Forever Yours, Sir (6 page)

“What?” Thunder filled his face and he looked ready to kill. “He’s dead.”

She was an idiot. She grabbed his arm as he went to storm past her. “Hunter, I was joking.”

He stared down at her in disbelief.

“Jaron didn’t hurt me, well, nothing that I didn’t ask for. We were training today and I’m just a bit sore, all right?”

He relaxed under her hand.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“Because it’s embarrassing. I didn’t realize I was so out of shape.”

Hunter
helped her clean up the empty containers.

“Jaron is pushing you too hard. I’ll have a word with him.”

“Oh no, you won’t.” She turned to him, prodding at his chest with her finger. “You will stay out of it. This is nothing to do with you.”

“I’m your boss,” he told her.

“And I need training to do the job you pay me for, which is exactly what Jaron is doing.”

Hunter fell silent and instead of answering he moved over into the living room. Too late, she remembered the blanket and pillow on the couch. Crap.

He turned to look at her. “You’re sleeping on the sofa? Is something wrong with the bed?”

“No, the bed is fine
. I just prefer to sleep out here.”

“Why?”

Because the bed felt too big, too lonely.

“
It’s none of your business.”

Hunter stared at her for a long moment as though trying to read her before he took a seat on one of the armchairs.

“You know, I actually have some things to do,” she told him with exasperation.

“Like what?” he asked.

“Well, I was about to take a bath when you arrived.”
What was he doing here?

“
I’m not stopping you.”

“Hunter! You’re not sitting out here while
I take a bath.”

He sighed. “All right, but I don’t see what the problem is.” He made his way over to the door. “Be ready at nine
tomorrow morning,” he told her as he opened the door.

“What? Why?”

“We’re going to look at apartments.”

“Oh, I suppose you need this place.”

He nodded. “We like to keep it free in case any clients need a safe place to hide.”

Shit. She’d on
ly had two pay checks and while she hadn’t spent much, she didn’t have nearly enough for a security deposit on an apartment.

“Okay, I’ll be out by the morning.”

Hunter frowned. “That wasn’t what I said. I said be ready to go looking tomorrow, you don’t have to leave immediately, we have time to look around.”

“I can find my own place.”

“You’ve only been here a few weeks. I don’t want you ending up in some bad neighborhood.”

She sighed. “You’re my boss at work, not in my private life, Hunter.
”

He just stared at her for a long moment. “
Be ready at nine. And Cady, you better be here or I will not be pleased.”

***

She’d been tempted to leave before he’d arrived. If she didn’t work for him, she might have. But she actually wanted to keep this job and she wasn’t ready to blow it yet, even if had to put up with Hunter and his dictates.

Not that she intended to let him push her around, but it didn’t hurt her to go look at
a few apartments for the day. Wasn’t like she had any intention of taking any.

“What was wrong with that
one?” Hunter asked with frustration.

She hid a smile. She doubted he’d be turning up next weekend, demanding that she let him show her around.

“It was too big.”

“Too big? You’
re kidding me. It was tiny and it was the last one on my list.”

“These aren’t the only apartments available in Dallas, Hunter.”

“No, but they’re the only ones in areas I’m willing to let you live in.”

She spun towards him
.

“Listen here, let’s get one thing straight. You don’t get to dictate where I live.”

He folded his arms over his chest, glaring down at her, but she refused to be intimidated.

She grabbed the apartment listings off him. “Now, I want to go and see these two.” They were actually in her price range, once she’d saved up a bit more for the
security deposit.

His eyes widened. “No fucking way. Those
neighborhoods aren’t safe.”

“I want to see them.”

“Fine. But these places will be dumps, just you see.”

***

Hunter looked around the rundown apartment. God, this place was even worse than he’d thought. There were holes in the walls, the carpet had so many stains it was hard to make out its original color and there was a really suspicious smell that he couldn’t quite figure out.

“This one’s not so bad,” Cady said, looking around.

“No way.” Over his dead body would she live here. They’d passed two junkies in the hallway and he was damn sure it would only take one kick and the front door would splinter into toothpicks.

She sent him a look filled with exasperation. “It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? I wouldn’t let a dog live here.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a drama queen.”

He sent her a quelling look. Any of the subs he knew would immediately have begged his forgiveness. Cady just shook her head.

“I like it. I think I might take it. The price is right and there
is a bus stop on the corner.”

“I forbid you.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Forbid me? Seriously? You know it really is better to let someone think you’re an idiot than open your mouth and prove it.”

He glowered at her.
“You’re taking the other apartment we just saw.”

“No. I’m not. I’m t
aking this place. It’s my money. I’ll spend it how I see fit.”

Fuck, he was an idiot. He
realized he hadn’t even explained things correctly before they’d gone looking at apartments.

“Black
-Gray is paying for the security deposit, so you don’t have to worry about money. I’ll call the agent and tell them we’re taking the other apartment.”

She growled at him. She actually growled at him. She moved up into his space, her
eyes filled with anger.

“Oh no, you will not. You are not putting up the money for the
security deposit and you are not dictating where I live, got it?”

He was so spanking her ass for this. He took two steps toward her
. Her eyes widened but she stood her ground. If there had been any fear on her face he would have backed off, but she merely held a wary regard for him.

“You take this apartment, brat
, and I will spank your ass until it glows. Then I’ll show up each night to sleep on your doorstep just to make sure you’re safe, understood?”

She stared at him for a long moment, obviously trying to gauge how serious he was. He kept his gaze stern.

“Okay, well, shall we keep looking then?”

***

Cady sat back in her office chair with a sigh. She was going insane with boredom. She’d been here for nearly two months and she’d yet to do little more than some filing and answering the phone.

She’d finally found an apartment that both she and Hunter could agree on. She had no idea what was going on with him. He pretty much ignored her
all week at work, but most weekends he’d turn up with takeout to share. He had insisted on installing a security system and deadbolts in her new apartment.

She should have turned him away and she would have if he had eve
n made a move on her. But he hadn’t made one move toward her that could be considered in the least bit sexual.

S
urprisingly, she found she enjoyed his company. He didn’t talk a lot and he tended to get a bit demanding when he thought he was right, but most of the time they got along well.

As friends.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It was ridiculous. She been horrified when she thought he’d offered her the job for sex, but now that he was just treating her like one of the guys, she couldn’t help remembering his scent, the feel of him touching her, kissing her.

She was going insane.

Hunter was going mad. He couldn’t keep going this way.

This friendship thing was hard work. This was a test of his control. Sure, he enjoyed spending time with her. But he’d enjoy it even more with her naked beneath him or on top of him. He’d imagined taking her everywhere in every possible place.

Spending time with her had a dual purpose, one
, he enjoyed being around her and wanted to know her better and two, it allowed him to keep an eye on her. He felt responsible for her. He’d brought her here and he was determined to make sure she was safe.

Gray walked in
to his office and handed him a coffee.

“Thanks.”

“No worries.” Gray sat down and looked at him for a long moment.

“What?” Hunter growled. “Have I suddenly grown another head?”

Gray grimaced. “Christ, don’t give me nightmares. It’s Cady.”

Hunter felt a surge of panic. “What is it? Is she all right?”

“She’s fine. Why wouldn’t she be? She never leaves the office.”

Hunter frowned. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that I’m starting to wonder why we hired her. She’s got good instincts. Her skill with a gun tells me she’s no stranger to firearms. Technically, she’s fine, better than fine, really. She gets on okay with the rest of the team, but at the same time she holds part of herself back. Each time they try to reach out to her, she closes off. How are we supposed to use someone who can’t work as part of a team? Not to mention you seem determined to keep her from leaving the office.”

“She’s not ready.”

“Will she ever be?”

Nope, not really.
Damn, he knew that wasn’t fair. She was here to do a job and he had to let her. Didn’t mean he couldn’t make sure that the jobs she went out on were mainly routine and as safe as he could make them.

“
Look, you can admit you made a mistake.”

“And just let her go back on the streets?”
No way. Not happening.

“So we’ll help her find another job, one that suits her. That’s probably what we shou
ld have done in the first place.”

He knew Gray was right. He didn’t have to give her a job, there were a number of ways he could have helped her that would have gotten her off the streets and appeased his conscience.

So he had to admit there was another reason for why he’d offered her a job. Because he didn’t like the idea of not seeing her every day, of not knowing that she was safe, that she had everything she needed. He’d wanted her from the minute he saw her and that need only grew with every moment he spent with her.

As s
oon as he'd realized how much he wanted her, he knew he had to back off. Keep things platonic, as much as his dick might complain. He didn’t want to risk her running again. So he'd been playing the part of her friend and it was killing him.

“
Look, I’ll sort it, okay?”

Gray sighed. “What
are you going to do?”

“I’ll work
on her teamwork skills.”

“And you’ll let her go out on jobs?”

Hunter squelched his instinctive denial. “Yeah. Once she’s ready.”

Gray
nodded then stood up and left. Hunter sighed and left his office, heading down to Cady’s office. He stopped just outside.

“Cady, we’re all going out for drinks, why don’t you come with us?”
Jaron asked.

“Thanks, but I’ve got plans.”

“Yeah? Must be some hot guy since he seems to take up all your Friday nights,” Jaron replied.

“Something like that,” Cady said with a laugh that sounded forced. Hunter frowned, nodding at Jaron as he left the room.

He stepped inside. Cady looked up and smiled at him. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“What plans have you got tonight?” he asked.

She frowned. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” She stood and grabbed her wallet and phone.

“I didn’t know you knew anyone in Dallas. Who is he?”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “What makes you think it’s a he?”

“Don’t try to convince me you’re into women, I felt the way you responded to my kiss.” It probably wasn’t wise to remind her about that kiss but he
was feeling predatory. Jealous.

Shit, get yourself under control man.

“It could just be a friend.”