Page 19 of The Inevitable Us

Sawyer

Walkingintothehallwaycloset, I flip open the box that she must have used to disconnect the alarms. Clever, clever little witch. Had she thought of this herself or had her brother taught her at some point? Rory was often the ringleader when Rosalie found trouble. It wouldn’t surprise me. It’s also possible it’s one of Nate’s old tricks.

The bodyguards know of some of the hijinks the Coleman boys have found. With Nate, we’d frequently left him alone, thinking it was best. We didn’t know that he’d taught the others some of his tricks.

After re-engaging the alarms, I thought of the camera Baby Girl had demolished in the café. I’d watched, chuckling at her mischief as she pried open the bubble, thinking she’d never get it open. As mechanically inclined as Rory is, Rosalie is not.

She’d unscrewed the “vandal” dome, smiling victoriously when the clear bubble popped off before going to work. As soon as I saw the meat mallet take its first strike, I’d sent Therese to the security firm’s headquarters, where we keep additional cameras stored.

She can’t think I’ll let her get away with it, acting out. I won’t set the precedent that I’d tolerate it. I’d had to resist the urge to punish her for her crimes while we were in the freezer. She’s young and impulsive. If she had any clue I wanted her, she’d change her behavior, tipping off her family before we’ve had a chance to get to know one another.

She’d surprised me again tonight. Not just with disengaging the door alarms, but showing up in that fucking babydoll teddy. My dick starts to get hard again at the memory of her in my arms. She smells like lilac and something citrusy, her skin silky soft under my touch.

I’d thought it would be a while before I saw Rosalie like that, touch her that way. Tonight was just a taste of what’s to come.

At a clipped pace, I race up the stairs, anxious to get to the camera footage. It wouldn’t do for Ethan to stumble across the clip of us in the house tonight. I don’t want to explain why I’d carried his half-naked daughter to her bedroom.

It takes me a good twenty minutes to delete the footage, looping earlier clips, without movement, in its place. When I’m done, I receive a phone call from Creekman informing me that Ethan, Tessa, Josie, and Rory decided to fly home late tonight. Another thing Baby Girl hadn’t thought of. If I’d decided to take advantage of her…offer… there’s no way I’d be done with her yet. Not tonight, not tomorrow, when her family was initially scheduled to return. If I missed that phone call, too wrapped up in her, we could easily have been discovered together.

Which is why I’ve told her repeatedly to go to Knoxville. I know she wants to go to school there, so I have that job lined up already with Taylee Teegan. Her current head of security, one of my employees at Benson Security, called again itching to be reassigned. I don’t know how much longer I have before he quits, vacating the position and forcing me to fill it.

Which means I need to be in Knoxville, which means Rosalie needs to be in Knoxville. I’m not sure what she expects me to say. Declare myself? Make sweet promises to her? No. I told Rosalie to go to Knoxville, and she needs to fucking listen.

Once she’s away from her family, we can start our life together. But that can’t happen until Baby Girl gets it in her head to finally leave home.

Checking the camera feed, it looks as if she’s not left her room except to go into Ethan’s office to retrieve paperwork of some sort. Hopefully, it’s the real estate listings for apartments near the university. Since there’s an attached bathroom, I can only see if she enters the hallway. I bet she’s still pouting, curled up with her throw pillow shaped like a French bulldog.

Sitting back down to finish the work Rosalie interrupted earlier, I open the camera feed on the bottom right corner to keep an eye on her. I try to get some work done, but my mind wanders back to the feel of Rosalie on top of me, my hands on her skin, her bottom pink with my handprint. Soon, Rosalie. Soon.

Itdoesn’ttakelongfor Rosalie to finally take a hint. Soon after Tessa and Ethan return from their trip, I’m relieved by Rodrigo and go home for twelve hours off.

Returning the next afternoon, Creekman and several of the other bodyguards are in the apartment. “We need a team to go to Knoxville with the family,” Creekman says. “Rosalie made up her mind finally and asked her parents to rent a loft in downtown Knoxville. The one closest to the school.”

I frown at him. That isn’t my favorite building. When I’d gone to check the security of each listing months ago, this was my last choice. There’s a doorman, but he spends too much time chatting with the residents. The main issue is the sub-par security cameras around the building. They’re outdated, and although I’ve not yet checked the footage, I’d bet most aren’t functioning. Even for the short amount of time Rosalie would be in the apartment, I don’t like it.

“That apartment was a mistake,” I start to say. “The camera system….”

“I’ve already addressed your concerns with them. The decision’s already been made,” Creekman says, cutting me off.

I clench my jaw, trying to bite my tongue. Baby Girl is not staying there a moment more than she has to.

Once the last shift leaves, only Therese and I are left. Taking my usual spot at the monitors, I send her to check the perimeter to get her out from underfoot. Pulling out my personal laptop, I go over my notes for that particular loft. I get out a credit card, and order everything I should need.

Rentingafurnishedloftmakes it easier for Rosalie to move. Two days before I’m scheduled to work my last day with the Colemans, we’re loading up her bags in the back of her car. Ethan and Tessa are in their car, also full to the brim, ready to move Rosalie.

There’s been a flurry of shopping and packing the last few days, but Rosalie is finally ready to fly the coop. Thank fuck.

She’s been careful to avoid me, parking her car in the circle driveway so that she doesn’t have to enter the garage. When we walk the perimeters during our regular shift changes, she never ventures outside. The one time she was caught out at the same time I was, she ran inside as fast as her feet could carry her.

I’ve given her room to calm down. It’ll be a little while before I’m settled down in Knoxville and can approach her. I have a business trip soon after arriving. I plan on approaching her after I return. Maybe in that time, her embarrassment will pass.

Rosalie doesn’t afford me a backward look as she climbs into the back of the SUV, shoving a box of twinkle lights out of her way and squeezing in next to a small stack of furry throw pillows that looks as if she’s shaved an assortment of mythical creatures to have them created.

Getting into my work vehicle, I start the ignition, glancing in the rearview to wait for the others to line up to caravan. I catch a glimpse of the orange and green medallion shower curtain I tried unsuccessfully to hide while loading up the vehicles. It has pom poms on the bottom. No.

With Creekman behind the wheel, the Coleman family is lined up to take off for the three-hour drive. Therese, the only bodyguard petite enough to drive Rosalie’s small sedan for that long, is trailing in back.

Once we hit the interstate, I go through my mental checklist again. I won’t have another opportunity to do some of these tasks after I leave Coleman’s employment, so I’ll have to make sure I get everything right the first time.

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