Page 82 of Seduction in Spades

Full bodyguard mode kicks in and he puts his hand on my lower back, guiding me down the hall. I’m perfectly capable of finding my way, thank you very much, but the feminine side in me appreciates his touch and his protectiveness.

When we get to the garage, he positions me against the wall in front of his car and does a thorough sweep, takes out his phone again, then finally unlocks it.

“Get in.” He doesn’t hold the door for me and walks over to his side.

I sulk during the ride to work. There’s an accident in front of the drop-off zone, so he continues past the building and finds a parking spot in front of a store.

“Stay,” he orders, jumping out of the car.

I watch him as he rounds the hood, and I swear he sees every person, every window in every building, looking for a threat. When he reaches my door, he holds out his hand for me, still not making eye contact.

If I weren’t so pissed at him for ignoring me these past few days, I’d find this whole badass bodyguard thing kind of hot. He grips my biceps and hurries me down the sidewalk like a toddler.

When we reach my building, I tear my arm away and spin to face him. “I get that there’s a lot of shit going on, but there’s no need to be an asshole. If you can’t treat me like a human, then fuck off and get me another bodyguard.”

I spin on my heel and flash my badge to security, not looking back to see Nolan’s reaction.

I bury myself in work, turn down offers to have lunch with my coworkers, and am surprised when my phone vibrates with three missed calls from Trey.

“Hey,” I say, cradling my phone between my shoulder and ear. “I’ll be down in a minute.” I hang up, save the document I’m working on, and grab my purse.

“Answer your damn phone when I call,” Trey greets me at the security desk with an attitude.

“Nice to see you too, brother.”

“I’m serious, Avery.”

I’m about to snap back at him but notice the worry lines around his eyes. He looks like he’s aged a decade in the past week.

Shit.I’ve been so caught up in Nolan’s off behavior that I didn’t for a minute think it could have anything to do with the attack.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” He opens the car door for me and, unlike Nolan, waits until I’m buckled before closing the door.

Funny that my grumpy brother is now showing more manners than the country boy from Ohio.

“Trey. You need to keep me in the loop. This involves me now. I have a right to know why you and Nolan are extra ornery.”

“Nolan’s getting paid to protect you, and I’m always ornery.”

Getting paid to protect me. He’s doing his job and I’ve been crying into my pillow, hurt at his rejection. Damn, we have communication issues. If he’d only tell me what’s going on, I wouldn’t take his solemness and aloofness so personally.

He’s not a hired bodyguard, no matter what Trey says. He’s... more. We have a connection. Granted, it’s one I keep pushing away.

At least I thought we had a connection. He fucked me bent over the kitchen counter last night like I was a random hookup who meant nothing to him. Hell, he didn’t even wear a condom or clean up the mess he left on my back. He treated me like a whore. There’s no excuse for that. I don’t care how much danger we’re in.

I don’t grill Trey anymore as we sit in heavy commuter traffic. When we finally reach the penthouse, we both go to our rooms—well, I go to his and he goes to Ryder’s—to change. I slip into yoga pants and sports bra, this time with the intention of actually doing yoga.

“Sorry for snapping. I’ll heat up leftovers if you want to relax.”

“Thanks.” I leave him in the kitchen and head to the living room.

I move the coffee table to the side and push the sofa back a foot to give me more space. I slip my earbuds in and hit play on my Tom Petty station. Not exactly yoga music, but I like the combo.

After five sun salutations, I’m warmed up and focused on my breathing as I dive into deeper, more challenging moves. I get lost in the flow and the music, and when I come to standing, I see Nolan’s reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The city lights are bright outside, and Nolan’s brooding presence behind me is dark. I take a final calming breath and turn off my music. I turn and we stare at each other in silence for a moment.

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