Not only that, but contrary to popular belief, I did have a life outside of work. Twenty-four-seven jobs never really excited me.
On the other hand, I’d feel much more comfortable knowing she was protected at all times. “I’ll need to have Sundays off to go home to my dog, Max. During daylight hours on Sundays when I’m not with you, I’ll arrange for Bart to be there.”
“Max can come with you to my house, but fine. Sundays off. Do you have any dietary requirements I should be aware of?”
“Nope. I’ll eat pretty much anything but you know you’re not expected to feed me, right?” One of the drawbacks of having to live with a client was having to eat whenever you had time instead of at normal mealtimes.
Rylee shrugged her shoulders, her eyes locked on mine. “I might not be expected to feed you, but I’d like to. It’d be too weird only cooking for myself if you’re right there. Plus, it’s the least I can do for wanting someone with me all the time.”
“It’s really not necessary, but I won’t stop you if that’s what you want.”
She smiled. “That’s what I want. You said you eat ‘pretty much anything,’ so there’s obviously stuff you don’t like. Care to share?”
“I’m not crazy about tripe.” I chuckled when she scrunched up her nose.
“That won’t be a problem,” she said. “It’s not something I’m very familiar with and I have no plans to change that.”
I laughed. “I know it’s considered a delicacy by many, but my palate is just not that refined.”
“Agreed. Anything else you don’t like?” She slid her forearms onto the polished surface of the table and leaned forward.
The shirt she was wearing wasn’t low cut, but in this new position, I could see just a hint of her cleavage. Oh, man. It’s going to be a long, hard month for me.
Deliberately keeping my gaze very firmly on hers instead of where it so badly wanted to drop to, I reminded myself that this was a professional relationship. “Anything else is fine, really. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll just be grateful to be getting food.”
“And here I thought we were hitting it off so well. Now you shut down on me?” She shook her head, but her eyes were alive with humor. “That’s okay. I’ll get it out of you eventually. Let’s change it up a little. What’s your favorite meal?”
“Steak.” I didn’t even have to think about it. “But I’m not telling you anything else until you promise me you’re not going to run out to get everything I tell you I like as soon as you leave here.”
“Fine, I won’t go as soon as I leave here,” she promised, flashing me a coy smile.
I crossed my arms on the table and raised an eyebrow at her. “Let me rephrase. You won’t go get it at all.”
“I’m afraid I can’t promise you that.” She smirked but her gaze searched mine with sudden curiosity in it. “Am I just that easy for you to read? It feels like you knew what I was going to say before I even said it.”
“You smiled when you tacked on the ‘as soon as I leave here’ part of that sentence.” Also, I knew her. Maybe I didn’t know the ins and outs of her preferences and pet peeves, but I knew who she was fundamentally, and I knew who she’d been raised by.
Mama and Papa Naples were good people. They’d never had the most money, but they’d have given every last cent they had to someone in need. Mrs. Naples always insisted I stay for dinner, and she cooked enough to feed an army.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that Rylee was taking a page from her playbook. She probably didn’t even realize most people wouldn’t have insisted on cooking for their guard.
She grinned at my reply, rolling her eyes. “Ah. So I am that obvious? I’ll have to work on my poker face.”
“I’ll help you. We’ll make it a daily exercise where you tell me two truths and a lie, and I’ll try to figure out what the lie is.”
“Isn’t that a drinking game?” she asked with a slight frown. “I’ve never played it, but I think I’ve heard about it.”
“It doesn’t have to be a drinking game. Plenty of people play it without alcohol.”
She exhaled deeply. “I’d have loved to play it with alcohol but I’m not much of a drinker.”
Something in her eyes told me there was more to that story, but I didn’t push it. I was enjoying our banter and getting to know each other again. And it was important for the job I needed to do.
“I don’t drink while I’m on duty, so that’s not a problem. We’ll still fix your poker face in no time.”
“Thank you.” She grinned. “Having to keep something as big as my return to the stage a secret if the whole world can see when I’m being evasive or outright lying is impossible.”
We talked for another thirty minutes or so before we eventually parted ways. I stood up to shake her hand again, and caught a whiff of vanilla and berries when she blew past me toward the door. When she left, I realized my heart was racing and my cock was hard.
I was seriously into this woman, and that wasn’t a good way to start a working relationship.
I’m so screwed.
Chapter 8
RYLEE
“Have a good day, honey,” Tani called as Cash walked away from us. He turned to wave with the sweetest smile on his face before disappearing into his preschool.
Once a week, we met for a morning run and coffee after she dropped him off. I met her at the school because it was just easier to take off from here. We lived a few miles apart, and Cash’s school was just about the halfway point between us. Plus, there was a nice park nearby with a trail that we liked and a coffee truck at the exit. It was perfect.
“Ready to go?” she asked, tightening her ponytail as she turned to face me. “I really need to start running more often. I know it’s fucking freezing, but that’s no excuse for the extra pounds I’ve put on.”
It really was cold. We were so bundled up that I couldn’t really see her figure, but I already knew what she had going on underneath all those layers. “Nonsense. It just feels that way because we’re constantly wearing so many clothes. You look great.”
She arched a plucked eyebrow at me and pursed her lips. “It’s not just winter this year. Trust me. My mirror almost broke last night when I got out of the shower.”
I laughed. “Maybe you just need a kinder mirror. Or a stronger one. I wouldn’t mind getting a bit more exercise, though. I’ll need to check with my doctors and my shiny new bodyguard, but it shouldn’t be a problem for us to meet up more often.”
“I can’t believe you’ve actually finally gotten a guard,” she said as we walked toward the park. “When does he start?”
“Tonight.” I toyed with the zipper on my jacket, thinking back to our meeting. “I’m a little nervous about it actually. He’s going to be living in my house with me.”
“Jules told me. It’s for the best for now.” Her breath formed little puffs of white air while she spoke. I didn’t know why, but it was one of the things I loved about winter. “You’ve met the guy they’re sending, right? What’s he like? If you’re not comfortable having him live with you, I’m sure you could get someone else.”