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He gave her an unassuming smile. “SEALs.”
“Wow,” Caitey whispered. “I’ll bet you have some wild stories.”
“I’d tell you all my secrets, but they’re classified,” he said with a big grin.
She returned the smile. “If you told me, you’d have to kill me?”
“Something like that.” Now they both laughed.
“So did all that dangerous, classified work lead you to this job. . .?”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, I loved the Navy, actually and wanted to keep doing something similar afterward so I went into intelligence and spy ops.That’sthe reason the Hearst family hired me. I still do high-end security jobs for politicians and celebrities who are coming in for an event. You’d be surprised at how much demand there is in Southern California.”
Caitey blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expectingthatbut protecting high profile people does make sense. Do you like it?”
“Of course.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Sometimes. But I like living dangerously,”he added in a low voice.
There was a slight pause, and he watched her finish her soda. Her body language showed nerves, but Marcus didn’t want to make her feel nervous. His instincts were always to protect, serve, rescue, and help others.
He grinned, glancing at her plate. “Are you going to finish that bagel?”
“Oh!” She gave a little laugh. “Guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought. Do you want it?”
“Heck, yeah. I’m always hungry.”
“I suppose tramping through woods and climbing trees makes a person hungry.”
“I have a stepladder in the shed for when I climb the higher limbs.”
He loved how her lips curved into a soft smile when she teased him. “Can’t get your fancy designer suit dirty or torn.”
“You better believe it. These nice suits the Hearst family purchases for my work are the only way I get respect,” he laughed. “Honestly, I have a long reach, so installing security stuff is usually not a problem.”
“Is there anything else you do as part of your job?” she asked.
“I also do bodyguard work. Living so close to Los Angeles and Hollywood gives me a lot of opportunity.”
Her eyebrows came together in a slight frown. “I didn’t spot a car. Do you walk back and forth from town to the estate? That’s got to be ten miles.”
“My vehicle was parked in the garage. I have an access code, and there are several parking slots. Usually, when I’mdoing security at the property, I don’t want other people to know I’m there, so I don’t park my car or work truck in the driveway.”
“That makes sense.” She finished off her drink, making a slurping sound through the straw, indicating the drink was gone.
She gave an embarrassed laugh, and Marcus chuckled, too.
Her next question came out of the blue. “Did you follow me here to the Coffee Loft? It startled me to see you right behind me.”
“Yes. And no. Logan called to tell me they were delayed. Getting a tire fixed. Jenna got on the phone and told me to keep an eye on you. When you took off like a shot down the mountain, I sprinted down the hill and behind the house to get my car and keep up with you.”
Caitey smiled shyly. “That’s nice to know they were worried about me. I sat in my car and texted Jenna when I got to the Coffee Loft, so she knew where I was.”
“I’ll escort you back to the estate if you’re ready?” he asked.
“I suppose that’s a good idea,” she said hesitantly. “In caseIhave a flat tire,” she added with a laugh.
