Chapter 24
24
“ A meeting? I can’t go to a meeting today.” Cate stared up at Ethan, looking confused.
He frowned as he took her in. He’d done his best this past week to get her out of the office. To ensure she was eating and sleeping, but he hadn’t been that successful.
At least Samantha was gone until Sunday. She and Rhodes were in New York. Ethan planned to keep Cate from retreating all weekend and spend time with him.
You realize that’s not your job.
But she was his friend. It was what friends did. Right?
“Why not?” he asked gently. “Are you not prepared?”
She shook her head. “Oliver is ill. I can’t go to a meeting without him.”
“Do you want to cancel?” he asked.
“But it’s too late to cancel. That would be rude. I should have told Oliver to cancel when he called in sick. What should I do? And Rhodes isn’t here either.”
“Maybe I can help you?” he asked. “What is it that Oliver does that you need? I mean, if it’s something work-related, I won’t be able to help.”
“I don’t need help with my work. But Oliver . . . he’ll let me know if I say something wrong or I’m missing something. If I’m being too blunt. This is why I hate these meetings.”
“How does he do that?”
“We have a signal. If he’s across the room, he’ll tap the front of his hand twice. Like this.” She showed him. “If he’s next to me, he’ll tap my hand.”
“I could do that too.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t know if they’d want you in the meeting.”
“I can sign an NDA if necessary.”
“Perhaps that would work. I could ask.”
“So you want to try?” he asked.
She glanced up at him. “Are you sure?”
“I’m here to help you, Cate. However you need me to.”
The clients had seemed a bit wary when he’d explained that he was Cate’s bodyguard. But he’d added that he was also there to support her. They’d been more understanding after that. And had let him sit in as long as he signed an NDA. He hadn’t understood most of what had been going on. And there was only one time that he’d had to signal her when he’d noticed the clients getting lost in her jargon.
She’d spent most of the time with her gaze on her laptop or the papers in front of her. She’d glanced up a few times but kept her gaze over their heads.
He nodded to them as they left, and Cate started packing up her laptop and papers. She swayed as she stood, and he leaped forward, grasping hold of her around her waist to steady her.
“Cate, how did that go . . . uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
An older man stepped into the room, giving them both a curious look.
“You didn’t interrupt anything, Jordan,” Cate said.
“Right.” Jordan’s gaze went to where he was still holding her waist.
“I’m Ethan Stone. Cate’s bodyguard.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “Bodyguard?”
“This is Jordan Samuels,” Cate said. “One of the partners here.”
Ethan let Cate go, staying close for a moment in case she grew wobbly again. Then he turned and held out his hand to Jordan, who shook it briefly.
“Is there something I need to know, Cate?” Jordan asked.
“The meeting went well. Nothing to report.”
“Uh, no, I meant about you needing a bodyguard.”
“No. I don’t believe there is anything you need to know.”
Jordan glanced around, his eyes slightly wild. “Where is Oliver?”
“He’s ill. I told him to stay at home until he feels better. Is that all?” She had everything packed up and was staring at Jordan.
“I believe he wants to know why you have a bodyguard,” Ethan told her gently.
“Oh. You do?” she asked Jordan.
“Yes, Cate.” There was a note of exasperation in the other man’s voice.
Ethan frowned at him. He better not upset Cate.
“I think I should know if there is a threat to one of my staff.”
“Hmm. I suppose that is fair. But there isn’t really a threat to me, so I don’t know that you do. Although I did bring Ethan into the office and a meeting. So I suppose you should know. Yes, I apologize for not telling you. Ethan is here because Rhodes has a stalker and is worried about that stalker targeting me. Good day, Jordan.”
She tried to step past Jordan, but he held out his arm. Cate stumbled back to avoid touching her boss. Ethan scowled at him, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her. Then he moved her carefully behind him so he stood between the two of them.
“Do not touch her.”
Jordan’s eyes widened as he stared at Ethan. “I wasn’t trying to harm her.”
Ethan eyed him. He seemed sincere. But Ethan was in protective mode. And he didn’t like the way that Cate had stumbled in her haste to get away from his touch.
Had he tried to touch her in the past?
“It’s all right, Ethan. I was just caught by surprise.”
She moved around Ethan.
Oh, he wasn’t having that. As soon as they were alone, he’d let her know she wasn’t to do that ever again.
She was to stay where he put her.
But Jordan backed off, hands up. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to alarm anyone. I just didn’t want you to leave while I have questions.”
“About my work?”
“Uh, no. About Rhodes. And this stalker. Are you safe? Is he?”
“Yes. We have bodyguards now. Oh, actually, I don’t think I was supposed to tell anyone about the stalker.” She looked up at Ethan and he gave her a small nod. That was true, although he didn’t blame her for telling her boss why he was here.
In fact, he should have talked to her about this earlier so this was on him.
He noticed her hand move to her wrist, then she drew it back. Was that hair tie still there? Was she going to flick it against her skin?
He didn’t want to draw her boss’s attention to it, so he didn’t say anything. Later.
“I’d appreciate your discretion on this, Jordan,” she told the other man.
Jordan waved his hand. “I’ve no interest in spreading gossip about Rip. You should know that, Cate. But I am worried.”
Ethan studied him, but he did seem genuinely worried.
“About the firm? I’m not sure how this would impact anyone here. The stalker has shown no interest in me. They’re unlikely to target anyone I work with.”
“About you, Cate,” Jordan told her. “I’d like to think we’re more than business colleagues.”
Wait. What?
“We are?” Cate looked confused, which was the only thing stopping him from laying some sort of claim on her in front of this guy.
Jordan shot a look at Ethan, then sighed. “Perhaps friends?”
“Oh. Friends? Well, I hadn’t considered that. But I suppose we can be friends. Two friends in the space of one week. That’s unheard of.”
Ethan wasn’t certain she meant to say that last part out loud.
And it hurt his heart that she wasn’t used to having friends.
“Um, well, Jordan. It was good to see you. But we have to go.”
She started striding out of the room before Ethan even realized what she was doing. Shit!
“Hey, keep her safe,” Jordan called out to him.
“Of course I will. It’s my job. Plus, Cate is special.” He ran after her. When he caught up to her, she was standing at the elevator, hitting the button.
“Cate, what was that?” he said, trying hard to keep his anger out of his voice.
“Oh, I know it’s illogical to keep hitting the button. But it’s also so irritating waiting for an elevator. Such a waste of what could be productive time.”
He sighed. “Not every minute of your day has to be productive, Cate.”
“I know that. But this is the middle of the day.”
“Actually, it’s close to five.”
“Oh. Is it?” She glanced around. “Traffic will be awful.”
He winced at that. “Will it?”
The elevator doors opened, and it was surprisingly empty. He guided her inside and the doors shut.
Ethan turned so he was facing her. “Cate.”
“Yes?” She glanced up at him.
“Am I your bodyguard?”
“Um. Well, you’re more Rhodes’ bodyguard than mine?—”
“Cate,” he interrupted her. “Right now. Am I your bodyguard? Am I in charge of your safety?”
“I don’t understand why you’re asking me this.”
“Answer me.”
“Yes, I suppose you are in charge of my safety. Even if I think it’s unnecessary.”
“It doesn’t matter if you think it’s unnecessary. Rhodes and I think it is. If you were my lawyer, I would listen to you on matters of the law. Right?”
“I suppose.”
“So you need to obey me on matters of safety.”
“I am not sure I agree with the use of the word obey.”
“Tough. That’s the word that we’re going to use. You will do as I tell you when it comes to safety so I can keep you safe. Understand?”
“All right. What does this lecture pertain to?”
“What are my rules when we’re out of the house?”
“That I’m to stay in your sight at all times. You’re to clear any rooms, including the bathroom, before I go into them. And that if something happened, I am to obey your orders. When we’re moving, I’m to stay within two feet of you . . . oh. This is about me walking out of the office without you.”
“Yes. It is. Also, I’d like to add that you’re to stay where I put you. You moved when I put you behind me.”
“I apologize,” she said, looking genuinely remorseful. “Jordan was acting . . . strange.”
“He cares about you.”
She shook her head, looking pensive as the elevator doors opened. He lightly grasped her hand as he led her out to the car.
When they were close, he opened the car door. “I’m going to lift you,” he warned before lifting her into the seat.
“Oh! Why . . . why did you do that?”
“Because I wanted to.” He let out a sigh.
You sound like a nut job.
“You look tired.” And he was feeling protective.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” She reached for her wrist, pushing her finger under the sleeve of her blazer.
Then she seemed to realize he was there and drew her hand back.
He frowned.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I left the room in a hurry or when I told him about the stalker.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t usually make mistakes like this. It’s . . . annoying.”
“You’re tired, baby.” She looked shattered. “You got light-headed up there, didn’t you?”
“Perhaps. Just a bit.”
“Let’s get you home. I’ll make you some dinner, and you can lie on the couch and do nothing.” He fastened her seatbelt, then walked around the car to get in the driver’s seat.
“You’re very concerned with making me do nothing. And feeding me.”
“That’s because you look tired and I think you’ve lost weight since I first met you.”
“So I look terrible?”
“What? No! Not at all. I just want to look after you.”
“As a friend,” she said.
“Actually, my feelings might be deeper than that,” he said carefully.
“They are?”
“Yes. I can’t deny that I think about you a lot. I want to spend more time with you.”
“As more than a friend? Really? Me?”
How did this girl not know how gorgeous she was?
It blew his mind.
But he guessed he got it. Too many people had hurt, ridiculed, or ignored her. Rhodes had done his best, but he was one person. And he was busy with his life too.
Well, Ethan had time and motivation.
He was going to show her how amazing she was.
“But I don’t want you to worry about that. I can move at your pace.”
“I’m uncertain whether I have a pace.”
“You ever had a Daddy Dom, baby?”
“Me? God, no. I’ve never even had a boyfriend.” Her pale cheeks flushed pink. “I don’t usually share so much about myself. It’s you. You’re a secret whisperer.”
“I like that people tell me things. Although you’re very hard to get things out of. So I need to know if you want this.”
“Want this?” she repeated.
“A relationship. With me. Are you attracted to me, Cate?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Cate?” Reaching over, he touched her chin so he could turn her head to face him. “I know it’s hard to trust me. To believe in me. But the last thing I want is to upset you.”
She lowered her gaze, not meeting his eyes. “We don’t know each other very well.”
“So we’ll get to know each other. We’ll go on dates.”
“You really want to date me?”
“Why do you seem so shocked?” he asked. “You’re the one that suggested we get to know each other better.”
“You’re twisting my words to suit your agenda.”
Was she upset?
“I can appreciate that,” she said, surprising him. “It’s smart.”
“Thank you. I have to try and keep up with you.”
She waved her hand in the air. “You do all right.”
He had to grin. Damned by faint praise.
“Well? Do you want to date me?”
“Because you want to get to know me and for me to trust that you . . . want me?”
“Yes.”
“Because . . .”
“Look at you, fishing for compliments,” he teased.
Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t, I can assure you. I really have no idea why you’d want to spend time with me.”
“Maybe because you’re sweet and funny and smart? And I enjoy your company and want to spend more time with you.”
“Huh.” She appeared stumped at that. “I’m not sure that anyone has ever enjoyed my company. Other than Rhodes.”
“Baby, you kill me when you say things like that.”
“I don’t want to kill you.” Now she appeared alarmed. “Have you had your heart checked lately? A man of your age can’t be too careful.”
“I go for a check-up regularly. There’s nothing wrong with my heart.”
And he wasn’t that old.
“That’s good.” She studied him intently. “I can’t think of any reason you would lie about being attracted to me.”
“Because there is none.”
“Hmm.”
“You know I’m a man who likes to be in control.”
“Oh, yes. It’s actually, surprisingly, an attractive quality.”
“It is?”
Do not smile.
He didn’t want her to think that he was laughing at her.
“I didn’t think it would be since I don’t really like being told what to do. At least, not by most people. Because most people don’t make decisions I can respect. Rhodes is someone who can give me an order that I’ll follow because I know he’ll always put me first. It’s something he has to work on.”
“Putting you first?” he asked, puzzled.
“Putting himself before me.”
“No,” he countered. “He doesn’t have to work on that. Of course he’s going to put you first. That’s the way it should be.”
“Rhodes does too much for me.”
“There’s no such thing as doing too much for you.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I don’t think that’s true.”
“I know it is. He’s got your best interests at heart. But so do I, baby.”
“I think that’s something I’d have to learn for myself.”
“On our dates,” he said.
“How are you going to date me when you’re guarding my brother?” she asked.
“Hmm. You don’t think he’d come out on a date with us?”
“No, I don’t think he’d enjoy that.”
“Well, I’ll just have to sort something else out, then.”
“All right, then. I will agree to date you. How many dates will you be requiring?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. Thousands?”
“That seems excessive and like it would take a long time.”
“Would it?” he asked as he pulled out onto an exit.
He hated traffic.
“I’m not sure I know how to date.”
“That’s all right. I do.”
Right. Because he’d probably been involved with lots of women romantically. She wasn’t jealous.
Nope.
“How about we get to know each other now?” he said. “Do you like your job?”
“Yes. I suppose so. It has enough challenges to keep me interested. Although I don’t like meetings.”
“I don’t think anyone ever does,” he told her.
“And you? Do you like being a bodyguard?” she asked.
This all felt so strange. She still didn’t really believe that he was attracted to her. Wanted to date her.
Cate knew she wasn’t easy. She wasn’t fun. Or sexy.
So she really didn’t get it.
But for some reason, she also couldn’t tell him no. Because she wanted to know what it would be like to date him. Even if it couldn’t go anywhere.
Eventually, he’d grow tired of her.
Eventually, he’d have to go home.
But at least she’d have the memory of him.
“I do. I feel like it’s the right fit for me. Did I ever tell you that I was in the Special Forces?”
“No. With Ink?”
“That’s where I met him, yep. I stayed in longer than him. When I left, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do until he contacted me and asked if I wanted a job. I’ve always wanted to protect people ever since . . . well, ever since my sister was kidnapped.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“She’s younger than me. At the time, I was fourteen and she was seven. She was out playing in our yard and when my mom went to call her in, she was gone.”
“Is she . . . is she all right?”
“Yeah. It turns out her dad took her.”
“Her dad?” Not his?
“We have different dads. Did you know that family kidnappings make up more than half of all abductions in the US?”
“I didn’t know that, no.”
“Yeah, turned out her dad was bitter over not getting full custody of her. He wanted more time with her. He’d come over to talk to my mom and must have seen her outside in the front yard.”
“God, that’s terrible. You and your mom must have been terrified.”
“We were. The lucky thing is that Lana didn’t know anything was wrong. Her dad made her think that Mom knew she was with him. He told her she was going on vacation. The cops found him the next day with her in some cheap motel. Seeing the police arresting her dad upset my sister. And unfortunately, that’s what she remembers. Her dad being arrested in front of her while she cried for him.”
“Oh, Ethan.” Could she touch him? Or would he not want that?
Screw it. They were going to date so surely she had the right to touch him.
Reaching over, she slipped her hand into his, squeezing lightly.
“Thanks. It was a long time ago, but something kind of changed in my brain. My mom said I became uber protective of her and Lana, my sister. I didn’t even want to let them out of the house. She got me to talk to a therapist about it and we managed to work through a lot of my fears. Enough that I could stand for Lana to go to school or on a playdate without me.”
“You were going on playdates with her?” she asked.
“Uh-huh. I’d stand there, watching over her and her friends. People understood, but it was a bit odd.”
Even Rhodes wasn’t that protective.
“So you went into a career where you got to protect people. First in the armed services and now as a bodyguard.”
“Yep.”
And he’d discovered that he was a Dominant. A Daddy Dom.
Yeah, it explained a lot.
It was getting dark as he turned off the street they were on, following the GPS instructions. When they reached a quieter neighborhood, she noticed him growing tenser.
“What the hell is this guy doing?” he asked just as light flooded the interior of their SUV from the car behind them and they were jolted forward.
A cry of shock escaped her as she slammed into her seatbelt.
“Fucking asshole. You all right, baby?” Ethan asked desperately as he sped up.
“Y-yes. What’s happening?”
“Some asshole hit us.”
“Shouldn’t we stop?”
“Nope. We are not stopping. Brace.” He put his arm over her chest as the car hit them again.
She cried out in fear. What was going on? Why would the car hit them a second time? Her heart raced as Ethan drew his arm back, then turned sharply into a side street.
“We need to get back into traffic.”
“What . . . what can I do?” She felt useless. She couldn’t believe he’d put his arm out to protect her from jolting too much even though he had to concentrate on his driving.
“Call Seth. Tell him what’s going on and where we are. Fuck!” His arm pushed her against her seat once more.
Smash! How much more could the SUV take? This time, the vehicle fish-tailed and she felt sure they were going to crash. But Ethan kept it under control.
“But he’s in New York,” she reminded him.
“Fuck! We need more cover here. He’ll get hold of Brody and Ink. Brody might be able to get access to traffic cams and see who this asshole is. My phone isn’t connected so you’ll need to set it up.”
She quickly set his phone up through the Bluetooth and it called Seth. They moved out onto a street with four lanes of traffic. It was busy, though. The traffic was barely moving. Ethan managed to weave through some cars, but he was still tense.
“Ethan?” Seth asked.
“There’s someone tailing us,” Ethan said immediately. “Can you track my phone to get our location? They smashed into us a few times, obviously trying to make us stop or crash. Call Brody, get him on the cams. We’re lucky that the airbags haven’t gone off.”
Seth started swearing and she could hear her brother’s voice in the background, demanding to know what was going on.
Traffic gridlocked, and Ethan started to swear as well. “We need to get off here.”
“I’ve got you,” Seth said. “Have you got a make and model?”
“Black BMW. It started with an LQ.”
She turned around in her seat, trying to find the vehicle behind them.
“Cate! What are you doing?” Ethan growled.
“Trying to figure out what car it was. It must have damage on the front. It’s hard to see now that it’s getting dark.”
“Sit down. Right now.”
“But I might be able to see it.”
Slap!
His hand landed on her ass and she jolted.
“What was that?” she cried.
“Sit down. Right. Now.”
His voice was so stern that she sat without thought.
“You slapped my bottom!”
“And I’ll do it again if you do anything like that. Sitting up like that isn’t safe in any circumstances, but especially not when some asshole is trying to run us off the road.”
“I was just trying to find the car. And he isn’t right behind us.”
“But he could easily have side-swiped us,” he told her. “You need to stay safe.”
“Cate!” Rhodes’ frantic voice sounded through the speaker.
“Rhodes, I’m all right,” she told him.
“Are you sure? What’s going on? Why did Ethan tell you to sit down?”
“I was just trying to find the car.”
“Cate, do what Ethan tells you to. Promise me.”
She closed her eyes. “I promise. I’m fine.”
“I’m getting off at the next exit,” Ethan said, tightening his hands around the steering wheel. “I don’t know if he’ll follow, but I’ll try to get far enough ahead to get away from him. Is Seth still there?”
“Yeah, he’s just talking to Ink and Brody. Apparently, someone called Reyes has some connections with a . . . with a motorcycle gang here?”
“A gang?” she asked.
“It won’t be a gang,” Ethan told her. “I don’t think, anyway. Ink and I belong to the same MC club as Reyes. He’s the president. He knows a few people. Right, we’re exiting.”
“You ride a motorcycle?” she asked.
“Yep. Although I’ve only just joined the club.”
“That seems dangerous.”
“It can be. But I’m a very careful driver.”
Hmm. Why was the thought of him astride a bike so sexy?
“Well, whatever they are, Ink is saying that they can get to you to help, but it’s going to take them at least thirty minutes,” Rhodes said.
“So far, we’re good, so tell them to stand down. I don’t think this guy has followed us, but I’m going to take a roundabout way to get home.”
Rhodes relayed that to Seth.
“Got it,” Seth said. “I’ll keep tracking you and stay on the line.”
“Yep,” Ethan replied.
She held the phone on her lap.
“Ink is going to call the cops and report this,” Seth said. “Expect incoming at the house when you get there.”
“Got it,” he replied.
“Cate? Are you all right?” Rhodes asked.
“Oh yes. I’m fine. Ethan is keeping me very safe.” Even if he had slapped her ass just before.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
Who are you trying to kid? You know exactly how you feel about it.
Hot.
Her bottom was still tingling.
It seemed like she might have a praise kink and a spanking kink.
And she wasn’t sure which one concerned her more.