her. She was who she was. Her life was what it was, and she couldn’t change that. A man didn’t have a place in her world. This man couldn’t have a place in her world.
“Like a baby,” he smiled. “Although unlike a baby I had the advantage of having the most delicious dreams about—”
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready? You have to be at the opera house by nine o’clock.” She knew exactly where he was going with his words and if she could keep him from speaking those words then she would be all the better for it.
“It’s not even five yet,” he refused to move. He refused to grant her at least a smidgen of space. Fine, she couldn’t avoid looking at him forever otherwise he would know she was intentionally trying to keep from looking.
She schooled her expression as she always did. Years of working in the business, training, suffering, had taught her to wear an unreadable mask. She raised her eyes to meet his. She could see the devilish glint in his eyes. “Were you planning to shop for food to fill that refrigerator today or are you planning to eat out again?”
He shrugged. “I’d prefer to get something I can cook for myself. I’m not a fan of eating out, but in business situations it can’t be helped.”
“You have no meetings today,” she returned her gaze to the task in front of her. “Unless you forgot to document something here.”
“No. No meetings. But I don’t know how long I’ll have to be at the house to oversee things. I might be able to get to a grocery store today and I might not. Would having dinner out on me be such a bad thing, Valencia?”
She didn’t miss the hidden meaning behind his words. No, having dinner on him wouldn’t be bad at all. She wouldn’t mind licking her meal off that hardened chest…but she couldn’t go there. She reminded herself of her commitment to keeping this about business. She was the bodyguard and he was the client. There was nothing else to it. There was no wiggle room allowed here.
“I just need to know so I can prepare.” She hid her thoughts well.
“I’d prefer to stay in tonight,” he said. “We can get to know each other better.”
“Harrison—”
“If we’re going to pull off the relationship ruse I need to know more about you.”
“You don’t need to know more about me,” she stated. “You just need to know the me who I’m pretending to be.”
“What if I want to know more?”
“You can’t,” she somberly said before placing the dossier back on the table. She stood to leave and he grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, not with a hint of threat in her eyes, but with sudden recognition of the heat, the volt of electricity and sexual awareness that shot through her like an arrow of steel. No, not now. Not him . She couldn’t; she wouldn’t.
“Why not?” His voice was low and seductive. His thumb traced over the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist as his eyes held her locked in a seductive death grip.
“Because it’s not important.”
“It is to me,” he stood, towering over her. She looked up into his eyes, feeling the heat coming off his body as he eased closer to her. She told herself to move back. Move before he could do what she knew he was about to do—kiss her. He still held her wrist in his big hand and even though she knew she could easily free herself from his hold, she wasn’t quick to do it.
He placed his free hand on her throat, letting his thumb gently glide down her neck before gently tracing his finger over her collarbone. All the while he held her gaze, studying her reaction—a reaction she kept hidden, but somehow she knew, that he knew he was getting to her. “Take a cold shower, Harrison.” She extracted herself from his hold and put distance between them.
“I already did,” he said. “It didn’t help.”
“Try it again,” she stated flatly as she turned to leave the room.
“Care to join me? It might help.”
She could hear the grin in his voice. She
“Like a baby,” he smiled. “Although unlike a baby I had the advantage of having the most delicious dreams about—”
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready? You have to be at the opera house by nine o’clock.” She knew exactly where he was going with his words and if she could keep him from speaking those words then she would be all the better for it.
“It’s not even five yet,” he refused to move. He refused to grant her at least a smidgen of space. Fine, she couldn’t avoid looking at him forever otherwise he would know she was intentionally trying to keep from looking.
She schooled her expression as she always did. Years of working in the business, training, suffering, had taught her to wear an unreadable mask. She raised her eyes to meet his. She could see the devilish glint in his eyes. “Were you planning to shop for food to fill that refrigerator today or are you planning to eat out again?”
He shrugged. “I’d prefer to get something I can cook for myself. I’m not a fan of eating out, but in business situations it can’t be helped.”
“You have no meetings today,” she returned her gaze to the task in front of her. “Unless you forgot to document something here.”
“No. No meetings. But I don’t know how long I’ll have to be at the house to oversee things. I might be able to get to a grocery store today and I might not. Would having dinner out on me be such a bad thing, Valencia?”
She didn’t miss the hidden meaning behind his words. No, having dinner on him wouldn’t be bad at all. She wouldn’t mind licking her meal off that hardened chest…but she couldn’t go there. She reminded herself of her commitment to keeping this about business. She was the bodyguard and he was the client. There was nothing else to it. There was no wiggle room allowed here.
“I just need to know so I can prepare.” She hid her thoughts well.
“I’d prefer to stay in tonight,” he said. “We can get to know each other better.”
“Harrison—”
“If we’re going to pull off the relationship ruse I need to know more about you.”
“You don’t need to know more about me,” she stated. “You just need to know the me who I’m pretending to be.”
“What if I want to know more?”
“You can’t,” she somberly said before placing the dossier back on the table. She stood to leave and he grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, not with a hint of threat in her eyes, but with sudden recognition of the heat, the volt of electricity and sexual awareness that shot through her like an arrow of steel. No, not now. Not him . She couldn’t; she wouldn’t.
“Why not?” His voice was low and seductive. His thumb traced over the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist as his eyes held her locked in a seductive death grip.
“Because it’s not important.”
“It is to me,” he stood, towering over her. She looked up into his eyes, feeling the heat coming off his body as he eased closer to her. She told herself to move back. Move before he could do what she knew he was about to do—kiss her. He still held her wrist in his big hand and even though she knew she could easily free herself from his hold, she wasn’t quick to do it.
He placed his free hand on her throat, letting his thumb gently glide down her neck before gently tracing his finger over her collarbone. All the while he held her gaze, studying her reaction—a reaction she kept hidden, but somehow she knew, that he knew he was getting to her. “Take a cold shower, Harrison.” She extracted herself from his hold and put distance between them.
“I already did,” he said. “It didn’t help.”
“Try it again,” she stated flatly as she turned to leave the room.
“Care to join me? It might help.”
She could hear the grin in his voice. She
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