Chapter 23
23
“ E at your burger.”
Oh. She realized he was still holding the piece of burger to her mouth again. “I’m not hungry anymore. Thank you.” She always tried to finish when she was still a bit hungry, not liking that overfull feeling.
“You ate barely anything,” he replied with a frown. “I want you to eat this piece of burger and two more tater tots.”
“But then I would be full.”
“And full isn’t good? Open.”
The command in his voice was impossible to brush off, so she opened her mouth. “Now chew.”
Cate found herself doing as she was told. Even eating the two tater tots.
“Such a good girl. You did so well.”
Why was she blushing? Her entire body grew warm at his words. She liked them. Did she have a praise kink?
Or maybe it was simply that she’d very rarely been praised since her parents died.
Ethan finished his own food and then started to wipe his fingers with a napkin. She reached into her handbag and drew out a small pack of wet wipes.
“Always amazes me what a woman can fit into her handbag.”
Ethan took the wipes, but instead of cleaning himself up, he touched her chin, turning her face to him before he started gently cleaning her face.
Amazement held her still for a long moment. Cate couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of her like this.
Rhodes had helped clean her up a few times as a child. And her parents, of course. But that was it . . . and not in years.
“Good girl. Hands, please.”
It wasn’t even in her to resist him as she held out her hands for him to wipe.
“Let’s get that blanket back on you. You’re cold. Is there a reason you’re always so cold?”
“I’ve always felt the cold. I’ve seen a few doctors, but they all tell me it’s just that I have a higher sensitivity to it and that my low body weight contributes to that sensitivity.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Just keep my environment warm.”
“And make sure that you don’t lose any weight,” he said firmly.
“My aunt and uncle didn’t keep their house that warm. Even in winter. I used to freeze. I’d often end up crawling into Rhodes’ bed with him. They hated that. Called it unnatural. When Rhodes got a job, the first things he bought were extra blankets for me and some warmer clothing.”
“Those assholes.”
“They just thought I was difficult. That I was asking too much.”
“Being warm was asking too much?” he queried.
“I’ve never understood why they complained about buying me things. As a child, I thought I was costing them money, but when I grew older, I realized that they received money from the trust fund my parents had left for me and Rhodes. When Rhodes and I turned eighteen, we went to our family lawyer and told him everything. Rhodes had saved most of the money he’d earned with his part-time job to pay the lawyer’s fee. The lawyer arranged for us to access the trust fund early and we moved out.”
“Do your aunt and uncle have anything to do with why you don’t like being called a brat?”
“They used to call me that all the time. And the irony is that their son, James, was the biggest brat of all. Rhodes used to hate when they called me that. When he was bigger, he started mouthing back. My uncle used to grow so red in the face . . . I thought he’d have a heart attack. But once Rhodes was bigger than him, there wasn’t much he could do anymore. It wasn’t like he could push Rhodes around. Or threaten to send him away. He liked the money he got for having us too much.”
“Push him around? He was physical with you both?”
Ethan’s voice had grown soft and he was very still. She studied him for a moment, trying to understand the change in him. “Are you angry?”
“No, baby. I’m fucking furious. Please tell me he didn’t touch you.”
She shrugged. “He never hit us. But he would manhandle us. Grab our arm and drag us around. Shove us to get us where he wanted us. Lock us in our rooms.”
“Please tell me that bastard is still alive.” His hands were clenched into fists.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I want to make his life a misery.”
“Pretty sure living with my aunt is misery enough. In a way, she was worse. Always yelling at me.” She shuddered. “I don’t handle loud noises well. Especially people yelling at me. Then I tend to retreat into myself.”
“I understand that. I want the name of your aunt and uncle.”
Hmm.
“I don’t think that’s wise.”
“Cate,” he warned. “I can get those names myself.”
“I don’t want anything to do with them,” she told him. “And I don’t want you to do anything to them. You might get into trouble.”
To her surprise, rather than get upset at her edict, he smiled.
“Worried about me, baby?”
“That you’ll end up in jail? Yes.”
“Don’t be. I can be sneaky enough that they’ll never know I’m coming.”
Oh, dear Lord.
That thought shouldn’t make her want to smile. But the fact that he was angry on her behalf . . . that meant something to her.
Another yawn caught her by surprise.
“Let’s get you home, baby.”
After tidying up their mess, Ethan put it in a bin in the parking lot before returning and pulling the blanket up over her legs once more.
“Next time, you’re wearing more clothes,” he bossed.
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Are you getting sassy with me?” he asked.
Was she?
Hmm. Perhaps. And it felt . . . fun.
“Who me? I’m never sassy. I’m always very serious.”
“And lying now? Tut-tut, someone is a naughty girl.”
Thankfully, being called naughty didn’t have any bad connotations, so she found herself relaxing back against her seat as he pulled into the street.
When they got home, she saw that Rhodes was back.
“Wait for me to come around and open your door,” Ethan said after parking.
She raised her eyebrows. “But we’re back home. You’re off bodyguard duty now.”
He huffed out a laugh. “I’m never off bodyguard duty. Especially when it comes to you.”
What did that mean?
Hadn’t they agreed to be friends? And yet, he’d taken care of her while they were eating. Feeding her and wiping her hands and face.
She wasn’t quite sure what to think. All she knew was that she had a full belly. She was warm and tired.
So she sat where she was without complaint and watched him walk around the front of the SUV. He glided more than walked.
Like a large, dangerous cat.
Wow. She really needed to get some more sleep. She was becoming fanciful.
Ethan opened her door. To her surprise, he reached across her. She very nearly leaned into him, nearly took a hit of his scent. Then she realized he was undoing her seatbelt.
Reaching down, he grabbed her briefcase and held out his hand to her.
She took it, feeling shy and giddy.
Was this what it felt like to be attracted to someone? To want them?
This man isn’t yours and he’ll be leaving soon.
Somehow, her body didn’t care about any of that, though. It just wanted more of this man.
More of his care and attention.
What she should do was pull back from him. But they were friends now. She couldn’t do that to a friend.
Ethan let go of her once she was out of the SUV and she swayed slightly. More to do with the loss of his touch than the fatigue that flooded through her.
“You need to get more sleep,” he told her, moving closer to her. “An early night for you.”
Lord, he was bossy. Although she couldn’t argue that she was exhausted. Perhaps she did need a day off.
But what would she do with a day off? Read the entire day?
Actually . . . that did sound nice.
As they reached the foyer, Seth met them. She could hear some raised voices coming from within the house.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?” Seth said to Ethan.
“Sure. Cate, are you all right?”
“Of course.” Not really. “Go.” She was going to retreat into her bedroom and away from those voices.
However, luck wasn’t on her side. As she passed through the open-plan living room, Samantha spotted her.
“Cate! You’re back. We need to talk.”
Was it rude to just keep walking?
Hmm. Probably.
“Cate, are you okay?”
That was Rhodes. She might be able to ignore Samantha, but she’d never ignore her brother.
Turning, she smiled at him. He looked tense. Was he pale? Was having Samantha here good for him?
Cate needed to talk to him. She’d been selfish, thinking only of herself.
“Cate, we need to talk about schedules,” Samantha said with a sickly sweet smile.
Gross.
Cate nearly threw up a little in her mouth.
“I’m sure you can understand how much of an inconvenience it was for me this afternoon to have to rearrange my plans.”
“You were going to yoga,” Cate pointed out.
“Yoga is important. It helps me keep in shape.”
“They have yoga classes online. You can do it in the comfort of your own home. Well, Rhodes’ home.”
Samantha sniffled. What was wrong with her? “Are you saying I’m not welcome here?”
Cate’s eyes widened. How did she know?
“No, Samantha. That’s not what Cate is saying at all,” Rhodes said, placing his hand on Samantha’s shoulder.
She immediately turned into him, pressing her face into Rhodes’ chest.
Rhodes gave Cate a pointed look. What did he want?
She felt Ethan step up beside her just as worry started filling her. What did Rhodes want?
Why didn’t he just tell her?
“What’s the matter? Has something happened? Has there been another threat?” Ethan asked sharply.
“Samantha was upset she couldn’t go to yoga and I pointed out that she could do an online class here. Somehow, that led her to believe that I don’t want her here. I’m not sure how, exactly.”
“I think it’s because you pointed out that this is my house, not hers,” Rhodes told her.
“But it is.”
Rhodes patted Samantha’s back. “Sammy, Cate didn’t mean to make you feel like you aren’t wanted.”
Cate glanced up at Ethan, at a loss.
He leaned in to speak quietly to her. “I think he wants you to tell Samantha that she is welcome here.”
“Oh. He wants me to lie?” she asked.
His lips twitched before he got them under control. “Hmm. But personally, I wouldn’t. I think this is all just an act.”
“But she’s not a very good actor.”
“Probably not a good idea to tell her that.”
“Oh, I thought she might have known, given the reviews of her last film. But perhaps she doesn’t read reviews. And maybe they were too harsh. It’s probably unfair of me to judge it on reviews. I should watch the movie myself.”
“I wouldn’t bother, it wasn’t that good,” he muttered.
“Are the two of you finished whispering?” Samantha said. “Some of us have busy lives. I really don’t think that Cate should get to monopolize so much of Ethan’s time when I am the one this stalker threatened.” She stared up at Rhodes, her lower lip popping out. “Don’t you want me protected?”
“Of course I do,” Rhodes replied. “But my sister needs protection too. And she has had this meeting on her calendar since Ethan arrived. She can’t just cancel a meeting, Samantha.”
“Well, then perhaps she should share her schedule so things can be better organized.”
Rhodes looked over at Cate. “That’s not a terrible idea. Do you mind?”
“I suppose I could tell you when my upcoming appointments are.”
“And where you’re going and when you’ll be back,” Samantha said quickly.
“Why would you need to know where she’s going?” Ethan asked. When Cate glanced up at him, his face looked as cold as granite. Emotionless.
“In case I need you to come back quickly, of course,” Samantha replied.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Ethan replied. “And just so you know, business meetings take precedence over yoga classes.”
Wow. She’d never seen someone’s face grow so red.
“I’m going to go have a swim.” Samantha turned and stomped off.
Rhodes sighed.
“Well, that went well,” Ethan said.
“I don’t think it did,” she replied. “She seems very upset.”
He hummed. “Fortunately, the world doesn’t revolve around her.”
Rhodes sighed. “No, but she is being threatened because of me. And that’s caused a lot of disruption to her life, so perhaps we can all be a bit understanding? For my sake, if nothing else.”
“Rhodes, she can’t just snap her fingers and expect us to jump,” Ethan said in a low voice. “She wasn’t part of the original brief and I’m not comfortable pulling any protection from you or Cate to cover her.”
Rhodes frowned, nodding. “You’re right. I’ll discuss getting in someone else for her again. I’m not sure why she doesn’t like the idea. I said I’d pay for it.”
Cate swayed slightly.
“You okay?” Ethan put his hand on her back. “You look exhausted. You need to rest.”
“Cate?” Rhodes queried.
She smiled at him tiredly. “I’m all good. You know leaving the house and interacting with strangers tires me out. But I think I will go rest.”
Ethan watched her walk away.
Damn.
The woman had one hell of a fine ass on her.
“You’re staring at my sister.”
He turned to look at Rhodes, his eyebrows raised. “She’s my charge.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to check out her ass.”
Actually, he was right. As much as Ethan hated to admit it. But he hadn’t meant to ogle her. She was just so damn beautiful.
“You might want to have this talk with your girlfriend.”
Rhodes frowned. “With Samantha?”
“Yeah. Have you not noticed how much Cate has withdrawn from everyone? She’d just started to get used to Seth and me being here. But now she’s back to hiding in her office or bedroom. She’s not getting enough sleep or eating properly.”
It was unacceptable.
“Fuck. I knew it was going to be hard on her. There’s been too much change.”
“Yeah, and in case you haven’t noticed, Samantha isn’t exactly easy to have around.” He refrained from saying that she was a bitch. “Hire her a bodyguard and move her out. It’s for her safety too. I can’t imagine the stalker is going to be less interested in her now that she’s living here.”
“You think I haven’t used that argument? Fuck, Cate did look pale though. You said she’s not eating properly?”
“I took her for a burger after her meeting.”
“Burgers? Cate doesn’t eat burgers.”
Ethan had to hide his pleased smile. “She does now.”
Rhodes sighed. “I don’t like that Cate is so uncomfortable, but I can’t just kick Samantha out without making certain she’s protected. I have to take care of both of them.”
Luckily, Ethan didn’t feel so torn.
His focus was entirely on Cate.
Cate walked into her office and came to a stop.
What the heck?
“What are you doing in here, Samantha?” she asked.
It was two days since Ethan had taken her for burgers after her meeting. When Samantha had been so upset with her.
Why was she in her office now, though?
Strangely, Rhodes had been questioning her about Ethan and how he treated her.
Then he’d started asking her about whether she was comfortable with Samantha here. She didn’t like to lie so she’d told him the truth.
“Oh, Cate, there you are. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Why? And why are you waiting in here?”
“Well, because I wanted that schedule from you.”
“I was going to give it to Ethan.”
“But I have some things coming up that I need to organize and I can’t wait much longer for it.”
She’d only asked for it the day before yesterday.
Cate walked over to her calendar. It was slightly out of place. How had that happened?
“Did you touch this?” she asked.
“What? Why would I touch your stuff?” Samantha asked. “Really, Cate. You’re kind of delusional, aren’t you? The truth is, other than being Rhodes’ sister, I really have no interest in you at all.”
Did she think that was an insult? That Cate wanted her to be interested?
Because that wasn’t the case at all.
All she wanted was for Samantha to stay well away from her.
“Schedule?” Samantha snapped.
“I’ll need to write it out.”
“Fine. Just tell me for the upcoming two weeks.”
She glanced down at her schedule “I have a meeting Friday afternoon at one.”
Another meeting? How tiresome.
“And that’s for work?”
“Yes. And then there isn’t anything more for two weeks.”
“Fine.” Samantha smiled. “That’s all I wanted to know. Rhodes and I are leaving Friday morning anyway for New York.” She flounced out of the office.
That was . . . strange.
But Cate shook that off. She had other things to do that were far more important than Samantha.