Page 94 of The Bodyguard

Her eyes sparkle.

“Two: take off like that again and I will quit.”

Savannah glances away, but her voice is emotional when she says, “Please don’t do that.”

Jesus.

This woman.

I press the gas, and we start moving. Then I reach over and take her hand.

Damn her.

Twenty minutes later, I turn into a driveway and push the button in my car to shut the gates.

She stares at the house then at me. “This is your home.”

“Yes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

SAVANNAH

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Ryder leads me to the front door. He doesn’t hold my hand, but he walks beside me. Something we can’t do on any normal day. Those ten or twelve steps are stupidly enjoyable.

I smile up at him as he opens the front door, and he winks.

Welcome back butterflies.

His home is large. Bigger than I would’ve imagined, and I realize he’s a reasonably wealthy man. Or has inherited it.

It’s not a mansion, but at a guess I’d say it’s a five- or six-bedroom home, which in Los Angeles is worth a stupid amount of money. Plus, he’s only twenty minutes from Hollywood Hills so, yeah, the math is mathing.

Ryder is rich.

The white double story house is classic looking and in good condition. Despite the size, the word modest comes to mind. It’s not flashy. It’s homely, I realize as we step inside.

Wooden floors and a large plush white mat meet me. A black jacket hangs on a hook, with a pair of running shoes sitting on the floor underneath it.

A meow sounds out and my eyes widen.

I crouch as a black kitten comes zooming around the corner.

“Oh, my goodness,” I say as it climbs onto my jeans and up my chest.

“Hey Max,” Ryder says, tossing his keys on a side table. “I see you’re as loyal as ever.”

I stand, lifting Max. “He’s adorable. How old?”

“Seven months,” Ryder says, scratching Max’s head.

“Meow,” Max squeaks and begins purring as loud as an engine. I giggle, falling in love with him immediately.

“The neighbor's kids look after him when I’m not here.” Ryder tells me as Max jumps from mine into his arms and climbs up onto his shoulder. “Come on in.”

He wanders ahead of me through the house with the kitten on his shoulder.

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