It almosthadto be afriend of his, someone who knew him well, based on what he’d told me sofar.
Ashley stopped dead, sittingup in my lap, his lips kiss-bruised and his eyelids heavy.
Another tiny pang of arousalhit me square in the gut, but I pushed it aside. There could have been realdanger on the other side of that door.
Knock knock knock.
“Coming!” I called out,buying another few seconds.
I knew how to handle this. Iknew how to keep Ashley safe.
“Bathroom,” I hissed,meeting Ashley’s eyes.
I was half-afraid he’d make a joke,my cheeks heating in anticipation of it, but he only nodded and climbed off me
“If you hear a fight, you goout the window, down the fire escape, and straight to the police. Don’t lookback.”
Ashley’s throat bobbedas he swallowed. Fear had swamped his pretty features, all traces of arousalgone.
“Ashley,” I said, keeping myvoice down so whoever was outside wouldn’t hear. “Go.”
After another moment’s hesitation,Ashley went, striding toward the bathroom. As fast as he could without makingany noise.
Good. He understood what Iwas doing.
I stood and headed for thefront door, a tendril of anxiety curling around my gut. There could have beenanythingon the other side.
I’d opened a lot of doorslike this, but there’d never been a civilian in danger on my side before.
This was reallybodyguarding, wasn’t it? This was the kind of exciting client Gray and Fox tookon.
I wasn’t sure I likedit anymore. I wasn’t sure I was cut out for it.
All the same, Ashley wasdepending on me. I couldn’t let him down.
Knock knock.
Out of time.
I put my hand on the doorknob,took a deep breath, and twisted it open.
On the other side of thedoor was an older woman—maybe in her mid-sixties—wearing a fluffy pink robe andher hair in a scarf.
Not… exactly what I’d beenexpecting.
“You’re not Ashley,” shesaid, looking me up and down with her eyes narrowed.
That was true. I definitelywasn’tAshley.
“Uh, no, ma’am, I’m—”
“Hello, Mrs. Seif,” Ashleyinterrupted, the bathroom door closing quietly behind him as he walked towardme. “This is Logan.”
Mrs. Seif looked me up anddown again, a sly smile turning up one corner of her lips, eyebrow raising.
“New boyfriend?” she askedwith a glint in her eye. “I like him.”
The tips of my ears were onfire, so hot I almost wanted to check to make sure they weren’t actuallyburning.
