statement for her, too. We’ll nip this in the bud while I start trying to figure out what’s happening.”
Her father turned to Connor. “Look, I thank you for protecting my daughter and you seem like a guy with a good head on his shoulders, but I don’t know you. I don’t know a thing about you. I can’t trust my daughter’s life in the hands of a man I don’t know anything about.”
Connor withdrew a letter on very official crisp linen stationary. “This is a letter of recommendation.”
The senator barely glanced at it. “It will take too much time toverify this is actually from Captain Spencer, whom I’ve also never met. Besides, I’m not much of a Navy man. My family’s roots are Army.”
Connor reached into his pocket. “I understand. I don’t like to use this reference very often, sir, but I think if you call this number, you’ll feel better about your daughter employing me.”
Her father took the card, looked at it for a moment, and then stared back up at Connor. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I did some work for him back in the day. Please feel free to ask him anything you like about me.”
Her dad held the card up. “Don’t think I won’t know if this is a fake. I’ll be back.”
He stepped out.
“Who’s your reference?” Whoever it was had her father jumping to attention. Very few people could do that.
Connor shrugged. “An old acquaintance.” His eyes hardened, his whole body losing that calm presence he’d had with her father and becoming predatory. “Now, we’re going to talk about how this will work because I will no longer buy your bullshit that you don’t need a bodyguard. In fact, I’m fairly certain you need a keeper.”
“A keeper?”
He leaned in, nearly pinning her to the bed. “Yes. You need someone to make sure you don’t get yourself killed. The good news is I no longer have to hold back and hope you’ll let me do my job. In about three minutes your father will walk back in here and he’ll be completely on my side. There’s nowhere left to run, little girl. From here on out, it’s going to be my way all the way, and the first rule of this partnership is that I’m in charge.”
“That’s rude and I don’t have to put up with it.” She was deeply grateful for the blanket between them because her nipples were acting up again. “I’m your employer.”
There was that sexy caveman smirk again. “No, you’re not. As far as anyone knows, I’m your boyfriend and we’ll have to keep up that pretense in public. I’ve found whenever I’m going undercover it’s bestto keep up the pretense in private, too. You’re less likely to slip up that way. Now that I think about it, I should really thank that fucker on the bike since I hated the thought of sleeping on your couch.”
His mouth hovered above hers, and suddenly her lungs didn’t seem to function. He was close, heat radiating off his body in waves. All she had to do was lean forward a little before her lips would touch his and she would know what it meant to kiss him. “There’s nowhere else to sleep at my place.”
“Sure there is. Do you like the right or the left side of the bed, sweetheart? Actually it doesn’t matter. I’ll take the side closest to the door.”
The thought of sleeping next to him was a little too tantalizing. It had been forever since she’d slept next to a man, and even then he’d been more of an overgrown boy who stole the covers and claimed he couldn’t sleep if she was too close to him. Tom hadn’t been a cuddler. Not that Connor would be. Somehow she couldn’t see him wrapping that lean body around a female to sleep. What would it be like to turn over in the early-morning light and have him resting between her and whatever might come through her door? She would feel so safe. But she couldn’t give in because she wasn’t about to let him think she was some doormat. “Or I can fire you. Then I wouldn’t have to pretend anything at all. I don’t
Her father turned to Connor. “Look, I thank you for protecting my daughter and you seem like a guy with a good head on his shoulders, but I don’t know you. I don’t know a thing about you. I can’t trust my daughter’s life in the hands of a man I don’t know anything about.”
Connor withdrew a letter on very official crisp linen stationary. “This is a letter of recommendation.”
The senator barely glanced at it. “It will take too much time toverify this is actually from Captain Spencer, whom I’ve also never met. Besides, I’m not much of a Navy man. My family’s roots are Army.”
Connor reached into his pocket. “I understand. I don’t like to use this reference very often, sir, but I think if you call this number, you’ll feel better about your daughter employing me.”
Her father took the card, looked at it for a moment, and then stared back up at Connor. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I did some work for him back in the day. Please feel free to ask him anything you like about me.”
Her dad held the card up. “Don’t think I won’t know if this is a fake. I’ll be back.”
He stepped out.
“Who’s your reference?” Whoever it was had her father jumping to attention. Very few people could do that.
Connor shrugged. “An old acquaintance.” His eyes hardened, his whole body losing that calm presence he’d had with her father and becoming predatory. “Now, we’re going to talk about how this will work because I will no longer buy your bullshit that you don’t need a bodyguard. In fact, I’m fairly certain you need a keeper.”
“A keeper?”
He leaned in, nearly pinning her to the bed. “Yes. You need someone to make sure you don’t get yourself killed. The good news is I no longer have to hold back and hope you’ll let me do my job. In about three minutes your father will walk back in here and he’ll be completely on my side. There’s nowhere left to run, little girl. From here on out, it’s going to be my way all the way, and the first rule of this partnership is that I’m in charge.”
“That’s rude and I don’t have to put up with it.” She was deeply grateful for the blanket between them because her nipples were acting up again. “I’m your employer.”
There was that sexy caveman smirk again. “No, you’re not. As far as anyone knows, I’m your boyfriend and we’ll have to keep up that pretense in public. I’ve found whenever I’m going undercover it’s bestto keep up the pretense in private, too. You’re less likely to slip up that way. Now that I think about it, I should really thank that fucker on the bike since I hated the thought of sleeping on your couch.”
His mouth hovered above hers, and suddenly her lungs didn’t seem to function. He was close, heat radiating off his body in waves. All she had to do was lean forward a little before her lips would touch his and she would know what it meant to kiss him. “There’s nowhere else to sleep at my place.”
“Sure there is. Do you like the right or the left side of the bed, sweetheart? Actually it doesn’t matter. I’ll take the side closest to the door.”
The thought of sleeping next to him was a little too tantalizing. It had been forever since she’d slept next to a man, and even then he’d been more of an overgrown boy who stole the covers and claimed he couldn’t sleep if she was too close to him. Tom hadn’t been a cuddler. Not that Connor would be. Somehow she couldn’t see him wrapping that lean body around a female to sleep. What would it be like to turn over in the early-morning light and have him resting between her and whatever might come through her door? She would feel so safe. But she couldn’t give in because she wasn’t about to let him think she was some doormat. “Or I can fire you. Then I wouldn’t have to pretend anything at all. I don’t
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