She sips, then flops back onto the pillows.I ease off her stilettos, trying not to focus on the expanse of leg revealed by her hiked-up dress.
I tuck her under the covers. “Goodnight.”
“Night, Ryder,” she mumbles, then grasps my hand. “Stay with me? Please?”
I should say no. I squeeze my eyes shut, wrestling with temptation. “Alright.”
“You’re stupid hot, you know that?” she slurs, eyes heavy-lidded. “All growly and muscles. I bet you fuck like a beast.”
My cock twitches. I sink into a chair across the room. “Drunken you is cute, but you have no idea what you’re saying.”
“I do,” she insists, words slurring. “You look angry. You fuck angry too? I’d like to know how that feels. No one has ever fucked me angry before.”
I open my mouth to respond, but a soft snore escapes her lips. I move to her bedside, drinking in the sight of her.
“I’d like to know how it feels too, Little Trouble,” I murmur, brushing my fingers across her silk-soft cheek. “But we never will.”
I settle back into the chair, prepared for a long night of guarding her while she sleeps—and fighting the growing ache in my chest that has nothing to do with my job.
I pace Cora’s lavish living room, phone pressed to my ear. “I want alerts on every window and entrance,” I demand. “And cameras covering the entire perimeter.”
It’s insane that she lives in this massive house, alone, withsuch outdated security systems. Even without a specific threat, it’s pure negligence.
I spent the night watching over her from the armchair in the corner of her bedroom, as she’d requested. But the moment she started stirring, I slipped out to the guest house.
I glance at the staircase. It’s late morning, and she still hasn’t come down. Should I check on her?
As if summoned by my thoughts, Cora appears at the top of the stairs.
“Morning,” she calls, bounding down the steps two at a time. Oversized sunglasses hide half ofher face, and she looks anywhere but at me. “Dad’s driver is outside. He’s taking me to the estate.”
“Hold up,” I interject. “You need security.”
“It’s fine. I told you I don’t need you on Sunday. Dad’s car is here, with his driver and guard.” She throws me one last fleeting glance before bolting out the door.
Her evasion tells me everything. She’s embarrassed and regrets the things she said last night.
Of course, none of it was real. I never expected anything else.
A few hours after Cora’s departure, the installation team arrives. I prowl behind them like a shadow, scrutinizing their every move as they transform the house into a fortress. My eyes track each motion detector they affix to the windows, each volumetric sensor embedded in the living spaces. Nothing escapes my attention.
“Cameras on all exits,” I bark at the supervisor. “I want eyes everywhere.”
The crunch of tires on gravel snaps my head around. Cora’s ride glides up the driveway far earlier than expected. So much for finishing this withoutdrama.
It’s hard to say I’m comfortable with her being alone, even at her father’s estate. Security is only as effective as its weakest link, and Cora’s got a day-sized hole in hers. I’ll need to discuss this with her father.
Cora erupts from her car like a hurricane making landfall. “What the hell is this?” she demands, slamming the door hard enough to make me wince. Her eyes blaze as she takes in the swarm of workers. “Who are all these people?”
I brace myself, squaring my shoulders. “Upgrading your alarm system.”
“Excuse me?” She advances, jabbing a finger at my chest. “I already have an alarm. And I didn’t authorize this invasion of my home.”
“Your old system was a joke,” I counter, standing my ground. “A determined Girl Scout could have breached it. This,” I say, gesturing to the ongoing work, “is state-of-the-art protection. Your father approved.”
Cora’s nostrils flare, her cheeks flushing with anger. It shouldn’t be attractive, but damn if it isn’t. I force myself to focus on the task at hand, not the way her eyes spark when she’s furious.
“Seriously? You’re turning my house into the Pentagon because of one minor incident?”
