Custom Built (Fast & Fury #1) - Chantal Fernando Page 0,85
I’ve engineered for myself is disciplined, predictable and as safe as I can make it. And, aside from taking this job and the temporary temptation of this woman, there’s no room for error.
Her lips twitch in a nervous snigger. ‘I know you haven’t done an overnighter for me before, and I’m here to work, but I also deserve a little down time.’
I bite my tongue. It’s not my place to curtail my client’s activities.
But...
‘In order to protect you I need notice of any unscheduled movements. Anything not on the itinerary forwarded by your assistant requires my prior approval.’ Damn, her plans have been set for weeks. Typical Brooke to throw in some impromptu ‘fun’, whatever the fuck that means. Perhaps a knitting circle...
‘Of course,’ she says, eyeing me with a curiosity that makes me want to don my dark glasses. ‘I appreciate everything you do to keep my name and pictures off the Internet, but surely together we can come up with safe ways and places for me to let my hair down?’
She laughs, then strokes the closely shorn hair at the nape of her neck. ‘Not literally, of course.’
‘Can we?’ I think of all the ways I want to show her a good time, ways miss Goody Knitting Needles would probably quail over. Most involve her naked and following my directions. I’m certain that’s not what she has in mind, although I’m not blind to the fact that she finds me attractive. But, despite the flirting, she’s too radiant to drag into my darkness, even for a short while. And too risky.
She nods nervously. ‘Yes. I don’t employ you to babysit me. I have a public profile, but I’m not a nun.’
More’s the pity...
‘Let’s improvise,’ she says with a sexy smile. ‘That’s why I’ve tagged on a couple of days in Saint Moritz once my work in Milan is complete—a little winter break away from it all. I’m due a holiday and, since I no longer date, you’re it to keep me company, I’m afraid.’
I say nothing, my brain still filtering images of Brooke at one of the clubs I frequent, and bombarded with curiosity as to why she no longer dates... My mouth dries at the idea of entertaining her exactly the way I want...
Why is she pushing this agenda? She’s usually astute enough to take the hint that I’m not one for small talk or sharing stories. I’m going to be the worst company she’s ever had.
The Brooke Madden too busy doing her thing to see me is hard enough to ignore. This inquisitive, engaging version showing me glimpses of the real woman behind the public persona, and the prodding at my defences is hellish.
The lift reaches our floor and relief drains through me like a cold shower on a hot day.
At her room she hands me her knitting bag while she rummages in her robe pocket for her key card. ‘I’m usually pretty energised after a show so, in the spirit of full disclosure, I’d like you to take me for a nightcap later tonight. Somewhere quiet and classy.’
She pushes into her room and turns to face me. ‘Okay?’
I want to say no. To confess I prefer it when she’s safely tucked up in bed, her bed, and I can retreat to my own room from some much-needed breathing space. Not only from the physical temptation, but also because wanting her with the ferocity I do reminds me of my biggest failure, the series of events that decimated my life and the lives of the only two women I’ve ever loved.
Instead I suck it up, lock down any emotion unrelated to doing my job and nod.
Five nights, four more days.
Protect her. Protect yourself. And never work for her again.
Don’t miss Bad Mistake by JC Harroway, available Nov 2020 wherever Harlequin DARE books are sold
Copyright © 2020 by JC Harroway
Don’t miss the Knights of Fury series by New York Times bestselling author Chantal Fernando!
SAINT (book one)
RENEGADE (book two)
TEMPER (book three)
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ISBN-13: 9781488076916
Custom Built
Copyright © 2020 by Chantal Fernando
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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