Page 125 of The Protégé

“Where’s Elena?” Brittany asked.

“At work.” He smiled as he reached for a towel draped over a chair and wiped his face.

“Do you have any friends that look like you?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

I smiled and bit my lip at his arrogance.

The ladies laughed. “So confident.”

To save my boyfriend from the ogling women, I called him on his phone, which was sticking out of his back pocket.

A smile beamed on his face as he picked up my call. “Hey! How are you?” Then he turned to my neighbors. “Sorry, ladies, I’ve got to go now. Thank you for visiting.”

Melissa and Brittany waved at him and walked off the deck.

Orion entered the kitchen, and I walked into his arms. He smelled of hard work, male, sweat. “Thanks for rescuing me.”

“I think we need to put up an electric fence. What do you think?” I teased.

“Whatever you want.” He smiled and looked at the kitchen counter. “You brought me lunch?”

“Let’s sit and have lunch.” I poured iced dandelion tea into two cups and briefed him on my conversation with HR and how I’d made two employment offers to two former coworkers.

“I designated two people from my office to assist you with the hiring process.” He wolfed down his steak and cheese sub. “They should reach out to you soon.”

“Thanks. I thought you were hiring someone to work on my back deck?”

“It’s me.” He sipped his iced tea, sitting back in the chair and looking masculine and relaxed.

“I didn’t know you were handy,” I said. He was beautiful, and I wanted to bite him.

“The Condor and Ralph taught me these skills.” He finished his sub and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “My father was too busy traveling for work, and he wasn’t handy. Your porch is all set.”

“Thank you. I’ve got the best boyfriend.”

“Also, I have roofers scheduled for next week.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “How do you know I have a leaking roof?”

“You mentioned it the first time I visited your home.”

I loved how he remembered those little things. Rising from my chair, I walked over and straddled him, dropping kisses to his cheeks, his lips, and his neck, eventually nipping at the pulse on his skin.

“I just want to bite you.”

“Why?” Amusement gleamed in his eyes.

“Because you’re absolutely adorable and hot. I can’t stop imagining all the scenarios we could roleplay in bed with you as the thief, carpenter, and business entrepreneur.”

“And your teacher.” He smirked and slapped my ass.

“Yes, Mr. Reimann. How could I forget? Please don’t deduct points from my grade.”

His phone rang, and he glanced at the number, then picked it up. “What’s happened?”

He listened to the person and looked at me. Something twisted in my stomach.

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