Trace and Masey step past us and disappear into the office. An instant later, Amanda backs away from me, putting distance between us.
“I think I’ll just…get some water.” She whirls for the kitchen as if her ass is on fire.
It takes everything I have not to follow.
The silence is awkward as Trace and Masey emerge with Ranger, then disappear with a few mumbled words, closing the door behind them with a final click.
I let out a breath and scowl. I’ve botched everything, and I need to apologize.
On my way down the hall, I pass the front door, ensure it’s locked, then do the same with the double glass doors in the back overlooking the Pacific. Finally, I take a deep breath and get my shit under control before I head into the kitchen to see Amanda facing the sink, staring out the window. The glass in her hand is shaking.
I feel like a shit. “I’m sorry.”
She gives me a tight shake of her head. “You’re here to protect me, and I…wanted to see the ocean.”
Her explanation makes sense, but her hesitation as she voices her excuse tells me she’s lying. “I don’t believe you.”
That makes her turn and look my way. She sets her glass on the pristine white counter. “I have a lot on my mind.”
We’re getting closer to the truth, I sense. But that’s not everything. “Any of that have to do with me?”
“Why are you here?”
“For the money.”
“If that’s the case, why won’t you stay on the job beyond a week?” Her gaze drills me. “I suggested a sum that should have been more than acceptable. You didn’t even consider it. As long as you lie to me, I won’t feel bad about lying to you.”
Damn it. Every time I fall into the trap of thinking she’s soft and vulnerable, she proves she’s made of stronger stuff. “I’m not lying; I need the money. But I also came because I don’t like women or children being threatened.”
“I’m not asking the right questions. Why were you worried about me just now? Honestly.”
What is she pushing me for? “It would be better if I didn’t answer that. Once I tell you, you can’t unknow it.”
Our gazes connect, and electricity pings between us. Goose bumps flare across my skin. Desire kindles in my gut.
Her whisper is the match that sets me ablaze. “You want me.”
I could try to lie, but it won’t work. Amanda knows. The elephant is in the middle of the room. “I’ve already thought about stripping you naked and fucking you until you scream about a hundred times.”
She’s going to fire me now. I haven’t just crossed a line; I’ve stomped over it, backed up, and rolled over it a few more times for good measure. I deserve for her to show me the exit, slam the door behind me, and yell “good riddance.”
The last thing I expect is for her to lick her lips and glance my way. “And I’ve already thought a hundred times about letting you.”
Oh, holy shit.
I scrub my hand across my face. How the fuck am I going to stay off of her now that I know what I’m craving is mutual? “You went outside to put distance between us?”
She nods. “I needed to. We both know giving in to this would be a terrible idea.”
“The worst.”
“Beyond stupid.”
“Catastrophic.”
But that doesn’t stop me from prowling closer. Amanda steps back. I need to respect the distance she’s putting between us. I shouldn’t follow her. But I can’t stop myself from lunging into her personal space. She edges away again, until the counter at her back stops her.
She has nowhere else to go.
A smile that isn’t comforting curls across my face. “All you have to do is tell me to back off.”
“Why should I have to? You should give me space, regardless.”
Her trembling voice does something to me. Not because she’s afraid. I know she’s not. Because that, along with her darting gaze, tells me my nearness affects her.
“I should, but I still want to hear you say it—and mean it.”
Amanda presses her lips together, refusing to say anything at all.
Thrill spikes through my blood. I shuffle closer until our chests brush. Until I see her pulse beating frantically at her neck. Until I feel her choppy breaths on my lips.
I lean forward and brace my hands on the counter on either side of her hips. “Nothing to say?”
“I’d rather not lie.”
Fuck, her pouty pink lips are less than a whisper away, and it takes all my self-control not to fasten my mouth over hers and eat her whole. “It’s a good thing you didn’t. What the hell are we going to do stuck together for a whole week?”
“Be adults and ignore it.” Amanda nudges me aside and tries to walk away.
I should let her. But the devil in me won’t let it go.
I grab her arm and yank her back to me. “Is that really what you want?”
Chapter Four
“My last relationship taught me to stop thinking about what I want and start thinking about what I need.”
She means Barclay. What did that bastard do to her?
Yeah, Amanda has only asked me to be her bodyguard, and I should leave it there. I shouldn’t care about her broken heart or the way she’s barricaded it against me. But I do. And I have a feeling that I need to understand exactly what happened between her and her lover thirty-three years her senior to understand her. Unfortunately, there’s no way in hell she’s ready to tell me now.
No matter how much it chafes, I need to be patient.
I watch her go as she disappears into the master bedroom, shutting the door between us. The pipes and pelting water tell me she’s taking a shower. Soon afterward, I hear the whir of mechanical blinds descending. Then silence. I use
