5. Christian
I’m still angry.
I’m trying not to be, especially when I know I have to have my head in the game and treat this like every other assignment I have: with utmost care and precision. But seeing Raven here and finding out she’s my assignment still catches me by surprise, a cruel twist of fate that I never would have expected in a million years.
I know we both only had one thought in mind last night, but if I had known she was running away from an ex…would I have slept with her?
Maybe, maybe not. I recall how things quickly got heated between us, the attraction a tidal wave that swept us up in a frenzy. The memory alone stirs my cock, but the reminder of the aftermath and a distant past washes a coldness over my body in an instant.
If I had known she was going to be my client, would I have slept with her?
Hard no. Hell, no.
Getting involved with a client is always a mistake, no matter how one looks at it.
And yet, I still feel betrayed. No, not betrayed. Raven’s right; she didn’t owe me an explanation, just like I didn’t owe her one. But I should’ve pushed for one anyway. I should’ve asked why she was in town and staying in a motel. For the first time, I ignored my instincts to get all the information before jumping into something and this is what happens.
I know, rationally, that she didn’t do anything wrong. But the protective side of me is angry that she would go home with someone she doesn’t know with a stalker ex on the loose. Even if that someone is me.
I try to imagine my sister, Clara, in this situation and the protective instinct arises in me and makes me irrational. And that’s how I know that I’m already too emotionally involved. Raven is a client, nothing more.
Because I have no choice now, I push it out of my mind and focus on the task at hand: prepping my house for the new resident coming soon. It still has my sister’s homey touches from when she lived here before I bought it, and I’ve never really gotten around to making it look like my own yet. I suppose that’s fine because at least it makes me feel like Clara is still here when I barely see her due to our hectic schedules.
She’s a full-time songwriter now, a dream she’s had since childhood, and I’ve never been prouder.
I’ve just deposited the basket of hygiene products in the spare room when the doorbell rings. My shoulders tense, so I will them to relax before I saunter over to open the door.
As soon as I see Raven, it’s like a punch to the gut right away, much as it had been the last few times. She’s wearing a plain white top and denim shorts, and her curls are loose around her shoulders and framing her face. Nothing special.
But the desire still tightens my stomach before I stomp it into non-existence.
Client, I remind myself.
“Hey.”
“Hey. Come on in.”
I help her with her bags, which isn’t much. She stands in the living room and looks around, surprise lining her features when she sees the feminine touches.
“It was my sister’s before it was mine. I bought it from her when she got married and moved in with her husband.”
“Oh. Okay.”
An awkward tension hums between us. Normally, I know my way around tensions and am the first to break it, used to doing so since my sister used to be shy and my best friend used to be a moody recluse. But I don’t have words of comfort here, not when it’s obvious she’ll just spit them in my face.
So, I go the professional route.
“There are some ground rules.”
“I’m sure there are.”
My back goes up at her tone. “It’s necessary. And a part of the protection program.”
“Right.” She shrugs. “Hit me with it.”
“The moment I bought this house, I updated the security system and have special locks, especially for when we are inside the house. You need to memorize everything so that you will know how to lock up the house yourself in case of an emergency.”
“Sounds good. I will.”
“You will be given a phone. You will take it with you wherever you go and it will be your lifeline.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll also teach you how to use basic weapons, like a knife or even a screwdriver. Everything can be a weapon as long as you know how to use it, and you need to familiarize yourself with what can be used as one in this house.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
I list down some more rules, relaxing bit by bit when she’s agreeable to everything, including us sleeping in rooms adjacent to each other. It makes me think that maybe this won’t be so bad, at least not assignment-wise. I’ve had worse clients and more harrowing scenarios.
“I’ll leave this notepad in the kitchen and you can just add what you need to the list. Grocery shopping will be once a week. Other than that, there’s no reason for us to leave the house that much, and I’m sure you have everything you need and don’t need to go anywhere?—”
“What?”
I stop at the alarm in her voice, then repeat my words. “You don’t need to go anywhere.”
“Not go anywhere as in never leave the house?”
“For the first week at least. I have to make some calls before I can safely let you out of the house.”
Her eyes widen. “I can’t go outside?” she says in disbelief.
“For now,” I repeat slowly, unsure of what part she missed. “Then, after the week, we only leave the house if we absolutely need to. That’s the first phase. After we’re assured that your ex hasn’t followed you here and won’t, then we’ll move onto the next?—”
“What about my job?”
Now, it’s my turn to be flabbergasted. I drop the notepad on the counter and turn to face her fully.
“You don’t have a job.”
“Yes, I do.” She glares. “Did you think I came here to slack off?”
I narrow my gaze. “No. You came here to hide from your ex.”
“To get away, not hide. But I’m not going to just sit here and wait and get paranoid all over again. Especially if, like you said, we don’t even know if he’s going to come after me or not.
I’m a teacher. I’m going to teach.”
Every bit of new information she’s hitting me with feels like a punch all over again. I gape.
“What?”
“It’s already set. I’m assisting at Honey Lee’s preschool.”
“No, you aren’t. And Honey Lee agreed to this? Knowing the reason you came here?” My voice is riddled with disbelief. I can’t help it. “You’re not supposed to be out.”
Her shoulders stiffen. “You’re not the boss of me.”
“I’m your protector.”
“Yeah, not my jailer. You should be able to do your job even when I’m not at home.”
“That’s—”
“Don’t lock me up here. I’ve already been a prisoner in my home. In my city. Don’t do the same to me here.”
“You—”
“Please.”
There are plenty of arguments to be had, including that her ex is a computer guy and good at it, meaning he might still be able to track her down here. It’s not a guaranteed thing, and it was smart of her to come here to Honey Lee, who she never mentioned to her ex.
But the stricken look on her expression, as if the very idea of being trapped will kill her…it kills me, too. My fingers itch to reach out and wrap her in a hug, then soothe her with encouraging words until all that panic and fear she’s keeping within go away. I fist my hands instead, understanding pride is also in the mix and it’ll just humiliate her if I bring it up now.
So, I don’t. And I consider her words.
“Fine. Okay. I’ll just…adjust the program.”
“I won’t be on house arrest?”
“No. You can go to work. But everything else still needs to be monitored. I have to know where you’re going.”
Her eyes widen again, but she nods and relaxes. The relief on her face is so obvious that I know I said the right words.
“That’s…acceptable.”
I nod back. Then we’re back to that silence. Because I don’t want her to get stuck with her panicked thoughts from earlier, I clear my throat.
“I’ll show you the amenities. And your room.”
She nods again, then follows me as I give her a grand tour of the house. Satisfaction shoots through me when she makes pleased noises over the hygiene baskets in every powder room and bathroom, then flicks an astonished glance my way.
“Peach-scented?”
My lips quirk. “Soap and shampoo. My sister loves scented stuff. Sometimes the house smells like jasmine when she runs a bath.”
And now I’m thinking of Raven running a bath and the house smelling like peaches…and her smelling like peaches. Belatedly, I notice her gaze on my mouth, too, and I grit my teeth against the resulting tingle that runs through me.
Client, you ass.
I clear my throat again. “Anyway, shall I show you the sleeping quarters?”
She flicks her gaze away. “Okay.”
I show her mine first, which is as plain as it can get. Then we’re checking out her room, which is decorated with touches of flowers and more colorful quilts.
“It’s lovely.” She smiles a bit. “Your sister has good taste.”
I don’t tell her that the flowers were my choice and the quilts are new. “Yeah. She does.” When she steps in, so do I, pointing things out. “Bathroom, work desk, nook. Don’t be afraid to hang out by the window. It’s bulletproof and high, so no one can climb it.”
Her brows raise, but she doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she leans over to check out the window, her fingers caressing the white curtains with daisy prints on them.
“I can have a baby monitor installed.”
She straightens at the offer and immediately shakes her head.
“Absolutely not.”
The terse way she says that makes me think she’s headed to panic mode again, so I try to ease things up.
“Why? You don’t want me to hear you snoring?”
Her brows raise higher, but she’s not offended. She doesn’t look ready to panic, either.
“Among other things.”
Just like that, it’s fairly easy to imagine what other things she’s talking about, and before I know it, her moans are back in my head. Is she the type of woman to take pleasure with her hands? Will she be as loud as when I?—
I shove it out of my head, thinking of other explanations…like Raven singing in her room. Oddly, it tugs a smile out of me, one she puzzles over. Then I recall how this all started and my smile drops.
Raven, however, is still looking at me.
“I need to teach at the preschool. Not just for work, but because I owe Honey Lee a favor.”
I don’t know how we got back to this topic, but I take in her words and nod.
“I owe her one, too.”
“You do?”
“The first test assignment before my expansion is important. Having it here in Sweet Haven, where I grew up, feels fitting, and I wouldn’t have had it here if it wasn’t for her…not that I’m happy about what happened to you.”
“No, I get it. There’s no place like home.”
There’s a wistfulness to her tone now, and I wonder if she misses her apartment despite the trauma that place gave her. Again, I’m filled with the urge to comfort, so I shut it down and step back.
“Get comfortable and settled in. Explore the house if you want. Then we can get to the security locks and house weapon basics later.”
* * *
I have clients who can argue their way out of any corner, even if that corner means their safety and the other side means danger. Luckily, despite our animosity, Raven isn’t the type to argue just for the sake of arguing, and she pays attention to my instructions and easily adapts to the weapon training I show her.
It doesn’t mean, however, that we’re friends because the tension is still very much present when the hours pass and we get through a rather stilted dinner. I don’t try to make conversation, not when I already have the information that I need to protect her, and finding out more will just mean attachments.
And this is a business deal, nothing else.
When Raven settles into her room for the night, I settle in mine, too. Honey Lee calls me sometime later.
“How’s my cousin?”
“She’s good. But you should ask her.”
“I already did. Now I’m asking you. How is she?”
Vulnerable. Feeling trapped. Frustrated with her situation and angry that I’m the one protecting her.
But I have no right to share those things, not when Raven is trying her best to keep them to herself.
“She’ll be fine, Honey Lee. I told you. Don’t worry too much.”
She sighs. “I can’t help it. She’s my cousin.”
“I know. If this happened to Clara, I’d go batshit, too. But this is Sweet Haven. We got her, okay?”
That eases her up. “Okay. Aaron says I should calm down for her.”
“Aaron’s right. Go enjoy your night. We’re fine here.”
“Okay.”
When we hang up, I take a hot shower and walk around the room naked, assured that no one would be bothering us in this area and everything’s locked tight. I’m putting on my sweatpants and shirt with that confidence thrumming inside me when I hear it: a faint scream, then a louder scream filled with fear.
And it’s coming from Raven’s room.