Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Is your family rich?”
“What?” My face contorted as I shook my head, trying to sort through everything jumbled in my mind. “No.”
“Influential?” He turned, opening a bottle of beer.
“No. Why are you asking me this? Whatever this is … whoever is coming after you … it has nothing to do with me. That night at the convenience store was random, not calculated. It could have happened to anyone.”
“Has your dad done anything to piss anyone off? Does he have any enemies?”
“No. Slade … why are you asking me about my dad?”
He took a long swig and set it down. Then he rested his hands on the edge of the counter and dropped his head. “You said he’s a computer geek. What does that mean? Is he a hacker? Does he work for the government? A big corporation?”
“He’s a computer engineer. He doesn’t work for the government. His job is boring, without influence, and for a midsized company. His hobbies include playing the piano, exercising, overprotecting me, and missing my mom. That’s it. What is your point?”
With his head still hanging, he shook it slowly. “The men you’ve dated … anything notable about them? Have you ever been with a married man? When you saw Abe, did anything about him look familiar to you?”
“Jesus, Slade. What’s happening? I’ve not knowingly slept with a married man. Nothing about Abe looked familiar. And the most notable thing about any of the men I’ve dated is my most recent guy is an assassin.”
Ignoring my jab, he lifted his head and reached for his beer. After another long swig, he exhaled slowly and pinned me with a hard expression. “Shortly after we met, Abe gave me a new assignment, something I don’t usually do, but I do what he says, so …”
My eyebrows lifted. “So?”
“He told me I needed to look after you. To make sure you were safe … protected.”
Protect me.
I should have felt safe. After all, a man with a slew of weapons was living with me. Protecting me. But I didn’t feel safe. The only time I’d felt that vulnerable—that exposed—was when I had a knife to my throat while a terrible human tried to rape me.
“How could I be so stupid?” I whispered. “You said it wasn’t your job to … fuck me.” My gaze lifted to his. “But I was your job.”
“Livy—”
I shook my head, closing my eyes for a few seconds. “That’s what happened. That’s why you went from clearly hating me to …” I opened my eyes as tears filled them. “Might as well get a little action, huh? The closer you drew me in, the easier it was to protect me. Oh my god …” I wiped the tears as soon as they fell from my burning eyes. “We’re nothing.” My words fell out like someone shot them. Lifeless. Monotone. Numb.
He set his beer down and his boots ate up the distance between us. Hunching in front of me, his hands rested on my hips. “We’re everything.”
I shook my head, closing my eyes as silent tears spilled out, down my cheeks to my lap.
“Look at me.”
I shook my head relentlessly, keeping my chin to my chest, my bottom lip quivering as I clenched my teeth to keep from sobbing.
“Look. At. Me.” He framed my face with his hands and forced my head up.
I blinked open my eyes, big tears clinging to my lashes.
“It wasn’t my job to touch you the way I’ve touched you. I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to … even when I knew it wasn’t a good idea. So I did it anyway. And I knew it wasn’t my job to love you. Again, I couldn’t stop myself. I did it anyway. Protecting you is no longer my job. It’s what I do because I love you.”
I couldn’t find words. No matter how much I wanted to believe him, it was impossible to dismiss the arsenal below me, the gun in his holster, and his questions. More than all of that, it wasn’t what he did say. It was everything he didn’t say.
“Why did Abe hire you to protect me? Protect me from what? From whom?”
“I can’t say.”
“No.” My head whipped side to side as I tried to stand.
He grabbed my wrists. “Livy—”
“Let. Go. Of. Me!” I tried to wriggle out of his hold.
He released me, holding his hands up in surrender while still kneeling before me as I stood.
“You can’t protect me with lies,” I seethed.
“It’s the only way I can protect you. And I’m sorry it sounds so fucked-up, but that is the truth. I know it’s an unimaginable leap of faith I’m asking, but I need you to trust me and do everything I ask.”
“I should call my dad … Jessica …”
He shook his head. “You. I can protect you. I can’t protect everyone you drag into this mess. Not until I get things figured out. Please.” His hands eased to my hips, eyes pleading as I peered down at him. “Let me love you back.”