Pip was too close.
I was still too groggy.
He smelled too good.
Fuck.
No, I couldn’t be thinking like that. I had to shut those emotions away. Pip was a nuisance. That’s all he could and would ever be.
Tilting his head, he searched my gaze as if he could pull my thoughts from my mind. I kept my face as neutral as I could.
Still, his face broke into a smirk. “Are you sad I’ll leave or are you wanting to get rid of me?”
“Get rid of, obviously. Why would I be sad?”
“Maybe because you like me. After all these years, I’m sure there’s some part of you that doesn’t hate me.”
“When did I say I hated you?” I asked, curious of when that came about.
It wasn’t hate I felt towards Pip.
Confusion would be a more appropriate word. I couldn’t understand how he lived. The lack of a stable place or work. It baffled me that he enjoyed taking lives like it was some kind of hobby when I worked so hard to suppress any violence in my own life. Kills were a necessary part of the job—not a recreational hobby.
“You don’t hate me?”
“I’ve never hated you,” I admitted. “You’re not around enough for that. Plus, you haven’t done anything to me or Pharrell in order for me to feel that strongly.”
His smirk grew as he leaned forward onto the desk. The position brought him closer. I felt like an animal caught in a snare. I wanted to back away and run as fast and as far as possible.
But I couldn’t move.
It would only entice him to chase me. That much I already knew.
“That’s good to know, Henny. Are you ready to go home now? I’ll walk you to your door.”
I shook my head. “That’s unnecessary. I’ll have the driver take me back to the hotel tonight. I don’t want to disturb Pharrell.”
“Disturb him?”
Part of me wanted to divulge the news about Ricardo’s arrival. As it stood, he’d need to know since I didn’t think this was a flyby visit.
But at the same time, I didn’t want to hash it all out tonight. I needed to get into bed before I did something stupid.
“Then I’ll get a room there tonight too. I don’t want to disturb him either. Or I could sleep outside your door. Whatever keeps you safe since your guard is down and the boss is busy.”
I raised my brows. “My room at the hotel is perfectly secure. There is no reason for you to protect it. You’re welcome to get a room of your own though.”
His smirk stayed in place. “Sure. That’s what I’ll do.”
The words didn’t sound sincere. I blamed my lack of focus on being only half awake.
When we got back to the casino, I realized my error in telling him to get a room. The place was fully booked.Of fucking course, it was.
We had been all week and would continue to be so for a while. It was busy season for us, which meant Pip would eitherhave to stay with me, or risk going to Pharrell’s place and running into Ricardo.
The latter sounded like a disaster. I didn’t need him shooting first and asking questions later. That would demolish the connection we had with Dante and Preacher.
“You can stay in my room on the couch,” I agreed after weighing the options.
