questions.
“You’ve been assigned to protect me,” she said. “And that’s why you’re so curious about me.”
He didn’t miss a beat. “That too,” he said as he turned and walked across the office.
She swiveled in her chair to face the computer and pretended to be busy. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him. He plumped a couple of pillows and sat down on the sofa with a loud sigh.
“Damn, this is comfortable,” he said. “So tell me, Regan. How long was your stepfather married to your mother?”
She didn’t look at him when she answered. “Long enough to think he should get half of everything she owned.”
“Is there a legal battle brewing?”
“I know he’s consulted a couple of attorneys in hopes that one of them will find a way to break the prenup. By now he must know that my mother didn’t own much of anything, not even the house she lived in.”
“The house Emerson’s living in with Cindy?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. So who owns it?” Before she could answer, he said, “Aiden? Or do you and all your brothers own it jointly?”
“All of us.”
He leaned forward. “And yet you’re the one who moved out?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
She turned back to the computer screen, hoping that he would let the subject drop.
No such luck. “So how come?”
She began to laugh. “You just don’t give up, do you? No wonder you’re a good detective.”
“How do you know I’m good?”
“I just do.”
“Not good,” he said, and in a burst of ego, he added, “Great.”
She laughed again. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” he reminded her.
He took his loafers off, swung his feet up on an ottoman, and stacked his hands on his chest.
“How come I moved out of the house? I promised my mother that I would let Emerson stay on in the house for a year. She hoped that he would be able to get it together in that time.”
“You mean get a job?”
“Yes,” she said. “She never knew he cheated on her, at least I don’t think she did, and she certainly didn’t think he would remarry so quickly.”
“Aiden agreed to this year plan?”
“Of course. It’s what our mother wanted. Why wouldn’t he agree?”
“He seems to be the one who calls all the shots and runs things around here.”
“He’s the most ambitious one in the family and certainly the most driven,” she said. Frowning, she added, “But you’re right. He does like to run things around here. I just wish…”
“What?”
“I just wish I understood why he thinks he can run my life.”
“That one’s easy.”
“Oh? Why then?”
“You let him.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Regan had cleared her desk. Every piece of paperwork had been signed, mailed, or filed; every e-mail had been read, deleted, or answered, and every phone call had been returned.
She had miscalculated and had thought it would take her several more days to get everything done, and she wasn’t happy about being caught up. She wanted to bury herself in work to keep busy. An idle mind… worries. At least hers did. She drummed her fingertips on the desk.
She still hadn’t openly acknowledged that she was in danger and that she needed a bodyguard, because to do so would put it all right there in front of her face, and she would have to deal with it. She knew she was being foolish, maybe even a little cowardly, but at the moment she didn’t particularly care. She was scared and feeling powerless, and that was just plain awful.
Alec closed the magazine he was reading and then picked up a remote and turned to her. He saw her expression and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
He knew she had to be feeling caged. Every move she made was being watched. He decided he wouldn’t press. “Okay,” he said. He held up the remote and asked, “Where’s the television hidden?”
“Push the top button,” she said.
He was intrigued. As soon as he pushed the button, a seam in the wall adjacent to the window slowly slid back to reveal his dream come true. An entertainment center filled with all the latest technology. He whistled over the size of the flat-screen plasma TV.
He settled back to watch the news but glanced at her again and noticed the frown hadn’t gone away. “Come on. Tell me. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
She wasn’t going to tell him the truth-that she worried she wouldn’t have enough courage when she needed it-or admit that she was afraid of being afraid, because she knew he wouldn’t understand. How could he? He probably put himself in harms way all the time. He was used to danger, and he was used to standing up when it mattered.
Was he ever afraid? Probably, but she doubted that fear would ever stop him from doing what was needed, and wasn’t that what courage was all about-not letting the fear stop you from doing the right thing?
“Regan?”
She realized she hadn’t answered him. “I was thinking about that expression, an idle mind…”
“Gathers no moss?”
She smiled. “I don’t think that’s how it goes.”
She lost him then. The sports portion of the news came on, luring him like a siren with the promise of scores and clips from all the games. As though in a trance, he immediately turned back to the television screen. She was exasperated. What is it with men? At least the men in her life. Alec’s behavior was like Aiden’s and Spencer’s. No matter how busy her brothers were, they stopped everything at the sight of a baseball, football, or soccer ball. Any kind of sports game grabbed them. They were addicted to the Sports Channel and couldn’t go to sleep without knowing the latest scores. She had a feeling her bodyguard had the same affliction.
Regan dusted her desk blotter and then began to turn one of the pages of her Far Side calendar back and forth while she surreptitiously studied Alec. He had a beautiful profile, she decided. A nice, straight nose, a great mouth. His hair was dark and thick and kept drooping down on his forehead. He needed a haircut. His hair was given to curl, and she had the insane urge to touch it. Were other women drawn to him the way she was? No doubt, she thought. With his good looks and his sexy aura, he probably had women falling all over him. Oh, she knew his type. He had that bad-boy, love-them-and-leave-them thing down pat. How many tears had been shed over him? How many hearts had he broken?
“You about finished?” His gaze never left the television when he asked the question.
How long had she been staring at him? “Just about,” she answered as she quickly looked at her desk and began to shuffle papers around.
She was saved from having any other discussion about her behavior when her phone rang. She almost fell out of her chair when she lunged for the receiver.
Cordie was on the line. Just hearing her voice made Regan feel better.
