out a shirt or a hair tie.
He turned to me with his brows up. “This big enough for you? I can get you a bigger place if you prefer.”
And just like that? The stress faded away. If he was talking about getting me a bigger apartment, I wasn’t getting fired. It pretty much ruled out the possibility of there being another security guy out here with us. If he knew I was in love with his daughter, I would be at the business end of a fist right now.
Everything had to be okay. And my father would still get his retirement pension, and all was okay in the world. Minus the fact that I was a big fat fucking liar.
I forced a smile. “I’m fine here, sir. It’s close to campus, and that makes my job easier.”
“Good.” He slid his phone into his pocket, his eyes on my bed. Could he tell that only a few hours earlier, his daughter had been with me in that bed he studied so closely? “Why do you have two surfboards in here?”
My breath slammed out of me. I eyed Carrie’s blue surfboard and thanked God she didn’t pick a girly one. “Why not? I like variety.”
He gave me a hard look and sighed. “Let’s go.”
“After you, sir,” I said quietly. I followed him outside, my palms sweating the whole time. I scanned the faces of the guards following the senator, then slid my shades onto my nose. “Cortez. Morris. Nice to see you again.”
“You look different out of a suit, Coram,” Morris said, his voice flat. “Like a surfer boy.”
I was a surfer boy, but I kept my mouth shut on that matter.
“You look different in one while standing in California.” I shrugged. “I need to blend in, so surfer boy I am.”
“Makes sense,” Cortez said.
“Yeah. How many of you are there out here?”
“Just us, to the best of my knowledge,” Cortez said, his eyes on the senator, who walked in front of us. “But with the senator?” Cortez caught my gaze, not dropping it. “You never know.”
Well, shit. That sounded an awful lot like a warning. “I’ll remember that.”
“You should,” Cortez said, motioning me forward into the town car.
I nodded to both of them, then slid into the back of the car, settling into the far side of the seat to make room for all four of us. I kept replaying Cortez’s words in my head, dissecting them and trying to make sense out of the whole thing.
My mind raced and my heart raced even faster. Was Cortez trying to warn me about something? Maybe he was trying to tell me that the senator had sent another man out here. If so, it would mean Carrie and I wouldn’t even be able to be together. Could I handle that?
I’d been waiting to come clean for my father, but if I couldn’t even see the woman I loved, would it be so cut and dry? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure about that.
When the senator sat beside me and closed the door, I blinked at him. “Where’s the rest of your team, sir?”
“They’ll watch Carrie today. After all, I have you with me.”
“I don’t even have my weapon, sir.” I tapped my fingers on my knee. “It doesn’t go with the clothes.”
He waved a hand. “It’s fine. I doubt we’ll be attacked at breakfast.”
“All right.” I cocked a brow and buckled up, not sure how to take the senator’s behavior. “She’ll see them in those suits.”
“I know.” He shrugged and looked out the window, gripping the side of the door so tight his knuckles showed. His entire body screamed of impatience and anger and something a hell of a lot like knowledge . “She knows they’re here now, so she won’t question it.”
Okay, he had a point, but she wouldn’t like them being there. I fidgeted with my seatbelt, but forced myself to stop. It made me look guilty—which I was. Damn it, I hatedthis shit. Maybe I should come clean. Spit it out. Get it over with.
He wouldn’t really cut off my father without a penny, would he? I didn’t know, and I couldn’t take that chance. If it were just me, I would open my mouth right now and tell him I loved his
He turned to me with his brows up. “This big enough for you? I can get you a bigger place if you prefer.”
And just like that? The stress faded away. If he was talking about getting me a bigger apartment, I wasn’t getting fired. It pretty much ruled out the possibility of there being another security guy out here with us. If he knew I was in love with his daughter, I would be at the business end of a fist right now.
Everything had to be okay. And my father would still get his retirement pension, and all was okay in the world. Minus the fact that I was a big fat fucking liar.
I forced a smile. “I’m fine here, sir. It’s close to campus, and that makes my job easier.”
“Good.” He slid his phone into his pocket, his eyes on my bed. Could he tell that only a few hours earlier, his daughter had been with me in that bed he studied so closely? “Why do you have two surfboards in here?”
My breath slammed out of me. I eyed Carrie’s blue surfboard and thanked God she didn’t pick a girly one. “Why not? I like variety.”
He gave me a hard look and sighed. “Let’s go.”
“After you, sir,” I said quietly. I followed him outside, my palms sweating the whole time. I scanned the faces of the guards following the senator, then slid my shades onto my nose. “Cortez. Morris. Nice to see you again.”
“You look different out of a suit, Coram,” Morris said, his voice flat. “Like a surfer boy.”
I was a surfer boy, but I kept my mouth shut on that matter.
“You look different in one while standing in California.” I shrugged. “I need to blend in, so surfer boy I am.”
“Makes sense,” Cortez said.
“Yeah. How many of you are there out here?”
“Just us, to the best of my knowledge,” Cortez said, his eyes on the senator, who walked in front of us. “But with the senator?” Cortez caught my gaze, not dropping it. “You never know.”
Well, shit. That sounded an awful lot like a warning. “I’ll remember that.”
“You should,” Cortez said, motioning me forward into the town car.
I nodded to both of them, then slid into the back of the car, settling into the far side of the seat to make room for all four of us. I kept replaying Cortez’s words in my head, dissecting them and trying to make sense out of the whole thing.
My mind raced and my heart raced even faster. Was Cortez trying to warn me about something? Maybe he was trying to tell me that the senator had sent another man out here. If so, it would mean Carrie and I wouldn’t even be able to be together. Could I handle that?
I’d been waiting to come clean for my father, but if I couldn’t even see the woman I loved, would it be so cut and dry? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure about that.
When the senator sat beside me and closed the door, I blinked at him. “Where’s the rest of your team, sir?”
“They’ll watch Carrie today. After all, I have you with me.”
“I don’t even have my weapon, sir.” I tapped my fingers on my knee. “It doesn’t go with the clothes.”
He waved a hand. “It’s fine. I doubt we’ll be attacked at breakfast.”
“All right.” I cocked a brow and buckled up, not sure how to take the senator’s behavior. “She’ll see them in those suits.”
“I know.” He shrugged and looked out the window, gripping the side of the door so tight his knuckles showed. His entire body screamed of impatience and anger and something a hell of a lot like knowledge . “She knows they’re here now, so she won’t question it.”
Okay, he had a point, but she wouldn’t like them being there. I fidgeted with my seatbelt, but forced myself to stop. It made me look guilty—which I was. Damn it, I hatedthis shit. Maybe I should come clean. Spit it out. Get it over with.
He wouldn’t really cut off my father without a penny, would he? I didn’t know, and I couldn’t take that chance. If it were just me, I would open my mouth right now and tell him I loved his
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