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"It's called charm, not smarm. Though I can see how that might've confused you since the last three letters are the same."
"Might want to dial back the sarcasm." He aims a sneaky smile at me. "You'll be stuck in a car with me for…how long?"
Bugger me.I forgot about that. "Two and a half hours."
He chuckles and slaps my back—four times. "We'll get to know each other really well, won't we? Either that or your mommy will kiss a corpse hello."
Derek Hahn is beginning to remind me of the MacTaggarts. They love gallows humor too.
After breakfast, we climb into my car. Derek needs to sit in front with me, the driver, since he claims he can't fit in the backseat of my four-door Jaguar. Well, he might have a point. I never ride in the backseat, so I can't promise he wouldn't be uncomfortable back there. I've never had more than one passenger until today.
When we stop to get petrol a little while later, Derek goes inside the store to use the restroom and Avery gets out to stretch her legs, as she says. That means she goes into the store to buy sweets and beverages. When she offers me a bottle of lemonade, I ask if she's comfortable in the backseat.
"Sure, I'm fine," she says. "But thank you for asking. It was very gentlemanly of you to let my brother sit up front."
"Gentlemanly? No, I just didn't want his laser eyes to burn a hole through the back of my head."
She laughs and kisses my cheek. "You are so adorably sweet."
"If you're expecting me to balk at being called sweet and adorable, you'll be disappointed. I know that to a woman those words are a high compliment."
We get back on the road a few minutes later, and every time I glance in the rearview mirror, Avery is smiling at me with what I can only characterize as affection. I experience a strange flush of warmth in my chest when I see that expression on her face. Yes, all right, maybe I am falling for her. But after the disaster in Scotland, I'm not sure I can trust what I think I see or feel.
Derek tunes the radio to country western music. Bagpipes would be better than that, but I let him have his way—to be polite, that's all.
Half an hour from Sommerleigh, I can't resist asking a question. First, I turn down the volume on the radio and wait for the whining twang in my ears to subside. "Derek, I'm curious. Avery said you're a bodyguard, and I'm wondering what sort of clients you have. Wealthy people, I assume."
"Oh yeah, it's rich people. Normal folks can't afford a full-time bodyguard. But I can't tell you the names of my clients."
"No, of course not. Do you work for a company?"
"I own the company. Started out as an employee and took over as owner after my boss retired."
"That's impressive."
Despite the close quarters, Derek manages to bend one leg to the side to hook his ankle over the other knee. "So tell me, Lord Sticky, how's your business doing? I read stuff about you online, and it sounds like your company's about to get flushed down the toilet."
I'd hoped to avoid thinking about my problems for one day. But no, of course I can't do that. Because Derek is right. I am single-handedly flushing my company down the toilet. "Yes, the business is in trouble. But with Avery's help, I'm hopeful we can turn things around."
Unless the Duke of Wackenbourne brings out his big gun—the House of Lords.
Chapter Sixteen
Avery
"Stop harassing Hugh," I tell my brother. "You know damn well his title is Lord Sommerleigh, not Lord Sticky. And Hugh is going through a rough time right now, but he's a smart and capable man who will figure out a solution."
My brother twists in his seat to look at me. "You really like this guy, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. So be nice, Derek."
He salutes me, smirks, and faces forward again.
In the rearview mirror, I can see Hugh. His eyes are wide, and he's staring at me. I suppose I shouldn't have admitted I really like him, but I've never been comfortable with lying or evading the truth.
"What's the deal with that duke?" my brother asks Hugh. "He's got an iron hard-on for you. Seems like it must be more than the fact you slept with his wife."
I jab a finger into Derek's arm. "Cut it out."
