“For her need for outdoor stimuli?”
“Yes, and I can give you a list of reasons and show you the research on why being outdoors and discovering new things is beneficial if need be in the daily report today.”
“How about you give me a list of things that will make you follow directions? I’d like that instead.”
She scoffed and pulled at the handle. My hand held it closed still.
“So I’ll take that as another rejection to my request. I’m going to have to discover it myself?”
She caught my innuendo loud and clear, because those lashes fluttered closed and then her gaze snapped to mine. Nothing was sparking now. Her gaze was alight with bold, daring emotion. “Remove your hand from the door, Mr. Knight.”
“Jameson,” I corrected her, and then, “If you’re going to defyme in my own home with the most precious part of my life, might as well be on a first-name basis, right?”
She took a deep breath, like I was the irritating one, and then said through clenched teeth, “Fine.Jameson,please remove your hand from my door so I can get in it.”
Christ, even her gritting her teeth while she said my first name sounded good.
“Darling Mia, don’t you know a gentleman never lets a lady open her own door?” I said, stepping close. She backed away from me fast. She felt it too, the sizzle when we touched, and now I knew she was afraid of it, trying to avoid it, trying to avoidme.
She straightened as I swung open the door and waved her in. “I don’t need the gentlemanly act, Mr. Knight. I just need you to be my boss.” She brushed past me, slipping gracefully into the Phantom’s passenger seat. When she reached for the handle to swing the door closed, effectively snapping me out of the spell she had me under, I winced at the harsh sound and took to stomping around the car and slamming my own door after her display.
If she didn’t want chivalry, I wouldn’t give it to her.
She was right that we were just boss and employee. Never mind that I’d saved her life or given her a good salary or allowed her to stay in my home, which I never did with women.
No other woman had even spent the night in this house.
And I didn’t give a flying fuck if her residence here was against her will at first. She should have been grateful.
I revved the engine and pulled away from my house. Down the winding brick driveway we went. Usually I appreciated the beautiful overgrown trees bordering the drive, but today they felt suffocating as we sat in silence, tension rolling around between us and bouncing off the windows.
Her eyes were on the ironclad gate as we finally got to the entrance of my estate, and she watched how it opened for us.
Her mouth opened slightly as if she were letting out a breath. “Thank you,” she breathed softly. Two words murmured so quietly I barely heard them.
And just like that … The anger at her uncoiled and released an emotion much scarier. I was happy for her appreciation, and that was not at all what I needed to feel.
Not with my daughter’s teacher.
Not at all.
Fuck. Today was going to be hell. She wasn’t a damn darling. She was my devil in disguise.
Mia
HOW THE IRON OFthat gate curled and coiled around in a beautiful pattern probably had so many people fooled with the type of luxury this estate held. It had to be twenty feet tall and opened slowly, smoothly. It was easy to forget that this grand entrance was a barrier that kept unwanted solicitors out … and kept people in.
What happened behind all these gates? Behind all the doors? Behind the places people built up so that no one could see inside? Did these fancy gates and wealth hold on to their happiness the way they wanted?
Was the beauty of a fortress enough to distract someone who was locked away?
It wasn’t for me.
It couldn’t have been for Franny either, and that’s why I thanked him. Even if we were only getting an hour, the imaginary ropes that bound me to this property loosened a little bit. I felt like I could pull a little bit more oxygen into my lungs, could see a little clearer. Even the feel of the wind on my skin as I rolled down the window was different.
“I know I’m not making this as easy as you would like,” Itold him while he inched the expensive car out of the driveway and onto the road.
“You’re not making it easy at all,” Jameson clarified in that grumpy voice of his.
