Chapter 10
Kate
For seven long minutes after Richard strolled out the door, Kate stood in the bathroom and tried to get her rebellious heart under control. Heat flushed her face and her skin tingled with the memory of everywhere he’d touched her.
I can’t keep doing this.
She’d liked the man well enough when she’d gone to work for him, but with every minute she spent with him—every day—that like grew to respect and caring.
He worked his ass off for his clients, he was a damn good friend to the grand duke and he didn’t take advantage of his position unless someone tried to cut it out from under him.
No, he was a good guy and he didn’t deserve the lies.
Still in the towel, she walked into her borrowed room and picked up her cell phone.
When Peterson had phoned and woken her up from the painkiller-induced nap earlier, she’d given him a status report.
He’d called her on her level of involvement and warned her about the danger in taking the relationship too far.
She’d been unable to respond because Richard walked back out onto the deck. What the hell would she have said? No, I know fucking the grand duke’s best friend wasn’t in the plan, but my protectee started it, so suck it up? Perching on the edge of the bed, she stared at her phone.
They’d had a hell of a lot of fun. She adored it when he cut loose and relaxed.
Remembering how she’d melted against him and the hard strength enveloping her as he seduced her senses—his ripping the bandage off hadn’t stung nearly as much as it might have.
Riding an endorphin high, she hadn’t cared about the towel slipping, either.
Hell, half of her mind had already taken the next leap forward—dropping the towel and turning into him. She wanted to explore his body—find out what would make his pulse quicken, his body shake—and she wanted to have sex with him. Once would never be enough.
I’m falling for him.
At some point in the last few weeks—and she couldn’t pinpoint when it happened—he’d stopped being her protectee and had become so much more.
When the shots had been fired, all she could think about was keeping him alive because losing him would kill her.
Unlocking her phone, she dialed the tower and waited for Peterson to answer.
“Braddock?” Cool, professional and controlled, Peterson had always been a master of efficiency. He’d entrusted her with not one, but two, protectees and he’d invested in her based on the recommendation of an old friend. She’d always be grateful for that.
“You were right,” she said softly. “I have been compromised. Due to that, I am resigning my position for His Highness.”
“We can replace you,” Peterson said evenly. “Extract and send in another.”
“No extraction required.” She didn’t want to leave Richard. “But I can’t continue as his bodyguard.” Sucking in her first deep breath in days, relief left her shaky and the noose around her neck loosened.
“Resigning your post does not relieve you of the agreements you signed.” He referred to the agreement stipulating the disclosure of any activities she’d performed in service to the Andraste family, specifically in their security detail.
“I understand, but as of…five minutes ago, I am done.”
“Kate.” Peterson shifted gears. “The threat is a real one and it’s still out there.”
“I know.” So very aware of it, in fact. “I’m not going to not protect him. I just won’t do it on the grand duke’s payroll anymore.”
“What if someone shoots at him again?” Worry coated the words and she heard his underlying concern.
“I don’t need a paycheck to want him alive, Peterson. Please express my regrets to His Highness. And a request?”
“Which is?”
“When we wrap this up, when we find the shooter, I need permission to tell Richard I worked for the grand duke.” He deserved to know the whole of it. She could tell him why she’d started working for him. He was a man who needed honesty and she wanted him to have it.
“I will pass on the request. Be careful. Kate—” He hesitated and she thought he was done when she heard the squeak of an office wheel and Peterson blew out a breath.
“It’s harder to protect someone you love than you may realize.
You can get wrapped up in them and miss something when it does go wrong. ”
“I know.” She’d have a split-second to respond to the threat. “I won’t let him down. Thanks for understanding.”
“Be careful. As of this moment, you’re still the subject of a security detail. Let the others take point.”
Agreeing wasn’t as hard as she’d thought it might be. That detail’s job was to keep Richard alive. “I’m not the target. Remind them to protect Richard first.”
They spoke for another minute and when she hung up she let out a long, trembling breath. She couldn’t dive any further into this relationship as the servant of two masters—and only a fool would try to deny the very real chemistry consuming all the air between her and her former protectee.
Grinning, she bounced to her feet, not even the sting in her shoulder diminishing her good mood.
She took her time in selecting a comfortable pair of denim shorts and a body-hugging tank top.
To hell with the bra. Returning to the bathroom, she used a comb and blow dryer to tame the mass, which she left down.
Richard liked it down. Eyeing herself in the mirror, she added a little lip gloss and grinned.
He wanted to play? He wouldn’t know what hit him.
Humming, she strolled out of the room barefoot and padded down the stairs, clearing the last step with a hop.
Following the scent of cooking meat, she found Richard manning the grill.
The table on the upper part of the pool deck had been set for two and music filtered through the speakers hidden in the eaves of the deck cover.
Recognizing a familiar tune, she couldn’t stop her grin.
With the breeze coming in off the ocean and the sun slanting down over it, the entire set up promised romance and seduction.
He’d declared his intentions and armed his theater of war.
Being the target of so much effort had never happened to her before, and damn if her stomach didn’t quiver and her heart skip a beat.
Letting herself out, she met his heated gaze when he glanced over his shoulder and skimmed his gaze over her.
The caress of his attention was an invitation to join him.
Padding across the sun-warmed wood, she paused at the table and spotted the bottles of water in a tub of ice and the wine—an Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon.
He’d opened the bottle to let it breathe.
Pouring two glasses a quarter full each—she wasn’t taking another one of those damn pain pills—she set the bottle down and carried the two glasses to the grill. “It smells wonderful.” She kept her attention on him as she passed over his glass.
He eyed hers curiously and swept his gaze up to meet her eyes. “You sure?” Laden with so many meanings, the two very simple words packed a punch.
“To open doors,” she toasted and his grin grew wider, creasing his face in delight. Her breath hitched because the man had no idea of the devastating effect he had on her equilibrium.
“To open doors,” he murmured and their glasses clinked together. They both sipped, but he kept watching her.
“And to not burning these beautiful steaks you’re preparing.” Pleasure twisted in her chest at his muttered oath. He handed her back the wine glass before flipping the steaks.
In addition to the meat, he had created a foil pan on the top burner with onions, asparagus and peppers grilling together over the heat. The combination of scents made her hungry, but it was the man, not the wine, who intoxicated her most.
“How is your shoulder?” He cast her a sidelong look and took his wine glass back.
“Can’t feel a thing.” It wasn’t a lie. Beyond a twinge, she couldn’t care less about the ache.
Since he wasn’t touching the grill, she gave into the impulse and traced her fingers down the line of his arm.
The tiny hairs tickled her skin. It didn’t take much of a leap to imagine how sensuous it would be to rub against him. Her nipples tightened at the thought.
“Really? So would you say it’s a temporary reprieve or result of the care you’ve received?” Another question lurked beneath the surface and she spread her hand over his shoulder and stroked the cottony softness of his shirt.
“Hmm. Hopefully not temporary, but then I have a very high threshold for pain. This tiny ache certainly can’t compete with my other needs.
” She tipped the glass up for another drink.
His throat bobbed with a swallow and she hid a smile.
“Did I mention that this is a wonderful wine? The fruit is very evident in it.”
“You did say you loved fruit and, of our local vintages, this is one of my favorites. The licorice and cloves are subtle, but they bring out the bite in the grapes.”
Of course he knew about wine, the man was perfect.
Kate laughed. “Well, we’ve exhausted what I know about wine.” Dragging her hand off him, she padded lazily to the rail and glanced out over the ocean. “So…”
“Yes?” He didn’t follow her, but the weight of his gaze scorched her senses.
“Are you enjoying being impossible?” Twisting to lean against the rail, she drank in the view of him.
His dark eyes, the way the wind tugged at his hair, and that damn lock of hair that continued to drift down onto his forehead.
She loved that stupid little lock of hair.
It made him look younger, easing the hard planes of his face, and transformed him from good-looking to breathtakingly handsome.
Someone could write a book about a man like him. Blunt, forceful and wielding charm the way others did sarcasm. The corner of his mouth quirked and a devilish glint gleamed in his eyes. “You’re trying to seduce me.”
“Am I?” She might never win a war of words with him, but damn would she have fun trying.