Chapter 4 #2
Gia pushed her hair back. She was running on fumes, exhausted.
She just wanted to curl up and pretend the world didn’t exist for a while.
She was usually take-charge, a problem solver.
She liked to grab a problem by the horns and face it down, but right now, she didn’t have the energy to do that.
She wished she could lean on someone and know that they would catch her.
She drew herself up. “Okay.”
He led her downstairs. Then he paused, several steps down so that they were eye level.
“You don’t have to worry tonight, Gia. I’ll keep you safe.”
The tight knot in her chest eased a little. “I told you to stop being nice to me.”
Instead, he just tucked a curl back behind her ear.
* * *
Saxon woke to the smell of coffee. He blinked at the ceiling above his bed.
It was rare that he brought anyone back to his place, and if he did bring a woman back, they never stayed for a cozy breakfast.
Rising, he pulled on a pair of loose, black pajama pants, and went to wash his face and brush his teeth.
He went upstairs to the kitchen and his chest tightened.
Gia stood at his huge island, one hip pressed against it. She was wearing a tiny, silky robe in a dusty pink that left her slender legs bare. And her hair… Jesus . It was all piled up on her head, dark curls everywhere. She sipped her coffee, then glanced his way.
Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, her brow creased. She made a small, feminine grunt.
Saxon grinned. So, Gia wasn’t a morning person.
He walked over. “Morning.”
That got him another grunt. God, she was as cute as fuck.
He poured himself a coffee, and saw her eyeing his bare chest. She looked at his tattoos very differently than his mother had, and she wasn’t hiding that she liked them.
His cock twitched.
Fuck . He turned and drank more coffee. These pants wouldn’t hide a hard-on.
“You need to call your insurance today,” he reminded her.
She nodded.
“And you’re coming to the Norcross office.” He wasn’t letting her out of his sight until Dennett called off his dogs.
Gia stiffened. “I have work—”
“You have staff. They can handle things. And we have phones and computers at the office that you can use.”
“Saxon, no. I have meetings, responsibilities—”
“You’re in danger. Remember the state of your apartment?” Pain flickered through her eyes, and he hated that he’d made her remember. “You can’t be reckless and endanger your staff or clients.”
Her eyes fired. “Despite what you think, I’m not stupid or reckless.”
“I never said you were stupid.”
Her grumpy gaze narrowed. “Just reckless.”
“You can be.”
“And you’re arrogant.”
He shifted his shoulder. “Sometimes.”
“And a snob. A know-it-all. And you’re bossy.”
He grinned, and took another sip of his coffee. “Anything else, Contessa?”
She made an angry sound and stomped to the stairs. “I’m going to shower and change.”
When he headed back to his room to get ready, he paused on the landing. He heard the faint sound of the shower running off her room. In his head, he imagined Gia naked in the shower. Imagined water pouring over her curves.
His cock throbbed. With a curse, he strode into his bedroom and straight into his large marble bathroom. He stripped his trousers off and stepped into the huge shower stall.
But the images of Gia wouldn’t go away. What would those full breasts look like naked? What color were her nipples? His gut went tight.
Shit . What would she taste like? From the kiss yesterday, he knew she’d be wild and enthusiastic. She’d demand everything, deny him nothing.
With a groan, Saxon circled his hard cock. He imagined her there, her hands on him, her lips…
With another groan, he stroked faster.
“ Gia .” Her name echoed off the tiles. His release hit and his muscles locked. He slapped a hand to the tiles as he spurted into the shower. Shit, he’d just come hard at the mere thought of her. He flicked the shower to cold and let the water pound over him.
She was his best friend’s sister. Vander was going to be pissed, but Saxon was done fighting the pull of Gia Norcross. She was his .
After drying off, he dressed, exiting his bedroom as he fastened his cufflinks at his wrists.
Gia was waiting on the landing, dressed in dark jeans and a red, knit top that draped over her breasts.
And he was hard again.
“Come on,” he growled as he stomped down the stairs.
“God, you’re in a bad mood suddenly.”
He wound down the staircase. “Don’t start.”
They passed the glassed-in wine cellar and went down into the garage.
“But making you mad always makes me feel better,” she said sweetly.
He opened the door of the X6 and she climbed in with a smile.
When they arrived at the Norcross office, Vander met them and waved them into the conference room.
Rhys was already sitting at the table, along with Ace, who was biting into a donut. Another Norcross employee, Rome Nash, sat on the other side of the table.
“Hey, Rome,” Gia said.
“Gia.” Big and muscular, the dark-skinned man was a former Ghost Ops team member.
Rome was Norcross’ top bodyguard. They all had their specialties.
Rhys was their best investigator. Ace was their guru on all things tech.
Saxon was their troubleshooter, a jack-of-all-trades, who Vander sent into shitty situations to troubleshoot and get the job done.
Gia went over to Rhys and her youngest brother gave her a hug. As usual, his overlong hair was a shaggy mess, and he wrapped his tattooed arms around his sister and held her tight.
Once Gia sat, Vander stood at the head of the table and pressed his palms to the glossy surface.
“Dennett’s not happy.” Vander didn’t look happy, either. “Another player has taken the gems. He’s blaming Willow, and by default, Gia.”
Gia rolled her eyes. “Typical man. Blame everybody else.”
“Dennett wants the stones back badly.” Rhys leaned forward. “He’s put a bounty on Willow and the gems.”
“Fuck,” Saxon muttered.
“What does that mean?” Gia asked.
“It means that every asshole scumbag will be out to find her,” Vander explained.
Saxon crossed his arms over his chest. “Which means someone might target Gia as a way to get to Willow.”
Gia blew out a breath. “Well, this day keeps getting better and better.”
Saxon shook his head. “There’s something else going on here. Dennett’s expending a lot of time, energy, and money on this. He’s not hurting for money, so what’s so special about these gems?”
Vander nodded. “Rhys?”
The youngest Norcross brother nodded. “I’m on it.”
“I want to know who broke into Gia’s place,” Vander said. “Who took the stones.”
Yeah, Saxon would like to know that, too. He wanted to make the asshole pay for the pain he’d put on Gia’s face.
“Gia, if Willow contacts you again, you let us know,” Vander ordered.
Gia gave a tired-looking nod.
“Come on,” Saxon said. “I’ll show you where you can work.”
He put her in the office next to his.
“Any idea where Willow would go?” he asked.
She shook her head. “She’s burned too many bridges. I don’t know anyone who’d take her in.”
He grunted.
“She… Once upon a time, she was a good friend.”
Saxon didn’t believe that. “The best way to help her might be to cut her loose. Not keep helping her enough that she stays on this path.”
Sadness clouded Gia’s eyes. “I can’t give up on her.”
He crouched, and tucked a curl back behind her ear. “You’re a good friend, but I’m not going to let her drag you down.” He stroked her cheekbone.
“Saxon,” she murmured.
Damn, when she said his name like that, it was easy to forget everything. He rose. “You need to call your insurance company.”
She nodded. “And my office. I need to get Ashley to reschedule my meetings, and go over what’s on the agenda for the next couple of days.”
And Saxon needed to find Willow and the gems.