Page 40 of Untamed Protector

She doesn’t seem too happy about the idea of us sharing a bed and a room. I guess she won’t be thrilled about the fake dating thing, either. But I have to tell her by the end of the night. I want to give her time to process it and get comfortable with the idea, so she’ll be ready to play her part in public. We’ll make sure everyone knows about us, down to the last dock worker.

“The house is not what it seems,” I say, trying to shift her focus.

Okay, that came out wrong. And now Lexi’s giving me a scared look. Maybe I should keep the conversation neutral until she’s on board with the fake dating thing.

“What I mean is, it looks pretty basic, but there’s nothing basic about it. It’s a little fortress.”

That didn’t help either. Now she’s even more scared, white-knuckling the car door handle.

“Let’s just go inside. I’ll turn off the house alarm. Give it a second before you get out of the car.”

My place is fully equipped with a high-tech security system, complete with motion sensors. Everything’s hooked up to my phone and the cameras in the control room at the office. It’s the safest place for Lexi right now.

We pull into the yard, the gravel crunching under the tires. The fence disappears into the background, its grey metal indistinguishable from the cloudy sky beyond. There are other houses nearby, but the land next to this house is mine, too. I wanted to make sure no one was going to build too close.

“Okay, we can get out now. I’ll get your bag. Hang on, let me get the door for you.”

“I got it,” Lexi says and immediately jumps out of the car. She’s either curious or trying to keep her distance from me. The moment we shared in the car has faded, and she’s slipping back into her feisty self. But I prefer her like this, her spark intact, rather than seeing her in tears.

“You can go inside while I get everything out of the car.”

“No, it’s your house. I’ll wait for you.”

I grab Lexi’s bags and the groceries my assistant got us. Delivery guys don’t come to this area. Nobody ever comes. Well, except for Dominic or Damien, occasionally.

I unlock and push the door open. The lights come on, and Lexi walks into the large open space, which combines the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

“This is where you’ll be staying, on the left. Let me show you.”

I drop the grocery bag on the kitchen counter and head left to my bedroom. Lexi trails behind me, her earlier chatter replaced by a tense silence. Exhaustion? Fear? Or maybe just curiosity. Her file says she’s always lived with her parents or Lena. No mention of any relationship with a man. She’s young, though. Much younger than me.

“This is your bedroom?” Lexi asks, looking at the unmade bed I’d slept in.

“Yes. I didn’t have time to stop by the house and tidy up before we came.”

“You mean we’re both going to sleep in here?”

“No, just you. Oh, there’s also a bathroom right next to it.”

“What about you?”

“There’s a sofa bed in the study. Or I’ll take the couch in the living room.”

“I can’t take your bedroom. I’ll sleep in the study.”

“No one goes in there. Besides, you’d hear me making noise in the living room when I get up in the morning. It’ll just be you in the bedroom, so it’ll be way quieter in here for you to relax and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Relax? You’re kidding, right? You did that earlier in the car, too. But it’s okay. This will be over soon, and I’ll be out of your hair, back to my life.”

“I don’t know how soon this will be over. Let’s take things as they come and be open to adapt if we have to.”

“Are you preparing me for something?”

Damn. This woman picks up on all the nuances in what I say. Either I break the news faster, or I keep quiet until she settles in.

“Look, I have experience with these things. Trust me, patience is your best friend when things get hairy,” I continue.

“What kind of experience? What do you actually do in your job?”

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