Page 6 of Straight, No Chaser
The only thing that could ever make me mad is you leaving. "Ask me."
Her shoulders roll back thrusting out her nipples even more. Fuck me.
"It's my twenty-first birthday next week and my friends want to take me out to celebrate."
Her confession spills out in one long breath, and it takes me a few seconds to process her request. Until it hits me like a fucking freight train. Her drunk. In a bar. Wearing some sexy outfit. Dancing with some douche bag trying to get into her wasted pants.
Hell the fuck no.
"It's just Saturday night. I'll be back the next morning. If you don't want me to it's totally fine and I—"
"Sure."
"Really?"
A relieved smile lights up her gorgeous face. All the worry gone. There's my girl.
"Yeah, but one condition." I head bob toward Boz and Duncan standing conspicuously behind us. "You have to take a bodyguard with you."
To protect her innocence and my sanity. Then I can watch over her without looking like the total possessive asshole that I am.
The frown returns. Damn it.
"But...I thought they were for you and him."
She glances toward my brother, who's completely oblivious to our conversation. Battling pretend bad guys with his new buddy, while I worry about the real ones. Who could harm her. And then they would have to die.
"They protect everything that's important to me."
Fire that I've never seen before flames in her huge eyes that I want to be lust so damn bad. She scans my face. I'm sure searching for bullshit. That, for once, isn't there.
Her fingertips brush over the hollow of her throat, stroking the tiny bones I'd love to fucking bite. Making her scream with pleasure. A nervous habit she probably doesn't even realize she has. "I'm important to you?"
"Yeah, angel, very much." What the fuck am I doing? I need to shut the fuck up. But this girl makes me say and do the stupidest shit. I'm using the lines on her that get me pussy. But what scares the fuck out of me is this time I actually mean them. I've got to stop before I can't control myself. "You're my employee. Eli would be upset if something happened to you. I can't deal with that."
Total. Dick. Move. My shitty comment extinguishes the passion in her eyes and her face falls, the budding smile sliding off her flushed face faster than the semblance of conscience I was starting to develop. What the fuck? I don't do guilty. I don't do nice. And, I sure as hell can't do my fucking nanny. "So if you don't want him to worry, you'll let me protect you."
Even worse dick move. Turn the tables and make her feel guilty for saying no. Which I know she can't stand. Too soft-hearted to upset him. Or me.
"S-sure. Of course."
She steps back, and I have no choice but to let her go. Physically and emotionally. Good. Exactly the way it should be.
Her head hangs low as she strides toward Eli, confirming I hurt her. And, I'm a bastard. But a smile covers her face as she talks to him and the other kid. Maybe I'm mistaken. Or maybe she's really good at playing pretend.
Just like me. I scroll through my messages, ignoring her while she acts like everything is fine. Because that's exactly what I want.
After reading the string of emails marked urgent, I pound the tiny keys. Ordering the death sentence for some motherfucker who thinks he can get away with hacking one of my online gambling sites. My guys are going to fucking love breaking his code as well as his face.
"It's okay with me, if it's okay with your mom and dad."
Mom and Dad.My head flies up from the jovial voice echoing across the open space. Surreal like those lame movies where everything suddenly goes silent and the words hang in the air, thick with shock and uncertainty. My gaze flies to Eli.
"But...my mom and dad are dead."
The woman's face flushes, and she swallows hard, her hand flying over her mouth. Not her fault but it still guts me just the same.
"I-I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I thought you were..."
