His eyes met hers for a fraction of a second then he looked away, turning into her street.
“People were livid about that.”
“Understandably. But there were many factors at play. Marina was used by the board as a fall guy. She didn’t deserve it. The criticism almost destroyed her.”
Max’s heart trembled and something dark clouded her mind, a question she wanted answered even when she was afraid of what that answer might be. “And you tried to comfort her?”
His brow crinkled as he turned to her. “Comfort her?”
Max looked away, out of her window, as Noah keyed in the pin to her gate.
“Max, it wasn’t like that. It’s never like that. In all the years I’ve been doing this, you are the only client I’ve ever…touched. It goes completely against the grain. My ethos is simple – professional distance. I do my job most effectively when I see my client as an object and nothing more. Over time, I came to feel sympathy for Marina’s predicament – only an automaton wouldn’t have felt sorry for her – but I stayed out of it and kept her safe, as I was being paid to do.”
Max nodded slowly. “I’m not paying you though.”
“That doesn’t change my desire to keep you safe.” He reached over, putting a hand on her knee so her lips parted on a husky breath of welcome. “You get that, right?”
His eyes moved quickly beyond her, as though yanked by an individual string, and suddenly he reminded her of a cat ready to pounce.
“What? What is it?”
His hand moved to his pistol and was raising, his eyes moving from her window to the gate, so Max turned automatically, looking out of her own window.
“Don’t shoot,” she urged, when she saw what he was reacting to. “That’s just Edward, it’s okay.”
“Edward?” He lowered the gun to his lap, his eyes still on the sauntering figure of a man.
“He’s my neighbour’s grandson. He’s harmless.”
“Hiya,” Edward grinned as he approached the car. “How’s things?”
Max dredged deep and pulled up her best ‘everything’s fine’ smile. “Not too bad. And you?”
“Just dropping off some supplies.”
“How’s Norma?”
“Grumpy today,” Edward said with an affectionate roll of his eyes. “Apparently I got the wrong apples.”
“Oh dear.” Max found a laugh of her own. “Off to get more then?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you later.” Edward disappeared around the car and down the street.
“How do you know him?”
Something shifted inside Max.
“Are you asking as my bodyguard, or…?”
“Or?”
“Or as a guy I kissed last night?”
His expression was inscrutable as he drove through the gate. “For the reasons we’ve discussed, your bodyguard.”
Despite his answer, a small smile flickered on her lips. “I see. Well, I know him as well as you know any neighbour.”
“I don’t know my neighbour at all.”
Curiosity sparked inside of her.
“He’s at his grandma’s once a week or so. We usually chat, if I happen to be home at the same time. I always go to Norma’s birthday parties, her Christmas drinks, so I see him then too.” She leaned forward. “He’s not the guy, I promise you.”
Noah’s smile might have been designed to reassure but she could see the wheels turning behind his eyes and almost felt sorry for Edward. He was likely to be the subject of a background check without even realizing it.
“Please don’t start harassing Norma. She’s eighty four and deaf in one ear. Plus, she’s super crotchety.”
He watched as the gate shut behind them, then eased the car into the garage.
“Though she does have a penchant for attractive younger men, so that might offer some consolation.”
His grin completely undid her. She stared at him, her heart racing, wondering what it was about Noah that made her lose herself like this, why she couldn’t get a grip on her feelings where he was concerned.
“I’ll worry about who to harass. You just keep going about your life.”
“With my perma-shadow.”
“Is that a complaint?”
She shook her head wordlessly, aching for him, craving his lips on hers, wishing that it was last night again and they were kissing, only this time, he didn’t pull away.
“It’s just different to what I’m used to.”
In more ways than one.
“I’ll try to be invisible.”
“You, Noah Storm, don’t stand a chance in hell of that. I’m sorry to tell you that there is nothing remotely unnoticeable about you.”
She hesitated as they entered the house, the blood from the carpark at the top of her mind, so she was glad beyond words that Noah was with her, that he stayed close with her, checking alarms, windows, reviewing the motion alerts on her security sensors. But she shivered as she watched him, hating that this was necessary, hating that this was her life.
“Max? Are you okay?”
She hadn’t realized he’d stopped watching the screen and was now watching her.
She wrapped her arms around her slender body. Usually she’d lie, project the confident image she showed the entire world, but she didn’t want to do that anymore. Or maybe it was just that she didn’t want to do that with Noah.
“I just…I don’t want to live like this.”
A muscle jerked in Noah’s jaw. “It will be over soon.”
“This guy, maybe. And then what? I’m never going to feel normal again.” Her teeth were chattering, the shock of the day, the emotions of the night before, reverberating through her. “I’m never going to walk down the street and not worry that someone’s following me.”
“Do you know what’s going to make you feel better?”
She did, but the problem was, he didn’t want to give it to her.
“When he’s caught, and locked up. When you get to testify at his trial, and look him in the eye and show him how strong you are. When you get to smile past him, and get on with your life. Every day you do that, you’ll feel good, and eventually, you’ll take strength from this. You’re going to beat him.”
“Am I?”
His eyes narrowed, determination flicking in the heat of his gaze. “I’m going to make sure of it.”
Half her lips lifted in a weak smile. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
She could have lost herself in his eyes. She simply wanted to look up at him and stop time, to stay just like they were.
But then he stiffened, stepping back, looking towards the front door. “Are you expecting anyone?”
She froze, wishing he was still holding her hand, but Noah was already on alert. Then, she heard it. The turning of her front doorknob. Her pulse exploded.
She couldn’t speak. Noah looked at her and Max shook her head, her eyes huge in her face, her fingernails clenched into her palms.
“Stay here.” His eyes held a warning. Don’t ignore him. Not like the carpark. She nodded jerkily, staying right where she was, but fear was a metallic taste in her mouth as Noah withdrew his gun and moved, silently, oh so stealthily, through her house, towards the front door. Fear morphed into something else, taking a different shape, as she thought of Noah getting hurt, and needing to protect him! It made her want to laugh, a maniacal, unhinged sound, but she bit it back, staring down the corridor.
* * *
Noah braced against the wall, listening to the footsteps, watching the shadow cast and at just the right moment, stepped out, aiming his arm at neck height for most men, pinning the intruder back against the wall and holding the gun to his head before his eyes adjusted and he recognized Gray.
“Holy shit, man!” Gray lifted his hands and pushed Noah backwards, swearing again then laughing. “I should have told you I was coming over.”
“Yeah, you should have. You’re lucky I didn’t shoot.”
Noah
sheathed his pistol, wondering at the sinking sensation of guilt in his gut. Not guilt at having pulled a weapon on his friend, but guilt about something else entirely – the way he’d been standing with Gray’s sister a minute ago, the way he’d been thinking about her all day, the things he’d been wanting to say to her, do to her.
“I heard about the carpark. How is she?”
Incredible. Strong. Resilient. Noah bit back the first words and focused on his job. “She was shocked but she’s coping. I want this bastard put away.”
“What do we know?”
“Give me a sec.” He walked back into the lounge, where Max was standing, right as he’d left her. “It’s Gray.”
“Gray?” She squeaked, exhaling a huge breath. “OhmyGod. Why didn’t he call?”
“Because he’s an idiot. You’re fine. Go about your business, I just need to talk to him a minute.”
She looked ready to argue, as though she knew they’d be talking about her and didn’t want to be excluded, but then she nodded slowly. “I’ll be in here.”
Was she scared to go upstairs? To move about the house? He hated that. This bastard had taken way too much from her. As he left the room, he heard the flicking on of the kettle.
Back in the entrance way, Noah ran through the investigations he’d been conducting. While he was providing on-the-ground security for Max, he had a team of digital analysts wading through the back end of her life: her contacts, her events, looking at logged security footage and paparazzi shots, Instagram photos, for anything that might stand out – using sophisticated facial recognition technology to spot any repeating faces.
“And?”
“And we’re working on it. Until then, I’m here.”
“The blood –,”
“We were in Paris. I’ve already spoken to the corporate security team and made recommendations for tightening procedures at Fortescue Tower.”
Gray dragged a hand through his hair, his eyes focused on the wall opposite. “I thought I’d done that.”
“You’re not a security expert, Gray. There’s only so much you can do.”
“I thought I hired the best of the best.”
“You did,” Noah grinned, pointing at his chest. “You’re looking at him.”
“You’re such a cocky bastard.” Gray laughed. “You got dinner plans?”
Dinner plans? He thought of Max immediately, of spending time with her, eating with her, and guilt flushed him. “I was going to secure the house then catch up on some reports.”
“Eat with us. I’ll order some burgers.”
Us. Him and Max. Noah was Gray’s best friend, but in this situation, he was an outsider, and he couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting around a table with his best friend and the woman he’d been hired to protect – who he was developing some seriously hot fantasies about – and acting as though everything was completely normal.
“You go ahead, I really have to work.”
She was curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea in one hand when they entered, the Virginia Woolf book in the other. Noah’s gut did a funny twist and drop.
“Gray.” She stood, putting the book aside and walking towards her brother. Noah’s guilt went through the roof. He’d kissed her. He’d touched her. He’d stripped her shirt from her body and taken her nipples into his mouth. If she hadn’t made the comment about sex being just what she needed – to forget the hell her life had become – he would have made love to her. After Gray had trusted him with this job.
Noah turned away, striding into the kitchen and making a coffee. Once it was done, he went to the stairs. “I’m going to do the rounds.”
“What kind of burger?” Gray called.
“You two eat. I’ll grab something from the fridge later.”
If Gray thought it was strange, Noah didn’t care. It was better than sitting across from his best friend knowing how pissed he’d be if he picked up on the obvious chemistry between Max and him, a chemistry Noah was doing his level best to fight. If only he knew for sure his level best would be good enough!
Chapter 7
“WHERE’S GRAY?”
“I told him I wanted an early night. He’s gone.”
Noah flexed back in the chair, watching her with a sense of caution. “Do you want an early night?”
Her eyes landed hard on his, thud, thud, thud, and she shook her head slowly. “I want to have dinner with you. And seeing as you were obviously trying to avoid having dinner with Gray, I got rid of him.”
He dipped his head forward, hiding a smile – his first reaction – even as a danger signal blared.
“We’re safe in my home, right?”
He studied her.
“There’s no risk to me here? So much as you can tell?”
He nodded. “You’re safe here.”
“So you can be distracted. Just for a little while.”
“Max.” He stood up, his voice a growl, but it was Max who interrupted, her voice ringing with strength. “I am terrified, Noah. My life is spinning so far out of my control, I feel powerless and like I’m second guessing myself all the time. But when I’m with you, it’s like everything has gravity again. I feel safe and alive and happy. Can’t we just pretend, tonight, that we met under different circumstances? That you’re not here to protect me, that you’re not my brother’s friend, that there’s not some psychopath smearing blood over my car park?”
Resist this. Say no.
But she moved closer, brushing her body to his, looking up at his face. “Please?”
Damn it. He could resist a lot, he could say ‘no’ to a lot but Max begging him to give her something was a compulsion he couldn’t fight.
“Haven’t we talked about playing with fire?”
Her lip lifted in an impish smile. “Maybe I want to get burned by you.”
Possessive heat fired through his body. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Right now, I’m asking you to have dinner with me. That’s all.”
He lifted a brow. “Really?”
Another impish smile, then no response. She pulled her phone out, loaded up an app and swiped through it. “Thai? Pizza? Burgers?”
He felt his own control slipping away, the gravity of his world shifting, shrinking, jerking, dropping him into hers. He expelled a rough sigh, his eyes locked to hers, heavy surrender tightening in his gut.
“You choose.”
* * *
She lay on her side, on the sofa, full and strangely relaxed. Noah Storm sat in the armchair opposite, watching her, and just the way his eyes caressed her body made her pulse feel half-electric. “So why private security?” Her fingers fluffed an imaginary piece of lint on the cushion in front of her. “Is it what you always wanted to do? Or was it being in the army that pushed you in this direction?”
“A bit of both,” he responded cryptically.
“Come on, Noah. I’ve given you the keys to my life, can’t you answer some simple questions about yours?”
His lips flickered in brief, sardonic acknowledgement. “I thought I did answer?”
“Without telling me anything. Why are you so secretive?”
“I don’t make a habit of sharing details of my personal life with clients.”
“We’ve already discussed this. I’m not a client.”
“So what does that make you?”
Her heart slammed into her rib cage. Dinner had been a tense affair – at least, it had been for Max. She had been aware of his every movement, his every breath. On some level, she was grateful for the monumental attraction to Noah – it lessened the obsessive fear she might have been feeling if Noah wasn’t with her. A shiver ran down her spine as she imagined what it would be like to be alone in her home now, after the events of today.
“You’re still someone I need to protect.”
She dragged her attention back to their conversation. “Does answering my questions make you less able to do that?�
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A muscle jerked low in his jaw. “There should be limits to how well we know each other.”
Frustration was a whip at her spine. She stayed very still, careful not to reveal it on her face. “You know everything there is to know about me.”
He dipped his head in silent concession.
“Is it so unreasonable –,”
“Yes. We’ve discussed this, the day you accepted to hire me. Your life being an open book was a condition of me taking this job.”
She didn’t want to be a ‘job’ to him! She didn’t want him to see her as a client. Anger zipped through her veins.
“How does it make you less able to protect me if I know a bit more about you?”
His eyes clashed with hers. There was a hardness in their grey depths, but also a plea. Stop this.
“I mean it, Noah. All night – ever since I’ve known you, actually – you’ve stone-walled my questions, telling me almost nothing about you. Does that really help you protect me?”
“It’s part of the job.” His hand tightened on the coffee cup he held. “I’m not here to get to know you. I’m here for one reason only –,”
“Because Gray asked you to be.”
“To keep you safe,” he corrected, but dipped his head once, in silent, terse agreement with her question. “I need to keep my mind clear, to be focused on the job. And when the work is done, and this guy is caught, I will pack my bag and leave, back to America, to my life, my business, to whatever – and whoever – needs my attention next. I don’t get attached to clients. I don’t do follow up calls. In a week’s time, you won’t even know me anymore.”
A sense of isolation hollowed her out, turning her organs into tumbleweeds. She stared at him, hating the picture he was painting. “You think it will be that quick?”
His expression showed caution. “I think there are a few leads your security team overlooked. Things that only someone with my experience would have noticed,” he clarified, the professional courtesy of attempting to make an excuse for her team’s failings not lost on her, even when she knew it was a lie. Noah would never miss anything, not a single detail. “I’m chasing those leads down as we speak, and should have some answers in the next twenty four hours.”
Never Mine: The Rich List Book 1 Page 8