Page 24 of Whatever It Takes

Perhaps he simply forgot that I have full video and audio access to that room. Or it could be that he assumed I turned it off to respect Briar’s privacy.

He should know me better than that.

In fact, hedoesknow me better than that.

He must have placed her in that room as a gift. As much as it pained me, I cut off the feeds when she woke up from her nap and began to prepare to take a shower.

I was going to offer her the primary suite since it has an attached nest. But its lack of audio or visual surveillance means I’m fine with her staying where she’s at.

Unless she would prefer to sleep in my room or with me in the nest. If we went with my bedroom, I would need to find a way to cover the cage. That might give the wrong impression, so it’s better if we sleep in the primary suite together.

I scratch my jaw, trying to determine if it’s too soon to push her to acknowledge our connection. She hasn’t even had the opportunity to thank me for intervening with Jameson earlier, but I’m sure it’s coming.

Briar pulls open the door to the room she’s staying in, and her electric scent hits my senses, making my nostrils flare. Keir might describe it as honey and coconut, but I only get hints of that occasionally. The vast majority of the time, she smells like the weather immediately before a lightning storm. It makes little sense, but it’s the only way I’ve found to come close to describing her scent.

Briar’s head tilts, and she takes a quick step back. She should know better than to retreat from a predator.

The way her huge bluish-gray eyes widen doesn’t help my infatuation.It might be time to accept that nothing will.

I take a step forward, and she stumbles backward another step.

Her scent doesn’t indicate fear.

I’d like to believe that means she wants to be chased.

I have no problem being the pursuer.

Not with Briar as my prey.

Rolling her shoulders back, she gives a tight smile. “Thank you for the save earlier.” She stands her ground as I erase the space between us, and her head tilts upward to accommodate the height difference.

Keir may have an inch or two on me, but I’m just shy of six-four. Even if she’s not short for a woman, I still tower over her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. Although, you don’t need to worry about Jameson grabbing anyone else for a while. I broke nearly every bone in his hand before following you out.”

Speaking of hands, mine rises, seemingly of its own volition, and I swipe an errant curl from her eye, tucking it behind her ear. The confusion written all over her face matches my own, but I’m not going to question it too much.

If anything, I’m proving I can be soft for her.

I can also be very, very, very hard for her…but that’s a different story.

Jesus Christ.

She’s even making my thoughts cheesy.

“Easton,” she whispers, blinking up at me from behind her thick, dark lashes. “What if he files a police report? God, what a mess. He could sue you.”

I scoff. “He will construct a careful story to account for how he was injured, or he will greatly regret his poor decision-making abilities.”

She brings a hand up, rubbing her forehead.

“Keir said you barely pecked at lunch, and you haven’t had dinner. Are you feeling weak? Is your blood sugar low?” I ask, frowning.

Briar snorts, shaking her head. “You’re not worried about ending up in prison for assault, but you’re fretting about my blood sugar, when I’m not even diabetic?”

“If dinner isn’t here by now, it’ll be here very soon. Come down and eat with us. We have a lot to discuss.”

Briar joins us shortly after the food is plated at the breakfast nook. I rarely bother with the formal dining room. It’s ostentatious, even for my tastes, and I have a great appreciation for grandeur.

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