“Don’t thank me. I’m your mom. I always want you to talk to me about these things, and well, do you think I’m pretty?”
“Yes.” When I was younger, I would always think she was prettier than the princesses in all the movies.
“If you haven’t noticed, we could almost be twins. You’re looking at yourself in twenty years. I just have a lighter air about me. My clothes are frillier.”
“They are kind of odd.” She snorts a laugh. What? They are. She makes a lot of them herself, and everything has a million pockets. I never had to worry about where I was going to hide my weapons when I was growing up. I knew if my mom made it, there’d be secret pockets somewhere.
“I’m not going to tell you to smile because it makes people comfortable, but it can give an opening for men to try to hit on you.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Smile or be hit on?”
“Both.”
“I love you.” She cups my cheek. “You’re a beautiful girl, and that man I saw today isn’t hard on the eyes either.”
“He was pleasant to stare at,” I agree. She smiles at me.
“I’ll leave it to you to think this all over. Just remember, it’s your choice. Marriage is an important decision, and I want to make sure you’re comfortable in the one you make.” Mom heads back toward the door.
“Love you too, Mom.”
“I know, honey.”
The door closes with a click, and I drop down onto my bed.
What is your plan here, Paxton Monroe?
That is now my goal: to find out everything he might be up to. If this is some sort of game to him, toying with me and getting into my head, then he has no idea who he is trying to get into bed with.
I’ll cut out both of his eyes.
Chapter Three
PAXTON
Itab through the new set of pictures I got today of Naomi. Fuck, she’s beautiful. She doesn’t have to try; she simply is. Those bright blue eyes with her heart-shaped face are even more stunning in person. Her nose is small but pert. Those lips—I can’t get started thinking about them and not get hard. They are full and plump, not needing any lipstick to draw attention to them.
The little speed demon was difficult to follow, but we managed to get a few pictures. It’s impressive how well she can handle a vehicle.
Now she is tucked back in at home. I always have this restless feeling when she’s running around town or out with Eros. The two of them work together a lot. Mac mainly sticks to her computer, but she too often has eyes on them when they are working.
Now that I’m here in the same city as her, that restlessness has settled some. I know she’s within arm’s reach. Not that she’d need my help or want it, for that matter. I can understand that. She’s playing in what most would call a man’s world. Her family might not hold her to a different standard, but the rest of the world sure does. Yet she doesn’t let that affect her.
My phone goes off, the sound making my stomach tighten. I don’t get rattled, but waiting for a call from War has me on edge. I hit the speaker when I see it’s my sister calling.
“How’d it go?” she asks. I hear her shut a door, finding privacy.
“He didn’t kill me.”
“Don’t say that shit.” Sloane scolds me like she’s my big sister and not little.
“He didn’t toss me out on my ass either and tell me to get fucked.” I’d taken that as a really good sign. War was taking my offer seriously.
“What did he do then?”
“It wasn’t a long meeting, but he said he’d have to speak to Naomi about it.”
