Chapter 10 #2
There was no malice in the question—if anything, he seemed to be teasing her. She responded in kind, using humor to mask her disquiet at the thought of him no longer playing a role of any kind in her life. “Hmm, let me think.”
“No need. I’ll save you the trouble of making a decision—answer not required. Besides, I don’t think my fragile male ego could take the truth.” He raised an eyebrow, while his lips quirked into an attractive smile.
“Fragile?” She feigned a choking sound to convey her disbelief. “I don’t think so.”
There was nothing fragile about the man, least of all his ego. How could something that didn’t even exist be fragile? What he possessed in its place was a quiet confidence that was extremely appealing. She’d wanted to kiss him for so long, and in that instant, she made her decision.
Tonight was the night.
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After two incredible courses, all Taylor could manage was a cup of coffee to finish the meal. While she enjoyed one of the restaurant’s specialty beverages, she noted that Rhys took his black, as he always did.
“I have to admit this was a good idea,” she said, having drained the last mouthful of caffeinated deliciousness from her cup. “Caroline has excellent taste.”
Rhys shrugged. “I can’t argue with that. It’s still early—while we’re in town, would you like to go on to a bar?”
Even if she didn’t have other plans, she still would have declined the offer. “Tempting, but I’m not really in the mood. Never really been one for bar culture.”
Rhys inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Whatever the lady wants. I’ll settle the bill, then we can be on our way.”
The journey back to their base didn’t seem to take as long as the drive to the restaurant, and the closer they got, the more something Charity had once said resonated with Taylor—things happen for a reason. It looked as if Rhys being assigned to protect her was one of those things.
On arrival, Rhys went into his usual routine of checking the perimeter; while he was doing that, Taylor figured she’d use the time to make a cup of coffee, although she had to question the wisdom of consuming so much caffeine so late in the day.
Maybe, like her, he’d prefer something cold.
She’d just popped the tab on a can of soda when he walked into the kitchen.
Taylor paused before she started pouring the carbonated liquid into a glass. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. No signs of disturbance. Good idea—I think I’ll join you.”
He skirted the island so fast, Taylor barely had time to avoid the collision of the hands on the fridge handle. For Taylor, it was as if an electric shock zapped through her whole nervous system, but that was merely the warm-up act for what happened next.
She looked up, intending to apologize, but all thoughts of doing so fled when her gaze meshed with his, just as it had in the pool that day.
Something shifted between them, and with startling clarity, she knew she hadn’t imagined all those times she’d thought his gaze had lingered a little longer than she’d have expected…
and all the times her own gaze had remained on him in exactly the same way.
“Tay?”
She licked her lips. It looked like her plans were getting bumped up. Even without the exact words, she knew what he was asking for—permission to kiss her. She knew why, too. It was out of respect for her, not uncertainty on his part. Hardly daring to move, she nodded.
His mouth was soft, surprisingly gentle, even a little teasing, but not demanding, and she was okay with that. Responding was as natural as breathing, measured in a way to match his overture.
The kiss deepened. Rhys palmed the back of her head, guiding her to a more satisfying position for both of them. Slightly off balance, Taylor clung to him, pulling in a sharp breath at the flex of his muscles beneath her fingers, afraid to let go in case she fell.
In case? It’s too late—you’ve already fallen…
Only a dire need to breathe again forced them apart. Stunned and reeling, Taylor pressed her forehead against his shoulder. Rhys’ arms around her helped to keep her upright.
“So,” he said slowly, somewhere above her head, “good idea or not?”
“Depends,” she whispered. “One—are you allowed to get ‘friendly’ with the body you’re guarding, and two—if you are, have you done it before?”
Because if he made a habit of this and she was just another notch on his whatever bodyguards used to tally up their conquests while on the job, her plans might be about to be shot down in flames.
“There are no rules against it. It would be hypocritical of the boss back in the UK, given that’s how she met her husband. And no, I’ve never done it before.”
That should have been enough. Rhys was an honorable man; she’d known that even when she’d tried to convince herself she didn’t like him. But no, she had to push it. “Ever been tempted?”
“Only once.”
That stung. She stiffened in his embrace.
“Right now,” he continued, “I’m trying to find out if giving in was a good idea, but the other person involved in the event’s keeping me in suspense. When she tells me she thinks it was a good idea, I’ll let you know.”
Taylor lifted her head to check Rhys’ expression. She expected to be greeted by a teasing grin, but no, he wasn’t joking. His expression betrayed nothing of what he might actually feel about the situation.
There was only one thing for it. “I have it on very good authority that she thinks it was an excellent idea. I’m pretty sure she’d like to take the matter further.”