Giorgio (Vigilance #1) - Silvia Violet Page 0,15

had sent me, I’d Googled Hendon and realized he was the asshole who’d attacked Lane at Ignite. It was then—about five minutes before Lane and Sandra arrived—that I’d realized X’s son and the man I’d picked up at the club didn’t just have the same name, they were the same person.

Instead of scrambling to get out of the job then, I’d fantasized about tracking Hendon down and ripping him apart. Even when I hadn’t known how much danger Lane was in, my instincts had told me to intervene when Hendon approached him. I’d been ready to kill Hendon if necessary, and I hadn’t even known Lane then, not that I really knew him now.

Yes, you do. You know things about him that probably few men do. He said no one read him like you.

He’d said that during sex. It doesn’t count.

Except it had been incredible, open, vulnerable sex, maybe the best fucking sex I’d ever had.

Fuck. I had to stop thinking like that. Lane was completely off-limits.

X told you not to put your hands on him. He didn’t say anything about watching.

Lane was his fucking son. If I messed with him, X would kill me, and he wouldn’t make it fast and easy. He’d draw it out and make me suffer. I’d seen him torture men before. I did not want him turning his anger on me.

That was why I needed to pass this job on to someone else. What did I say to X, though? I certainly couldn’t tell him the truth—that I’d already had my hands all over his kid. I couldn’t tell Lane the real reason I needed to back away, and there was Sandra to contend with. She was a force to be reckoned with, and no matter how annoying X found her, he liked to keep her happy. She wasn’t going to be satisfied unless I was the one taking care of her precious boy. What would she say if she knew how thoroughly I’d taken care of him a few weeks ago?

Fuck. I’d spent too long standing there arguing with myself. Sandra would flip her shit if I didn’t get over to Lane’s right away. I didn’t think Hendon was going to make a move on him at his home in the middle of the day, but protecting him was my job, at least for now.

And I was good at my job.

Unlike before, a visitor parking spot was free, and I pulled into the space. Before I got out of my SUV, I took a slow, deep breath and let my neutral work expression settle into place. I could not let Sandra catch even a hint that there was something going on between me and Lane. Fortunately, when I got to Lane’s apartment, she was no longer there. I wondered how he’d convinced her to leave before I arrived, but I didn’t ask. I wanted to keep talk to a minimum, though I doubted he was going to allow that.

“Gather what you need. I’d like to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

Lane raised his brows. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

Did he have to use that low, seductive voice? “I want to get to the cabin before dark. I’ve not had a chance to scout out the surrounding area or assess the security of the structure itself.”

He smiled. “I thought maybe you wanted to get me alone quickly and didn’t realize it’s just us here right now.”

I fought to hold my anger at bay. “This is a job, and I keep my hands off my clients.”

He smiled at me like he didn’t believe that, and I was absolutely sure he was deliberately standing in a way that showed his body to its best advantage. Fucker.

“Is that why you’re eager to hand me off to someone else?”

“I need to keep this professional, and I thought that would be easier for both of us.”

“Easier, maybe, but less fun. I mean if I’m going to be stuck in a cabin in the woods with someone…”

“Pack your things.” I was quickly losing patience.

“I see you’re just as controlling and pushy at work as you are in bed.”

Great. He wasn’t going to make this easy. “The person who’s protecting you needs to stay focused. They need to concentrate on potential threats.”

“I appreciate how distracting I can be and that you put all your focus into what you do. It’s definitely paid off for you, but surely you have to sleep and relax at some point. If