Page 24 of Until The Stars Don't Shine

“That’s not what I meant…” She trailed off, irritated at the sight of him. He would be a constant reminder now that the normal life she’d tried so hard to cultivate would soon be destroyed.

It wasn’t entirely fair to blame it on him, she knew, but it was just how she felt. Hunky or not, something about him rubbed her up the wrong way.

“Is there something I can help you with or were you just hoping to cop a look at me half-naked again?” For some unfathomable reason, his very nearness was causing her to feel jumpy. Goose pimples ran up and down her arms. She rubbed at them, hoping they would go away.

His face turned hard.

“Don’t worry, that will never happen again. I don’t need to spy on women, Miss. Rockefeller. That’s not how I get my kicks.”

Shame made her take a moment. She felt bad for her sudden reaction to him. However cocky he was, he had already proven good at his job. Maybe she should take him at his word too. She couldn’t quite make herself apologize though some form of explanation was in order.

“I didn’t mean to sound so hostile. I’m not quite myself.”

His eyes weren’t exactly soft now, but they weren’t brittle as glass either.

“Well, that’s why I’m here, to reassure you that we have it under control.”

“We?”

“My dog and I.”

Hearing himself be mentioned, Bud lifted up a paw as if to make her acquaintance. It was impossible to stay angry with that face staring back at her. Her coldness shifted down several notches.

“Thanks for the effort, Bud.”

She reached down and shook his paw, much to the dog’s delight. He nudged at her hand, demanding that she now stroke his head. She obliged, enjoying the uncomplicated joy of his silky fur against her fingers as a smile came upon her lips.

“Did you train him yourself?”

Her smile unnerved him. She seemed almost nice flashing it at his dog. The simple question she’d asked suddenly seemed loaded with danger.

“We trained each other.”

His tone wasn’t exactly rude, but it wasn’t welcoming either. Lexi wasn’t sure what his deal was but it was almost as if he had a problem with her — yet how could that be when they’d only just met?

“My team will be on site first thing in the morning to install the new security system,” he continued briskly, apparently all done with the small talk. “I wanted you to know that there will be a camera outside your room on the terrace right here.” He moved into position, gesturing at a section on the corner of the terrace.

“It won’t point into your room so you’ll have privacy but if anyone tries to go through these doors, they will be caught on camera and an alarm will be triggered.”

“Is that really necessary? I’m not sure why my folks are over-reacting like this. Those pictures…” Her voice trailed off as their image flew into her mind. “They’re unpleasant, but I really doubt other paparazzi will attempt more of the same. Now that we know it’s happened, we’re obviously going to be more prepared for it.”

“If you have a problem with it, you’ll have to speak to your parents.” It was the only explanation he could offer without giving the game away.

She stared at him, wondering why he was being so cold when he was clearly capable of being nice — she’d witnessed that in each of his interactions with his dog.

She turned to the corner where the camera would go, pushing his attitude from her mind. “Will they know if it’s been triggered?”

“The alarm? No. You won’t hear it from here, but we will. We’re setting up our base of operations in one of your outbuildings so there will always be a team of us on site. If the perp doesn’t know they’ve tripped it, it gives us the advantage and more time to catch them.”

What he said made sense and though it should reassure her a shadow of apprehension crept along her spine. As unlikely was it was, in the event of an attack, would a camera be enough?

Maybe he read her mind as he answered, “We won’t ever be far: someone will always be within a few steps of you. If you’re concerned, all you have to do is call or press the panic button that’s arriving tomorrow.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m going to be out most of the day so I guess my guard will have to come with me. When will I meet them?”

“You already have.”

“It’s you?”

---