Page 13 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
He gazed thoughtfully at her. “I’m still surprised you’d think it was unattainable. You don’t strike me as the type of person who would let anything stand in the way of her dreams. It doesn’t surprise me that you made it. Is it all that you hoped it would be?”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that.” And she loved that he had. “People usually ask if I like it here, or how it’s different from back home. I’m not sure I had hoped for anything in particular. I just knew that I wanted more than what Oak Falls had to offer.”
They stopped to wait for a traffic light to change, and Brett’s arm drifted down to her waist. “More opportunities?” he asked.
“Yes, but also…This is going to sound bad, and I don’t mean it to because I love my friends and family. But being around people with bigger ideas, more complex thinking, I guess, was something else I was looking for. That’s why I love working in the legal field. No two cases are the same. The foundation, or processes are similar, which I enjoy, because I do like to know what’s coming. But when you bring in the human elements, there’s a certain amount of critical thinking necessary to be successful. Mick is brilliant, and I love working with him because of that.”
“The feeling is mutual, because he raves about you,” Brett said as they crossed the street.
“That’s good to know. But there’s more about living here that I enjoy, like the masses of people, the noise, and even the exhaust and the smell of life that permeates the air. But one of my favorite things is the lights in the windows of tall buildings. It’s like they’re watching over us, and it makes me feel safe.”
“That’s a false sense of security. It’s the watching over you part that worries me,” Brett said.
“I have to remind myself that you work in the security industry.”
“It’s more about being an ex-cop than working in the security industry. It’s not like I’m working with the dregs of society anymore.”
“I know.” Brett handled all aspects of security, from corporate security systems to cyber security and bodyguards for the rich and famous. “You work for most of Mick’s clients, remember? I’ve got the inside scoop on you.”
“Babe, the work I do is hardly my inside scoop.” He nodded toward a skyscraper. “I know all about what goes on behind closed doors in this city. Trust me, you don’t want the attention of some of those people.”
“You sound like my father when he tried to talk me out of moving here. But I’ve lived here for years, and I’ve never had any trouble.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way.”
As they followed a group of people across another street, she said, “Can I ask you something? Do you really not like to read thrillers? I thought all guys liked thrillers and war books.”
“I spend my time protecting people from harm, whether it’s online or bodily doesn’t make much difference. The last thing I want to do is read about it.”
“So, what do you read?”
He shrugged. “I’m not a huge reader other than the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Business news, mostly.”
They walked around a couple who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and Sophie asked, “What do you do for fun?”
His eyes went volcanic.
She laughed and said, “Let me rephrase that. What are your hobbies?”
“Besides you?”
“God, you’ve got all the lines, don’t you?”
“Don’t ask if you don’t want to know the answers, because I won’t lie. It’s not my thing.”
That was the second time he’d mentioned not lying, and it slowed her down for a beat. There were definitely disadvantages to a man who wouldn’t lie, like hearing answers she may not really want. But did they outweigh the advantages? She held honesty in such high regard, she doubted it. “You really have no hobbies?”
“Sure I do. I work out, run. I’m into old movies, plays, musicals, but I don’t have much downtime, and I don’t watch them much anymore.”
