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“Well, like I said, you scared Chloe and now she knows.”
“Knows? You didn’t tell her?”
“No. I told you I didn’t want her to know. I didn’t want to stress her out or scare her. So much for that,” she mutters.
“Maybe I’m confused, but I swear we had a conversation the other day about you letting me do my job.”
“Yeah, and you said you’d be a shadow—that I wouldn’t even know you were there—and here you are in my backyard in the middle of the night with a flashlight. Oh, and not to mention, you were very obvious in the parking garage at work tonight.”
I can’t hold my laugh back.Damn this woman and her every attempt to pick a fucking fight with me!
“Again, wasn’t trying to be invisible. When I said you wouldn’t know I was there, it was more of a figure of speech. I’m not actively going into stealth mode when I’m around, but I’m staying out of your way. Trust me, Juliette, I could hide in your bedroom and you wouldn’t have a fucking clue if I didn’t want you to.” Now her cheeks really darken and it instantly makes me wonder if the blush travels down her slender neck to her full breasts. “Just tell Chloe I lost my dog and I was out looking for it.”
“Did you bug my house?” She squints one eye at me and I half expect her to say she’s joking, but I think she’s serious.
“Uh, no. Not yet, anyway.”
“No, I draw the line there. There will be no bugging my house.” She points her finger toward me, her mouth set in a firm line.
“You can’t keep it completely from her. She needs to be aware of her surroundings. Look, I’m not trying to tell you how to raise your daughter, but—”
“Then don’t,” she snaps, her tone and countenance changing in an instant. “I need to get back inside to calm Chloe down, and I guess explain who you are.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, reaching out to grab her arm as she turns toward the back door. “I overstepped. And I’m sorry for scaring Chloe. Just tell her the truth—that I’m out here helping the security camera guys so they know where to install everything. You at least told her you were putting in cameras, right? The team will need access to the house to install them, so unless you’re planning on taking a day off to be home when it happens, she’ll probably find out when she sees strangers in the house.”
“Uh, no, not yet, but I did intend to tell her it was happening.”
“Speaking of the cameras, any chance you have a spare house key for the guys?”
“Yes, let me grab it.” Her eyes dart down to where my hand is still wrapped around her arm, and I let it go even though I have the sudden urge to tug it so she falls into my arms. She steps inside the house for a moment, returning and handing me a single key on a ring. I reach my hand out to grab it, my fingers grazing hers gently. They’re cold, but it doesn’t stop a spark from running straight through my skin.
Something about Juliette Pierce has me intrigued. Maybe it was the warning from Jimmy not to cross that line with her—the desire for the forbidden—or maybe it’s because I like a challenge. Some men want a submissive, sweet woman, but me, I love a woman who gives as good as she takes. I’ve always been drawn to strong, independent women. Sometimes I think it’s because it gives me an out—knowing they don’t need me, so if I cut and run, it’s not like they can’t carry on without me. It’s pathetic and it stems from some good old-fashioned heartbreak when I was young that I let leave me jaded instead of dealing with it.
“Again, sorry to scare you both. Have a good night.” I give her a curt nod and she turns and steps back into her house, the sound of the deadbolt clicking giving me a small sense of relief.
I know there’s probably more to Juliette’s story than I’m imagining, and I can’t keep myself from wondering what lies hidden beneath that cold, hard exterior.
I finish my rounds and walk back to my car to warm up with my thermos of coffee and a few sandwiches. I know that my curiosity about Juliette stems from lust, and I’m not the kind of asshole who would mess around with a woman who has a child, because I have no intention of ever sticking around. That kind of shit is unfair and cruel to do. But it doesn’t stop my mind from wondering what it would be like to watch her let loose.
I keep my eyes trained on her house, my blood pressure rising when I ask myself: What kind of piece of shit with a beautiful family like Juliette and Chloe would throw that away?
I scarf down the last two bites of my sandwich and let out a shallow breath. I never intended to be single at 35. Hell, I thought I’d be married for almost a decade with three kids by now. I also thought that life would be with Sierra West, the woman I fell head over heels for at 23 and was engaged to with a baby on the way at 25. I drag my hand over my face, trying to scrub the memories from my brain like I have for the last decade, but it’s no use. I stifle a yawn and look at my watch. Tonight should be the last time I have to pull these all-nighters, since tomorrow the security system will be in place. I’ll still do my patrols, but at least I’ll be able to get a few consecutive hours of sleep at night instead of during the day while Juliette’s at work.
* * *
“Afternoon, fellas,”I groan as I walk into the Four Forces Security office.
“You look like shit,” Luka smiles, smacking me on the back with a loudthwack!
“Thanks, feel like it too. Getting too old for this shit,” I groan, saying the same thing one of us says at least twice a week.
When the four of us met in the Special Forces, it was like an instant brotherhood was formed. You’re already close with your enlisted brothers, especially when you’re part of an elite group like the Special Forces, but we were different. It was like we instantly knew this friendship would stay together long after we all retired from the military.
“You look like you’re getting older, too.” Harvey smiles around a bite of donut, his giant hand dwarfing the pastry.
“And you look like the Jolly Green Giant eating a fucking tire,” I laugh, which makes Luka and Jimmy laugh too. “Seriously, man, you get much bigger and you’re going to make the Rock look like your son.”
He shrugs and shoves the other half of the donut in his mouth. “Been hitting the gym a little extra hard lately.”
