ever experienced before, but I can’t deny that I like it, especially this wild, drained, exhaustion that makes me feel like I was well and truly fucked.
“Wow,” I say. “I’m glad we did it fast. I’m not sure I could have survived much longer with you.”
“I promise you’ll survive just fine.”
He gathers me up, and as he does, I feel a burst of static electricity that makes my entire body tingle and my hairs stand on end. It’s an odd but not unpleasant sensation, and I snuggle against his chest, feeling warm and happy. And, strangely, I feel protected, too.
Once we are settled on the couch, I look up at him again and see my own pleasure matched in his eyes. Pleasure, yes, but something else, too.
“Is something wrong?”
“Not a thing,” he says as he pulls me close and spreads Brayden’s quilt over us.
“Mmm.” I burrow against him. “This is wonderful, but I need to get dressed and get to rehearsal.”
“Stay with me.”
I laugh. “No can do, and you shouldn’t want me to, Mr. Investor.” I shift so that I’m on top of him. “But I promise to come back.”
“Juliet. Star-crossed lovers. It’s never been one of my favorites.”
I raise my brows. “No?”
He meets my eyes. “I don’t like unhappy endings.”
I brush a kiss over his lips. “I’m very glad to hear you say that. But right now, I really do have to go.”
I climb off him, but he takes my hand and tugs me back.
“Mal!” There’s laughter in my voice, but it dies when I see the expression on his face. “Something is wrong.”
“You can go to rehearsal, but I’m going to go with you.”
I frown, but I don’t argue. “Um, okay.”
“And when I say that I want you to stay with me, I mean that I want you to move in with me. That’s the easiest way to keep you safe.”
He’s sitting up now, and I move to sit next to him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You asked me last night what I do—the truth is, that I run a security company. Phoenix Security. Personal protection is high on our list of services. And we’ve been charged with keeping me safe.”
“Safe?” I scoot over to the far corner of the couch. “What are you talking about?”
“There are people who believe you have something they want. And they will kill you to retrieve it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I believe you,” he says. “The people who are after you don’t.”
“What people?”
“An organization. They call themselves the fuerie.”
“Fury?” I stand up, holding tight to the blanket to cover me, because right now I don’t want to be naked. “That’s crazy.”
“It’s the truth.”
“They’ll kill me? Your story doesn’t make sense. If they kill me, how would they get this McGuffin?”
“Christina, you have to believe me. I want to protect you from them—from everything. And you will be safest if you’re at my side.” His voice is so irritatingly calm and even that I want to scream. More than that, I want to cry. Because a moment that was perfect only moments ago has now gone completely off the rails.
“Dammit, Mal, do you have any idea how whacked this sounds?” I do. My mother saw conspiracies around every corner. And I’m sure she believed there were people who wanted me dead. The devil was inside me after all. “And come on, you’re guarding me? What are you, a charitable security company? Because I didn’t hire you. So who did?”
“That’s actually confidential. But I assure you it’s legitimate. Though not everyone at the company agrees that we should have taken your case.”
“Oh, of course not.” I try another tact. “I just left last night. You didn’t follow me. I grabbed a taxi and came home all by myself.”
“I had you tailed.”
“You what ?”
He nods to the window. “I promise, you’ve been looked after.”
I head to the window.
“He’s gone,” Mal says. “I’m here.”
I draw in a breath, trying to decide what to do.
“Wow,” I say. “I’m glad we did it fast. I’m not sure I could have survived much longer with you.”
“I promise you’ll survive just fine.”
He gathers me up, and as he does, I feel a burst of static electricity that makes my entire body tingle and my hairs stand on end. It’s an odd but not unpleasant sensation, and I snuggle against his chest, feeling warm and happy. And, strangely, I feel protected, too.
Once we are settled on the couch, I look up at him again and see my own pleasure matched in his eyes. Pleasure, yes, but something else, too.
“Is something wrong?”
“Not a thing,” he says as he pulls me close and spreads Brayden’s quilt over us.
“Mmm.” I burrow against him. “This is wonderful, but I need to get dressed and get to rehearsal.”
“Stay with me.”
I laugh. “No can do, and you shouldn’t want me to, Mr. Investor.” I shift so that I’m on top of him. “But I promise to come back.”
“Juliet. Star-crossed lovers. It’s never been one of my favorites.”
I raise my brows. “No?”
He meets my eyes. “I don’t like unhappy endings.”
I brush a kiss over his lips. “I’m very glad to hear you say that. But right now, I really do have to go.”
I climb off him, but he takes my hand and tugs me back.
“Mal!” There’s laughter in my voice, but it dies when I see the expression on his face. “Something is wrong.”
“You can go to rehearsal, but I’m going to go with you.”
I frown, but I don’t argue. “Um, okay.”
“And when I say that I want you to stay with me, I mean that I want you to move in with me. That’s the easiest way to keep you safe.”
He’s sitting up now, and I move to sit next to him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You asked me last night what I do—the truth is, that I run a security company. Phoenix Security. Personal protection is high on our list of services. And we’ve been charged with keeping me safe.”
“Safe?” I scoot over to the far corner of the couch. “What are you talking about?”
“There are people who believe you have something they want. And they will kill you to retrieve it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I believe you,” he says. “The people who are after you don’t.”
“What people?”
“An organization. They call themselves the fuerie.”
“Fury?” I stand up, holding tight to the blanket to cover me, because right now I don’t want to be naked. “That’s crazy.”
“It’s the truth.”
“They’ll kill me? Your story doesn’t make sense. If they kill me, how would they get this McGuffin?”
“Christina, you have to believe me. I want to protect you from them—from everything. And you will be safest if you’re at my side.” His voice is so irritatingly calm and even that I want to scream. More than that, I want to cry. Because a moment that was perfect only moments ago has now gone completely off the rails.
“Dammit, Mal, do you have any idea how whacked this sounds?” I do. My mother saw conspiracies around every corner. And I’m sure she believed there were people who wanted me dead. The devil was inside me after all. “And come on, you’re guarding me? What are you, a charitable security company? Because I didn’t hire you. So who did?”
“That’s actually confidential. But I assure you it’s legitimate. Though not everyone at the company agrees that we should have taken your case.”
“Oh, of course not.” I try another tact. “I just left last night. You didn’t follow me. I grabbed a taxi and came home all by myself.”
“I had you tailed.”
“You what ?”
He nods to the window. “I promise, you’ve been looked after.”
I head to the window.
“He’s gone,” Mal says. “I’m here.”
I draw in a breath, trying to decide what to do.
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