Page 48 of Untamed Protector

“I didn’t think you cared about how things look.”

“I care about sending the right message, that you’re mine and anyone who touches you won’t live to regret it.”

“Are you serious? You can’t expect me to be okay with that. I get a few threats, and that’s it? I need to get married?”

“Calm down. Who said anything about getting married? Plus, this is one hundred percent temporary.”

“Oh, I’m one hundred percent calm because this will never happen. And if it does, it won’t last, and you’ll have to dump me just as fast.”

“Is that what you’re worried about? Getting dumped?” I slow down as we approach a long red light at the crossroads. Dominic’s hotel isn’t far now. I glance at her, but she turns away. I catch the slight quiver of her lip and the quickening of her breath. “What is it, Lexi?” I ask softly, sensing something deeper is troubling her.

“My past is not relevant to what’s happening today.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? That’s my job. Was there a man who left you? Here in the city? Maybe he’s not too happy that you’re here now?”

“He’s happy. He has a pregnant wife and a dream life.”

“You have no idea how many wives jealous of ex-girlfriends I’ve seen. I’ll need details to check on the guy.”

Biting her lip, she stares out the window, her fingers twisting in her lap before she finally speaks. “We went to the same college. He’s older than me. After he graduated, he married one of our professors, ten years his senior.”

“And how do you know that? Have you met him recently?”

“No, Lena’s been filling me in,” she says, sounding proud and defensive, like she’s got something to prove.

I know she won’t like it, but I have to ask. “Why did he leave you?”

“It was getting too tough. I needed to take care of my dad. So, I couldn’t do the long-distance thing.”

“What happened to your father?”

“Health issues. He needed me all the time, and things got rough. I dropped out of university. My ex showed up at the hospital twice. After that, he texted me it was best if we broke up,” Lexi says, her voice trembling as she looks out the window, avoiding eye contact. I’ll find out more about her father from Dean—he updates me every six hours.

“So that’s it? You got a text, you broke up, and there was no other conversation?” I need to find out more about this story. The man might be a lead.

“I was way too busy with my dad. Lena offered to slash the tires on the car he was driving. I don’t know if she went through with it after all.”

“Lena seems like your guardian angel. The sister you never had.”

“Yeah, in a way. My big sister.”

“Text me the guy’s name so I can pass it along to my team to investigate.”

“There’s a team working on my case? I didn’t know that.” She pauses for a few seconds, then turns to face me. “I wanted to ask you something. It’s this rumor I heard about a group called the Protectors. Any connection to them?”

I keep my eyes peeled on the road. The steady stream of traffic is a good excuse to dodge the question. The truth about the Protectors can wait. She already has enough on her plate. Right now, it’s best if she sees Dominic and Damien as my friends and former Navy buddies.

“Let’s focus on you and making our relationship public. Trust me, this is the best option.”

“I don’t even know you. How are we going to show up in public together? Everyone’s going to know we’re faking it.”

I could tell her she’s wrong, that she and I are already together. That the electricity crackling between us is more real than any contract. But she’ll get mad, and I’ll waste time trying to convince her. Patience is the name of the game. And that’s what I’m good at.

“You keep saying you don’t know me, even though you slept in my bed, ate my food, saw me naked, and now you know how I kiss.”

“That wasn’t a kiss.”

“Oh, good. I’ll remember that the next time I kiss you.”

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