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“Some things. I’ve been learning myself for the past couple of years.”
“Why?”
“Because of you.”
She inhaled sharply.
“I’ve been in deeper than you for a while. I knew someone was spooking you from the moment you walked into my office. I also knew that I wanted to be with you then. I’ve never been a man to explore different options. That’s why I didn’t bother with college. I know what I want, and if at all possible, I make it happen.”
“You hired me because you wanted to be with me?” she squeaked out. Was she okay with that?
“Full transparency, yes, because, as I told you before, I would have had HR do a comprehensive background check if it was anyone but you. But if it makes you feel better, I believed you were qualified for the job when you answered the interview questions.”
Genevieve glared at him, pursing her lips.
He brushed his fingers along his jaw. “You’re freaking me out, Gen. Did I just screw up my chances with you?”
“No, it’s just a lot to take in. For someone so logical, you zeroed in on wanting to be with me without using your head.”
Brendan grabbed the back of his neck, digging his fingers in like she’d noticed he did when he was stressed. Without a steering wheel to grip, it seemed to be his other release. “I hope you don’t feel like you owe me anything because I hired you or because I’m helping you out right now. You know, as in you’re with me because you know that I have feelings for you and feel pressured to”—his features scrunched—“reciprocate.”
“What? No. I told you I love you, and I mean it. I just honestly think you’re out of your mind. You can have practically any woman you want. Why not date around? Why did you want me when I walked into your office? I don’t buy the whole ‘I don’t need to explore different options argument.’ That’s insane. There’s no logical reason for you to get attached to me that quickly.” She twisted her finger and pointed it at herself. “I certainly didn’t get attached to you that quickly.”
Brendan let out a breath of relief as if what he was worried about had evaporated. Smirking, he challenged, “No?”
“No.”
He crossed his arms. “Maybe, maybe not. The more I get to know you, the more I think you’ve been attached for a while, too. I think you cared just as much as I did, even then.” He cocked his head, narrowing his eyes as if studying her reaction. “I think perhaps you also wanted me from the time we met, even if it was subconsciously due to what you were going through. Why else would you come specifically to me when you needed an ally? There are dozens of other people at BC King you could have turned to. You trusted me.”
She jutted out her chin. “If you’re so sure about my feelings for you, then why would you question whether you’d screwed up your chances with me?”
“Because I worry that if you think something I do or say is even remotely controlling, you’ll feel trapped and run. You’re bound to be resistant to attachment even if you do want me the way I want you. I’m gaining confidence, though. The revelation that you love me helps. Full transparency again, though, I think you admitted that to me before you were ready. You’re jumping in so quickly because you fear losing me. I’m not going anywhere, Gen. Take your time.”
“Yeah, well, full transparency back, I don’t think you would have had the guts to try for a relationship with me unless I made the first move. You certainly wouldn’t have admitted that you wanted to be with me if I hadn’t pushed you along. I think the intimacy with me scares you because you’re not as confident as you pretend to be. You’re afraid of what you feel and how badly you want something that you can’t control.”
She expected him to lash back out—heck, to perhaps even be a little hurt, churning with emotions the way she was, but he just flashed a cheeky smile and nodded. “We’re perfect for each other, aren’t we?”
“Dammit, you’re a piece of work,” Genevieve spat. “The honeymoon phase of our relationship is obviously already over, but everything else about us moves within hours, so why not? I’m going downstairs to find Manning. I’ll set up my own training, thank you very much.” She hesitated before leaving. She’d been through enough to know that every time she walked out a door, it might be the last time she saw someone she cared about. “I love you, Brendan. Don’t do anything stupid.”
He nodded at her with an expression that was far too pleased. “I love you too, Gen. Ditto—don’t do anything stupid.”
A soft giggle escaped her throat at their sparring of phrases. Well, perhaps the honeymoon phase wasn’t over for him. He didn’t seem to run as hot and cold as she did, and shoot, she’d been blind and let him one-up her. Not that she hadn’t learned some things, too, but he’d purposely told her. He was both clearing the air and poking at her for information, and she’d played right into it—telling him exactly what he wanted to know—that she was in just as deep as he was. If he wasn’t fully confident before, she had no idea what came next in their relationship, but she sure as heck was excited to find out.
Sixteen
GENEVIEVE
Manning had a flock of security guards accompany her to the training center, a warehouse nestled behind the employee parking lot of The Golden Star. Genevieve selected Pansy, a senior female security officer, to lead her training, whose name was deceiving because she was definitely not a pansy. Pansy took it to her in her chic cross-trainers and black spandex gear, swishing her bouncy blonde ponytail across her muscled arms.
“First,” Pansy instructed after a grueling warm-up, “we’re going to bring you up to speed on how to incapacitate a target. The most effective method, in my personal experience, is to break an assailant’s nose. Strike upwards with a forceful, quick palm heel strike or elbow to the base of the target’s nose, using the momentum from your legs and hips for maximum impact. Deliver the strike swiftly and without hesitation, aiming for the cartilage and bone junction to cause immediate pain and disorientation. Let me show you on our training mannequin, and then we’ll have you practice until you perfect the move.”
“Okay,” Genevieve responded evenly, trying to hide her apprehension.
A knowing smirk crossed Pansy’s face. “You’ll get it. Don’t worry. I can tell you’re the type who will fight back. You have it in you.”
Genevieve raised a surprised brow. “Thanks.”
And Pansy was right. Genevieve did get the hang of the moves Pansy taught, through drill after drill, quickly gaining confidence and skill. In fact, her confidence grew so significantly that she ended the session by asking Pansy to hook her up with an array of tactical supplies.
