Page 14 of Forbidden Billionaire (Titans #7)

Chapter Ten

Seraphina

They’re all standing outside my door. In my confusion, I almost misstep.

Lila glances at me, looking for an explanation.

Every bit as lost as she is, I shrug.

As we near, I notice a hole in my wall, and there are wires hanging out from it. The technicians who are working are all wearing black jackets emblazoned with the words Hawkeye Security in bright yellow lettering.

I’ve heard of the company. They’re known for protecting everything from people—good guys and bad guys alike—places, and even priceless artifacts.

There are rumors of dark ops, but the owner himself has refused to confirm or deny the rumors.

Which probably means they’re up to their eyeballs in government contracts, shit no one else will touch.

“Uhm…” Stopping, I glance at Blackwell, my keycard still uselessly clutched in my hand. “I assume you have an explanation?”

“Just making sure you’re safe.”

The arrogant asshole took charge of all this without ever consulting me?

Annoyance firing warning signs through me, I look up at him.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, this building has a doorman.

And you can’t get in through the parking garage, either.

” I know from Tasha, the property acquisition specialist he hired, that having a secure building was the number-one priority on his list of requirements.

The three places she’d shown me all had similar measures in place.

“And yet here I am, in your apartment.”

I sigh. “And the lease was in your company name, so your argument is invalid. They just don’t let anyone in here.”

He tips his head to one side, acknowledging I’m right. First for everything.

Reaching out, he captures my chin and tips my head back. “I will not take chances when it comes to you.”

Lila swings her glance between the two of us. “I’ll, uh, just be inside.”

With that, she’s gone.

For a moment, I consider arguing with Blackwell, about boundaries or normalcy or how I don’t need a twenty-four seven digital fortress.

But his eyes have darkened. His look says, Fight me. See what happens.

The Hawkeye guys have continued to work, pretending nothing is going on around them.

“Say thank you.”

I glare.

“Want to settle this another way?”

My tummy plummets. No.

“I didn’t think so.” He leans in closer.

“I…” How does he always get his way?

“Say thank you, Seraphina.”

Before I’m incapable of thinking straight and allow him to kiss me as senseless, I dash inside, searching for Lila.

When I cross the threshold, I freeze. What the heck?

He couldn’t have done all this.

He absolutely could not have.

My new apartment has exposed brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows that pour Houston’s humid glow straight into a living room that is now full of plush leather furniture.

On the dining room table is a massive fruit basket. Beside it sits a tiered metal stand, the kind I saw at the one high tea my mother had dragged me to as a young girl.

There are scones, rows of tiny petit fours with jewel-bright frosting, a selection of brownies, and several kinds of truffles. Nearby is a small dish of clotted cream tucked in next to miniature jars of preserves.

He’s also provided a bowl filled with my favorite, bright-colored chocolates that I eat by the handful, trays of sandwiches and chunks of cheese, bottled waters, and sodas. This is everything Lila and I, as well as the moving crew and the Hawkeye team, need to get through the rest of the day.

But the thing that takes my breath are the fresh flowers and the balloons that say Welcome Home.

I don’t know how to respond.

No one has ever done anything like this for me before.

Tears sting my eyes, and I have to look away from him before I start to cry. Dear God, the man is impossible.

And for the dozenth time, I wonder, why me?

Because I’m the only one who’s ever said no?

Surely he’ll lose interest if I’m ever foolish enough to shove common sense aside and actually sleep with him.

Stunned speechless, I look back at him.

“You’re worth it.” His arms are folded over his chest. “And you’ll thank me. Eventually.”

The moving crew brings up the next load, and he has to step aside. Grateful for the distraction, I answer a couple of questions and invite them to help themselves to the snacks as I slip my keycard back into my purse and put it down on a small table just inside the door.

“He’s charming.” When we’re alone in front of the feast, Lila picks up a brownie. “And handsome.” She takes a bite. “But he’s still has a black heart. Remember that.”

She summed him up perfectly.

“I’ll start putting your kitchen together.” Lila wipes her hands on a napkin. “I mean, unless you want me to put away those items from your bedroom.”

“Stop it.” I roll my eyes. “You’re terrible.”

“Not every day your boss sees your massive dildo, my friend.”

Dying from embarrassment all over again, I readjust the bill of my cap.

We both laugh. Then I give her a general idea of what goes where in the cabinets while I head to the bathroom to install a roll of toilet paper and put a hand towel and a bottle of soap on the vanity.

But even those details have been taken care of.

Blackwell? Again?

Carrying the moving box, I walk into my bedroom.

When Tasha showed me the place, the room was fully accessorized. And it still is. But the décor is much more to my taste.

The massive, attached bathroom is bigger than the bedroom in my old place, and everything here is perfect too. All I really needed to bring was a toothbrush. Everything has been thoughtfully provided.

I set about putting my few toiletries in drawers and cabinet. Having AC that blows cold air makes this whole process so much easier than what I’ve dealt with for the last few days.

“Knock, knock!”

I look up to see Tasha standing just on the other side of the doorway, holding a massive basket that’s almost taller than she is. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.” Standing, I smooth my top into place.

As always, she’s stylishly dressed and wearing mile-high stilettos.

I swear she could star in a reality TV show about real estate.

With her warmth, laughter, and professionalism, I’d liked her immediately, enough so that I’m thinking of asking Lila if it’s okay to invite her to our happy hour gatherings.

“I called your name so I didn’t startle you, but you’ve got quite the commotion going on here.”

“You could call it that.”

“Mr. Blackwell likes to have things in order.”

Another thing she’s right about.

“I brought you a little something as a housewarming gift. Is it okay if I put it in the kitchen?”

“Sorry. God. I shouldn’t have just left you standing there.” Especially in those shoes.

“Moving day is always chaotic.”

We enter the kitchen, and I introduce her to Lila. “We met. When she was looking for you.”

Tasha slides the basket onto the counter.

“Should I open it? Or wait until later?” I wrinkle my nose. “I’m never sure what etiquette says.”

“Etiquette says rip the damn bow off and see what you got.” Tasha grins.

“And oh yeah. If you hate it, you’re supposed to smile politely as you pretend you like it.

Then you put it in the trunk of your car and drive around with it for six months before you remember to drop it at the donation center. ”

Lila and I both laugh.

“You heard her.” Lila edges in closer. “Rip off the damn bow.”

Grinning, I do. Then I gasp.

It’s a Bonds coffee maker, one I’d never be able to afford, even in my wildest dreams. She’s also included a number of different locally roasted bags of coffee. “Tasha! You shouldn’t have!”

Not thinking, I throw my arms around her, and she laughs and returns the hug.

Lila grins. “I think she likes your present.”

When I finally recover from the shock of the extravagance, I let Tasha go.

“There’s nothing better than the first night in your new home, except for a perfect cup of coffee the next morning.”

“This was—” I’m shaking my head, trying to find the right words. “Thank you. I love it. You’ll have to come and have a coffee with me.”

“When I’m in your area again, I’d love that.” She gives me a few brewing tips, then tells us both goodbye. “Wish I could stay and help unload some of these boxes.”

“No, you don’t.” Lila and I say the words at the same time.

The movers are bringing in the final few things as I walk Tasha to the door. “I meant what I said about having a cup of coffee.”

“I meant it when I said I’d love it.”

As she leaves, Blackwell comes in. Shocking me even further, he gives each of the movers a generous tip.

They thank him, grab some of the sandwiches and sports drinks, and wheel out the empty dolly.

This entire day has been a total whirlwind.

The last of the Hawkeye Security guys does a final sweep, clipboard in hand. He catches my eye, polite but no-nonsense.

“Ms. Hollis, I’d like to show you a few things.”

I’m overwhelmed by the day, and things keep happening. “Of course.”

He leads me to the inside wall. “We’ve programmed the new cameras to alert you if anyone approaches your door. You’ll get real-time pings to your phone. The front keypad’s been updated with a rotating code system. You’ll get your own override code in a secure message tonight.”

He installs the app on my phone, does a few things while Blackwell watches and Lila continues to work in the kitchen.

“Any questions?”

“I’ll probably have a million when I try to operate it.”

“Then let’s do that.” Patiently he walks me through the process. Then he has me go through it by myself several times until I’m completely comfortable.

Finally he hands me a business card. “Call me anytime. Night or day. And if you have an emergency, here’s the contact number.” He programs it into my phone. “Of course, if anything unusual happens here, we’ll be notified immediately.”

After showing me the places panic buttons have been installed, he and the rest of the crew leave.

Once the door is secured behind them, I look at Blackwell. “This is really overkill.”