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My chest heated, and I clamped down on my overeager response. What was it about this woman that set me on edge? “I am.”
“Are you always this chatty?”
I smirked at the ground as I moved closer to her. She was smiling again, and I was more than happy to be her verbal punching bag as long as she was happy.
“Yes.” I made sure the word was extra drawn out and dry for her to enjoy.
This time, Whitney let out a soft, short laugh. Then she eyed me dramatically, leaning back to take me in from the tips of my black shoes all the way to my head and back again. My body was all over the place right now, heating where her eyes traced my body, and a red-hot blush threatened at my neck.
Usually, I was the one inspecting people, not the other way around. And having her eyes on me so much was making me even more aware of the pull towards her. When she was done, I would get my fill of watching her.
“Guessing you’ve seen my house, then? You sure you want to spend your days there?”
“I’m sure.”
“Good thing you’re not a big, tall guy or something.” She snorted at her own joke. “Not sure how you’ll even fit at the kitchen table.”
I stepped up against her, deciding to push just a little. To see what this sweet, heated woman was really ready to take. Whitney breathed in a harsh breath, her breasts heaving for a quick moment. “Don’t worry, Ms. Bryant.” I leaned down towards her, breaking her gaze to lean over her shoulder, to be sure my mouth was right by her ear. “I’ll fit.”
Whitney actually sputtered, her eyes staring up at me as I leaned back again, the picture of innocence and professional courtesy. For a moment, I couldn’t decide whether she was going to get right back on the phone to complain to me about her new bodyguard.
But instead, Whitney giggled loudly, her eyes narrowing as true humor bubbled up and out of her. “Fine, you win. Lead the way.”
She sighed dramatically, and I put a cursory arm behind her, pointing her to my SUV. Whitney bit her lip but followed my lead. I savored this little bit of submission, realizing now that I would be setting myself up for failure if I expected it every time. The thought made me smile.
This woman had no idea she was working for me.
She had no idea that it was my baby she carried.
She had no idea how much she meant to me, and that was before I met her. Now that I had, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she smiled up at me.
I opened the car door and offered my hand to her. She took it carefully, her utterly soft skin silk against mine. I didn’t let it show, but the red-hot bolt of awareness that shot through my body had nothing to do with keeping her safe and everything to do with how incredible she felt against me.
I frowned as I moved around the car. That was not supposed to happen, and once I’d satisfied my curiosity, I would be gone from her life. At least until the day she delivered my child.
I nodded to myself, starting the car. I was good at distance. This was nothing new.
***
Chapter 3
Whitney
My doorbell rang, interrupting my attempt to duplicate the eye liner on my second eye. It never looked as good as the first, no matter what I thought. Sighing, I popped my makeup back in the bag and went downstairs to answer the door. It was my first day at work, and I only had a few spare minutes.
I wanted to be early, responsible.
“Coming,” I called as I rounded the edge of the stairs. I glanced through the front window and sighed.
Giant black SUV.
Enormous dark-suited shoulder.
Mr. Gates was back.
I opened the door wide, giving him the best smile I could muster at this point in the day. I was not a morning person. The baby doubly so.
Speaking of, just as I opened the door, my stomach gave a suspicious lurch, and my smile was gone in a flash. I backed up, registering that Gates had moved into my small entryway, his dark eyes worried and wide.
