I clear my throat. “Yes, sir.”
“You should have damn well come to me sooner,” he growls.
“Sir,” I repeat, standing firm and unmoving, waiting for him to make his next move. He still hasn’t indicated whether he’s considering running me out of the States, making sure I never work close protection again, or worse.
“Like I said, I’mdisappointed,” he says again, dragging out the word like a knife across my throat.
I hold his eyes, refusing to back down. He can say what he wants to me. He can tear me the fuck down with words. But I’ll stand here and take it without blinking if it means I’m one second closer to getting back to her.
“Disappointed that it took you so goddamn long to act on it.” His eyes glitter as I frown in confusion.
“My daughter is special, Denver. I wasn’t going to assign any man to be her bodyguard. To spend all that time with her. To be the one she placed her faith into. The one she would grow close to.”
I thought that my time in the military and undergoing mock hostage training would have made me unshakeable. But it takes everything in me not to curse out loud in shock. I blink in rapid succession, my heart banging against my ribs as I look into his unwavering gaze.
“I trust you with my life. Now I’m trusting you with my daughter.”
“Jesus, Dad,” Sullivan rasps.
“You sly old fucker.” Mal chuckles.
Sterling’s eyes crinkle at the corners, still glued to mine. “My daughter hired a dating coach all the way from England to find her father love. And now I have Hallie and a baby coming andfeel like the luckiest man in the world. You know what I asked her?”
“No, sir,” I reply, my mind still reeling that he knew. All this time, he had set us up.
And we thought we were the ones keeping a secret from him.
“I asked her why she didn’t hire Hallie to find love for her. Because we all damn well know how much my daughter has needed someone these past couple of years.”
I force a swallow, but my throat is so thick even breathing is tough.
Sterling runs a hand around his jaw again, his eyes softening at the memory. “She told me seeing the people she loves being happy is more important to her. That she would be happy knowing I was happy.”
“She’s incredible like that,” I say, my voice coming out with an uncharacteristic crack to it, that I mask.
“She sure is,” Sterling says, before pausing. “She won’t put herself first, Denver.”
His statement hangs in the air. I know what he’s asking, no,tellingme to do. I know, because it’s been my main objective ever since I first laid eyes on her, long before she ever looked at me with anything other than indifference in her eyes.
He doesn’t need to worry.
It’s like I told Sinclair, that’s what I do.
And it’s what I will continue to do while there is life in my body.
I’m the asshole who will fucking die for her… and not because it was once my job.
“She won’t need to. I’ll do that for her. She will always come first. I swear on my life. I won’t let?—”
“—me down?” Sterling clips. “I damn well hope not.”
I shake my head. “Her. I won’t letherdown.”
“Better.” He smiles.
“I should have known,” Sullivan grumbles. “You played sleeping fucking lions.”
Mal snorts and looks at me. “No way.”
