Page 31 of Impressing Brett

She nearly jumps out of her skin. I can’t blame her. Based on the number of messages and texts she had from the Rutherfords, I suspect she’s reached the point where most of her incoming communication is from them. She’s probably grown reluctant to even check.

“May I?” I ask her before I pick up her phone.

“Yeah.” She crosses her arms and rubs her biceps. “I kind of hate that stupid thing now.”

I lift it, type in her passcode, and try not to react when I see the incoming text from Max, the younger one. She has him entered as Max. His father is entered as Maximillian.

I heard there was a fire in your building, and it’s been condemned. Good timing. You need to be here anyway. Get a flight. Text me your flight information.

This fucker is so cocky. If he were standing next to me, I would punch him in the fucking nose and watch him bleed. Ordering Lacy around. Fuck him. If he didn’t live so far away, I would think he was the one who started the damn fire to chase her out of her home. I’m not fucking ruling it out, either.

I set her phone on the counter again, face down. “Don’t touch this unless you need to get hold of me, okay?”

“I don’t even have your number,” she tells me.

I smile. “Sure, you do. I put it in there.”

“Oh.”

“I also ordered you a new phone. It will be here later today.”

Her eyes widen. “Why?”

“New number. You can let your bosses, Eve, and whoever you need know about the new number. That way, you won’t have to deal with the Rutherfords.”

“That’s a good idea. But how did you get it set up without my credit card information and stuff?”

I pull her into my arms and kiss her forehead. “You’re on my plan now, Little lamb.”

She gasps. “Brett, you can’t do that. You hardly know me.”

I knew this would be a battle. I can’t blame her. I know this relationship is fast, and she’s going to have doubts for a while. I just need to be patient with her. “I can. I did. I know we’ll be learning about each other for months, but the important parts I already know.”

She blinks several times.

“It’s just a phone, Lacy,” I soothe. “Don’t worry about a phone, Little lamb.” I bend down, lift her up, and toss her over my shoulder.

She squeals as I carry her to the living room. I deposit her on the couch, snag a soft throw blanket to tuck around her, and turn on the television. “How about an animated movie? I bet you can’t watch the entire thing before I get back.”

She’s staring at me in shock. Finally, she whispers. “Promise?”

“Promise.” I turn on the TV, find a few options, and hand her the remote. “No opening the door while I’m gone, okay?”

She nods. “Yes, Sir.”

I bend over and kiss her temple. I want to kiss her lips. I want to flatten her to the couch and kiss her for an hour. We haven’t crossed that line yet, but we will before this day is over.

I leave her snuggling on the couch, grab my keys and jacket, and head to the garage. I hate leaving her, partly because she’s in a precarious vulnerable state and partly because I can’t stand being away from her. I’m whipped.

But this needs to be done. She needs clothes and a few other items. More importantly, she needs peace of mind, knowing that her belongings are intact.

It takes me ten minutes to get to her apartment building. I text Sanders Dakota as soon as I park, the firefighter I’ve been in touch with. He meets me at the front door and lets me in.

“Spike,” he says as he extends a hand. He’s one of the few people outside of Black Blade Protection who knows my former military nickname and uses it.

“Good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“It has. We should meet for beers one night. Catch up.”

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