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)
So he felt about twenty feet tall that she was practically pressed against him.
Don’t get carried away.
“Excuse me?” Samantha asked. “Why would something be wrong with my eyes?”
“You were blinking a lot. I thought you might have something in your eyes. I hope it’s not a tic or something. Perhaps you should eat a banana.”
“I don’t need a banana. It’s not a tic. And there’s nothing wrong with my eyes.”
“Oh. Then were you doing that on purpose?” Cate asked.
Samantha narrowed her gaze at Cate before she seemed to realize that she had an audience. Her glare turned to a smile. “Thanks for worrying about me, Cate. I’m fine. I was just going to yoga. Polly, Ethan, let’s go.”
Cate glanced up at him, then quickly away. For a moment, he swore he saw a hint of pain in her face before the mask came back over.
He frowned. Damn Samantha.
“I’m not going with you, Samantha. I’m taking Cate to a meeting.”
“But . . . but . . . Cate never goes out. What meeting?”
“One that she’s had penciled in since I started this job. You’ll have to stay here or go alone.”
“I can’t go alone! This whack job is out to get me.
“Then you should have spoken to me before now and I would have arranged a temp. Come, Cate. We need to go.”
“I can go with you, Samantha,” Polly said quietly.
“This is unacceptable,” Samantha said shrilly. “I shall be speaking to Rhodes.”
Ethan ignored her, turning to Polly. “Are you all right, Polly?”
Polly glanced up at him and blushed before nodding and looking back down at her feet. “I’m fine.”
“Cate, are you going to be warm enough in that? Do you need a jacket?” he asked.
“I will be good.”
Ethan placed his hand lightly on Cate’s back, nearly jumping for joy when she didn’t move away as he steered her out the front door to the dark SUV that was waiting for them.
Cate used a service to get around, but Ethan’s need to be in control meant he couldn’t handle that. So he was going to drive them.
God help him.
He moved ahead and opened the front passenger door.
“Oh, I usually sit in the back.”
“Would you prefer that, sweetheart?” he asked.
“I, um, well . . .”
Poor thing looked befuddled. And exhausted.
That was it. No more hiding tonight. She was eating dinner with him and relaxing in the living room. Samantha and Rhodes were going out to dinner, so she didn’t have any excuses.
Or none that he was going to listen to, anyway.
“In you get. You can sit up with me where I can keep an eye on you.”
Yeah, he was skirting the line into inappropriate. But he didn’t want to put more space between them. She needed more than a bodyguard right now. And if her brother wasn’t here to help her, then it was up to him.
“I don’t think I need you to keep an eye on me,” she informed him.
“Perhaps if you hadn’t been skipping meals and sleep, you might successfully have argued that point. But considering that you look dead on your feet, I’m going to watch you closely.”
“I don’t think it’s a bodyguard’s job to watch my food intake.” Her voice was cool, but he wasn’t letting her push him away.
“Well, guess you got yourself a different sort of bodyguard. In you get.”
A huff escaped her, making him smile. Any sort of reaction was better than none at all.
She got into the SUV and he shut the door, walking around the front of the vehicle.
Calm down.
He climbed in and waited.
“Why aren’t we moving?” she asked. “Did you forget how to drive?”
“I’ve been driving since I was twelve, sweetheart.”
“Twelve?”
“Yep. I’m not moving until you put your seatbelt on.”
“Oh.” She drew it over herself. “I never forget my seatbelt.”
“Glad to hear it. But that makes it even more important that you get your sleep. You’re not thinking properly.”
She was silent as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.
“It’s hard to sleep,” she said quietly.
Ethan glanced over at her. She looked serene, but she wasn’t fooling him.
“Because of all the changes?”
Cate nodded.
“It’s hard for you having so many new people in the house.”
“It’s not you,” she said quickly.
“Really? So you haven’t been hiding from me?”
“Maybe a bit. Are you mad?” she spoke in a calm voice, but her fingers were clenched tightly together.
Reaching over, he carefully laid his hand over hers. Her hands twitched, but he counted it as a victory that she didn’t move them away.
“I’m not mad, Cate. The only thing I’m upset about is that you’re putting your health at risk because of all these changes. I want to help you feel better. More at ease. Then you might be able to sleep and eat properly.”
“I was able to do that until . . .”
“Until Samantha moved in.”