Page 19 of Possessive Bodyguard Summer

His eyes found mine immediately. Then drifted toward the bathroom and back to me again.

"Are you sick again?"

"It's nothing."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Funny."

"What?"

"That's exactly what you said yesterday. And the day before."

“Maybe I ate something that disagreed with me."

One dark eyebrow lifted. "Every day for the last what…two weeks or more?"

Well, when he put it like that...

"I'll be fine,” I assured him.

He studied me for another second before letting out a slow breath. "If you're not feeling well, I can stay home."

The offer surprised me enough that I couldn’t hide the shock on my face. "You'd miss a day during your first month on the job because I have an upset stomach?"

"If you aren’t feeling well, and need me to. Yes."

My heart squeezed. No one had ever offered to change any of their plans for me.

"I'll survive."

He still looked unconvinced. Before either of us could say another word, his phone buzzed a shrill tone I'd heard enough over the last few weeks to recognize instantly.

CODE 808

Clay closed his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." He pulled the phone out of his pocket and scanned the screen. "I gotta go. Yousureyou’re okay?” He sounded disappointed that he had to leave. "I can tell Sloane they'll have to cover me."

"No."

"Monroe—"

"No." I stepped closer. "You worked hard to get back to doing what you love."

"You two are what I care about."

My breath caught.

He seemed to realize what he'd said at exactly the same moment I did.

His jaw tightened. "What I mean is..."

"I know what you meant."

Did I?

Because I wasn't entirely sure anymore.

Somewhere between shared breakfasts and bedtime stories, the lines had started to blur.

Clay always had peppermint tea waiting for me in the morning, without me ever asking. exactly the way I liked it without ever asking. I caught him pausing outside my bedroom door just long enough to “check-in” for the night before we both went to bed. Some nights we'd sit on opposite ends of the couch after Kaleigh had gone to bed, talking about everything and nothing until one of us realized it was well past midnight. If I fell asleep on the couch while Kaleigh watched cartoons on Saturday mornings, I'd wake up with a blanket draped over me. And he never let me carry the heavy grocery bags when he was around