Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2) by Tina Folsom

him sexy. That changed the situation. He tossed his prepared speech out the window and took a slightly different approach.
    “I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us. It could jeopardize your safety. And your safety comes before everything else.”
    “I think we both knew that this… uh… arrangement could cause problems.”
    “That’s my fault,” he admitted.
    When she parted her lips to respond, he stopped her by lifting his hand. “No, please let me explain. I’ve been doing this for a long time: protecting people. And only once have I ever gotten involved with one of my cha—uh, clients. It cost her life.” And nearly his, too.
    Tessa’s eyes widened in shock.
    “I won’t make the same mistake again, no matter how much I’m attracted to you. I can’t risk it. Do you understand?”
    She nodded silently.
    “I heard what you said to Poppy just now. I’m guessing you’re not entirely indifferent to me, or you probably wouldn’t have kissed me back when I took advantage of your vulnerability last night.”
    “You didn’t take advantage of me,” she said to his surprise. “I wanted you to kiss me.”
    Her admission made what he had to say even harder. “And I enjoyed kissing you more than I should. But I can’t allow myself to do it again.” No matter how much he craved a repeat of it. “My job… it’s complicated. We have rules and…”
    “You don’t have to say anything else. Nothing really happened. We’re both adults who got lost in the moment.”
    As much as that might be true for Tessa, it wasn’t the case for him, but he didn’t contradict her. However, he wanted her to know that this didn’t change how serious he was about her safety.
    “You have my promise that I’ll protect you with my life if I have to. I want you to trust me. You should never have to doubt my commitment to this assignment. And whatever you need me to do to make you feel safe and comfortable, you just have to ask.”
    Tessa rose slowly, nodding in contemplation. She walked around the desk and approached the window. Glancing outside, she finally spoke.
    “It’s strange to hear you say that. To hear anybody say that.”
    He took a few steps toward her. “Why? Don’t you believe me?”
    “It’s not that. I do believe you. And even that is strange. I mean, believing somebody you don’t really know. Trusting a stranger.”
    “But you do.”
    She nodded, still staring out of the window. Maybe it was easier for her to talk openly without looking at him. “After last night I have no doubt anymore.” She sighed. “You reacted so quickly. Without hesitation. I saw some of the video clips people took of the incident.”
    He noticed her shiver and wanted to put his hand on her shoulder to reassure her, but he didn’t. It was too risky, because even jerking off in the shower earlier hadn’t dampened his desire for her. On the contrary, it had only shown him what it could be like between them. How good they would be together.
    “I reviewed the clips, too,” he said instead. “But there was no footage of the ceiling, so I couldn’t see how the duct fell.”
    “Gabriella called me earlier. She said the police were at the scene last night.” She looked over her shoulder. “Did your colleague speak to them?”
    “Yes, Enya made contact with them,” he lied. “But there are no leads yet.” Which was the truth.
    He’d spoken to Manus earlier. His fellow guardian had taken photographs and swiped the metal for any chemical residue that would suggest an explosive, but the results of the tests weren’t back yet.
    A knock at the door made him turn.
    Tessa glanced past him. “Come in.”
    The door opened and none other than Robert Gunn entered. When Gunn spotted him, he froze for a moment.
    “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
    Tessa walked past Hamish and addressed Gunn, “No, you’re not. What can I do for you?”
    “I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing after