Page 14

Oh God. I said I was going to dress him.
“I meant I could pick out your clothes. I didn’t mean specifically take yours off and put the new ones on you.” I start rambling, trying to fix what I messed up, because there’s no way Maddox reacted the way I thought. It was me seeing something I wanted to see. It was more likely offense that tightened his expression. “I manage a clothing store, so I can absolutely find you a new outfit that you can put on yourself that will make it possible for you to blend in.” There. That was better.
Way less creepy than offering to strip him down and dress him up.
Luckily, Maddox doesn’t seem offended. “Yeah?” He gives me a grin. “Perfect.” Grabbing the pile of my bags off the table, he loops everything over one arm, then rests his free hand against my lower back, directing me to the door. “Let’s go to work then.”
I reach the door and pause. “What about that guy? If he sees you now, he might start figuring out who you really are.”
“He’s gone. Left right after I talked to him.”
Maddox takes his palm off my back to flip the deadbolt and open the door. I start to step out, but he stops me, one hand spreading across my belly.
“I go first. Always.” His voice is back to being low and serious, the way it was last night, and the change in him could give me whiplash if I wasn’t working so hard to control my drool.
Maddox steps out onto the stoop, his clear blue eyes scanning the surroundings before he turns to me. “Come on.”
I step out and he pulls the door closed. Then I realize I don’t have my keys. “Can I have my purse?—”
Maddox is already locking up, latching both the deadbolt and the lock embedded in the knob.
“Are those mine?” I ask, even though I can easily identify the collection in his hand.
“For now, they’re my keys.” Maddox continues scanning our surroundings as he hooks one arm around my waist, tucking me close to his side before leading me down the sidewalk. “All you have to do is stay alive. I take care of everything else, okay?”
I’ve been dealing with so much shit on my own for so long, it’s surprisingly easy to say, “Okay.”
FIVE
MADDOX
“HOW DO I look?” My arms are stretched out at my sides, making sure Audrey can get the full view of the outfit I just put on in one of the changing rooms.
I have something pretty similar to the jeans and shirt she picked out for me at home, but since I was working under the belief this would be a simple bodyguard type job, all I packed was my black tactical gear. All I thought I had to do was stand around looking scary so her ex-husband would leave her alone.
That belief flew out the window even before I even climbed in hers. And while I’m not upset the job is proving to be more interesting than I initially expected, I don’t fucking like that Audrey’s the one in the middle of it.
“I think it looks good.” Audrey nibbles her lower lip, the movement dragging my attention to her mouth. “What do you think?”
I think I might have a little bit of a problem if I can’t figure out why in the hell my train of thought gets derailed nearly every time I look at her.
“I think it’s perfect.” The clothes are comfortable. They fit well. And—most importantly—they’ll make it easier for me to blend in. Possible for me to protect Audrey while hiding in plain sight as I wait for Isaac and Intel to identify the guy who came to her door this morning.
“Good. Great. I’m glad.” Audrey rubs both hands down the front of her jeans, looking nervous.
And I want to comfort her. Technically, it’s part of my job. People act erratically when they’re nervous or afraid, and that could lead to a dangerous situation. I need to keep Audrey as calm as possible, and the way to do that is by making sure she feels safe and secure and protected.
So I move closer, hoping my presence reminds her she has someone on her side. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. No one will get to you while I’m around.”
Her lower lip goes back between her teeth, the plush fullness of it pinched by her straight, white incisors. “I can’t imagine anyone would look at you and think it’d be a great idea to start a fight.” Her lips curve. “Even in those clothes.”
I smile, relieved that she believes what I’m saying. “Hopefully you’re right, but they’ll start to question their life choices really quick if they do.” I smooth a hand over her hair, because physical contact seems to help her stay calm. Letting my hand rest on her shoulder, I lower my voice as the sound of people arriving carries through the store. “You feel comfortable with our plan?”
Audrey nods. “I think so.” She gives me a little smile. “Welcome to your first day at Birch and Ivy, new assistant manager.”
“Thank you, new boss.” I smooth down the front of my shirt. “I think I’m really gonna like it here.”
I’ve worked at Alaskan Security the better part of a decade. Joined Shadow right after my twenty-fifth birthday when I left the military to work in the private sector. It’s been years since I’ve done anything different, and I’m strangely excited for this little game of pretend we’ll be playing.