Page 24 of The Caress

But not love.

Not the kind of love she’s hoping for with Deacon. Not the kind of love that would make my face light up like hers is now.

"Whatever," she sighs, releasing me from the hug but still beaming. "You can keep denying it if you want, but you’ll have to do a better job of pretending if you expect anyone to believe you aren’t totally, madly in love with him."

Ugh, how am I supposed to respond to that? She won’t believe my denials. I hardly believe them myself.

"It doesn't matter how I feel," I shrug, suddenly exhausted and depleted after her emotional roller coaster ride. "It isn’t going to happen between me and your brother. But you and Deacon?" Her smile is starting to dim, but it perks right back up again at the mention of Deacon’s name. "The two of you have potential. Real potential. I’m glad you’re not going to let it pass you by."

"I won’t. And you shouldn’t, either. "Like I said, you can deny it all you want, but," she winks as she gets up from the couch and walks toward the kitchen. "I know the truth."

Lord, she’s impossible. I wouldn’t change anything about her, though. Goodness knows I’m going to miss her when she leaves.

CHAPTERTEN

KEIR

I’m trying to focus on the laptop screen in front of me, but I can feel Ella’s presence in the doorway. it’s… distracting.

Just like everything else about her. She’s beautiful, graceful, and smart. She lights up every room she’s in, even when she’s standing still. And now I’ve apparently fallen so far that she can make me lose my entire train of thought without even saying a word.

"Do you need something?" The words come out rougher than I intend as I finally look over at her. Her face falls, and I instantly feel like an asshole, then feel even worse when I see the worried look that’s etched on her pretty face. "What’s wrong? Do I need to fire someone else today?"

At least that question brings a hint of a smile to her lips. Maybe that’ll make up for the rude greeting I just gave her.

"No," she says, shaking her head, then coming to a halt. "Well, maybe? I’m not sure."

I blink. "Okay, you’ve just given me three different answers to that question. I was mostly joking, but now I’m not sure." I push my chair back from my desk so I can stand up and move closer to her. Even here in the safety of the villa, my first instinct is to be near her, to protect her however I can. "Tell me what’s going on. Whatever it is, I’ll fix it."

"I’m sorry," she begins. "This is probably going to sound dumb, paranoid, or both." She pauses for a moment before blurting out the words. "I think one of your security guards might be the guy from the airport. The guy who tried to kill us. I know it sounds crazy and maybe Iamcrazy, but I just get this vibe from him. A really bad, scary vibe. And the way he looks at me when you’re not around, it’s like…"

She chokes on the last word. She is visibly starting to shake.

Jesus.

Whatever the hell is going on, it must be serious for her to be acting this way. Ella might be high-strung sometimes, but she isn’t crazy. She isn’t prone to dramatics or hysterics just for the hell of it.

"I believe you," I say, unable to stop myself from crossing the last few feet between us and taking her into my arms. I know I’ve already blurred the lines between employer and employee beyond all recognition, but fuck it. Our relationship is already complicated, so one more hug isn’t going to make it worse. I can’t just stand here and watch her suffer, though. That’s not going to happen as long as I have the power to stop it.

"I believe you, Ella," I repeat, just to make sure she understands that I’m on her side. "I don’t think it sounds dumb, crazy, or any of those things. Has this guy done anything to you? Made threats or said anything inappropriate?"

She shakes her head, her whole body still trembling, as I skim my hands up and down her back to comfort her. "No, nothing like that. It was just a weird feeling at first, sort of like a hunch that something wasn’t right whenever I would see him." She swallows hard, her eyes welling up with tears. "But the more I looked at him, the more I started to recognize him. His body type. The way he moves. The way he looks at me, I swear to God those things are burned into my mind, Keir. He’s the guy."

My head is spinning, and I don’t know what to think. I do believe Ella, without a doubt. She wouldn’t be acting this way on a hunch. Even if it turns out that she’s mistaken, I’d still rather be safe than sorry.

I just can’t figure out why a member of my security team would want to hurt her. Or me, for that matter. What would they stand to gain?

"Let’s go," I say, taking her hand and leading her to the door. "I need you to show me who it is."

She freezes in her tracks. "No. I can’t, Keir. I don’t want to go near him. I-I can’t confront him, even with you standing next to me."

"I don’t want you to confront him. I don’t want you to go anywhere near him, whether I’m with you or not. But I still need you to point him out to me." I plant a quick kiss on her forehead. "That’s all I’m asking, I promise. I’ll take care of the rest."

At least she seems to relax a little once I make it clear she won’t have to speak to the guy. We walk out into the living room together, and it doesn’t take long at all to find him. Ella leads me to the large window overlooking the front of the property and subtly points toward the driveway while flattening herself against the wall at the same time.

"There," she whispers, as if he might hear us from all the way in here. "Over there at the end of the driveway. One of the guys guarding the gate."

My stomach clenches as I take a good look at him. He’s wearing a black suit and dark, reflective sunglasses that completely hide his eyes. Just like she said, he’s about the right height and build to be the biker from the airport. It’s more than just his physical traits, though. It’s the way he’s standing, the way he’s looking, and the energy he’s giving off.

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