Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Gideon sighed. “I told you, I grew up on the streets. I didn’t have the best childhood. Things happened when I was a kid.” How best to blend the past and present? He said it fast. “I joined the military. Got my school paid for. When I served, I was taken prisoner. Tortured. Kept in a box and buried to my neck. Bad things happened. Luckily, I had my family. They came for me.”
Her eyes instantly went liquid. Her lashes fluttered and went down, concealing her reaction. “How terrible. I didn’t mean to bring up such a bad memory, Gideon.”
“It isn’t one I ever forget, Rory.” He indicated her soup with his fork. “We’re getting to know one another. These are things we’re going to run into. My past isn’t always pleasant. Getting accidentally locked in attics and nearly dying isn’t either.”
“You’re very fit.”
“I do security work. It’s in my best interest to be able to move fast when needed.”
“I’m never going to be able to run.”
He could hear the warning in her voice. He arched an eyebrow at her. “My woman isn’t required to do security work with me, which means she never has to run if she doesn’t want to. In fact, I’m one of those overprotective men who prefers to know she’s safe bartending and having fun with her friends while I’m on assignment.”
That earned him a smile. Not a huge one, but still a smile. He could tell she was into him. He didn’t know why she would be, but he’d take it. He’d take anything he could get from her. The chemistry between them was intense. He wasn’t the only one feeling it. The heat flared strong.
He’d managed to brush his fingers against hers twice, and both times, every nerve ending in his body jolted alive. Little sparks of electricity crackled between them. Each time they did, her vivid green gaze would jump to his and a hint of color would steal into her cheeks. Her breathing changed, and those lashes of hers fluttered irresistibly.
He wasn’t going to make any mistakes with her. She was leery, feeling her way with him, expecting him to reject her. He didn’t understand how a woman as beautiful and intelligent as she obviously was could possibly expect rejection from men.
“I hate to break it to you, but bartending isn’t always the safest profession.” There was a teasing note now.
He gave her a real Gideon growl. “I saw that for myself the other night when half the men in the bar were hitting on you. I worried that you might have stalkers.” He gave her a little frown. “You don’t have stalkers, do you?”
“Not that I know of. When I say bartending isn’t the safest profession, it’s more because fights break out. Or sometimes we spot jerks putting something in a woman’s drink—or even a man’s drink—and we intervene. That’s always risky. We try to be discreet, but if we’re found out, the consequences can be ugly.”
“Have those things happened?”
She nodded. “This is great food. How come I didn’t know about this place?”
She clearly wanted to change the subject. Gideon debated and then allowed her to get away with it. He looked around the restaurant, keeping it casual. He spotted the man watching Rory right away. He was dressed in a suit and was sitting at one of the smaller tables for two situated against the far wall of the patio in the shade. He was in the darker shadows, but Gideon took in every detail of his appearance and filed it away.
The man was close to forty, or maybe he’d already crossed that mark. He was fit, rough looking. Nervous but trying not to show it. Looking around, not just fixating on Rory. He didn’t have his phone out, taking pictures. He just sat in the shadows, watching her. Watching Gideon. Studying him. Looking around as if he might be in danger.
Was it possible the man was watching over Rory? Shadowing her for a reason other than stalking her for his own purposes? He seemed more interested in the people around him and those coming onto the patio rather than Rory. He waited until Rory was studying the rolling sea again and the antics of the seagulls before he signaled to Brian and Ethan the various possibilities.
Using telepathy was easier and safer than code, but not everyone on their team was able to have the natural pathways without a strong bridge. Gideon was a strong telepath, but practicing code was something they did to keep sharp, so they could use the form of communication out in the open anywhere and never be seen.
“I imagine it looks like a hole-in-the-wall outside. You barely notice it when you walk past it,” he said aloud. “Living here, I started noticing the locals hit it hard for lunches and dinners. I just followed them.” He flashed another grin. “When you’re a man and you’re hungry, you tend to do that kind of thing.”