Page 21 of Hiding out with a Royal Billionaire

“Could we send Alfonso?”

“He’s old.”

“Precisely, not a hot headed man full of hormone and ambition.”

“Our guys are professional.”

“Would you leave one of them alone with Anna?”

Lucan opened his mouth and then shut it again, then he nodded. “Understood. I would want to be there myself. But since that’s not possible for you right now.”

“Is Chase good at his job?”

“He’s the best.”

Brooks grunted. “I’ll take her there.”

“Understood.”

“Then we proceed as you suggested.”

“If you can get her to agree.”

Brooks made his way down a well-known hallway. He could have found his way in the dark but the floors were lined with dim lighting. It was late. He’d coordinated with Lucan over every detail they could think of. He regretted involving Skye more than ever. But how was he to know the cross would become such a danger to them all. It’s presence, strapped to his thigh bothered him more than the itch it had become.

He tapped on Skye’s bedroom door and tried to calm his breathing. He’d often picked her up in the middle of the night from her bedroom. They’d tried to outsmart security all the time, tried to sneak out. He learned later that all the times they thought they were young and wild and free, security had been trailing them the whole time. And now that he knew the dangers in the world from a closer perspective, he was grateful they had been. What at times might seem stifling, later seems like an important safeguard. He exhaled slowly. Skye was about to feel stifled. He knew it. And she should be able to choose how to best keep herself safe, but

Brooks didn’t think he could personally handle anything less than the best security measures for her.

Her parents had seemed only mildly concerned, which he couldn’t understand. Perhaps they trusted him more than they should. No man was perfect at his job.

As he stepped into her room, he smiled at all her lovely smells. Her room always smelled of strawberries, from the time she was young. And tonight, a hint of her perfume.

She shifted in her bed, and Brooks froze. He couldn’t see her, but the sound of the sheets sliding over her skin, the movement, her breathing. He backed up two steps without thinking.

Then she sat up bolt upright. “What!”

“It’s me.”

She fell back down. “Oh.”

He stepped nearer, more afraid of himself than anything. Alone in the dark with this new fiery attraction. “We have to talk.”

“MMM. Okay talk. I’ll sleep.”

“We’ve got to get you out of here.”

The silence lasted long enough that he began to wonder if she drifted back to sleep.

“I don’t want to.”

He smiled. “You sure? A vacation for two sounds nice right about now.”

“You sure two is accurate?”

“And a full security detail, but who’s counting?” He moved closer. They were joking. He could sit on the edge of her bed and keep their friend vibe going even though he was hyper aware of every shift of her body in bed.

“Honestly, do you think this is necessary? Because I would never desert my country otherwise.”

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