Girl Gone Viral (Modern Love #2) - Alisha Rai Page 0,13

tiny alien brains.

He’d been just shy of thirty when he’d first laid eyes on her. She’d been rushing to the courthouse for a surprise wedding with his ultra-rich boss, both of them wearing what was clearly the previous night’s evening wear.

Jas had been suspicious, as he was of all new people, and he’d only had an hour to run a background check on Katrina. Twenty-four, half–Thai American and half-white, no criminal record, no bankruptcies, financially sound, lived with her father who also happened to be her manager. No red flags.

The bride had worn green for the wedding, a rumpled dress made of emerald silk. Her hair had been loose, thick brown waves cascading over her gleaming shoulders. Her gaze had been downcast for much of the ceremony, her responses to the justice quiet but sure. When Hardeep had kissed her, it had been a quick, dry peck on her upturned cheek.

Jas had met her eyes only for a brief moment during the ceremony, when he’d signed as witness, and something about her stark vulnerability had cracked through his suspicion.

He hadn’t fallen in love with her right then and there. His love had come later, as he trailed along behind her, protected her, discovered her quirks and quick wit. It was her small acts of kindness that had sucked him in, her clever intelligence and sweetness that had kept him hooked. She flowered open daily to receive and give affection and care to everyone in her orbit. She fascinated him. He had always dated sporadically, but his interest in other women had dwindled to zero over the past few years.

He asked me to go on a date with him.

Jas closed his eyes and counted to ten. You’re upset about this because you want to focus on something other than McGuire.

Bullshit.

You could tell her you love her.

No, he absolutely could not. His pining for her was his own concern. As was his intense jealousy of Mr. ToothyGrin.

He’d learned how to control his emotions at an early age, before he’d even entered the regimented world of the United States military. His grandfather wouldn’t have allowed anything else. Calm control was essential on a farm, where humans were often at the whim of animals, the weather, the land.

He knew how to strangle his feelings down deep, so deep he barely thought about the blood-and-horror-soaked event that had ended his career, or the backlash that came after from people he’d respected and sworn vows to, or how difficult it had been to readjust to civilian life. So difficult Jas had taken a position as a bodyguard for a man his grandfather had disdained, crossed continents to be away from all the reminders of what his life was not.

So he wasn’t about to go spilling his feelings all over Katrina. He shuddered. Imagine if she pitied him, or worse, was horrified. At the very least, their working relationship would never be the same. Then he’d be deprived of even the crumbs.

His watch beeped, reminding him that breakfast would arrive soon. The world was often unreliable, but Katrina was not. Another thing he craved about her, that tight, perfectly predictable schedule. It was like a soothing balm to the part of him that missed his regimented life.

He went inside to get ready for the day. As he stood in the shower, letting the heat permeate his bad knee, he came to terms with the harsh truth.

Katrina hadn’t shown interest in any romantic connection since Hardeep had died. He hadn’t believed that would last forever. He didn’t want it to last forever, if it would make her happier to seek someone out. He’d have to follow her and her prospective date around, watch them fall in love.

What was the other option? Quitting?

He scrubbed his face. Nope.

Chapter Four

KATRINA WAS IN an upbeat mood when she entered her kitchen, purring black-and-white cat in her arms. The sun streamed in through the huge east-facing windows, bouncing off the sparkling stainless steel appliances.

Morning people had once annoyed her, until she’d become one. She woke around five A.M. now and got so much done before the rest of the household started to stir. There might be some variation in her schedule during the day, but she preferred her start and end to stay the same. Routine comforted her.

She placed Zeus on the kitchen tile and gave her a good rub. The feline twined around her ankles as she filled her water bowl with clean, distilled water and served the food she made specially

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