Page 1 of Hartley

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HARTLEY

There was a lot to do. An entire room to design. I wasn’t into home decorating, but I suddenly found I wanted to learn more about it. Ava had already been through so much, and now she’d have to move in with us.

Oh my god, what if she was scared of Jordan?

I turned, finding him across the living room from where I sat. I was looking online for furniture and bedding. Jordan wouldn’t hear of me trying to help pay for anything. He said it was the least he could do.

He took a seat on the couch and put his head into his hands, his fingers gripping the silver strands of his hair.

Standing, I put the laptop on the coffee table and went to him, dropping to my knees in front of him so I could try to look into his eyes. “Hey,” I said softly while gently pulling his hands away. “What’s going on?”

Tortured hazel eyes met mine. “We’re bringing a child into our home.”

“If you’re concerned with her coming here, why didn’t you bring it up to Vail?”

“It’s not that. I’m happy to open our home to her, but fucking look at me, Hart. I’m not someone a kid goes to when they’re in need of anything. Look how much I fucked up my relationship with my son. I’m not good at this. With Ava, I’m destined to fail.”

Taking his hand in mine, I stood from the floor and took a seat on his lap so I could loop my arm around his shoulders and hold his hand. “Youweren’tgood at it. Past tense. You’re not that man any longer.”

“I am. I don’t know shit about raising a child. I’m lucky my son isn’t more fucked up than he is. Plus, I have a business that makes life dangerous.”

“Last I checked, Vail and I are still in one piece.”

Jordan growled. “Don’t. Anything could happen. We’re lucky you haven’t been targeted yet. Now we’re adding a child who will need to be protected at all costs.”

“There’s no better person to do that than you. You already have a guard in mind for her, don’t you?”

Jordan nodded.

My hand started teasing the hair at the nape of his neck. “Care to share?”

“Kayli. I haven’t spoken to her about it yet. She’s supposed to be here any minute. I have men everywhere but few women in my organization, a statistic I aim to fix.”

The elevator dinged, signaling the arrival of Kayli. We turned and watched as she walked toward us. Her blond hair was pulled back with a few of the pieces hanging forward to frame her face, softening her appearance. Today, she wore white sneakers and a pair of jeans with a long-sleeved baby-blue top, making her look much more innocent than I knew she could be.

She sat on the couch to face us. “You asked to see me, sir?”

“I have a new job for you,” Jordan said. “If you’d like it, that is.”

“When have I ever turned down an assignment? I love sneaking into homes and stealing assholes while I threaten their lives.” Her lips curved into a mischievous grin.

“This isn’t like that. I need a guard detail.”

“Not my usual, but not a bad gig. For how long?”

“If it works out… years.”

“Interesting. Whose body am I guarding?”

“Vail has gained custody of a twelve-year-old girl.” Jordan gave Kayli a brief rundown of what happened with Ava’s mother and how she came to be with us. “Since we’re bringing her into our home, she’ll need protection like Vail and Hartley have.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Kayli asked and leaned closer. “You want me to protect a kid?”

Jordan spoke through clenched teeth. “Yes.” He was barely holding his anger back. Was it wrong it turned me on? I so enjoyed it when Jordan got all angry and tough.

“I’d go to the ends of the earth for you, but I’m not the type to watch a kid. There isn’t a motherly bone in my body.”

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