Page 99 of Unexpected Hero

Hell, she might even find a Dom who will teach her all the things I can’t.

No. Not can’t. It’s that I won’t.

She’s off-limits.

It’s not only who her father is but the dynamic of our relationship. I met her under false pretenses. I’ve been lying to her for weeks.

As I move slowly through the hallway, passing the private rooms, I force myself to tamp down my concerns for Lettie. Anything beyond caring for her physical well-being is no longer my concern.

Aside from helping her find a place to live, I need to move on. After that’s done, I’ll be her friend.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

I’ll protect her, even if she doesn’t know it. All the while, I’ll work on getting Boss ready by taking on more responsibility at Redleg.

Once I bring them together, I’ll deal with the fallout. But at least I won’t have crossed that line with her. It’ll never go any further than those stolen kisses.

I’m watching over her.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Chapter 18

That deserves a thumbtack to the nut sack

LETTIE

Freya bumps my shoulder with hers. “You’ve got company of the sexy, quiet, brooding Dom variety.”

My head whips around in the direction of her head tilt. Instantly, my gaze locks on him walking toward the front desk. My heart does a triple back handspring and sticks the landing.

“There you are, Lettie.”

His voice caresses my ears like a velvet-wrapped sonnet.

I’m so gone for this man that the mere sight of him has me grinnin’ like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater.

I bob on my tiptoes, ignoring the pain it causes. “Hi, James.”

He pauses a few feet from the front desk where Freya is going over some procedures with me. In typical James fashion, he doesn’t speak. He’s often entirely content with the silence.

“I guess I’ll give you two some privacy.” Freya edges around the desk and heads to the door leading to the main room.

Once she’s out of earshot, he moves the rest of the way to the front desk and rests his elbows on the top, still silent as a mouse.

No matter how badly I want to know what he was doing in the club, I won’t be asking.

Nope. I won’t. Promise.

I smile warmly, and there’s a slight tremble in my voice when I finally find the words. “I didn’t see you in the main room when I came through a few minutes ago. Were you in the back or a private room?”

Dammit. Turns out I’m shitty at keeping promises to myself.

“Back room.”

My neck moves like a well-oiled spring, bobbling my head around like I’ve got a medical condition. “Cool, cool, cool. Sounds fun.”

The crease of his mouth curves upward a tad. “I was only back there because I was looking for you.”

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