Page 12

12

COLLINS

I can’t even look at Penny. If I do, I’ll say something I’ll regret. I am that mad.

No, actually. That word doesn’t even encompass the ferocious nature of my blood circulating through my body—pulsating and urging me to prove a point or make Penny see reason.

She doesn’t know what I’m capable of if pushed hard enough. She doesn’t even realize how much I reined myself in back there—for her sake. Sure, I can be calm and decisive. But challenge me like she did and…

I turn into a monster, an unrelenting beast of a man.

And I’m one people shouldn’t cross.

There’s a reason why the Hoffmans want me on their payroll.

And there’s a reason why society says, “It’s the calm and quiet ones you need to worry about.”

My fingers grip the steering wheel so tightly that I may damage my knuckles in the process. I guess it’s better that this object is taking the brunt of the abuse from my anger and not that poor spud’s face.

What the hell was Penny thinking hiring some no-name taxi service? Is she that hell-bent on putting herself in danger just to prove her independence? She could have called her brothers if she didn’t want my help. Her dad would have given her a ride, I am sure. But no. Instead, she basically defaults to the worst-case scenario with every decision she makes.

I’m so confused by her choices that I can’t figure out if her naivety is a blessing or a curse.

If Penny were mine, I wouldn’t let her get off this easily with a simple punishment. No. She’d definitely know her boundaries and where to not push me.

Fuck.

Mine?

When has anyone ever been mine?

I must be losing it. There’s no other explanation for these impulsive, carnal thoughts flittering through my overactive imagination. That’s what Penny does to me. She makes me react.

I pull onto the highway, leveling my breathing, as I come down from the high. I inwardly scold myself for getting this worked up.

“You seem deep in thought,” I comment.

Turning in her seat, she glares daggers at me. “If I’m such a problem , then why even bother?”

Out of all the things said, that is what has her so hostile? “I?—”

“I mean, seriously. I thought you could handle anything and anyone. You’re supposed to be this demolition man for my brothers and?—”

“Demolition man?” I can’t help but snicker, which only adds to her frustration.

“Don’t interrupt me! Yet you get assigned this cakewalk task of watching little ole me. Maybe my brothers are punishing you with this obvious demotion. They are kinda passive-aggressive like that.”

I chuckle over her word vomit. And just like that I’m no longer angry with her. She doesn’t even have a clue what effect she has over me. If she did, I’d be in a lot more trouble.

Gathering her hair, Penny wraps the pink hair tie around it, twisting it into place. I can’t evict the smell of strawberries that radiates off her body from my nostrils and also don’t want to. It’s a welcome scent in comparison to the ashtray-smelling boy she hired to give her a ride—probably into a ditch somewhere as he had a tire approaching flat.

The sun is nearly set, while the dark clouds roll in. We hit little pockets of rain as we get closer and closer to the city. It is weird having this state of peace right now on this drive, and I can’t help but wonder if it is just the calm before the storm—figuratively and literally.

I glance over at Penny, take in her dress, the way her ankles keep crossing and uncrossing, and how her fingers can’t keep still on her lap. With every glimpse I get of her feet, anger simmers through me over just how bad her blisters are.

Dammit.

I know better.

“Where should I take you, Penelope?”

“To the circuit court so I can change my name. Why must you insist on the formalities?”

I smile to myself over her outburst but ignore her question. Her mouth is going to get her into trouble.

Sassy little thing.

After several minutes, Penny shifts in her seat, reaching down to retrieve her phone from her bag. “Um, the address is 625 Monroe. Building is called?—”

“Sky View Apartments?” I snap.

“Ah, yeah, how did you know?”

“Why the fuck do you need to go to an apartment building at”—I glance at the dashboard for the time—“seven o’clock at night?”

I rub a hand down my chin as it is starting to make sense. Her dress… The way she called a ride instead of asking me for one. Her secretive demeanor…

“You are going there to have sex with someone?”

Her body turns in her seat as her mouth drops. “What?”

She studies my face for any humor, surely never going to find any. This isn’t a fucking joke. I’m definitely not laughing. If she thinks I’m just going to drop her off at some asshole’s place so she can check whatever goal off her freaking goal sheet, I’m going to most definitely have a say about it.

So, don’t look so surprised, shortcake .

“Sure,” she says with confidence. “We’ll go with that explanation.”

I seethe in my seat, slamming my fist to the steering wheel. “I’m not dropping you off at some random person’s residence so you can be taken advantage of.”

“Then let me out. I’ll drop myself off.”

“Here?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. I try not to notice how her breasts get pushed out. I try not to notice how her bottom lip gets caged between her top teeth and how her pouty eyes are the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. I try not to notice how my damn cock stirs, straining against the fabric of my pants.

Dammit. What the hell is happening, and how am I going to get this whole situation back on course?

“I’ll just walk.”

My eyes look to hers and then back at the road. “We still have eight miles to go. And it’s going to pour.”

“I can hitch a ride,” she says smoothly. “Can’t get worse than the guy I tried to hire that?—”

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Because if you are, it’s working."

“You are so annoying.”

“So are you,” I yell back with equal passion.

I continue driving Penny toward the apartment complex, not because I want to drop her off at some dude’s place, but because I know she’ll get there one way or another. At least if I break his hands or nose, then a trip to the ER will slow down this roller coaster’s trip into the bedroom that Penny is so determined to ride on.

We drive in silence the remaining fifteen minutes, when I pull up to the Sky View parking garage entrance.

“You don’t need to park, Collins. I can just hop out.”

“I’m not just dropping you off, Penny. I know that but so do you.”

She pulls out a tube of pepper spray from her bag. “I have protection.”

How often has she been hanging around Angie? They both have delusions when it comes to protection. I let out all the air from my lungs. “In real danger, that wouldn’t do anything but just aggravate the perpetrator. That’s assuming you can get the safety cap off in time and not drop it on the floor for him to grab and use against you.”

“Wow. You have little confidence in me.”

If Penny knows what’s good for her, she will put her pouting lip back in its original location. I don’t have time for my fantasies to run wild right now—fantasies I’m going to go to hell for inevitably.

“Just sharing another perspective, that’s all.”

I think back to some of the poker nights where Graham shared how he discovered Angie carrying pepper spray early on in their relationship. I think he found it cute at the time.

I don’t find this cute at all.

Penny is being irresponsible.

“Well, this is just backup until I can learn how to shoot a gun.”

I can’t contain my exaggerated sigh. “Learning how to shoot and actually carrying a weapon are two different things. I can teach you how to shoot. However, you will need a license and a permit to carry within the city limits.”

And quite frankly, I’m pretty sure her stay at Soulful Mind disqualifies her in the state of Oregon. I’m hoping I don’t have to research any of that and Penny just changes her mind.

“I would really like one to be in a lockbox in my bedroom. Like in a nightstand drawer or something.”

I nod. I’m relieved she didn’t say under her pillow.

It makes sense. Although, I worry over someone else finding the weapon. Being able to use a gun during a crisis requires quick thinking. Penny’s trauma at the hands of Mark is probably spurring her need to feel safe.

And I want to foster that sense of safety in her.

“How about we start with some basic self-defense moves?”

“Taught by who?”

“Me.”

“And you trust me not to use them against you when I get angry?”

“I trust you to try.”

“But you don’t think I’ll actually do any damage?”

I clear my throat. “Self-defense is less about damage and more about escaping the threat. So if you go into any lesson hoping to learn street fighting skills, then maybe self-defense isn’t for you.”

“Fine.” She exaggerates the one-syllable into three. “I’ll try it.”

My lips curl up over her agreeableness, which is rare for her.

But a win is a win.

I park the SUV, hop out, and open Penny’s door. My breathing picks up as I anticipate what is going to happen once we get inside the building. Through the parking garage, we take the elevator up to the lobby, where an attendant is waiting for us to grant access. This is the main reason I love this building. The security is top-notch.

“Mr. Stone,” the attendant greets with a smile.

I dip my head in a nod, glancing down at Penny as confusion makes little lines on her forehead.

You’ll know soon enough .

We pass through the lobby to the opposite side where there is another line of elevators.

“Okay, you can go now,” she says expectantly. “Please.”

“No.”

There’s no way in hell I’m leaving now .

She turns to take in my strong stance. “No?”

“That’s correct.”

“Why are you making this so difficult?” she asks, visibly shaken over my unyielding nature.

After a long pause, she turns, marches over to the mailboxes and then to the side where there are lockboxes. She pulls out her phone and glances at the screen, scrolling through messages until she apparently finds the information she’s looking for. Finding the lockbox she needs, she undoes the lock and pulls out a key.

I follow her as she goes back to the elevators and then hits the button for the eighth floor once we get inside. I guess I should be relieved that wherever she is going is not going to be some nasty place. This building is nice and well-kept. However, that does not negate the fact that she has only been back in the state of Oregon for a couple of weeks. That would have left zero time to make any real connection with anyone of the opposite sex. Whoever this guy is that she is meeting better be worth it, have his driver’s license ready, and not look like a complete loser. Even then, I might just drag Penny out of the fuck-buddy situation kicking and screaming.

And I will. No problem at all.

Or maybe I can just embarrass the shit out of her and make this whole night turn sour.

I’m on a roll already of getting under her skin, so I doubt I have to provide much effort to continue on the trend.

“You are making this feel weird,” she mutters, right as the doors open to let us out.

“Good.”

Her nose scrunches up as she makes a face at me. I make one back. She laughs, and in return I laugh.

“You drive me nuts.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” I say with a smirk.

I allow Penny to lead us down the well-lit hallway, stopping in front of 815. She places the key into the lock, turns, and then pushes open the door. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it definitely isn’t what I find in the room.

Emptiness.

There is nothing inside. Just a bare apartment, with all of the normal amenities and appliances, polished and waiting to be smudged.

Even the walls smell of fresh paint.

“You aren’t meeting anyone here, are you?” I ask.

“I’m not a slut, Collins,” she snaps, looking over her shoulder to take in my posture and stance.

“I, ah?—”

“You thought it. So don’t even try to deny it.”

“I’m sorry I implied otherwise, but you said in no uncertain terms at the Japanese Garden that your goal was to have unbridled sex.” My eyebrows rise in challenge. “My intention was not to shame you but to just make sure you weren’t doing something?—”

“Stupid.”

“Reckless.”

“Which translates to ‘stupid’ in bodyguard talk.”

“Penny…”

“Believe it or not,” she says, “I have learned from my mistakes of trusting the wrong men and making rash decisions. The taxi driver was just an error of judgment based on an online ad. It was my fault but not something I plan to make a repeat mistake on.”

I finally connect the dots. “So, this is your new place?”

Penny walks deeper into the room, spinning around to take in the entire space. “Sure is. Ain’t she a beaut?”

“She sure is.” But I can’t take my eyes off the dazzling girl who is capturing my full attention with her rhythmic dance moves in the center of her apartment. She glides about like a ballerina.

Prancing over to the window, she looks out. “Breathtaking.”

Sidling up beside her, I take a deep breath. “The view of the river is amazing. I never tire of looking at it.”

I marvel at how the water ripples with each gust of wind. From up here, I can see rain starting to fall farther out, creating a misty fog along the horizon.

I follow Penny from room to room as she tells me about what she wants in each one. It is relaxing hearing her get excited over going furniture shopping and making this place her own.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to see Nic Hoffman’s name across the screen. Sliding the bar, I accept the call. “It’s Collins.”

“Hey, man, my mom keeps calling me wondering why Penny isn’t answering her phone. Is everything okay?”

I motion to Penny that I’m going to take this call out in the hallway, and then proceed to exit the unit. “Yeah, I have Penny with me now. She actually just found an apartment and we are here checking it out.”

“Oh, yeah? Where’s it at?”

“Sky View.”

Nic laughs. “Well, your life just got easier.”

I would never equate those two things—especially right now. Nothing thus far has been easy. “From a security standpoint, I know this place is sound.”

“And from a convenience standpoint,” Nic interjects with a chuckle, “monitoring her just got vastly easier.”

“Yeah, really.”

I’d never tell him that everything about his sister is difficult. Granted, deep down, I think he already knows. Otherwise he would have hired someone with a less rigid demeanor.

“Okay, I’ll let Mom know she’s with you. She’s pretty hard set on giving Penny space, so there’s no need to let Penny know she’s being checked up on.”

“Noted.”

“I know you have this covered, and I trust you to take care of my baby sister.”

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, as I think of all the times in the last couple of days where I’ve thought of Nic’s baby sister in a less than professional manner. I’m the worst kind of human.

When I go back inside, I find Penny on the hardwood floor in the living room, lying on her back and moving her arms and legs around like a malfunctioning windmill. My feet cement themselves, as I can’t take my eyes off her.

“Oh, hi,” she greets.

Her hair is in disarray, getting tangled with every movement of her head. Her perfectly toned legs get more and more exposed —and I can’t stop from wondering how they would feel in my hands as I press her against the hardwood.

Or the wall…

Or the table…

Or the mattress…

Or the shower.

I know Penny is fearful of men, but I’d show her great pleasure at the work of my hands. But being with me means pushing limits, as I’m a demanding partner. And I know she would never be ready for all that I’d have to give.

Rolling to her side, she takes in my stance, trailing her gaze up my body until it settles on my eyes. She looks like an angel, and her innocence is even more reason to keep our relationship fucking professional.

Penny is my client.

I am her bodyguard.

Her giggle pulls me back to the present.

I clear my throat. “What are you doing?”

“It’s good luck to make floor angels in a new place. It’s a ritual.”

“I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Oh, I just made it up. But doesn’t it sound fun? Come join me,” she invites.

How do I say no to that? We’ve been fighting for most of the day, and now that things are finally back to an equilibrium state, why would I want to rock the boat again and risk drowning in drama?

So I comply by lowering myself to the floor, lying opposite of Penny. I wave my arms and legs around, until she’s laughing so hard a snort comes out.

“What?” I ask. “Am I that entertaining?”

“No, I mean yes. But you’re doing it wrong.”

“How so?”

“More enthusiasm. Get passionate. Think drunk quadropus.”

“What’s a quadropus?”

“An octopus but with four tentacles—obviously.”

Her words make my eyes twitch. Penny’s so stinking cute that I’m certain she is unaware of the effect she has on men. But I do what she requests. I lay my head back, and I go all in.

Snap .

Snap .

I lift my head and see Penny’s eyes twinkling with mirth. She clutches her phone to her body, as the realization that she’s taking pictures of me acting a fool come to light.

“Pennnnny…” Her name on my lips takes up more syllables with how I drag it out. She is playing with fire now.

“Hi.”

Hi? Don’t hi me. I sit up and edge toward her. “Delete them.”

Moving to her knees, she scoots backward a few inches. “No.”

“No?”

“I may need these for blackmail purposes,” she answers seriously.

“Is that so?”

Her eyes widen and then without warning, she flips to all fours and starts crawling away from me—like she actually thinks I won’t catch her. She turns to look back at me, only a few feet between us. When she sees what I can only assume is a sparkle in my eyes, she hops up to run—giggling and squealing—as I dart toward her.

I chase her into the kitchen, cornering her around the island.

“I promise I won’t show anyone.”

“Lies.”

We move in a circle, both on guard—until Penny tries to make a dash for it. But I’m faster.

“Let me go,” she says, out of breath from all the laughing.

Her body feels so soft in my arms, as her back is pressed against my front. Beneath my fingers, her heart beats rapidly. Wisps of her hair tickle my neck, as she tries to break free.

She is light—too light. It’s as if I’m holding a delicate strawberry, afraid to press her too much and cause her to bruise.

I should let her go, but I don’t want to. I want her to stay here just a little bit longer, so I can savor the feel of perfection.

“Please.” I can tell she is pouting just from the simple word.

“Not until I get the blackmail material.”

But then she goes limp, catching me off guard and wiggling free. She darts back across the room, giggling as I close the distance yet again.

She holds the phone in front of her, splitting her attention between me and her screen. “You better hope I don’t post these on social media or upload them to some random dating app. Actually, that sounds so fun.” She gives me a dazzling smile. “It could be a good way to get laid—if you needed help in that department.”

I stalk toward her, ignoring her soft mewling protests as she pins herself to the wall of windows, never taking my eyes off her. “Do you really think it’s wise to threaten me, when I obviously have the upper hand?”

“Who says you have the upper hand? I’m the one holding the?—”

My hand thrusts forward, snatching the device so fast that Penny has no time to react. “And you were saying?” I ask smugly.

“Hey! Give it to me.”

I turn my back, walking away. I’m privy to the passcode, but the last thing I need is to make that information obvious. Nic Hoffman is a cybersecurity genius, and anything digital that I need, he can usually retrieve. Sure, I’m overstepping a bit here with the only-use-when-necessary code of conduct, but having?—

“Gotcha,” Penny growls, jumping onto my back and trying to grab at the phone in my hand.

She can only weigh about one hundred ten pounds, but I let her think she has me. She hammers my back with her little fists, groaning after a couple of hits.

“If you are trying to hurt me, you are instead going to hurt yourself.”

“Too late.”

I give up on the photos, reach back, and pull Penny down to face me. I look at her hands, seeing that she will probably bruise tomorrow—or at the very least be sore. She is that delicate.

“Can you keep yourself from getting any more injuries today?”

“They are all your fault.”

“How is hitting me my fault?”

“Maybe if you weren’t built like a freaking ice sculpture of a Greek god”—she shoots me a glare with her angry eyes—“stop laughing at me. It’s true. Anyway, I wouldn’t have pain right now. So, yeah. This is your fault. And I’m pretty sure you don’t have a soft spot on your entire body.”

Oddly enough, I’m developing one for you.

Penny reaches out her hand, wiggling her fingers. “Gimme.”

I hand over her phone, taking a step back.

She is unbelievable. Just when I think I have her all figured out, she turns the dial the opposite way and shows me a different layer. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued. Everything about Penny is interesting.

Her phone dings and she looks down at the screen. “Oh no.”

I straighten my spine and check my own phone for notifications, seeing none. “What’s wrong?”

“My momma just messaged me to tell me that there are a few road closures leading into Hillsboro. Apparently a storm blew through and knocked down a bunch of trees and power lines.”

Both of our phones buzz, with what I’m assuming is a weather warning. “It’s heading this way.”

“Oh no. How am I going to get home?”

“You can stay with me at my place,” I say, not really thinking of the logistics. I just know it’s unsafe to be traveling in a storm, and the last thing we need is to be stuck on the road due to a closure.

“Where do you live exactly? Close by?”

“Very close.”

“I can just sleep here.”

“Penny…”

She gives a shrug. “I’m officially renting it after all. It’s not like I’d be squatting.”

“It’s unfurnished.” There’s no way in hell I’d let her sleep on some hardwood floor in a vacant unit. Plus, if the storm is in fact coming this way, I want her close by me.

“My brothers live near here. They have guest rooms.”

“You’re staying with me and that’s final.”

I can tell she is thinking of more alternatives, but what she has yet to fully understand is that I’m stubborn as fuck.

Her teeth grind into a straight line, while she props her hands on her hips. “Fine.”

“Isn’t it fun just to be agreeable to my ideas?” I ask, my tone jovial.

“Oh yes,” she says with fake enthusiasm. “Fun like a carnival.”

I feel my smile getting even bigger, as I can’t contain it from spreading. “Yes. See? You get it.”

Penny’s eyes roll, and if she wasn’t so freaking adorable doing it, I’d call her out on her disrespect.

Just one glance her way has every cell in my body wanting to ignite.

What is this girl doing to me?

“Take me to your cave, Mr. Stone.”