“What’s going on?” she asks, searching my face.
“I’m leaving for Japan tonight. I should be home Monday if everything goes as planned.”
“Oh,” she mutters, her shoulders slumping forward.
Even though she refuses to move into my loft, she has been there every night. We haven’t been apart for more than a few hours since the first time I took her. I want her with me, but she continues to say that she doesn’t feel comfortable living with me without us having a more solid footing in our relationship. What the hell that means, I have no fucking clue. All the women I have met in the past would have jumped at the opportunity to have a man take care of them, but my beautiful angel is not like all women, I suppose.
“It’s Wednesday,” she says as her fingers wrap into the collar of my suit jacket.
“I’ll be back before you know it. Ricket will be taking you to and from work while I’m gone, and Bernard will be looking after you.”
“I’m not afraid of being alone. I’m just going to miss you,” she says, placing her forehead against mine.
“Angel,” I whisper, wrapping my fingers into her hair and pulling her mouth to mine. Once I have enough of her taste on my tongue, I release her and sit back. “You need to be good while I’m away. I need to know that you’re safe,” I say as my fingers dig into the skin of her waist. The thought of something happening to her when I’m not around is enough to make me crazy.
“I’ll be working most of the time you’re gone. Then I have some stupid bachelorette party to go to on Saturday, an—”
“What?” I growl, cutting her off.
“My friend, Bre—the girl I was talking to when you walked in? Well, she’s getting married and invited me to her bachelorette party this weekend. Normally, I wouldn’t go, but she keeps asking and I feel bad. I don’t think she has many friends,” she says softly, reading the look on my face.
I trust Chloe, but I do not trust anyone else with her. While saying that, I also know I can’t exactly say no in this situation. So, like the lawyer I am, I immediately begin to formulate an argument that will lead to an outcome I can live with.
“Since I won’t be here, and I know how things can happen when women get together, I need you to allow me to supply security while you’re out with your friend,” I state.
She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and begins to nibble at it while searching my face. Regardless of whether or not she agrees to these terms, I will have my men on her twenty-four-seven while I’m away. The only difference will be that, in this situation, she will know they are there.
“I don’t know how they will feel about having some scary-looking security hanging around,” she says with a small smile.
“My men are professionals,” I growl, kissing her neck, making her laugh.
“Where do you even find them, mobhenchmen.com?”
“Very funny, Angel.” I chuckle and tuck some loose hair behind her ear. “I need to know you’re safe,” I repeat sternly.
“If they don’t make it obvious they are there, then it’s fine,” she says, giving me exactly what I need, and I reward her with a kiss. “What time is your flight?” she asks, tucking her head under my chin.
“Late.” I sigh, pulling her tighter against me. “I still need to head home to the condo so I can pack,” I say quietly, enjoying the peace only she can bring me.
“I should probably get back into the shop,” she whispers after a few minutes, sitting up, and as much as I don’t want to let her go, I know I need to.
“Kiss me,” I demand.
She does as she’s told, her small tongue touching my bottom lip, making my cock, which was already at half-mast from having her on my lap, rise completely. I hate that I can’t have her one more time before I must go out of town. I take over the kiss, sucking her tongue into my mouth and then nibbling on her lips before pulling away, kissing her gently one last time.
“Be safe on your trip. I love you,” she says quietly, pressing her soft lips to mine once more.
“Love you, Angel,” I tell her, sitting for a second longer, willing my erection to go down.
After moving her off my lap and opening the door to the limo, I get out, taking her hand in mine before walking her back across the street. Then I pull her into my arms one final time, breathing her in before opening the door to the bakery for her and watching her head inside. When I see her head towards the table where her friend is sitting, I take a moment to watch. The woman looks through the glass at me, and something about her triggers a memory I can’t place. She smiles, but I don’t return it, instead looking at Chloe, who waves. I lift my chin at her and head back across the street.
As soon as I’m seated inside the limo, I look at Ricket in the rearview mirror. “Call Bernard and tell him Chloe will be going out Saturday night and I want men on her while I’m out of town.”
“Will do, sir.” He nods.
“I also want to know how far along we are on getting her building condemned.”
“They’re still working on it, sir.”
“Tell them if they can get it done before I get home, I will add another half a million.”
“Will do, sir,” Ricket says.
I know he will do anything I ask of him. He has been with me since I was a teen, and he’s one of the few people I would trust with my life.