Taking Control (Babysitting a Billionaire #3)

Peering around her into the night, she saw nothing suspicious. But she had no real worry about his safety tonight. There was no way they’d been followed; the streets were too quiet.

The city was never dark, and the streetlights reflected on the water. Declan took her arm, and they walked along beside the river, breathing in the dank, salty air. She was aware of the guard falling into step about thirty feet behind them, but she ignored his presence. She cast a sideways glance at Declan. Once again, he looked perfect, hard to believe five minutes earlier, he’d had his pants around his knees and she’d had his dick in her mouth. Now, he looked what he was: a super-successful businessman. She probably looked like a hooker he’d picked up.

Something occurred to her that was quite mind-blowing. She came to a halt as she thought it through. “You know, Rory was right.”

Declan stopped beside her and in the light from a nearby streetlamp she could see his frown. “He was?”

“Much as I hate to admit it, because I don’t like him very much, but yeah. I’d never fit into your world.”

His frown deepened, forming lines between his dark brows. “You could. You could do anything if you wanted it enough” He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and she shivered at the caress. “You certainly look the part.”

She shrugged. “I borrowed the dress. And the shoes. But really, I have no interest in dressing up. And parties and posh dinners leave me cold. If I’d managed to keep hold of you all those years ago, I’d have been bored out of my mind. No doubt I’d have done something really stupid just to liven things up, and your Mr. Perfect facade would have flown out the window.”

“I’m not perfect.”

“Hah. Come on, Declan, I’ve read up on you. You never put a foot out of place; there’s not a hint of scandal or gossip attached to you.”

“You make me sound…boring.”

She grinned. “If the cap fits….”

He took a step closer so his chest brushed against her breasts, and a tingle ran through her. Then a shiver, and she hugged his jacket around her. The night was cool, that was all. He lowered his head and his warm breath feathered across her ear. “Do you think I’m boring, Jess?”

He didn’t give her chance to answer; his hands rested on her shoulders and he gently urged her backward, until she came up against the barrier to the river. They were in the shadow of a huge pillar, and she didn’t protest as he lowered his head and kissed her.

The kiss lasted only seconds but left her shaken. She cleared her throat. “I thought we were walking.”

A slow smile curved his lips, but to her shock, he slipped his hand in hers and tugged her out. She hadn’t held hands since…since the last time she had walked like this with Declan all those years ago. They hadn’t been able to be together without touching.

His palm was hot in hers, but his grip was loose. She could pull free if she wanted to, but she didn’t. They walked slowly; she couldn’t do much else in her four-inch heels.

“Why did you join the army?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“Maybe I had an overwhelming urge to go and shoot things, and it seemed sensible to do it in a controlled environment.”

“Really?”

She thought for a moment. To be honest, that time in her life was a bit of a haze. She hadn’t been thinking of much at all, keeping her mind blank so as not to remember things she’d rather forget.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do except I couldn’t face going back to school. Then I saw a recruitment ad for the army and thought why not? It seemed as good as anything.”

“And did you like it?”

“Some bits. I liked blowing things up. I liked the physical side of things, and I loved training. I even enjoyed the danger in a weird sort of way.”

“You never feel so alive as when there’s a chance you might die?”

She flashed a glance at his face, then down to his arm. “I suppose you’d know how that feels now. Anyway, the discipline was good for me, however much I hated it.”

“So why did you leave?”

“I never really got used to taking orders, especially from total assholes. I made sergeant twice and got busted down again. Then Jake—he was an officer in my unit—left and started up Knight Security. He offered me a job, and I took it. End of story.”

“You sleeping with him?”

“With Jake?” She snorted. “You have got to be kidding.”

“Why not?”

Basically, because even if he’d been interested, and maybe back before he’d met Kim, he might have been, she had given up on men. And she hadn’t wanted to lose Jake as a friend. He was one of the few guys she respected. Also, she’d tried sleeping around and always ended up comparing them to what she’d had with Declan and been devastatingly disappointed. But she didn’t want to share that little piece of information. “Jake’s married to my best friend,” she said instead. “He’s been in love with her forever. But he’s been a good friend and a good boss.”

“So are you seeing anyone now?”