One side of his mouth kicked up into a charming crooked smile. “Okay. You’ve persuaded me. Should I reward you for your bravery?”
Sophie arched a brow. “What type of reward?”
“Hmm, hot tea for my little hellion, perhaps?” The second the words left his lips, a young man walked through the door with a tray laden with a teapot and cups. Sophie studied the man, who appeared to be around her age.
“Let me guess. You’re the infamous Cody?”
The man grinned. “I’m infamous? Well, the boss man must be improving his opinion of me. Nice to meet you, Sophie.”
His casual demeanor, the rough and tumbled sandy blond hair—all of it put her at ease. He reminded her of the men back home—not rich or privileged, and not nearly as intimidating as Emery. While he was cute, he wasn’t explode-your-body–from-the-inside-out sexy. Emery had that in spades.
Cody placed the tea tray on the large nightstand by the bed. “I’ll be in my office if you need me, boss.”
“Thanks, Cody.”
The man winked at Sophie, bold but friendly, which earned a heavy frown from Emery and a growled “ahem.”
“He’s going to be in his office all night?” Sophie cringed at how dreadful that sounded. She hated her little office back in her tiny apartment in Kansas. She rarely spent time in it, preferring instead to chase her stories across the United States, living from hotel to hotel with her editor on speed-dial.
“Don’t you dare pity Cody. I spent a fortune building him a suite of rooms connected to his office. He has a king-sized bed, a private kitchen and a bathroom to rival mine. Depending on his mood, he calls it his command center, or the bat cave.”
Emery rolled over and reached for the tea, pouring two cups and handing one to her. She drank it gratefully. The chamomile tea was spiked with honey and deliciously smooth going down her throat.
“Bat cave, huh? Oh boy. How on earth did you find him?”
The smile that stole across Emery’s lips seemed genuine, so very different from the practiced, seductive grin she’d come to expect from him. “I caught the rascal trying to hack my personal private computer system here at the house. He thought I had sensitive information about my company. He hoped to get trade secrets and patents. I do have sensitive information, but not the kind he was hoping to score. Luckily, I was a few steps ahead of him and I pinpointed his location and sent Hans to retrieve him.”
Sophie raised her eyes to Emery’s, secretly amused to find that she’d been staring at his lips. He cupped her cheek as he talked. The movement was natural, tender, and sensual at the same time. His thumb circled her chin as though the touch reassured him.
“What happened when Hans found him?”
“Hans got him here no worse for wear. My bodyguard is primarily a preserver of life, not a taker of one, and he has no interest in beating anyone to a bloody pulp, unless they deserve it, of course. But once he got here, I sat him down and we had a little talk. I straightened him out.”
“How did you do that?”
Emery took her empty teacup set it on the table behind him. Then he angled her body, rolling her onto her back so he could lean over her, pressing his chest to hers. He kissed the tip of her nose then her cheeks, and then moved down to her lips, sucking the bottom one into his mouth for a slow decadent nibble. Sophie arched up into that erotic bite and tried to kiss him. He laughed huskily and pulled back, depriving her of the pleasure.
“I told Cody that he could work for me, rather than against me. He’d not only have a life of luxury but he’d get me, too.”
Sophie struggled to focus on his words. Her hands settled on his chest, feeling the slow flex of his muscles as he shifted.
“I don’t understand. Get youhow?”
His eyes went dark, like rich chocolate with caramel swirls. “When I take someone in, I accept them. It’s permanent. If Cody agreed to join forces with me, I’d play Superman to his Batman. A justice league, if you will. He was raised in the foster system. Trust doesn’t come naturally to him, but he realized the depth of what I offered, and he agreed. He’s been with me and Hans for the last eight years.”
“How long has Hans been with you?” She regretted the question instantly, as pain ripped across his face.
“Hans has been with me for twenty-five years. My father hired him. The day after I came home, Hans showed up in my bedroom at the crack of dawn and didn’t leave me alone for a second.” Emery found an errant lock of her hair and curled it around his finger, staring fixedly at the strands. “I used to hate him.”
“Why did you hate him?” Sophie rubbed her cheek against his knuckles, like a cat hungry for attention.
“He was there because I couldn’t take care of myself. Seeing him was a reminder of my weakness. But after a few years, I was older and wiser. I realized he was there to protect me because I couldn’t protect myself against forces that were unforeseeable. Whoever took me as a child would have succeeded no matter how strong I was. The numbers were against me. Once I accepted that certain scenarios had unavoidable outcomes, I began to value Hans on a whole new level. He kept me out of situations that could lead to such unavoidable outcomes. Friendship was inevitable.”
“I like that,” Sophie replied without thinking.Blame it on the drugging kisses, she thought.
“Like what?” He raised a quizzical brow.
“That you value loyalty and friendship. I don’t know too many people who are like that these days.” Unbidden thoughts of Rachel snuck past her barriers, like clever spies slipping beneath barbed-wire fences.
