“Hell, no!” she said immediately. “It’s not really romantic that you’ve come sniffing around now that I’m hot, you know.”

“I’ve—it’s not—” I started.

Fuck. I was going to have to get better at expressing myself if I wanted her to forgive me.

“You’ve always been beautiful to me,” I said.

She only scoffed.

Fuckkkk. This was not going well.

As we arrived back at her house, I wondered about what the Chief had said to me. There was something I didn’t quite like about his instructions.

Any means necessary

What did that mean?

Why shouldn’t Clementine speak to a journalist?

I was here protecting her, and if she wanted to speak to a journalist, I would make sure that happened.

Between the Chief’s instructions and what I knew about some of Harvey Adler’s associates, I would just feel better if Clementine had a top-of-the-line security system.

I had a few things in my car that I would use to start setting up a system today and add more pieces later as soon as I was able to order them.

“I’m going to put in a security system,” I said.

“Whatever you want,” Clementine retorted. “I know you old codgers like to tinker around with electronics.”

Then she tossed her hair and went to change into her yoga clothes.

What a colossal fuck-up I was. How the fuck was I going to fix this?

As I collected my equipment and began to set up a base for the security system in the living room, my eyes were caught by movement in the backyard. Of course, she was doing yoga right where I’d have a perfect eyeful.

She was wearing tiny little shorts, and they were tight as fuck on the curves of her perfect perky ass, her body held in an incredibly flexible graceful position.

Drool pooled in my mouth. Fuck, the way she affected me was goddamn illegal. I had never felt this desperate for any woman.

Of course, I could leave anytime I wanted. Go text any of the women in my phone for a quick fuck, and then get back to my job.

The thing was that I didn’t want any other woman . . .

Clementine twisted so that she was facing the same window I was working behind, and I could see her skin glistening in the sun, her nipples tight little buds against her loose shirt.

Holy fuck, I wanted her so badly.

My cock hardened in my slacks, and I adjusted myself uncomfortably, unable to drag my eyes away from Clementine’s perfect, luscious body. The way her tight shorts went down into the v of her pussy had me in a chokehold. I wanted my face there, to be able to lay her out on the bed and do things to her that would put that adoring look back in her eyes again.

What she had said about not remembering gnawed at me.

She had to be lying.

Had to be.

I couldn’t bear the thought that what I remembered so clearly and painfully, couldn’t keep myself from remembering now, was something she had forgotten totally about.

The way she had collapsed on me after her body arched off the bed, her release pulsing in wet beats over my face, or tightening in gasping contractions around my cock.