Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
He'd been warned about his bodyguard. Rodrigo had gone over and over and over again that Violet was highly trained, had anger management issues, and a tendency to deal with her problems the fastest way possible—by disabling them.
Nobody had said anything about the things that would come out of her mouth.
Max didn't know whether to laugh in delight or stare at her in wonder, because he had no idea what she would say next. It was awesome.
"You want some water?" he asked, after he'd cleaned up the mess he'd made.
She took the cold bottle from his hand with a nod of thanks and promptly downed half the contents in one long motion, briefly closing her eyes in ecstasy as she drank. Everything within Max stilled as he watched her.
Sexy.
The word whispered over his senses. Naturally, unconsciously, and effortlessly sexy.
There was nothing studied in her movements or her intent.
This was just Violet, being herself, and it was mesmerizing.
She opened her eyes, blinked several times, and then gave him a dismissive glance.
Just like that, the moment passed, and she was back to securing the bungalow.
At this rate, his bodyguard was going to give him whiplash purely by being herself.
While Violet went around the building, locking it up tight, Max explored.
The bungalow was basically one big square structure, that was mostly open plan.
You walked in the front door and straight into the dining area.
That led into the living room, which held a large sofa and big screen TV.
To the left of the living room, through an open archway, sat the bedroom, complete with massive four poster bed.
Off the bedroom, was the ensuite and dressing room.
The back wall, running across the bedroom and living area, was filled with floor-to-ceiling windows with doors out to the patio, and a panoramic view of the ocean.
It would have made the perfect romantic getaway. And his mind couldn't help wandering to the thought of bodies entwined in white sheets, looking up through the skylight to the stars overhead.
"Where are all the bloody doors?" Violet's mind was clearly on other things.
"It's open plan," he said, like it wasn't obvious.
"I know." Her tone dripped displeasure. "But where is the bathroom door?"
He followed her into the large bathroom, with its tiled walk-in shower and twin sinks.
"There's a door here." Max opened it. "Found the toilet. At least that's private."
She wasn't amused. Also, her attention had drifted. Again. "Why is the bath outside?" she asked.
Max came up beside her. Sure enough, a large, white, porcelain tub sat in the middle of the patio.
"That's cool. You can have a relaxing bath under the stars. And look, it's big enough for two." He flashed a smile in her direction. The one most people thought was charming.
Violet wasn't most people. "Don't get any ideas."
"I wouldn't dare." Although, as he said the words, he realized they were a lie. He could get all sorts of ideas about his bodyguard.
Violet was now frowning at the floor-to-ceiling glass doors facing out onto the patio. "How are we supposed to shower with no door on the bathroom and a giant window exposing the whole room. Is this a rich people thing? You make a certain amount of money then don't care who sees you naked?"
Max wondered if she was trying to be funny again, but it was impossible to tell. "Nobody can see in. Look how high that wall is around the patio. You'd need a ladder to look over it."
"Or you could climb one of those palm trees." There were several on either side of the wall.
"Who's going to do that, Vi? I mean, maybe if we were celebrities, I could see it, but we're nobodies."
"Don't call me Vi," she said. "And there are plenty of perverts in this world. Most of them don't fixate on celebrity, they'll spy on pretty much anybody to get their rocks off."
"You're a glass half empty sort of gal, aren't you?" Max said.
"I have a lot of experience with the darker side of humanity."
"So do I, but I don't let it spoil everything else."
"Yay for you." She spun on her heels again. "We need to check this place for cameras."
"Oh, come on. Now you're being paranoid."
"I wish," she huffed, "I once investigated a hotel in Glasgow where the owner had hidden cameras in every room.
He sold the footage on the internet. Then there was the office manager who put them in the smoke alarms, and blackmailed staff over behavior at work.
Oh, and there was the tech-savvy octogenarian who put tiny stick-on cameras around her neighbor's properties to better keep up with gossip.
Apparently, it was becoming harder to hear what they were saying from her window.
In court, her defense was that she needed new hearing aids.
Trust me, when it comes to people doing weird and disturbing surveillance, I've seen it all, and that's without even getting into the truly sick stuff. Need I go on?"
Part of Max was fascinated by Violet's experience and could listen to her stories for hours. The rest of him knew better than to ask her to continue. He wasn't sure he was ready for what she might say.
"Okay," he said. "How do we check for cameras?"
"I have a device."
Of course she did.
Violet headed for the bedroom, unzipped her suitcase, and removed a small black box.
It looked like an old two-way radio with a longer electrical lead coming off it.
She pointed the lead at the mirror and switched the device on.
Max lost interest when nothing happened.
He'd at least been expecting some flashing lights and maybe a beeping sound. But nope, there was nothing.
It also looked like it was going to take quite some time for her to go room to room checking every surface for hidden devices, so he decided to unpack while he waited.
"I'll shower first," Violet said when she was done. "We've got a couple of hours before we need to meet up with Rodrigo and Katrina. It's best if we use them to freshen up and rest."
"Is that an order?" Max teased.
She cocked a brow at him in challenge, making it clear she thought his question was stupid.
"Yes, it's an order," he said with a sigh. "You're really bossy, you know that?"
Her brow puckered in annoyance. "You pay me to keep you alive," she pointed out.
"No, I don't. This is a freebie, remember?"
"I still get paid." She walked past him, heading through to the bedroom area, then suddenly stopped and turned back to him.
"Actually, I get paid whether you live or die.
" She gave him her first genuine smile since they'd met.
It was dazzling. So much so that Max knew he'd do anything in his power to see it again.
"Who knew doing a job that didn't depend on the client paying would have an upside. "
Max blinked a couple of times to clear the daze her smile had caused. "That's not funny." He followed her through the bungalow. "What’re you doing now?" he asked when she started stripping the sheet from the bed.
"Getting irritated with a Canadian who can't keep his nose out of my business."
Violet took the sheet into the bathroom, pulled the small stool over to the doors, and hung the sheet across the glass.
"Do you really think that's necessary?" Max said when she was done.
"I expect privacy while I shower, even if the hotel doesn't think it's necessary. Do not come in here. Do not look in here. If I catch you anywhere near the bathroom while I'm in there I'll shoot you."
"You can't. You had to leave your weapon in Houston, remember?"
Violet narrowed her eyes at him. "If you come in here, or disturb me in any way, I will hog-tie you every time I need to use the facilities. Are we clear?"
"Have at it." Max gestured to the bathroom. "You might have met a lot of disturbing people while you were a cop, but you're safe with me."
Violet snorted. "Yeah, right." Then turned on her heels and stalked away.
"I'm serious," Max called after her. "My mother taught me how to be a gentleman. I respect the privacy of other people."
"Go away, Max," Violet called back. "One more word and I gag you."
Tempting as it was, Max didn't push to see if the threat was real. Instead, he went into the sitting area and plopped into the large sofa. Weirdly, he kind of missed her prowling now she was out of his sight.
He heard the shower turn on, then the glass door open and close. An image of her, naked under the water, flashed into his mind.
You’re a gentleman.
Remember?
To be fair, it wasn't like he was peeking. This was all his imagination. He was only behaving like any normal man, in close quarters with a woman who intrigued him in every way.
He nodded. Satisfied that his honor was still intact.