Page 44 of Baby Bodyguard

Her laugh caught in her throat. “You don’t mind?”

“I’m not thrilled at the idea.” He drew back, athought occurring to him, one that would offer him some peace of mind—at least on one front. “I know. How about a trade-off?”

“What sort of trade-off?” she asked warily, stepping away from thedoor.

“I go for my physical like a good boy and you let me teach you some self-defense maneuvers. After your run-in with Thomas, you could use them.”

Her brows drew together in bewilderment. “Is that necessary? It’s not like I’m at risk or in any sort of danger. Not if I cancel the rest of my interviews.”

“Humor me. How about if I teach you and Daria, Carmela and Widget, as well. We’ll start today. It’ll be fun,” he coaxed. “It’s the perfect addition to the skills you’re already teaching them.”

“Today, huh?”

“Within the hour,” he pressed. Any skills she picked up from him would help protect her from her blackmailer.

“Okay. One more favor, though.”

Uh-oh. “What?”

She nibbled on her lip in a way that warned he wouldn’t like this particular “favor.” “I might have mentioned that I have a birthday coming up?”

“I recall something to that affect.”

“Well, Babe’s throwing this big bash and…” She clasped her hands together. “I’d really, truly appreciate it if you’d escort me.”

That wasn’t so bad. “Sure.”

“You’d have to wear a tux.” She shot him a hesitant look. “I can provide you with one.”

“That’s not necessary.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “My man Friday comes complete with evening wear?”

“Consider me a full-service man Friday.” He sighed. “More full-service than I realized when I first took the job. But that’s my fault, Isuppose.”

She was kind enough to let the remark pass. “There’s one more, teeny-weeny detail.” She held up her thumb and index finger, squeezed close together and waggled them athim.

Hell. “What?”

“You need to leave Loner behind.”

“Not a chance.”

“It’s at the Hyatt Regency in Embarcadero. They won’t allow Loner in. Besides, if he freaks any of the guests, they’relikely to call in animal control. Ihave a sneaking suspicion the authorities will take one look at him and get the impression—themistakenimpression—that he’s a wolf.”

She was more accurate than she knew. Discretion seemed the best choice at this point. “I guess I can leave him behind for one night.”

“Great.” Not giving him time to reconsider, she darted toward the door, throwing a quick grin over her shoulder. “Fair’s fair. Since you’ve agree to all of my demands, I’ll round up everybody so you can give us our first self-defense lesson.”

The minute she left, Noah closed his eyes and slumped against the nearest wall. What the hell had he done? And how the hell did he get out of it? Get out of it? His mouth curved into a humorless smile. He didn’t want out. He wanted in. All the way in. Which created one small problem….

How did he convince Sami to open thedoor?

Sami curledup in her chair behind the desk in the practice interview room and checked Mr. Woof for more rips. There weren’t any since she’d last repaired him, but that didn’t stop her from looking.

She cradled the stuffed animal in her arms, her thoughts turning to Noah. Maybe she was making a mistake about this baby business. Maybe he had a valid point and she wasrushing into it without due thought. Even as she considered his comments, abone-deep yearning filledher.

It had been so long since she’d last been part of a family and a silent desperation encircled her like a shroud. Perhaps the desire to have a baby had come to a head when her mother had moved out, leaving her to rattle around the house alone. Or maybe it was because of spring and spring brought back dark memories—memories she wanted to replace with some life-affirming act. Or maybe it had something to do with this particular birthday—ayear she’d dreaded for two solid decades.

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