like your attitude.”
“Oh, you might not like what I’m saying to you because you’re not used to having to play by anyone else’s rules, but I think you like me. I think you like me just fine.”
She managed to shake her head.
With a little twist of his hand, he pulled the blanket from her, unveiling her rigid nipples against the superthin material of the hospital gown. He looked down. “Cold, sweetheart?”
She pushed against his chest. “Asshole.”
He stepped back but didn’t go far. He sat on the edge of her bed with a little sigh, as though he was sad their play was over. “I’ll take care of you, Lara. I won’t let anyone hurt you, but you might not always like how I do it.”
She was feeling stubborn. Stupid, actually, because she was still thinking about kissing him. This was dangerous. She wasn’t about to get involved with a meathead who thought he could be all nice and polite one moment then take-charge, protect-the-little-woman the next. Nope. She didn’t care that her nipples liked him just fine. She was more than the sum total of her girl parts. Her biggest girl part was her brain, and her brain didn’t like him. Mostly. “Or we could just call it quits here.”
“Oh, we’re past that choice. Unless you want your father to take over. I think you’ll find he’s very comfortable with handing you over to me now. And I’ll allow you to work. Hell, I’ll help you. If you go with your father, you can’t work out of his place and you can’t ever let the guards he hires know what it is you do for a living.”
Damn it. Connor was right.
“I still think you should sleep on the couch.”
When he really smiled, fine lines crinkled slightly around his eyes. She was already beginning to differentiate his smiles. There was the arrogant smirk that seemed to be the most common in his repertoire. There was a little half smile that seemed to come when she said something he thought was stupid. Yeah, she could read that on his face. And then there was the smile that kind of lit up the room.
“How about I promise not to make love to you until you beg me? Would that make you feel safer?”
She blushed and wished he wasn’t sitting so close. “That’s not ever going to happen.”
“Then you don’t have anything to worry about, sweetheart.” He raised his hand and brushed his index finger against her nose, a sweetly affectionate gesture. “Who knows you were hiring a bodyguard?”
“Kiki.”
“The girl from the coffeehouse?”
She nodded. “Oh, and Tom.”
A single brow arched over his eyes. “Who is Tom?”
“He’s a friend. He’s cool. He clerks for a judge. Our fathers havebeen friends for years.” For some reason, she didn’t want to tell him that Tom had almost been her husband. She deserved to keep a few secrets.
“Tonight you’re going to call them and explain our situation. If anyone asks, they need to say we met through mutual friends at a party and we’ve been talking online for a couple of months. We decided it was time to move this relationship to the next level.”
“See, to me the next logical level would be on my couch. And there’s no way they buy any of that story. We’re really close.”
The door opened and her father walked in, looking a little pale. He slid his cell phone into his pocket. “Lara, you do whatever this man tells you.”
“He just said he intended to sleep with me. Should I do that?”
Connor rolled his dark eyes. “I believe I told her I wouldn’t touch her in any physical way unless she begged me. Your daughter is apparently afraid that if I stay in her apartment, she’ll be overcome with lust. I’m a little worried about it, too, but I think I can handle her.”
“Connor.” She hit him with her pillow.
“Senator Armstrong, I’m sorry. Your daughter brings out the sarcastic jerk in me. I’ll keep it reined in. I’ll step out and give you two a moment. Lara, we need to get moving if we’re going to avoid those
“Oh, you might not like what I’m saying to you because you’re not used to having to play by anyone else’s rules, but I think you like me. I think you like me just fine.”
She managed to shake her head.
With a little twist of his hand, he pulled the blanket from her, unveiling her rigid nipples against the superthin material of the hospital gown. He looked down. “Cold, sweetheart?”
She pushed against his chest. “Asshole.”
He stepped back but didn’t go far. He sat on the edge of her bed with a little sigh, as though he was sad their play was over. “I’ll take care of you, Lara. I won’t let anyone hurt you, but you might not always like how I do it.”
She was feeling stubborn. Stupid, actually, because she was still thinking about kissing him. This was dangerous. She wasn’t about to get involved with a meathead who thought he could be all nice and polite one moment then take-charge, protect-the-little-woman the next. Nope. She didn’t care that her nipples liked him just fine. She was more than the sum total of her girl parts. Her biggest girl part was her brain, and her brain didn’t like him. Mostly. “Or we could just call it quits here.”
“Oh, we’re past that choice. Unless you want your father to take over. I think you’ll find he’s very comfortable with handing you over to me now. And I’ll allow you to work. Hell, I’ll help you. If you go with your father, you can’t work out of his place and you can’t ever let the guards he hires know what it is you do for a living.”
Damn it. Connor was right.
“I still think you should sleep on the couch.”
When he really smiled, fine lines crinkled slightly around his eyes. She was already beginning to differentiate his smiles. There was the arrogant smirk that seemed to be the most common in his repertoire. There was a little half smile that seemed to come when she said something he thought was stupid. Yeah, she could read that on his face. And then there was the smile that kind of lit up the room.
“How about I promise not to make love to you until you beg me? Would that make you feel safer?”
She blushed and wished he wasn’t sitting so close. “That’s not ever going to happen.”
“Then you don’t have anything to worry about, sweetheart.” He raised his hand and brushed his index finger against her nose, a sweetly affectionate gesture. “Who knows you were hiring a bodyguard?”
“Kiki.”
“The girl from the coffeehouse?”
She nodded. “Oh, and Tom.”
A single brow arched over his eyes. “Who is Tom?”
“He’s a friend. He’s cool. He clerks for a judge. Our fathers havebeen friends for years.” For some reason, she didn’t want to tell him that Tom had almost been her husband. She deserved to keep a few secrets.
“Tonight you’re going to call them and explain our situation. If anyone asks, they need to say we met through mutual friends at a party and we’ve been talking online for a couple of months. We decided it was time to move this relationship to the next level.”
“See, to me the next logical level would be on my couch. And there’s no way they buy any of that story. We’re really close.”
The door opened and her father walked in, looking a little pale. He slid his cell phone into his pocket. “Lara, you do whatever this man tells you.”
“He just said he intended to sleep with me. Should I do that?”
Connor rolled his dark eyes. “I believe I told her I wouldn’t touch her in any physical way unless she begged me. Your daughter is apparently afraid that if I stay in her apartment, she’ll be overcome with lust. I’m a little worried about it, too, but I think I can handle her.”
“Connor.” She hit him with her pillow.
“Senator Armstrong, I’m sorry. Your daughter brings out the sarcastic jerk in me. I’ll keep it reined in. I’ll step out and give you two a moment. Lara, we need to get moving if we’re going to avoid those
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