Page 37 of Broken Rules
A shiver shot up her spine. Her mouth ran dry. His gaze bore into hers. She stared transfixed before she had to look away, or else she was going to pledge her undying devotion right then and there.
Clearing her throat, she gestured to their dismal surrounding. “I don’t understand how you even found this place.”
“Charlotte found it for me?”
She jerked around, locking eyes with him once more. “Who’s Charlotte?”
“My personal assistant,” he answered.
“But I thought you said no one knew who you were.”
“That’s true. Charlotte doesn’t know my name. I’ve never met her. She lives in L.A. She’s the liaison between me and my clients. When she has a job for me, she pages me, and I call her on a special line for the details. Then she uses satellite images to find me places to stay when I’m on a job, like this abandoned mill.”
“But what about your family? Your sister? How do they reach you when they need you?”
He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. Then he handed her the mug and sat back. “I lied to you,” he said simply. “I’ve never had a family. I have no idea who my parents were. I was abandoned when I was baby.”
“You were...abandoned?”
He nodded. “I grew up in foster care and children’s homes. When I turned eighteen, I joined the army.”
“Why did you lie to me?”
He lifted his shoulders. “I’m not very practiced at getting to know people. And, honestly, I didn’t want to dump my personal tragedy on you.”
She expelled a long breath. “I know what it’s like to not want to talk about your sad story, but you shouldn’t have lied to me.”
“You’re right,” he answered without hesitation. “And I’m sorry. From now on, I will tell you anything you want to know, as long as it doesn’t put your safety in jeopardy.”
She had so many questions about his past, but, first, she wanted to fully understand his present, starting with the other woman in his life. “How did you meet Charlotte?”
“As I’ve said, I’ve never actually met her, but I knew her by reputation. She is the daughter of a wealthy businessman who also happens to be a senator. Charlotte has connections and a rebellious heart. Working for me is her way of getting back at daddy.”
She bit her cheek, taking it all in. Her gaze once again scanned the derelict loft. “So, is this how you always live?”
He scanned the barren space and lifted his shoulders. “I’ve never had a home. If it makes you feel any better, I don’t know what I’m missing.”
Her heart ached for him, but she also still felt wary. What sort of man was he—the kind with more good than bad or the other kind, the kind she was trying to avoid? But that’s not the question that fled her lips in a rush. “Do you do this often?”
“Do what?”
“You know, break into girls’ houses and sleep with them.”
He looked at her, his expression unreadable. “What do you think?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what to think.”
“I enjoy women when I wish to, but no, I don’t make a habit of dating women. But that isn’t what you really want to know.”
“It’s not?”
He shook his head. “What you really want to know is whether you can trust me.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
He was right.
“I’m not going to hurt you, not intentionally anyway. But I’m also not the boy next door, nor will I ever be. My years in the army have left their mark on me. And let’s face it, my chosen profession makes me a danger to you. I’ll admit right up front that I’m not a catch.”
