Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
A knock sounded. I opened the door. Blake smiled, the corners of his lips faltering a bit. “That was interesting.”
“What happened?” I walked out and moved to the bed. I sat on the edge of it. Blake moved to my desk, leaning against it. He crossed his arms. The sleep that had been clouding his gaze was gone. He looked at me with sharp eyes.
“He had a feeling. He said he felt like something was happening on the inside. It’s why he didn’t want to give me a Secret Service detail. He was scared it ran that deep. That he’d be putting me in danger. He just didn’t realize how bad it was.”
“Do they know where Joshua is now?”
Blake shook his head. He came over to the bed and sat at my side. “Nope. He’s gone MIA.”
“Did you tell him we knew where the lab could be?”
“I didn’t… After he said he was scared of an inside job, I got nervous. I don’t know who’s listening to those calls.” Blake rubbed the bridge of his nose. I could almost sense the tension pouring from his tight shoulders and neck. I reached over and gently squeezed his neck. He dropped his head down with a sigh and rolled it.
“You did good. That was a smart decision.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. The tighter we keep this circle the better, at least for now.”
I moved from his neck to his shoulder, kneading out a knot with my thumb. He groaned and leaned into it. Our legs touched, the hair of his brushing against mine. “I just feel so bad for Cass. I can’t believe it. Just… why? Why would he do this?”
“He must have been corrupted somehow. With one of the locks broken, the Chaos King might be spreading more of his influence. Maybe he got into Joshua’s ear somehow. Lead him astray.”
“Maybe. Or maybe this was just him all along? Everyone has a little chaos inside them. I’ve come to realize that you just never know how that chaos manifests in someone. It’s whether you choose to contain it or release it that matters. It’s what happened with my stalker. I really didn’t expect him to be an unhinged psycho when we first met or the couple dates after. There were no red flags until there were about a dozen all at once.”
“I’m sorry. Trusting anyone after that would be difficult for most people.” It hurt me that Blake had gone through such a traumatizing experience. As a bodyguard, I was naturally predisposed to keeping my suspicions high around others, but Blake didn’t deserve that kind of worry and second-guessing.
“It was hard for a long time. And I still don’t trust all that easy.” He leaned his head on my shoulder as I worked on massaging the other side of his neck. “It really wasn’t until I met you that I found someone new I could fully trust.”
“Really?”
“Mhmm. You’re the first person I’ve opened up to in a really long time.” He lifted his head from my shoulder. I dropped my hand so it rested on his lower back. His heat pushed through the T-shirt, warming my palm.
“I haven’t felt this close to anyone in a while either.”
“Who would have ever guessed a handsome bodyguard would fall for his slightly awkward client?”
“I could have guessed from the second I laid eyes on my slightly awkward but extremely sexy client.”
“Sexy, huh?”
“The sexiest.” I placed two fingers under his chin as I examined his face. “You’re beautiful, Blake. In a way that would rival the finest painting. Yes, you have a kind heart and a welcoming soul, and that all enhances the physical features that drew me in like a crackling hearth in the dead of winter. You have beautiful lips, arresting eyes, a smile that could melt a glacier, hair that always looks styled whether you just woke up or stepped out of the shower. You’re perfect, Blake. In every way, shape, and form. I’m lucky to have you at my side.”
A rosy pink blush took over half of Blake’s face, creeping down his neck. “You’re going to make me haywire, X. Either that or you’re going to make me self-destruct.”
“I’m serious. About every word I said. You are perfect. You are everything.”
You are mine.
The thought came unbidden and carried with it an ocean’s worth of truth. I had to speak it, had to cement this. “Blake… I’ve found someone special in you, and I don’t want to let that go. Whether my contract to protect you is up or not, I want to be by your side and you by mine.”
He blinked a couple of times as the weight of my words settled onto him. “Are you—is this—are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”
“Would the answer be yes if I were?”
His grin spread across his face like light from a rising sun. “It’s a definite yes.”