Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“How did Damien feel about it?”
“He wasn’t happy with it at first, but he agreed it was the best solution. Aside from the new address, my life didn’t change that much except I knew what was going on. I worried, but I trusted Marcus and Damien.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No. Damien was right. It was often scrapes or accidents. They were always well prepared and wore protective armor. I could remove a non-life-threatening stray bullet without question. Stitch someone up if things got physical. Care for someone if they became ill. No questions, no records, all invisible—the way HJ worked. Major cases, like when you were all injured, went straight to the hospital. Missy was the exception. Marcus was determined to keep her here.”
I laughed. “We all know why. He was obsessed with her from the first moment he held her. He trusted no one outside his people. He knew you would care for her, although if you had insisted, he would have taken her to the hospital.”
“He was lucky she wasn’t in worse shape. I had my doubts at first, but she was strong. Still is.”
She was quiet for a moment. “When Damien decided to leave HJ, I decided it was my time too. I got on a steady rotation at the hospital and settled down.”
“You never moved from here, though.”
She smiled ruefully. “I know.”
“Why?”
“You were here. Despite my fighting this, fighting us, I couldn’t bear to move away from you.”
“That is why I stayed. To be close to you.” I shifted over, cupping her face. “I want to be even closer.”
“To move in together.”
“Yes. For now. Then I want to marry you, have babies, and live a long, full life with you.”
“Marry?”
“We can wait on that. Start on the babies first. Whatever you want.”
“There you go again, Egan.”
I stroked her cheek. “I have been waiting, Sofia. Patiently. Now that I have you, I want everything. And I want it all with you.”
“Can we just date for a bit? Get to know each other? Maybe once you see how boring I am, you’ll change your mind.”
I laughed at the absurdity of her statement. “That will never happen, but yes, we can date for a while. But I will keep asking.”
“I’d expect nothing less, Egan.”
I leaned close and kissed her. “Excelent.”
CHAPTER NINE
Egan
Sofia finished off her breakfast and picked up her coffee cup. I watched her with an indulgent smile on my face. We had spent the day yesterday staying in the apartment, making love, often napping. I answered some emails. We chatted via video with Damien, who grinned at seeing us together, asking when the move upstairs would be happening. Sofia had rolled her eyes, refusing to answer. We did, however, watch the sunset on the rooftop, sipping wine and relishing the nice evening. She murmured something about enjoying gardening, and I swept my arm out.
“All of this, Sofia. We can use all of this. Plant what you want. I can use lots of vegetables for cooking. You can put pretty flowers on the table.”
“We don’t have to live on the top floor to use it,” she pointed out.
“More convenient,” I assured her.
That got me my own eye roll. But I noticed she disappeared for a while, and I was sure she’d gone to look at the apartment. It took up a lot of the top floor, the rest empty. Marcus had thought of adding another smaller place on the same floor but liked his privacy too much. Damien couldn’t be bothered. I thought it would make a great studio space. The light was perfect.
I kept that to myself. I had shown patience waiting for Sofia, and I could do it again. When she decided she was ready, we would move forward. In the meantime, I got her in my bed and my life. I wasn’t complaining.
“Are you headed to the gym?” she asked.
“Elite,” I responded. “Leo has a new client he wants to discuss.”
“When is your teenager nightmare?” she teased.
“Friday. I am dreading it.”
“Who is the new client?”
“No idea. Apparently another bigwig needing our services. Leo is hiring a few more bodies since the bookings are climbing.”
“Are they dangerous? Damien always said no, but I wondered if he was trying to protect me again.”
“Dangerous? No. Celebrities hire us because they are concerned about their safety, usually because of overzealous fans getting too close. Political people need us to get them from point A to point B and keep the harassers out of their face. Businessmen get hit on for money and, yes, threatened at times, but usually by people fairly harmless, more annoying than anything. Sometimes it’s more intense than others. This party is for a girl who’s father is a rich tycoon. He worries about her safety—about her being kidnapped. She has a bodyguard for everyday, but she wants her birthday to be at a public theater. To go bowling with her friends and have pizza. Again in a public place. So I’ll stick close, make sure nothing happens to her. Her regular bodyguard will be there as well. Our guys will sweep the perimeter and check on the guests. Make sure no one gets in who shouldn’t be there.”