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I should ask more but drop it. Whatever that’s about isn’t my business. My only concern is getting these two women home safe and sound. No ulterior motive behind it.

Lies.

“Drop me off first,” Jen says, climbing into the backseat of my truck. “Is this new?”

While answering, I open the passenger-side door for her friend. “Yes. Do you like it?”

“For a truck, it’s not bad. What do you think, Izzy?” Finally, Jen says her name, so I don’t have to keep thinking of her as her friend. “Do you like men who drive big trucks?” She tries to use an American twang, but it comes off choppy and weird.

Izzy smiles, and I can’t help but smile back—a rarity for me. “Um, I don’t know that I care one way or another.”

Exhaling slowly, the corner of my mouth curves as I reach for her hand to help her in. “Ignore her.”

The moment she takes it, something passes between us. Everything stills, and neither of us moves—like breaking it would be a mistake. I’ve never felt an instant connection to anyone. It’s unnerving.

I’m a simple man. No space to set my eyes on a woman. No room for relationships. A chill races down my spine as doubt creeps in for the first time since I chose this crossroads.

“He’s single, in case you were wondering,” Jen blurts out, interrupting our brief exchange, causing Izzy to break our connection and takes her seat. “I hear he’s not a bad lay, either. I mean, gross, but if you’re interested, it’s something you should consider.”

“For Christ’s sake, shut up.” Gripping the top of the door, I rest my other hand on the roof. “Sorry. She was never good at being subtle. Please accept my apologies.”

When Izzy licks her bottom lip, a flash of her tongue appears, and the sight is so adorable that I can’t help but stare. “No need to apologize. I would’ve asked her later. She just saved me the trouble.”

Bloody hell.

With a careful step back, I ensure she’s clear of the door before closing it with a soft click. That’s information I did not need to know. It sparks my imagination, and I can’t let myself forget the reason I chose this life. Fucking this woman will only distract me from that. I don’t have time to bed her the way she deserves. Something tells me a quick fuck—the kind I’m accustomed to—won’t cut it with her. I’ll need hours, or at least the weekend. Maybe a month of weekends. But even then, I have my doubts that those would be enough.

Even with a lifetime of weekends, I’d crave more.

Jesus, I need to stop this before it’s too late to turn back.

Once I’m behind the wheel, I reverse and head toward Jen’s. My cousin’s loud snores fill the air before we make it out of the car park. Great, that means I’ll have to carry her inside. Nothing new.

Izzy flips the visor down, using the mirror to peek into the backseat. “Guess she was tired.”

“Typical Jen. She does this every time. You should keep that in mind if you take her out again. You’ll have to cart her arse inside or leave her in your car until she sleeps it off.” A wave of unease washes over me as I squint in my rearview mirror, spotting the SUV from earlier looming behind. “Your friends must not trust me to get you home safely.”

Flipping the visor back up, she focuses on the road in front of us. “Not my friends. My detail.”

Chapter 3

Aiden

My eyes return to the headlights as I try to figure out the best way to handle this.

“Detail? Like security?” I scratch my chin, caught off by her words. “Why the fuck do you need detail?”

With a heavy sigh, Izzy sinks her head into her hands, and a barely audible, broken mumble escapes her lips. It’s clear she wanted to keep this from me, but fuck that. She needs to explain pronto.

“Sorry, could you repeat that?” As I turn onto Jen’s street, I consider all the reasons she’d withhold that information. Reaching over, I place my hand on her knee to get her to look at me. “Why let me drive you instead of just saying your people had it handled?”

I should remove it, but hell if I want to, so I don’t. My thumb runs along the outside of the seam of her jeans. It would be so easy to let my fingers join in, but I refrain.

“I don’t know.” Her hands fall, and she makes a show of waving them around. “Maybe because I hate explaining shit like that. Knowing the minute you heard about them, you’d write me off and never step near me again.”

She’s not wrong. My bosses wouldn’t appreciate me spending time with someone who has others watching. It’s too risky for her and me.

Who the hell is this chick?