Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“What am I doing up here?” she asked.
“I want you to sit there while I clean this all up,” he said firmly. “There might be stray pieces and I don’t want you standing on them.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. It can’t have gone all the way through the kitchen.”
“You don’t know how far these pieces travel,” he said as he reached into a cupboard to grab a broom and pan.
“Oh, I was going to clean that up,” she told him.
“No. You are going to sit there where it’s safe.”
“It’s a broken mug, not a bomb.”
Ethan sent her a stern look. “You need to do as you’re told.”
Her eyebrows rose. “And why would I need to do that?”
“Because I’m your bodyguard. Which means I’m in charge of you.”
Her mouth dropped open and he had to hide a smile. He liked that the stiffness had faded from her body. That she’d dropped that mask of indifference.
Sure, she was mad at him. But at least that was an emotion. And she was spending time with him.
All right. Rein it in. It’s not like you’re on a freaking date.
“First of all, you’re my brother’s bodyguard, not mine. And you are definitely not in charge of me.”
“Actually, I’m here to guard both of you. And Rhodes has made it very clear that your safety is more important than his own.”
She sighed. “No one is interested in me. I’m not in danger. I’m no one.”
“Don’t call yourself no one,” he instructed as he cleaned up.
“Why not?” she asked. “I’m not famous like Rhodes. Nobody would bother to stalk me.”
“Because I don’t like it.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem a very logical reason not to say it. I’m sure there are a lot of things you don’t like,” she said.
“There are.”
“But you can’t stop everything that you don’t like from happening.”
“No. But I can stop you from saying that you’re no one. Which is something I really dislike.”
“You’re not like other people,” she stated.
“How do you mean?” he asked.
“Most people usually stop talking to me after a few minutes.”
Ouch. That really cut into his heart. Was that true? Was that part of the reason she hid in her room or office?
Because she thought that people didn’t like talking to her?
Moving over to her, he placed his hands on either side of her on the counter. He was careful not to touch her.
“Well, that’s their loss, isn’t it?”
“It is?” she asked. “I’m not sure about that. I’m not exactly interesting. Or fun. I’m blunt. I can be . . . insulting.”
“Okay, you need to stop talking badly about yourself.”
“It’s just the truth.”
“It is not the truth,” he told her firmly. “And you’re going to get in trouble if you keep talking about yourself like that.”
“In trouble?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Fuck. She was even more beautiful up close. He wished he dared run a finger down her cheek. He bet her skin was softer than it looked.
“With who?” she asked.
“Me.”
Cate gave him a startled look. “With you?”
“That’s right. You’re going to be in trouble with me.”
“You are quite bossy. And I think you’re under the delusion that you’re in charge of me.”
“It’s no delusion. I am in charge of you.”
“No, you’re in charge of safety, nothing else. Including what I say about myself.” She gave him a superior look.
Oh, she thought she had him, didn’t she?
“We need to spend more time together,” he told her.
A small frown created lines on her forehead. “Why would we need to spend time together?”
“Because you need to learn to trust me.”
“I don’t think that is going to happen.”
“It will. Once you spend some time with me.”
“Why do I need to trust you?” she asked.
“Because if there is a situation, I need to know that you will follow my orders. And for you to follow my orders, you need to trust me. As you said, I’m in charge of safety.” Ethan knew he was pushing his luck. But there was some truth to what he said. It was better if a client trusted him.
Ethan could tell that Cate didn’t trust easily. If something were to happen and she didn’t obey him . . . things could end badly.
And that wouldn’t be happening on his watch.
“That’s some very strange logic.”
“But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” he said as he finished cleaning up the mess. “We can start today. What are your plans?”
“I’m going to work.”
“It’s Saturday,” he pointed out.
“Yes, I know.”
“You can’t work on a Saturday,” he informed her.
“Yes, I can. I work every Saturday.”
“Oh, excuse me for interrupting, I just wanted to grab a drink of water.”
Cate stiffened. Anyone else might not have noticed her reaction, but he was watching her closely. As Samantha stepped into the kitchen, it was like a protective shield came down over her face.
“There’s a mini-fridge with water in the outdoor kitchen,” Cate informed her.