Page 22 of Billionaire Protector

I pulled open the front door, and a diminutive figure jumped and placed their hand on their chest.

“Why do you keep doing that?” she complained.

“Jesus,” I groaned, running a hand through my short hair. “Where the fuck have you been?”

She stared at me, brows raised, and pushed past me on her way in. “Out.”

"Shopping?" I couldn't hold back the sarcasm. I was wound up so tight, and it was all her fault. Then she had the audacity to appear at the front door looking as beautiful as ever.

I shut the door and folded my arms across my chest to hide how they shook in relief. "You've been gone for hours.”

“So?” She whirled to face me, hazel eyes fiery. “Why do you care?”

“I fucking care,” I gritted out. More calmly, I said, “I do. That's why I called multiple times.”

“My phone was on silent.”

"And you didn't see any missed calls while shopping?"

“Before I could call back, my battery ran out." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "And it's not like I was having the time of my life out there and was ignoring you intentionally." She paused as if to let that sink in. "I...I ran into Eric."

I took a step forward, feeling the pent-up stress I experienced all evening return tenfold. “What?”

She glanced up, tangling her fingers in front of her. She looked so scared and vulnerable. “Yeah. I went to a café. He came in and talked about us getting back together.”

Anger flashed through me, and I took a step forward. She took one back, and I realized I was probably scaring her. I tried to rein it in but couldn't. I wanted to punch something. Particularly that bastard's face. “You mean he followed you to Cape Worth, tracked you down, and is now asking to get back together?”

She nodded, watching me warily. "I told him to leave me alone, but I don't know if he'll listen." Her shoulders fell, eyes downcast. "He never listens."

I took two strides and stopped before her. "Look at me, Violet." My voice came out harshly, but there was little I could do at this point. She just needed to understand I wasn't mad at her. Looking into her wide hazel eyes, I doubted I could ever be angry with her. "I told you I won't let him get to you, didn't I?"

She nodded.

“And he won't. I'm hiring someone to keep an eye on the penthouse and you whenever you go out.”

Her mouth fell open, then she stammered out, "I-is... Is that necessary? I mean, he might not know where I live... " She trailed off, her eyes thoughtful.

“You don't believe that, do you? He must have followed you from somewhere. It might as well have been here. We need to cover all the bases.”

She blinked up at me, unseeing.

“So, someone will keep an eye out, okay? You won't have to face him on your own again.”

Her lips trembled. “Really? You'd do that?”

I nodded. There was nothing I wanted more right now than to protect her.

“Thank you, Shawn. Really. Thank you so much.”

Her eyes watered, and I clenched my fists to keep from wiping the tears away. I lost that privilege when I turned her down today. I only hoped I hadn’t made her so uncomfortable that she’d leave us.

Silence stretched between us, and she finally took a step back. "I should go up to my room." She clutched her bag and headed toward the stairs.

“Wait,” I said before I could stop myself.

Violet halted on the bottom step and turned to me.

I drew closer so I could see her face. In all my adult years, I had little to apologize for. To staff, to friends, to women. I was always fair and upfront. Always prided myself on being direct and honest. Today, though, it felt like my honesty took on a sharp edge and cut myself and Violet deep. There was a heavy tension in the air between us, and I needed to clear it for my sake and hers.

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