Page 17 of Untamed Protector

I regroup quickly. “By the way, when did you plant it?” Throwing questions back seems to be the best way to keep him on the other side of the room.

“It was Dominic. When he, um… when you two talked.”

“You mean when he gave me that hug, right? You guys must’ve had a good laugh.”

“We never make fun of clients.”

“What clients? Who are we? And why are you in my life right now?”

As I say that, Peter walks in. “Lexi, I’m the one who called him. We need his help,” he says, walking up to the table with a grim expression and tossing the threatening letters I received, along with their envelopes.

“Gabriel, this is what we’re dealing with for now.”

Gabriel spreads the letters on the table as Peter walks past me and sits in the chair closest to the window. He gestures for me to have a seat as well. I clench my fists, resisting the urge to sit. It’s just a stupid feeling that standing will give me more control over this chaotic situation.

Peter is used to being listened to. He’s probably about sixty. He’s the type of person you can’t help but respect, but what I’ve always liked about him is his fairness. I’m uneasy around him, but something draws me in, even though I suspect his family has some skeletons in their closet.

Since I moved from his factory in my hometown to work at the company headquarters here in the port city, I’ve steered clear of confronting him. We’ve been working closely over the last few months on the secret project he brought me in for. That gave me access to a lot of confidential documents. I was making good progress until the letters started coming in, and Peter panicked. And now, of course, he’s forcing Gabriel into my life.

“Please sit down, Lexi, and let’s tell Gabriel the whole thing. You two know each other, right? From last night.”

The letters clatter to the table as Gabriel snaps his head up, locking eyes with me for a mere heartbeat. He shoots up from his chair, skirting the table swiftly, and comes to a halt two feet from me. The scent of his spicy citrus cologne hits me, and my heart goes wild again.

“Hi, I’m Gabriel Ross. We haven’t had a formal introduction.”

Peter nods, motioning for me to introduce myself, too. A forced smile plasters my face as I extend a hand, shoving down the memory of Gabriel’s intrusive introduction from last night. He snatches it with one hand, the other snaking around my waist, pulling me against him. Surprised, I stumble slightly toward him. I feel his kiss land softly on my cheek, and the sensation of his nose grazing my hair sends a shiver of pleasure through my body.

It suddenly dawns on me I spent more time than usual choosing my outfit this morning. Black slacks and a cute, sheer pink top with long sleeves cinched at the wrist. Lena said this was one of the most head-turning outfits we’ve ever put together, combining my clothes and hers. The idea was to wear this around Lucas as part of my plan. A plan that never included Gabriel, who’s now checking me out from head to toe.

“Hi,” I whisper and sit down, scooting away from him. “We’ve already met. Through Dominic.”

“I hear you two had quite a night. Sorry about the inconvenience with Lucas. He hasn’t come in yet, but I’ll have a word with him,” Peter says apologetically.

The inconvenience is Gabriel. He’s the one meddling in my business with Lucas. But this is not the time or place to talk about it. Gabriel kicks back in a chair, sitting across from Peter and me. We’re looking right at each other. I can’t escape his piercing gaze, and I get uncomfortable.

He’s just a speed bump; I need to remember that. If I focus, I can get past him. But how on earth can I ignore him when I can’t stop thinking about how strikingly handsome he is? My eyes wander down his broad shoulders to his trim waist, admiring his perfect posture. And, of course, the perfect combo of jeans and a casually unbuttoned white shirt under the elegant navy jacket.

My gaze glides back up to his face, where my eyes meet his, staring back at me. I hate how much I’m drawn to his confidence and how naturally in charge he looks. He oozes strength through every pore, making me both safe and frustrated at the same time.

Gabriel ignores Peter’s apology about Lucas and keeps looking at me, his hand on the table like he wants to reach out. The threat letters stand between us.

“Are you okay? How did you sleep?” The little microphone has vanished from the table, and I’m sure it’s in one of his pockets. He’s hiding it from Peter. Oh, I see, Mr. Ross. You want to keep your invasion of my life between us. If he heard me say anything to Lena, he’s very good at hiding it, at least from Peter. I’ll find out later what he knows and what he’s up to.

“I got some sleep. Or at least, I tried to.”

“You didn’t text me as I asked.” What’s this obsession he has with texting him?

“I thought your guys were filling you in.” I won’t say anything about the microphone planted on my dress, not in front of Peter.

“Look, I just wanted to know how you were. It’s difficult, this stuff you’re going through. You’ll listen to me from now on when I ask you something, won’t you?”

I turn red again, this time around my neck and my cleavage. Shit. I hope it doesn’t show. I glance at Peter, and he nods. Okay then. I can play, too.

“Thanks for the help with Dean and the guys, by the way. I barely noticed them. Were they around this morning, too?”

“Yeah, they tailed you until you got here. It’s their job not to be seen. And from here on, I’m taking over.”

“Taking over what?” I lock eyes again with Peter, who gets up and comes over to my chair, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

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