Page 56 of This Time I'm Keeping You
“Need anything else?”Her reply was a shake of her head.“Let me know if you do.”
She turned to walk to the front of the room, where another woman, presumably Hillary Bailey, was standing.Poppy then turned back and glared at him.
“You shouldn’t have said you were my partner, Nick.That kind of information spreads when you have a public profile like I do.”
“I can handle it.”
The red lips pursed as she exhaled.Nick thought seriously about kissing her, but he’d annoyed her enough considering she was about to get up there and talk in front of all these people.
“Don’t say anything else.This is not a game,” she snapped.
“No, really?Because the mugging and house trashing all seemed like a lot of fun to me.”
The look she shot him should have reduced him to ash.
“Go do you, Poppy.We’re all good.Sam and I have your back.”
He watched her battle with the need to say something else.
“I am grateful,” she said.“Really, and I know I don’t sound it, but I’m not used to having minders and worrying about their safety, not mine.”
“Bodyguards,” Sam corrected her.“It has a better ring to it, and we can look after ourselves and you.”
“You go, and we’ll sit here and bask in your magnificence,” Nick added.
“You’re really annoying,” she said, but her words held no heat now.
“He has been my entire life,” Sam added.
Poppy turned and walked away with her bag, and he looked at the sway of her ass in that dress.He’d thought the room would be full of women, but there were men, too, and some of them noticed how hot she was.
“I don’t care if you are my brother.I’m dropping you if you don’t raise your eyes.”
Chapter22
“Poppy, what are you writing now?”
Nick listened as his girl answered the next question.She was a pro.Watching her filled him with pride.The shy, socially awkward kid from college was long gone.
“It’s like she’s two people,” Sam whispered.“The woman who is not big on interacting, and her.”He nodded to where Poppy sat in a red chair beside Hillary Bailey.“The hot, famous author.”
Nick jabbed Sam in the ribs.
“What?”his brother wheezed.“I can’t call her hot?”
“No.”
“Got it bad,” Sam sang under his breath.
She’d been up there an hour now, and the questions kept coming.The interviewer had introduced both Poppy and Hillary.Then he’d asked some questions, and now it was the audience’s turn.
Poppy smiled at the man, who now had the microphone in the back row close to where Nick sat.It was sweet and genuine and made warmth flood his chest.
“Poppy, my name is Garrett Johns.”
“Hi, Garrett.What’s your question?”she asked.
“What is your annual income?My wife is writing a book, but I’m not sure it’s worth her time financially.”
