Chapter 4
FOUR
Orion
Green eyes gaze up at me, and it’s like a cosmic joke.
They turn me inside out and upside down all at once.
I’ve never had a reaction to any woman quite like this before.
Seeing that man mess with her stirred a rage in me that I’m not proud of—let’s just say he’s lucky he fled before I had a chance to act on it.
“I can’t just let you whisk me away,” she says, her tone a blend of defiance and curiosity. There’s a spark in her eyes that both challenges and captivates me.
“You can and you will,” I reply, my voice steady and confident.
She clutches her phone tighter to her chest, as if it’s her shield. “I have a job. I can’t just miss work.”
“Then I’ll be here every day to watch over you,” I declare, determined.
She rolls her mesmerizing jade-green eyes with an exaggerated sigh. “Seriously, I can handle myself.”
I step closer, closing the space between us until my presence is almost overwhelming. “What if next time there’s nobody here to save you? What then, sweetheart?”
Her breath hitches slightly, and I notice the way her cheeks flush ever so slightly, adding a touch of color to her otherwise pale complexion. The intensity of the moment seems to hang in the air, creating a bubble around us that’s both tense and oddly exhilarating.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” she retorts, but there’s a softness in her voice that belies her bravado.
I’m so close now that I can almost feel the warmth radiating from her. “Maybe you don’t. But sometimes, a little extra protection doesn’t hurt.”
She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine for sincerity.
There’s a flicker of vulnerability there, and for a split second, I can see that she’s not as invincible as she pretends to be.
The atmosphere between us is electric, charged with a mix of frustration, attraction, and something unspoken but palpable.
“Fine,” she says after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. “But you’d better not cramp my style.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. “I promise not to.”
With that, I give her a nod and step back, though the pull to stay close to her is almost irresistible.
She bites her bottom lip and the action makes me all growly. “Fine.”
I step back, giving her some space. “Also, you’ll be staying with me.”
Her eyes widen. “I can’t…” she doesn’t finish her sentence, and hopefully it’s because she realizes there’s no point.
I’m not the type of man to take no for an answer, and I won’t let anything happen to her on my watch.
Ever. I take my job seriously. Even though she’s beautiful, I’d never cross that line.
I never sleep with clients. I also don’t do attachments.
Women are to be enjoyed for one night only, and I’m always out the door before the sun comes up the next morning.
I don’t do relationships in any way, shape, or form. I’m just not capable of it.
“I’ll wait for you to finish work, then we can swing by your place and pick up your things.”
Her eyes roam over me, and I puff out my chest a little. I stare at her so she knows I’m dead serious, and once she nods, I cross my arms over my broad chest. “Fine,” she says like a defeated little bird. “Just stay out of my way.” She steps away from me and picks her broom up.
I give her a quick nod to let her know I’ll be watching, then casually wander around the aviary, staying close enough to keep an eye on her but trying to blend in with the tourists.
My gaze sweeps the crowd every few minutes, half-expecting that jerk of an ex-boyfriend of hers to pop up.
But it’s mostly families and bird enthusiasts milling about, so I relax—just a little.
As I stroll through the aviary, I’m bombarded with more bird facts than I ever thought possible.
Apparently, cockatoos can mimic voices, and Yellow-naped birds like Chester are some kind of mischief geniuses.
I smirk as Chester entertains another group, causing a kid to break into fits of laughter.
I never realized how much went into these shows—or how many kinds of birds there are.
A couple of hours later, as the afternoon sun filters through the trees, Briar finds me by the parrot exhibit.
She’s got that tired, drained look about her, cheeks flushed from exhaustion.
“I’m ready,” she says. Her lips are pressed into a firm, stubborn pout, her nose scrunched just slightly in distaste.
I can tell she’s not happy. But I don’t care.
I’m here to protect her ass, not become her bestie.
And what a fine ass it is, if I’m being a hundred percent honest.
“Great. Let’s get out of here,” I say, motioning toward the exit. As we start walking, I add, “I’ll also need to know your schedule—can’t protect you if I don’t know where you’re gonna be.”
She tilts her head slightly, thinking it over. “What do I do with my car?” she asks, a small frown forming on her lips.
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll drive you back to get it later, or better yet, I’ll have someone pick it up for you,” I say with a shrug, leading her toward the entrance where the tourists are thinning out.
She doesn’t argue, but there’s that little spark of independence in her eyes again, like she’s not entirely used to someone taking care of things for her.
It’s kinda cute, honestly. But underneath it all, I can tell she’s relieved, even if she won’t admit it.
She’s tough, but everyone needs a little help sometimes, whether they like it or not.
I pull out my phone, sending a text to Riggs, from the brAVO team and work out the details with him to pick up Briar’s car from the zoo.
Normally, on missions, I’d opt for a safe house, but I’m not too concerned about an overzealous ex-boyfriend.
The guy’s not exactly a criminal mastermind.
After going through the file on him, I’m pretty confident he doesn’t have the skills to hack into the DMV or track down where I live. He’s all bluster and no brains.
If by some miracle he does manage to find us, I’ll ask Dean to set us up in a safe house. But until then, I’m confident I can keep Briar safe while this mess gets sorted out. Dean’s working on the restraining order and gathering the evidence needed to arrest him. The legal process just takes time.
And let’s be real—how many criminals actually respect a restraining order? Not many. So yeah, we’re being extra cautious. Keeping Briar close, making sure she’s not alone, and always watching. It’s my job to protect her, and I don’t plan on letting some petty ex get in the way of that.
We walk through the zoo, and past many different animals. I clear my throat, considering how to phrase my next question. “Why do you work here?” I ask her, wondering what would ever make somebody interested in cleaning up after birds.
She stops walking and blinks up at me. “What do you mean?”
“Listen, I know you come from money.” Our services aren’t cheap and her parents are wealthy. “So, why shovel bird shit for a living?”
“I love birds. One day I hope to be a bird trainer and get to be able to work with the birds directly.”
“You love birds, huh?”
Her eyes sparkle as her face lights up into a smile. “More than humans.”
I continue walking, checking our surroundings as I do. Always on the lookout. “I get that.” Which I do understand. People are messy. People take a lot of work to handle. Birds are probably much easier.
They’re little and hang out in cages, how hard can that be to handle.
We make our way to the parking lot, and we wait until Riggs arrives to handle Briar’s car.
“She’s hot,” Riggs says to me before leaving, his eyes roaming over Briar’s body. “Have fun with her.”
I’ve always gotten along with Riggs, but right now I’m feeling murderous when he stares at her a little too long. “It’s a job,” I say, my voice rough and hoarse from anger.
Riggs laughs, slapping me on the shoulder. “Dean’s never given me a hot as fuck assignment before.”
“Maybe because you suck ass, and he can’t trust you to get the job done.
I don’t fuck clients,” I say, which he knows.
Everyone knows. It’s one of the major rules I’ve followed since I started with Maddox Security.
One I’ll never break, no matter how tight Briar’s little body is, and how badly she tempts me with every smile she casts my way.
“Hey, neither do I,” he hits the key fob on Briar’s car and opens the door, “but for her I’d make an exception.”
Briar’s sitting in the front seat of my SUV, unable to hear our conversation which I’m grateful for.
I glance at her before returning my focus on Riggs. “And this is why I get the hot as fuck assignments.”
Riggs laughs as he hops into her car.
The drive is easy, though I’m already mentally mapping out the best escape routes, just in case.
Riggs follows closely behind. When we arrive, I park and step out, taking in the building—cozy, with a charming, lived-in vibe.
Riggs hands off the keys, and heads to the corner of the major intersections waiting on a pickup.
Briar leads me up a narrow flight of stairs to her apartment.
The second I step inside, a voice calls out from across the room, “Intruder, who are you?”
I freeze, eyes darting around the space, my hand already reaching for my gun in the holster at my hip. “What the—?” I start, trying to locate the source of the voice.
Briar laughs, walking over to a large birdcage near the bay window. “That’s Jeb,” she says, pointing to a gray-colored bird with a striking red tail. “He’s a Congo African Grey. And yes, he can talk.”
Before I can respond, Jeb squawks again, louder this time, “Jeb can talk!”
I blink, staring at the bird. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter under my breath, marveling at the sass radiating from the little creature.
Briar grins, clearly amused by my reaction. “He’s quite the character. Likes to announce visitors. Sometimes he even tells people to go away.”