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“How dare you?” she mutters.
My shrug enrages her further. “Let’s go,” I state. “Introduce me as your boyfriend and then proceed normally. It’s the only way to analyze how people interact with you up close. Get used to it, by the way. My agents will be surrounding you. Even if you don’t see them, they’ll be keeping you safe.”
“And if I say no?”
“No to people keeping you safe?”
“No to you,” she declares, chest heaving and nostrils flared. Fuck, it’s hot.
I can barely hear my own voice over the blood swishing in my ears before rushing straight to my cock. “Do you really want to know how far I would go to protect the precious Anastasia Petrov from danger?”
Ana clears her throat and blinks rapidly. But the show of vulnerability is fleeting. In a split second, her chin is high and eyes are dark. “I asked, didn’t I?”
That she did.
“If you don’t follow security protocols out there, you’ll be forced to stay in here.” My voice has deepened because I’m distracted by the flush that starts from the top of her breasts to flood her cheeks. “Do you understand?”
“Excuse me?” she hisses. “You’ll have to tie me up and lock me in a closet to keep me from doing whatever the hell I want.”
The grin pulling on my face likely signals what I’m thinking, which is don’t mind if I do.
Should I tell her I’ve already got the ropes and picked out the closet? Riling her up is exceedingly entertaining.
“In that case—”
I’m interrupted by Kina driving up and blocking Ana’s Mustang. My grin widens even more, taking note to give my agent an employee-of-the-month bonus.
“Hey, Bryce. Everything’s clear. Jake and Louis are in place.” She’s talking about the agents I’ve assigned to guard the walkways along the edge of Ana’s acreage.
“You look great, Ana, if you don’t mind me saying,” Kina coos appreciatively. Jealousy whips through me when they smile at each other.
“Thanks, Kina,” the bombshell in strappy heels tells my employee whose monthly bonus I am seriously reconsidering. “But I’ll have to ask you to move your Suburban. The event is—”
“My car is up front,” I interrupt more gruffly than I should. “From now on, assume that I’ll be driving.”
It’s fascinating to watch emotions rummage through her gorgeous features: surprise, then irritation, then fury. But when her eyes flick to Kina, she shuts it all down.
I don’t know the details of Ana’s upbringing, though it’s no secret she grew up where manners were more important than morals. She won’t make a scene in front of Kina. The deeply instilled shame of any public indiscretion is working in my favor tonight.
“After you,” I say when I place my hand on her lower back to give her a slight nudge.
The satin of her blazer against my fingers might as well be a live wire. A forceful current of energy zings between us. She must feel it too, because Ana whips her head back to meet my gaze. The surrounding air finds a vacuum, making it hard to breathe. God, she’s beautiful.
“Close your mouth, Bryce. Before something gets shoved into it.”
My spontaneous laugh is so loud, it echoes through the garage.
Ana might have even cracked half a grin. Not that she would ever admit it.
How is every insult I throw at Bryce somehow transformed into a sexual innuendo? It’s infuriating. The problem is, I’m so attracted to Bryce’s brutish size and dominant vibe, I can’t seem to stay mad.
“Tell me about tonight,” he starts with that arrogant, demanding tone. “Who’ll be there? Who are you expected to spend time with?”
“Are you always this bossy?”
“I’m being efficient. Things will go more smoothly if you cooperate, Ana.”
“You don’t have to sound so menacing, you know. Don’t they teach you bedside manners in bodyguard school?”
