of a dead sleep. I’d been working all day, and no matter what anyone tells you, it’s hot in Manila.”
I smiled at him and got a trace of one in return. “So then what?”
“Then he was all over me, and I was so pissed because right then I knew he’d made a choice he couldn’t come back from.”
“How so?”
He squinted at me.
“No, I know what he did. I just want to hear what you were thinking.”
“I thought, shit, Burke, after this I’ll never be able to trust you again, and even more than that, when I tell you no, you won’t be able to look at me again.”
“You weren’t afraid he’d hurt you?”
“No. Plus, I can defend myself. I lived in North Hollywood, and my next-door neighbors were crackheads.”
“So you’re a badass,” I said with a grin.
“No, but I can get one guy off me even when I’m not really awake.”
“So he wanted you, you said no, and then what?”