Chapter 8
8
E than sipped his coffee as he stared out at the swimming pool.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to find anyone out here this early.”
He turned, glancing down at Rhodes’ girlfriend, Samantha. In the ten days since starting this job, he’d only seen her a few times and they hadn’t really spoken.
He simply nodded, not in the mood for chitchat. Actually, he was never in the mood for small talk. It seemed like a waste of time to him. He took in the minuscule bikini she was wearing. The white triangles barely covered her nipples. He drew his gaze back toward the horizon, his mind moving onto a cool blonde with sad eyes.
Since the strawberry disaster, he’d been trying to keep some firm boundaries between them.
Which wasn’t that hard when he rarely saw her.
“Yes, I indulged too much at dinner last night. Time to get some exercise in.”
She exercised in a bikini that looked like a small breeze would blow it right off her body?
“I’ll get out of your way.”
“Oh, please don’t leave on my account.” She sent him a smile. “You won’t bother me. I like having all these . . . strong men around.”
Was she flirting with him?
Ethan eyed her as she strode toward the pool, hips swinging.
Holy shit.
She was wearing a thong.
This was not what he needed at six-thirty in the morning.
Turning away, he walked back into the kitchen, coming to a stop as he saw Cate standing in front of the coffee machine.
She didn’t seem to notice him entering, so he cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her.
Unfortunately, she still let out a small cry and swung around, dropping the mug she held.
It smashed, ceramic pieces scattering. His gaze was immediately drawn to her feet, which were bare.
She was staring at him with wide eyes, her breathing fast and erratic.
Shit.
That was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid.
“Don’t move!” he snapped as she went to take a step backward.
She startled, grabbing onto the counter to balance herself.
Shit. What was he doing? He was making things worse.
“Cate, it’s me, Ethan. Remember?” He tried to soften his voice.
She blinked before wiping the expression off her face. “Of course I remember. It would be hard to forget you.”
“Glad I’m unforgettable.”
“Well, anyone living in my house and guarding my brother with their life would be difficult to forget. Especially when they’re six foot two and as wide as you.”
“Right. Well, that was a blow to my ego,” he joked.
“Oh. I apologize. Sometimes when I tell the truth people take offense. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“No need to apologize. I was joking.” Sort of. “I’ll have to try to make more of an impression.”
Cate ran her gaze over him. It was more of a clinical look than one of appreciation. But at least she was looking at him.
“I’m sure you usually make an impression.” She sighed as she looked down at the mess. “I need to clean this up.”
“No!” he barked.
Her eyes were wide again.
Shit. He was definitely making an impression. But not a good one.
“You haven’t got any shoes on.” He didn’t mean to sound like he was scolding her. But he couldn’t seem to help it.
“Ahh, no. I haven’t gotten dressed yet.”
He took in her white dressing gown with pink pom-poms along the edges.
It was adorable.
But why wasn’t she wearing slippers?
“You need slippers,” he said abruptly. “I’ll buy you slippers.”
“Why would you do that?” She frowned. “I have slippers.”
“Then why aren’t you wearing them?” he asked.
“Uh, because I woke up and really needed coffee and didn’t want to take the time to put on my slippers.”
“Next time, don’t make that mistake,” he ordered. “Your feet need to be kept warm. Plus, you could step on something sharp and hurt yourself. Now, I’m going to lift you out of that mess.”
She tried to take another step back, away from him. Ethan didn’t like that, and he didn’t want her to step on a sharp piece of the broken mug either.
“Stop,” he said firmly. “Don’t move. You’re going to cut yourself.”
“I’ll be fine.” She attempted to move to a clean patch of floor.
“Cate, stop right now. You’re going to hurt yourself. I’ll just pick you up quickly and set you immediately down again. There’s no other way for you to step out of the mess safely.”
She stared at him, then down at her feet. “Yes, I can see that. I suppose you can lift me, then.”
Before she could change her mind, he grabbed her around her waist. Then he carried her over the mess before he sat her down on the counter.
“What am I doing up here?” she asked.
“I want you to sit there while I clean this all up,” he said firmly. “There might be stray pieces and I don’t want you standing on them.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. It can’t have gone all the way through the kitchen.”
“You don’t know how far these pieces travel,” he said as he reached into a cupboard to grab a broom and pan.
“Oh, I was going to clean that up,” she told him.
“No. You are going to sit there where it’s safe.”
“It’s a broken mug, not a bomb.”
Ethan sent her a stern look. “You need to do as you’re told.”
Her eyebrows rose. “And why would I need to do that?”
“Because I’m your bodyguard. Which means I’m in charge of you.”
Her mouth dropped open and he had to hide a smile. He liked that the stiffness had faded from her body. That she’d dropped that mask of indifference.
Sure, she was mad at him. But at least that was an emotion. And she was spending time with him.
All right. Rein it in. It’s not like you’re on a freaking date.
“First of all, you’re my brother’s bodyguard, not mine. And you are definitely not in charge of me.”
“Actually, I’m here to guard both of you. And Rhodes has made it very clear that your safety is more important than his own.”
She sighed. “No one is interested in me. I’m not in danger. I’m no one.”
“Don’t call yourself no one,” he instructed as he cleaned up.
“Why not?” she asked. “I’m not famous like Rhodes. Nobody would bother to stalk me.”
“Because I don’t like it.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem a very logical reason not to say it. I’m sure there are a lot of things you don’t like,” she said.
“There are.”
“But you can’t stop everything that you don’t like from happening.”
“No. But I can stop you from saying that you’re no one. Which is something I really dislike.”
“You’re not like other people,” she stated.
“How do you mean?” he asked.
“Most people usually stop talking to me after a few minutes.”
Ouch. That really cut into his heart. Was that true? Was that part of the reason she hid in her room or office?
Because she thought that people didn’t like talking to her?
Moving over to her, he placed his hands on either side of her on the counter. He was careful not to touch her.
“Well, that’s their loss, isn’t it?”
“It is?” she asked. “I’m not sure about that. I’m not exactly interesting. Or fun. I’m blunt. I can be . . . insulting.”
“Okay, you need to stop talking badly about yourself.”
“It’s just the truth.”
“It is not the truth,” he told her firmly. “And you’re going to get in trouble if you keep talking about yourself like that.”
“In trouble?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Fuck. She was even more beautiful up close. He wished he dared run a finger down her cheek. He bet her skin was softer than it looked.
“With who?” she asked.
“Me.”
Cate gave him a startled look. “With you?”
“That’s right. You’re going to be in trouble with me.”
“You are quite bossy. And I think you’re under the delusion that you’re in charge of me.”
“It’s no delusion. I am in charge of you.”
“No, you’re in charge of safety, nothing else. Including what I say about myself.” She gave him a superior look.
Oh, she thought she had him, didn’t she?
“We need to spend more time together,” he told her.
A small frown created lines on her forehead. “Why would we need to spend time together?”
“Because you need to learn to trust me.”
“I don’t think that is going to happen.”
“It will. Once you spend some time with me.”
“Why do I need to trust you?” she asked.
“Because if there is a situation, I need to know that you will follow my orders. And for you to follow my orders, you need to trust me. As you said, I’m in charge of safety.” Ethan knew he was pushing his luck. But there was some truth to what he said. It was better if a client trusted him.
Ethan could tell that Cate didn’t trust easily. If something were to happen and she didn’t obey him . . . things could end badly.
And that wouldn’t be happening on his watch.
“That’s some very strange logic.”
“But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” he said as he finished cleaning up the mess. “We can start today. What are your plans?”
“I’m going to work.”
“It’s Saturday,” he pointed out.
“Yes, I know.”
“You can’t work on a Saturday,” he informed her.
“Yes, I can. I work every Saturday.”
“Oh, excuse me for interrupting, I just wanted to grab a drink of water.”
Cate stiffened. Anyone else might not have noticed her reaction, but he was watching her closely. As Samantha stepped into the kitchen, it was like a protective shield came down over her face.
“There’s a mini-fridge with water in the outdoor kitchen,” Cate informed her.
“Oh, silly me. I forgot.” Samantha smiled at them both. “This looks cozy. What are you doing?”
“Talking,” Ethan replied.
“Ahh, right. Interesting way to talk. I didn’t think Cate would ever do something so unhygienic as to sit on the counter. She’ll have to disinfect the whole kitchen now.” Samantha laughed.
Cate’s expression didn’t change.
“I lifted her up there,” Ethan said, not bothering to look over at the other woman as she reached into the fridge.
“You lifted her? Cate doesn’t like to be touched. She’s weird like that.”
Anger flooded Ethan. How dare this woman talk about Cate like that? The Cate from moments ago was gone, and in her place was a statue.
“You do know that Cate is sitting right here, don’t you?” he demanded.
“Um, yes, obviously I do.” Samantha gave him a strange look.
“Oh, it’s just you kept talking about her rather than to her, so I wasn’t sure you could see her.”
Samantha narrowed her gaze at him. “I can see her. But she’s impossible to have a conversation with.”
“Again, she’s sitting right here. Perhaps she doesn’t want to speak with you because you’re so rude to her.”
Samantha gasped. “How dare you speak to me that way? You do realize you’re just a bodyguard, right? I can get you fired and have a new guard here within the hour. I’ll go speak to Rip now.”
Was Ethan standing up for her?
That felt . . . so nice. No, nice was the wrong word. Her insides had heated. She felt safe.
Did she feel safe with him? The only person she’d ever felt safe with was Rhodes.
However, these feelings she was experiencing toward Ethan weren’t brotherly.
Ethan didn’t need to stand up for her. She could handle Samantha. Cate mostly handled Samantha by ignoring her. She had a very grating voice that irritated Cate’s ears. So she tried to spend as little time as possible with her.
Unfortunately, Rhodes seemed to see something in her that Cate didn’t.
Still, she couldn’t just ignore how she’d spoken to Ethan.
Yes, the man obviously had delusions and feelings of grandeur. He seemed to think he was in charge of her. He even wanted to spend time with her.
Yeah, none of that was happening.
Really? You don’t like the idea of him taking charge of you? You didn’t like the feel of his hands on your waist? Of how easily he lifted you?
Normally, she didn’t like anyone but Rhodes touching her.
But Ethan was different.
She’d been having fantasies about him. Dirty dreams. She only really dreamed about characters in the books she’d been reading. This was the first time she’d ever had sexy thoughts about an actual, real-life man.
And one who was living in her house.
She’d even played with herself while thinking about him. It had been the best orgasm of her life.
Which made it really hard to look him in the eyes. Even tougher than normal.
That was part of the reason she avoided him so much. Because he made her feel things that no other man ever had.
However, she wasn’t going to let him get fired. Especially not because he’d been sticking up for her.
Although she’d need to make it clear that wasn’t necessary. Nothing Samantha could ever say would affect her. She’d built up shields a long time ago that she rarely allowed others to penetrate.
“No, you won’t,” Cate said firmly.
“Excuse me?” Samantha said to her coldly, looking her up and down. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Why was Samantha dripping water all over the floor? That was rude and inconsiderate. Someone could walk in and slip.
Could she not have wrapped up in a towel? Especially when the bathing suit she was wearing, and Cate used that term loosely, was white and decidedly see-through.
This wasn’t actually her house.
No matter what she thought or wished.
Although Cate knew that Samantha might move in with Rhodes one day. She’d certainly hinted at it a few times. And Cate knew she’d have to move out. There was no way she could live here with Samantha. And she knew that the other woman wouldn’t want her here, either.
“It has everything to do with me,” Cate told her. “Ethan was defending me because you were being rude. And now you’re threatening his job. Which isn’t happening.”
“It is. You don’t think that as soon as I tell Rip what he said to me that he won’t fire him?”
“That’s exactly what I think. Because when he comes and asks me what Ethan said to you, I will tell him what was said. Word for word.”
Samantha narrowed her gaze at Cate, then she turned to sneer at Ethan. “Your job is safe. Have fun with the ice queen. Make sure you don’t get frostbite on your tiny dick.”
She stomped off, her ass cheeks jiggling.
That wasn’t what Cate needed to see before she’d even had her morning coffee. What was Samantha even doing up this early?
“You didn’t have to do that,” Ethan said softly.
He was staring at her strangely. She didn’t understand that look. But for some reason, she liked it.
You really need to get away from him. Before you do something crazy.
Cate slid off the counter.
“Careful,” Ethan chided, reaching for her, but she stepped aside to avoid his touch.
Not because she didn’t like it, but because she’d liked it a bit too much. Even though she hadn’t really been able to feel his touch through her thick dressing gown.
Don’t be silly, Cate.
You don’t need to know what his touch felt like.
What she did need to do was tell him politely but firmly that she did not want to spend any time with him. The idea of it was preposterous.
Right after she asked him the question burning on her tongue.
“How does she know that your dick is tiny?” she demanded.
His mouth dropped open.
Hmm. She hadn’t expected to surprise him so easily.
“She doesn’t know that. She just said that to insult me.”
“Ahh.” She tried not to analyze the relief she felt coursing through her. What did she care whether Samantha knew anything about his dick?
Cate wasn’t the slightest bit interested in his genitals.
Liar.
She raised her eyebrows. “Insult you? I’ve never understood why men are so threatened by the size of their penis. It’s not like you can help having a small penis. It’s just a part of you, like having tiny nipples or a hairy back.”
“I do not have a small penis,” he grumbled at her with a glower. He crossed his arms over his chest.
Oh dear.
There was no mistaking that he was now annoyed with her.
It seemed he was sensitive about this topic.
“No?” she asked.
“No,” he said in a very firm voice.
“How would you know? Have you measured it?”
His lips twitched. Goodness, he had some extreme mood swings.
“Baby, every teenage boy measures their dick.”
Baby?
Why was he referring to her as an infant?
It’s a term of endearment.
He . . . he found her endearing?
Huh, she’d never thought of herself as endearing. Or that ‘baby’ might be something she enjoyed being called.
Until right then.
Because her body had grown warm and soft. A throb of arousal engulfed her pussy.
Get yourself under control, Cate.
She generally had excellent control. But this man seemed to be very good at eroding it.
She decided not to address the ‘baby’ thing in case he called lots of women ‘baby.’ Maybe he’d done it without thought. In either case, she thought she would rather not know. So she wouldn’t mention it.
“Well, I’m pleased for you, I guess,” she told him. “Since it seems so important to you. What about your nipples?”
“They’re normal-sized and before you ask . . . I don’t have hair on my back.”
That he knew of.
But could he really see all of his back to check? Perhaps she should offer . . . nope.
Don’t be an idiot, Cate. A man like this doesn’t go long without someone in his bed. They’d likely tell him if his back was hairy.
“I have to get to work,” she said abruptly.
This was stupid. She shouldn’t be standing here talking to him about his tiny dick, small nipples, and hairy back. She had work to do.
Although not as much as she would like since she’d spent most of her free time working this week in an effort to avoid Seth and Ethan.
Well, once she finished work, she could always hide in her closet and read.
“Not so fast.” Ethan stepped in front of her, and stiffening, she gave him a wary look. What was he doing?
“We still need to spend some more time together. I was serious about that.”
“Uh, no, we don’t. Really. If there is an issue, I assure you that I will do as you say. I don’t have time to spend with you. I have work to do.”
“You need to relax and have fun as well. You can’t work all the time.”
She could try.
Also, he was very bossy.
“What do you like to do for fun?” he asked.
Curl up in her closet with Lady, a sexy book, and her blankie. Maybe her pacifier if she needed some extra comfort.
But she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“I read.”
There. Surely that would shut him up. She had a hobby. And it wasn’t something that he could insist on doing with her.
“I like to read. We can read together. Later this afternoon, after your brother leaves, we’ll sit by the pool and read.”
Sit by the pool and read?
No. She didn’t think so.
“I don’t read by the pool.”
Didn’t he realize the damage that sunbathing could do? Or the risks of melanoma from being exposed to the sun?
“It will help you relax and get some fresh air. You rarely go outside. You need some Vitamin D or you’re going to get ill.”
“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. But I don’t need any Vitamin D or to spend time with you.”
“I’ll meet you by the pool at four-thirty,” he countered as if he hadn’t even heard her. “Don’t be late or I’ll have to come looking for you.”
No way that was happening. She was not spending time with him. And he couldn’t make her.
At least, that’s what she told herself.