Page 66 of If Our Hearts Collide

“I’m sorry I implied otherwise, but you said in no uncertain terms at the Japanese Garden that your goal was to have unbridled sex.” My eyebrows rise in challenge. “My intentionwas not to shame you but to just make sure you weren’t doing something?—”

“Stupid.”

“Reckless.”

“Which translates to ‘stupid’ in bodyguard talk.”

“Penny…”

“Believe it or not,” she says, “I have learned from my mistakes of trusting the wrong men and making rash decisions. The taxi driver was just an error of judgment based on an online ad. It was my fault but not something I plan to make a repeat mistake on.”

I finally connect the dots. “So, this is your new place?”

Penny walks deeper into the room, spinning around to take in the entire space. “Sure is. Ain’t she a beaut?”

“She sure is.” But I can’t take my eyes off the dazzling girl who is capturing my full attention with her rhythmic dance moves in the center of her apartment. She glides about like a ballerina.

Prancing over to the window, she looks out. “Breathtaking.”

Sidling up beside her, I take a deep breath. “The view of the river is amazing. I never tire of looking at it.”

I marvel at how the water ripples with each gust of wind. From up here, I can see rain starting to fall farther out, creating a misty fog along the horizon.

I follow Penny from room to room as she tells me about what she wants in each one. It is relaxing hearing her get excited over going furniture shopping and making this place her own.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to see Nic Hoffman’s name across the screen. Sliding the bar, I accept the call. “It’s Collins.”

“Hey, man, my mom keeps calling me wondering why Penny isn’t answering her phone. Is everything okay?”

I motion to Penny that I’m going to take this call out in the hallway, and then proceed to exit the unit. “Yeah, I have Penny with me now. She actually just found an apartment and we are here checking it out.”

“Oh, yeah? Where’s it at?”

“Sky View.”

Nic laughs. “Well, your life just got easier.”

I would never equate those two things—especially right now. Nothing thus far has been easy. “From a security standpoint, I know this place is sound.”

“And from a convenience standpoint,” Nic interjects with a chuckle, “monitoring her just got vastly easier.”

“Yeah, really.”

I’d never tell him that everything about his sister is difficult. Granted, deep down, I think he already knows. Otherwise he would have hired someone with a less rigid demeanor.

“Okay, I’ll let Mom know she’s with you. She’s pretty hard set on giving Penny space, so there’s no need to let Penny know she’s being checked up on.”

“Noted.”

“I know you have this covered, and I trust you to take care of my baby sister.”

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, as I think of all the times in the last couple of days where I’ve thought of Nic’s baby sister in a less than professional manner. I’m the worst kind of human.

When I go back inside, I find Penny on the hardwood floor in the living room, lying on her back and moving her arms and legs around like a malfunctioning windmill. My feet cement themselves, as I can’t take my eyes off her.

“Oh, hi,” she greets.

Her hair is in disarray, getting tangled with every movement of her head. Her perfectly toned legs get more and more exposed—and I can’t stop from wondering how they would feel in my hands as I press her against the hardwood.

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