mouth under his. The little ploy saw them past the paparazzi—nothing else mattered. Certainly not the dark flutter of awareness he experienced by simply cupping her cheek earlier.
He closed his fingers around the feel of her still lingering on his skin.
“Let me show you the house.”
Often the most normal things helped acclimate a ward to their situation, and he hoped the short tour did the same for Sloane. He led her to the kitchen and then down a short hallway to the bedrooms and twin bathrooms.
“You pick which room you want.”
She didn’t say a word, just went into the bathroom and shut the door.
Tightening his lips on a sigh, he left her alone for the time being and returned to the living room. He popped open a cupboard under the TV and located the computer tablet he knew would be there.
He settled with his back to a wall and waved his wrist over the screen. The microchip beneath his skin brought the tablet to life without even logging in, and seconds later, he had data in front of him.
The media knew Sloane was being targeted—and that her whereabouts were uncertain at this time. Good—they were still one step ahead. So far, the media didn’t know who pursued her, but they were correct in guessing her latest movie role proved to be the reason behind it all.
He looped into the mainframe computer, which he knew Madeline sat behind at this very minute. After searching a map of the area surrounding this safehouse, he saw nothing around them for miles but trees and mountains.
He sank deep into his research. Opening a data file containing all the information about the drilling company owner, he followed path after path, until he heard a footstep.
Looking up, he sucked in a breath at the sight of the beautiful woman.
She spotted the tablet in his hands and stopped. “Is everything…?”
“It’s okay.” He used his most calming tone and offered a quirk of a smile, and then he closed out of the tablet by inconspicuously passing his wrist over the screen again. He set the device aside and pushed to his feet. “You hungry yet?”
She shook her head. “I wondered if I could go out onto the deck.”
“Sure.” He moved by her, holding back the urge to clasp her hand on the way. She looked so beaten down by life.
When he opened the door to the deck, he checked the area before allowing her to come outside too. The moment she drifted out, his breath caught again. Silhouetted against the backdrop of trees, she appeared to be a wood nymph, with her coloring contrasting so sharply against the greens, and yet she totally fit in too. No wonder she was the hottest actor of the times—Sloane was a chameleon, blending perfectly into any setting as though born to it.
Arms folded over her chest, she glanced around. “It’s pretty,” she whispered.
He didn’t look away from her. “It is.”
“Can I sit out here a while? I need to think.”
He waved at a lounge chair. “It’s all yours. You’re safe. I’ll be inside if you need me.”
She nodded and padded across the deck boards to the lounge chair. Certain his ward was safe for the time being, North went inside again, grabbed the tablet and then sat in the small dining area where he had a clear view of the deck.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he drew it to his ear. “Madeline.”
“The media’s having a heyday with your ward, North.”
“I see that. Is there anything I need to know that I don’t already?” He gazed at Sloane, so stunning, almost resembling a photograph. No wonder the world loved the woman. Nothing about her seemed false.
“Everything is in line with what we know,” Madeline said, jolting him from his thoughts. “If you’d hand her off to another’s care, you could do more from this side of things.”
He paused. Was she saying this because of her conviction that he was better suited to the data and not the physical part of being a guard?
Looking at Sloane, he wondered if Madeline might be right. His ward could be hidden safely away until the threat ended, and he could finish it—probably faster than anyone else.
Sloane leaned back in the lounge chair but then sat up again abruptly, jackknifing forward, head cradled in her palms. She couldn’t even relax. She didn’t trust him, and that he expected. But watching the despair wash over her, he wondered if there was something more.
She jumped up and