He seemed to consider that for a moment before answering. “I’m probably going to shock you by admitting I actually do know what fan fiction is, but even then, it sounds like an amazing ride.”
She laughed, imagining the big Navy SEAL leaning over his iPhone reading Harry Potter fan fic. “Amazing is a good word for it. One minute, I’m barely covering the rent on my apartment, and the next, I’m resigning from my teaching position so I can write full time. I might have loved teaching, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to chase a dream.”
“Did you grow up in the San Diego area?” he asked, changing direction with his question. “Since you went to State, I’m assuming you did.”
“Nope. I grew up in San Francisco.” She shrugged. “And while I love it there, there was no way I could pass up a chance to go to someplace warm enough where you can actually swim in the water. And once I got used to the weather, there was no way I was moving back.”
Noah let out another chuckle. “I get that. I went swimming in the San Francisco Bay once during a training exercise and definitely didn’t enjoy it.”
They talked for a bit longer about what it was like growing up in warm, sunny San Diego versus the frequently sunny, but not-so-warm San Francisco. Before long, Noah had polished off the rest of the sandwiches, and she realized she’d spent a lot longer on lunch than she’d planned.
She glanced at her watch. “Crap. I need to write.”
“Yeah, of course,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you from your book. If you could give me a quick tour of the house first…?”
Peyton opened her mouth to tell him it wasn’t like that and that she didn’t mind spending time with him, but then remembered Noah was there to protect her, not hang out with her. He wanted to get on with his job.
“Sure,” she said, quickly getting to her feet and feeling a little silly she’d been gabbing away with the guy hired to be her bodyguard. Like he didn’t have anything better to do. “You’ve already seen most of the downstairs, so it won’t take long.”
As Peyton headed for the stairs, she was extremely aware of Noah walking behind her, and she suddenly found herself wondering if he was checking out her butt. Reminding herself that they weren’t in one of her books, she hurried up the rest of the steps, quickly pointing out the guest room, workout room, the home office where she did her writing, and a spare bathroom.
“My bedroom is the one at the end of the hall,” she added.
“Does your boyfriend stay over often?” he asked, his dark gaze surveying her bedroom, eyes lingering for a moment on the king-sized bed with its soft blue paisley-print blanket before turning to look toward the en suite bathroom beyond.
Thank goodness Noah wasn’t looking her way or he would have seen her standing there gaping like a carp.
“What?” she finally managed to squeak, hoping it would give her a little more time to gather her thoughts.
“Your boyfriend?” He swung his gaze back to her. “I assume he spends the night occasionally and need to know when so I can make myself scarce.”
Blushing, she slowly shook her head. In truth, her dating life was nonexistent. But it wasn’t her fault. She’d gone out with guys in college and had been in a relationship for a while after graduating, but nothing had come of it. Dating had taken a backseat once her writing career took off. Hell, she hadn’t even been out with a guy since sometime during the middle of book two in her series. Or had it been the beginning of book three? It was hard to remember. She liked to blame her lack of social life on her writing schedule, but honestly, she hadn’t met anyone who sparked enough of an interest to bother. But maybe that was changing.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she said. “I’m sort of between boyfriends at the moment, so no guys will be hanging around.”
“Except me,” he murmured.
Peyton was sure she saw a flicker of something in his chocolate-brown eyes, though before she could be sure, he stepped past her into the hallway.
“Yup, just you,” she said, only realizing how sad that sounded once it was out.
When he didn’t respond, she decided he probably hadn’t heard her anyway, which was fortunate.
“So, this bodyguard thing,” she said, catching up with him in the hallway. “How does it work? Do you follow me around all the time, or will you be somewhere in hiding, ready to come running when I scream for help?”
He gave her a smile. “Less of the first and more of the second.”
She refused to touch the innuendo with a ten-foot pole. “So, I simply go about my business like normal, writing and stuff?”
“Yup. You do whatever you usually do, go wherever you usually go, and I’ll stay in the background. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Um, right.
Peyton seriously doubted she’d forget a man like Noah was hanging out in her house. He was sort of hard to miss, even when he wasn’t in the same room.
She cleared her throat, motioning toward her home office. “Okay then. I’m going to hang out up here and get some writing done. Feel free to grab something else to eat or drink if you want. I’ll be up here…just writing.”
Noah smiled again, then turned and headed downstairs. Peyton watched him disappear down the steps. How the hell was she ever going to get any writing done when her hunky bodyguard had taken up residence in her head?
CHAPTER THREE
NOAH MADE ANOTHER circuit around the outside of the house after going downstairs, then stood on the bluff gazing at the water again. It was crazy when he realized how long it had been since he’d gone for a swim in the ocean.
