“Stop it,” she told him.
He was staring at her mouth again. His gaze lifted. Maybe they should clear the air. “Out of curiosity…” Also, because it was exceedingly important to know. “Is there some rule about Wilde agents not sleeping with clients?” He’d checked the fine print in the contract and hadn’t seen a clause like that but asking still seemed like a good idea.
“I am not sleeping with you.”
“But you did before.” His voice roughened. Hardened. “You told me you were quitting, but then you kissed me.”
Her chin lifted. “Yes.”
That was all she said—just…yes. A one-word answer that left him hanging.
“Why?” Antony gritted out.
“I told you that already.”
He remembered everything she’d said. He had a tendency to remember everything that everyone always said. But Ella’s words, in particular, were burned into his memory. “You wanted to see how I tasted.”
She didn’t speak.
But they hadn’t only kissed. “You found out how I tasted.” And he’d discovered how incredible she was. “Then what happened?” Anger spiked through him. “You decided that you wanted to see how I fucked?”
Her eyes shot fire at him. “This is why we need ground rules. I’ll guard you, but we are not—are not—”
“Not what?” He probed when her words broke off.
“Not going back to what we had before!” Ella finished with a rush.
“Good. I don’t want to go back.” He had a whole new direction in mind.
“I thought you were doing this to manipulate me.”
Antony’s arms dropped to his sides. “Excuse me?”
“When I saw you in Eric’s office, I didn’t believe you were in danger. I didn’t trust you. Does that tell you anything?”
The fact that she didn’t believe him told Antony that the woman had been on target. He had made up the break-in back in Asheville. But the rest of what she was saying…
Unease slithered through him. “Why wouldn’t you trust me?”
“Uh, because you have a major history of lying to me?”
His spine straightened. “I did not lie about everything during those two years.” He’d been as honest with her as it had been possible to be. He’d just neglected to tell her everything. Due to the whole matter of national security.
“You lied enough. So much that I can’t tell when you’re telling me the truth and when you’re not.”
That was a problem that he didn’t quite know how to handle. “Ella…”
“I thought you were lying when you were in Eric’s office. I thought that you’d invented some story to get me back.” She whirled away.
He flinched. Maybe his initial plan hadn’t been the best one ever. He could see the flaws in it now. “Um, yeah, Ella…” Antony began.
“But then the attack happened right in front of me. I can’t deny what I saw.” She strode toward the fireplace. Stared into the flickering flames. It was unseasonably cold in Atlanta, so he’d turned on the gas fireplace after they’d arrived. “So I agreed to the case. I agreed to be your bodyguard for the next two weeks. I even agreed to the cover story that you wanted us to use.”
The story of being lovers.
“But that is where it ends.” Her voice firmed as she turned on her heel and now marched back across the room. Ella always paced when she plotted. “It’s a cover story, nothing more. That is our first ground rule. We had sex. We had one night.”
Antony had a feeling he was going to strongly dislike all her ground rules. “One and done, is that it?”
Ella fired him an annoyed glance. “Oh, don’t even try that. You know we had sex way more than just once that night—”
“Sorry to interrupt…”
Her eyes squeezed closed.
She looked over her shoulder. Saw Eric standing in the doorway. Her cheeks flushed.
“Probably should have shut that door,” Antony allowed. He had known Eric was wandering around the place with his team members. He should have figured the guy would come to interrupt him and Ella eventually.
“You think?” Ella threw back.
He rubbed his chin. Eyed Eric. Just how much had Eric overheard? Probably everything, knowing him.
“So…as I was saying, sorry to interrupt, but I needed to update you.” Eric pursed his lips. “Basic security has been installed. My team will be back in the morning to add the extra bells and whistles that you requested.”
“I do like bells and whistles,” Antony allowed.
“Ella will be staying with you tonight, but in light of the attack today, another Wilde agent will do perimeter duty. Just makes more sense to have an extra pair of eyes on the place.”
“Yes, yes, good plan.” He wanted to rush the man along so he and Ella could get back to—
“We’ll need your itinerary,” Eric added. “To make sure that you’re covered whenever you’re out and about.”
Now that was a problem. “That’s not going to be possible.”
Ella’s eyes had opened. She angled herself so that she could see both men. “It needs to be possible. While you’re under Wilde protection, your movements need to be monitored.”
“Sharing a complete itinerary isn’t going to happen.”
“Knew you’d be a pain the ass,” Eric muttered. “The instant you walked into my office.”
“Antony,” Ella began.
“That’s why I have Ella,” he added smoothly. “She can know where I am at all times, but the rest of your agency can’t be privy to that intel.” He shrugged. “That’s why it is great to have someone as capable as she is watching my back.”
Her lips thinned.
“You good with this?” Eric suddenly asked Ella.
Antony tensed.
“You were supposed to take the night and think about the case,” Eric reminded her as he maintained his position in the doorway. “But then you jumped on and said yes.”
She’d been planning to take the night? Antony hadn’t been aware of that development. When he’d walked out of the Wilde building, he’d thought that he needed to come up with a completely new plan of attack.
“I jumped on board because he was almost stabbed right in front of me.” She motioned toward Antony with a roll of one hand. “Not like I could have his death on my conscience.”
Well, hell. “Wouldn’t want that,” Antony said. “Probably make it too hard for you to sleep at night.”
“The attack changed things,” Ella continued doggedly. “So, here we are.”
Yes, there they were. Ella was in his house. She wasn’t thrilled with the situation, and she certainly wasn’t flinging herself eagerly into his arms, but she was there. Step one.
So, to recap…Ella was there. Grudgingly. Eric kept glaring suspiciously at him. Meanwhile, the jerk with the knife was in the wind. But I’ll find you.
He actually had some plans regarding that guy…
“If you should need me tonight, call,” Eric ordered, voice brisk. “Not like I normally do house calls, but I’m considering this a special situation.” His gaze lingered on Antony. “I do expect you to fully pay when this case is closed.”