Page 40 of Sweet Temptation

She knew it, too.

I tried to shift gears, focus on what was important here—her safety.

“Maybe you want to slow down,” I cautioned her. She had a bit of a lead foot on the gas pedal. We were merging into heavy traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge into downtown, and I’d already clocked that her driving style was a bit… reckless.

“Or maybe I don’t,” she said.

I stifled a sigh.

I was plenty accustomed to clients giving me push-back. Especially the ones who were used to getting their own way in life, on their own terms. Trying to convince them that they needed me was both a frustrating and mind-numbingly boring recurring struggle—and one of the main reasons I’d planned to retire my bodyguard services.

So I could focus instead on consulting and co-running my company with my two partners.

Our specialty at Sentinel Security Group was VIP protection, and my last ongoing close protection detail had been for a trust fund kid—fully grown—with the personality traits of a spoiled toddler. By the end of it, I’d become so tired and so fucking bored of being in constant friction with a spoiled princess that I’d sworn it would be my last assignment.

When Summer gave me static, though… it was far from boring.

It was oddly electrifying.

Sitting next to her, I felt the intense energy of her presence… It was coming off of her like a static charge, and it crackled in the air between us. I could feel my whole body wanting to tune in to it, even as I remained outwardly calm. In control.

I never lost control.

And I did not like my body betraying me this way.

My dress pants felt too fucking tight. I definitely needed to swing by my place at some point, change into something more comfortable.

And maybe jack off in the shower.

Maybe Andre was right. I should’ve screwed Tamara’s friend with the long legs last night.

Of course, if I’d done that… I may never have picked up that call from Brody and I wouldn’t even be here right now. Some other asshole would be in my place, one of my colleagues or one of my competitors, and that would not fucking do.

“So…” Summer kept throwing me glances as she drove, probably wondering why I’d gone conspicuously mute. “Who’s coming to my house to do the alarm thing? Maddox?”

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Maddox. He’ll be bringing another guy with him. They’ll be prepping to put in the new alarm system tomorrow.”

“Which I didn’t actually approve of,” she pointed out. “How much is that gonna cost me?”

Totally not in my job description to answer that. Maddox didn’t work for me, and his services didn’t go on my bill. But I’d advised her that she needed the alarm system, and I wanted to put her at ease. “Maddox owes Brody a favor. It’s a currency with these guys.”

“These guys?”

“The Kings. You know, bikers.” Surely I didn’t have to explain to her who or what the West Coast Kings were. She seemed to know Jude well enough. “Anything that’s going to actually cost you, I’m sure Brody will keep you informed.”

“Right. Well, just so we’re clear. I don’t think owing bikers anything is a great strategy, longevity wise.”

I totally agreed with her on that point. But I assured her, “It’s not like that. You don’t owe anything to anyone, and you’re not going to.”

“Uh-huh. And how do I know some angry biker isn’t gonna show up at my door in the middle of the night demanding money, and threatening to yank my new alarm system out?”

“If he does, he can yank it out of my spleen first.”

She eyed me. “So, that’s it? Brody hired you to protect me and now you’re willing to bleed out on my living room floor? Just like that?”

“That’s the job.”

“Maybe you should get yourself a new job. This one doesn’t seem conducive to that longevity thing we just talked about.”

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