Was it because he was so ridiculously handsome? I hated to think I was as shallow as that, but I couldn’t deny the thrill that sizzled through me when we’d gotten close. But hell to the no. I wasn’t going to sleep with a client. It was unprofessional and flat-out wrong. DJ had been so sweet and needy, and I’d been so damn lonely, I’d allowed myself to enter into an affair I’d known from the start was forbidden. Wrong. And in the end I was proved right.
Sleeping with Ronan would be a disaster.
Speaking of, I texted him, giving him a heads-up that I was almost there. The car rolled to a stop, and I got out and pulled my suitcase into the building, admiring my new digs.
The doorman greeted me with a curious smile. “May I help you?”
At the sound of hurried footsteps slapping against the marble floors, both the doorman and I watched Ronan rushing toward us.
“Hey, sorry I wasn’t here waiting to help you. Luis, this is Gabriel Sachs. He’s going to be living with me.” When Luis’s brows rose, Ronan said, “He’s working for me. With all the crap going on and the threats I’ve received, I hired him to be my bodyguard.”
“Oh, yeah, well, you don’t owe me any explanation. Nice to meet you, Mr. Sachs.”
I returned Luis’s genuine smile with one of my own. “Same.”
“I’ll be getting Gabriel a key for the mailbox, and he’s authorized to accept all packages for me. I have a note here for the other doormen, and I’ve already alerted the co-op board that he’s going to be living here.” He held out his hand. “Here. Give me one thing.”
“I have them both. It’s fine.”
But I should’ve known Ronan wouldn’t listen. He reached out and grabbed the suitcase handle. “Follow me.”
“You’re going to give me trouble, aren’t you?” Shaking my head but biting back a grin, I trailed after him to the elevator. Once inside the apartment, we stood in the hallway, staring at each other, both feeling a little awkward. Ronan took my suitcase and wheeled it away.
“This way to your room,” he called over his shoulder, and I kept on his heels.
The room was nice-sized, with a big window that let in tons of light. Ronan set my suitcase by the side of the bed and gazed at me with anxious eyes.
“I hope you like it. The sheets are all new. The TV as well.”
Until that moment I hadn’t even noticed the TV mounted on the wall. “Oh, wow, yeah. That’s great. It’s a big one.” I was touched by his thoughtfulness. Not something I’d expected from him. Irritated with myself for falling into the trap of preconceived ideas, I vowed to keep my mind and ears open to see if I was right about Ronan being more than a pretty face.
“Thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve heard that.” He winked, and warmth flooded me.
“Very funny.”
“You can settle in if you want, and then you can come out to the living room. We should talk about how we’ll live together here, probably? I don’t know. I’ve never lived with anyone before.”
Ronan left with a wave of his hand, and I got busy arranging my clothes in the drawers and hanging up my shirts, suits, and ties. Half an hour later, I was finished, and found Ronan in the living room, stretched out on the sofa, watching some true-crime thing on television. When he saw me, he swung his legs over the edge and turned off the set.
“That was quick.”
“Something I never hear.” I grinned and lowered myself into the comfortable club chair. “So you wanted to talk about ground rules? And you said you’ve never lived with anyone before?”
“No, never. Not counting prison, of course.” He fidgeted. “But that’s a whole different story.”
One I’d have liked to hear, but I gathered it would take time to build enough trust between us for him to share, and I wasn’t sure how long this gig would last. Even though Ronan said he wanted someone, I wasn’t sure he understood what having personal protection meant, so I’d left a bunch of stuff at Isaac’s, in case Ronan changed his mind and I found myself out of a job again.
“Okay. I’m pretty easy to live with. I don’t smoke, don’t drink while I’m on the job, and clean up after myself. I can eat my meals at a different time than you, if you prefer. What I’m trying to say is, you’re the boss. You set the rules.”
“Oh, well, okay. I mean…” Ronan chewed his lip for a moment. “I think it’d be pretty stupid to eat separately. It’s not a huge apartment, and I understand we’re not roommates, but still, I would think it makes sense for us to eat together. Even if I want to go out to a restaurant, I wouldn’t feel right having you there with me and not eating.”
“Unless you’re on a date. Then I’ll take my own table close enough to you but still give you your privacy.”
A pink tint washed over his cheeks. “Yeah, well, I’m not seeing anyone, and I don’t think that’s about to change for a while.”
Hmm…I’d assumed Ronan Michaels was getting it as often as I hit my snooze button on my day off. I shook off that image. I didn’t need to think of him sexually.
“Whatever you want,” I told him.
