Page 65 of Control

“Are you suggesting it’s my fault?”

Shrugging, I countered, “Have you seen how sexy you are? One look in your eyes, or a smile from you, and I’m gone.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “That was nice of you to say, but I wasn’t even looking at you when you attempted to seduce me.”

“No, but your body is pressed close, and your ass is nestled against my dick. Am I supposed to ignore that?”

Alana sat up, pulling her back away from my chest, and twisted her torso to look at me. Her eyes dropped down to my lap, where she placed her hand lightly over me. One touch could do it, too. My cock stiffened under her touch.

She seemed surprised by what she found, and her eyes narrowed.

“What’s that look about?”

“I’m just wondering if you’re even going to be able to focus in two days when we’re back out there, investigating and possibly interviewing? Should I head back to Harper Security Ops first?”

Confusion washed over me. “Why would you do that?”

“Do I need to request a new bodyguard, since mine might be broken?”

There was a lightness in her tone, a teasing and playful edge to it. I wanted to burst out laughing, but it was that moment when it hit me.

Alana had done that.

She’d made me feel this happy again. Happier than I’d ever been, actually. I couldn’t remember ever feeling the way I felt now.

Even though there was something so dangerous and intense swirling around us at the moment, just being around her made it better. I could have easily been weighed down by the heaviness of the situation.

And while there were moments that made it impossible not to feel like I was on edge when it came to her safety, the reality was that I could take one look at her smiling at me and everything else would fade away.

I dropped my gaze to where her hand was resting, felt my cock twitch, and returned my attention to her face. “Does it feel like your bodyguard is broken?”

“I didn’t say this part of him was broken. I’m well aware it’s fully functional. Exceeds expectations.”

There was nothing I could do to stop the laughter that spilled out of me. She made me feel so good inside; all I wanted to do was hold her and kiss her for hours upon hours. Unable to resist, my body still vibrating with laughter, I pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’s that great, and yet, you’re still complaining.”

“Because it’s the other part of my bodyguard I’m not so sure about, the part that’s supposed to be focused on protecting me and making sure I’m safe from anyone who might want to harm me.”

Leave it to Alana to have me laughing one minute and wincing the next. “You aren’t getting another bodyguard, baby.You don’t need one. I’ve got my head in the game, Alana, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. That is one promise I can make you.”

Her features softened, a small smile playing at her lips. “I can make a promise of my own.”

Curiosity got the best of me. “What promise?”

She rubbed her hand over me, doing little to help me rein in the excitement. “I promise I’ll make it up to you after we go through this one more time.” She paused, her stomach growling loudly. Reconsidering everything, she said, “Correction. I promise I’ll make it up to you after we go through this one more timeandwe have dinner.”

“You’re going to make it up to me?”

“Yep. I’m going to do all the work, too.”

“All of it?”

She nodded and promised, “All of it.”

Although it was unlikely that I’d ever sit back and allow her to do all the work—I just wasn’t wired that way—I couldn’t say I wasn’t curious about how she intended to do it. Giving her a few minutes to play and take charge was something I’d be happy to accommodate. In fact, it was something I was now looking forward to experiencing as quickly as I could make it happen. “Alright, what do you want to go over?”

After sending a look of gratitude my way, she offered a firm squeeze before removing her hand. Then she was back down to business. “I just want to be sure we’re making a good decision about what we’re planning to do in two days.”

“That might depend on your definition of a good decision,” I noted. “Are you concerned about some aspect of it and thinking you might want to nix the idea altogether?”

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