Page 10 of The Road Less Traveled By

“C-Cold water,” I say as I motion to the sink. I hear him turn the tap on, and a few seconds later, his cold hands wrap around the back of my neck and one of my wrists.

“Focus on the cold, my voice. Feel my pulse and breathe with me.”

I muster enough strength to nod at him before I move my hand toward his pulse, feeling it beating beneath his skin. A few minutes later, my lungs unlock, and I let out a huge breath. “Am I safe?”

“You’re safe.” His stare meets mine, and it’s now that I realize how much I missed him.

“Thank you for coming back for me.” If anyone else was assigned to protect me right now, I think I’d be drowning, but somehow, Vince seems to know exactly what I need, and I’m grateful for his presence.

He doesn't respond to me; instead, he changes the subject. “My guys checked the whole property, including the guesthouse, and found nothing. It’s a bit windy tonight, so that might be what you heard. I cleared the upstairs.”

“You have people patrolling my house while I sleep?”

“Yes. I’m the only one who stays in here, and there’s six of them out there on rotating schedules with the other six who are currently sleeping.”

“You have twelve people watching my house? There were only four earlier, Vince.”

“I called in my most trusted guys to help me out. Your property is huge, and I’m not taking any chances, Bree.” His confident stare makesa shiver roll through my body all the way to my toes. “Are you cold? Do you want to get back to bed?”

I shake my head, knowing I won’t be sleeping for the rest of the night. “Why is it just you who lives with me while the rest of them are in the guesthouse?”

“Because if someone manages to get past the twelve of them, they won’t survive getting past me.” His words sink in, the low tone making me shiver again.Maybe I am cold.“Trust me on this, okay? We’ve worked well together in the past. Do you trust me to keep you safe, angel?”

There’s that fucking name again.I shiver at the insinuation he’s making.Vince will kill anyone who tries to hurt me.I know he has some combat training and some advanced knowledge of weapons, but I never thought he’d killforme.

The fact that it turns me on is ridiculously insane. I blame all the books I read where a man goes ballistic when someone threatens his wife or the slew of bodyguard romance books I read before getting one myself.

I meet his stare and try my best to be fearless when I speak. “Yes, I trust you.”

I swear, I see his lips turn up for a second. “Then let me keep you safe how I see fit.”

“Okay. You have my permission to do what you have to.”

“Good. Now, I know you’re not going to sleep, so go work out, and I’ll call Nico to see if he can come over to install a new security system today. I don’t like the one you have now, and the sooner I’m able to nip that in the bud, the better.” And with that, he leaves.

Of course he knows I’m not going to sleep.I underestimated how much he remembered about me; I knew Vince was observant, but notthatobservant. I hop down from my counter, and my legs stagger before they start to feel normal again as I head to my closet.

I grab one of my favorite workout sets before I lace up my sneakers and head to my home gym, hoping to run out the anxiety that surrounds my body every second of theday.

Chapter five

— ANGELS BY CHASE ATLANTIC

Vince: I’m sending you an address. Get your ass over here early so you can set the new system up. And don’t be fucking late, or I’ll break your ankles.

Nico: Someone’s in a mood this morning.

Vince: See you at eight.

Nico: Why the fuck are you up so damn early? Do you ever sleep?

Nico: You’re getting old, Vinny. It’s important to get eight hours, or your dick might fall off. Or maybe it will anyway without proper use.

“You’re late.”

Nico and his team step out of their vans, and while his team gets to work, he comes to shake my hand. “I had to stop and buy more hair gel.”

I hum in response as I bring him inside the house. “I don't want a single blind spot in here or on the property, including the guesthouse. I have my guys staying there.”

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