Hamilton thought he would regret breaking his rule about sleeping with a client, but if anything, he wanted Dakota all over again. The fact that he wasn’t technically working for her gave him some peace, but there was still that little nagging something that had him questioning his decision.
Sitting at the breakfast bar, he studied her moving around the kitchen, preparing them both a sandwich. Her loose-fitting sweats did nothing to hide the tight body he knew was hidden beneath the clothing. He was so screwed. What the hell was he going to do about her? She intrigued him beyond understanding, and once this mess was over, he couldn’t see himself walking away.
“Do you want tomatoes?” Dakota asked over her shoulder but then turned to him fully. “You look tired. Maybe you should take a nap.”
He almost laughed out loud as she regarded him seriously. Hell yeah, he was tired. He had followed her into the bathroom after her comment about not waiting around, and they’d had sex in the shower. Then another quickie in the bed. Not only was he exhausted, but he clearly needed his head examined. His common sense checked out when it came to her.
“No tomatoes and I’m fine.”
She finished the sandwich and placed it, along with potato chips, in front of him.
“If you’re concerned that I’ll leave the house while you’re asleep, I promise to be right here…or lying next to you when you wake up.”
“You’re too much,” he said under his breath, trying to keep from laughing, knowing it would only encourage her to keep going. He had never been a big talker, especially after sex, but she insisted on carrying on a conversation whether he responded or not.
“I’m just sayin’. I know I probably wore you out this afternoon. I’ll understand if you need to recharge.” Her commentary continued as they ate. “We’re good together. As I knew we would be.”
Finally, something he could agree with. In the short amount of time he’d known her, he found that they were compatible, especially when it came to sex.
When she finally stopped talking, he glanced at her, surprised to find her staring down at her plate.
Hamilton wiped his mouth. “What’s wrong?” He couldn’t believe he was thinking this, but he liked it better when she was running off at the mouth. At least then he knew what was on her mind. When she still didn’t speak, he placed his hand on her back and shook her a little. “Dakota?”
“I—I just remembered.”
“Remembered what?”
“Today would’ve been my mother’s fifty-sixth birthday. The day is almost over and I—I hadn’t thought about it. I forgot.”
Hamilton rubbed her back, unsure of what to say. Instead of saying anything, he stood and pulled her into his arms. “But you didn’t forget,” he said against her hair. “Is there anything special you usually do on her birthday?”
She allowed him to comfort her for a moment before stepping out of his hold, and they both reclaimed their seats.
“Nothing specific. She was cremated, so I don’t do the whole flowers and grave thing. My father once told me she wouldn’t want that anyway. He said she would want us to remember her as vibrant and full of life. Not buried in the ground.”
Hamilton knew Wesley had been married and had lost his wife many years ago, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember anything about a daughter. “How old were you when she died?”
“Five. I don’t remember much about her. Only little things like how good she smelled and that she would always take me to amusement parks and fairs.” She smiled, clearly remembering a happier time. “Her name was Katrina. My father says that I have her eyes, her fire, and stubbornness.” She laughed and Hamilton smiled. He could picture an older version of Dakota.
They sat in silence and he thought about his parents. He couldn’t imagine losing either of them, especially his mother. Being married to a cop and raising three boys, she was undeniably the rock of their family.
“How did your mom die?” he asked, after debating on whether to go there with his questions.
“Car accident. It was raining and she lost control of the car. From what I’m told, the vehicle spun out and hit a light pole.”
“I’m so sorry, Dakota.” Hamilton pulled her close and placed a kiss on her temple. “I hate your family had to go through something like that.”
“I was in the back seat,” she added quietly.
Surprise kept Hamilton from moving, waiting for her to continue.
“I remember her crying while she was driving.”
“Were you hurt?”
She shook her head. “Only a few cuts and bruises. I guess I was invincible even back then.” She tried to smile, but it faded on her lips. “My father blamed himself for years for her death, saying she had taken off in the car after they’d argued. He had just started his talent agency, putting all his time and money into the business. They argued about him working too much, but I also remember them kissing and hugging a lot whenever they were together.”
This time she really did smile, her honey-brown eyes glittering with unshed tears.
“My father is many things, most not good, but I think he truly loved her. He took her death hard, not because he felt responsible, but he also said that he would never love another like he loved her. After that, I rarely saw him. He poured himself into his work. My grandmother—his mother—pretty much raised me.” Dakota stood suddenly and gathered their empty plates. “Okay, that’s enough. I’m sorry for casting a shadow on our amazing day.”
“Not a problem. I’m glad you told me.” The information didn’t change his feelings about Wesley, but Hamilton had even more respect for Dakota and her resilience. Their childhood had been very different, with him having both of his parents and in a loving relationship. They might’ve had minor disagreements on occasion, but nothing too serious.
“You’re a good listener,” Dakota said.
“Thanks. It’s—” They both froze when they heard a rustling sound outside the kitchen window. “Get to the bathroom.” Adrenaline pulsed through Hamilton’s veins as he pulled the pistol from his ankle holster. “Now!” he said when Dakota didn’t move.
“Okaaay.” She hurried off.
Once he was sure she was in the bathroom, he headed to the back hallway. It was almost seven o’clock in the evening; with dusk slowly approaching, he’d be able to see anyone lurking around.
He reached the back door that sported a small curtain-covered window. Slightly nudging the material aside with the tip of his gun, he peeked out. The footsteps he heard moments ago sounded like they were heading to the backyard, but he couldn’t see much through the window.
He eased the door open and stepped out onto the concrete stoop, which was when he spotted movement on the side of the house. Staying in the shadows, he moved silently along the backside of the house and stopped when the tall figure came into view.
“What the hell, man? You tryin’ to get yourself killed?” he growled quietly, lowering his weapon.
“I could ask you the same damn thing,” Kenton snapped, slipping the gun he had in his hand to the back waistband of his jeans and covering it with the tail of the shirt. “Why the heck haven’t you been answering your phone? Mase has been calling you for the past hour.”
“Shit.” His phone was on the bathroom counter in the bedroom. Whenever anyone from the office called while a specialist was on duty and they couldn’t be reached, someone on the team was sent out to investigate.
Kenton just stared at Hamilton. At first, there was concern in his eyes until a stupid grin spread across his face.
“Mase wanted me to make sure the woman you’re guarding hadn’t kicked your ass. His words, not mine. But clearly, she’s done something to you. This has to be a first. You never fall off the grid. You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” Hamilton turned on his heels and headed for the back door.
I’m never going to live this down.
This was why he had rules. He prided himself on being on top of everything, which meant no mistakes. It also meant no one had ever been killed on his watch, which is exactly what could’ve happened while he was messing around with Dakota.
“Mason speaks highly of this woman.” Kenton followed behind him. “I hear she’s a hottie and a stuntwoman. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Hamilton pulled up short, almost causing Kenton to bump into him. “Keep talking and you’re going to find yourself with every shitty assignment that comes through the doors of Supreme Security.”
Kenton burst out laughing. “Oh, so it’s like that, huh? Now I really have to meet her.” He moved around Hamilton and sauntered into the house.
When Hamilton walked in, he didn’t find Dakota in the bathroom. Instead, she was standing in the kitchen, leaning against one of the counters, arms folded across her chest. He glared at her.
“What did I tell you about the rules?”
“You said, fuck my rules.”
Hamilton cursed under his breath, running his hand over his head to keep from reaching for her throat. He was going to kill her. Before this was all over, he was sure he was going to end up strangling this woman or taping up her smart mouth.
“Hi, I’m Dakota,” she said to Kenton, who was grinning like he held the world’s deepest secret. “You must be our prowler?”
“Kenton Bailey. Pleasure to meet you,” he said, chuckling. “Not a prowler, but I did stop by to make sure you guys were okay.”
“I thought I recognized you. I saw you talking to Ham that day I was at Supreme.”
“Ham,” Kenton said in a mocking tone when he turned to Hamilton, probably surprised she was using his nickname. “Why didn’t you introduce me to Dakota then? I probably could have ended up with this detail.”
“Man, shut up.” Hamilton left the room and went in search of his cell phone. He knew early on that Dakota would be a distraction he couldn’t afford, and he’d been right. He hadn’t even thought about the device and now wondered if he had missed any other calls.
He snatched up the phone and stepped back into the bedroom as he scrolled through his missed calls.
“I like her.”
“Good. Now stay the hell away from her,” he said to Kenton without looking up from the phone.
“It’s like that, huh?”
On that, Hamilton glanced up. “Yeah, it is.” He wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying, but a possessiveness he hadn’t experienced in a long time descended upon him. He didn’t want any other man near her. Not even one of his guys.
“Gotcha. I’m going to say bye to Dakota and then head out. I’ll be sure to spread the word around the office that she’s off-limits.” Kenton walked out of the room, laughing. Hamilton already knew he was going to be sorry for missing Mason’s call, and even more so now that he had suggested that Dakota meant something to him.
A short while later, when he strolled into the kitchen, his phone vibrated in his hand and Laz’s name popped up on the screen.
“Hello,” he answered, and his gaze went immediately to Dakota who was watching him, her gorgeous eyes suddenly full of worry. He wondered if she sensed this was about her, or if she saw something on his face that might’ve clued her in.
“The suspects are in custody, and we’re positive Sonny was the target.”
Hamilton sighed with relief. “Good to hear.”
“One of the dumbasses in the car bragged about the hit on social media.” Laz explained how they had tracked down the two guys who were in the car and had just picked up the shooter.
“Okay. Does that mean it’s safe for Dakota to return home?”
“If you’re asking me if she’s in any danger, no, I don’t think so. I reached out to a couple of my CIs. So far, her name hasn’t come up as a possible loose end, and we’ve kept her name quiet as far as the media. We believe we have everyone involved.”
“That’s good.” They hadn’t watched television since hearing the news report regarding the shooting.
“Something else you might be interested in knowing.”
“What’s that?”
“Wesley Bradford’s vehicle was run off the road this morning in my jurisdiction. He’s definitely convinced someone is after him, says he’s received another threat last night.”
When Wesley showed up at Supreme, Hamilton had no doubt the guy thought someone was after him. He had too much ego to seek help unless he really had to.
“He’s hired personal security from your competitors, but I have a feeling they’re not going to last long. The man is an asshole. He almost got arrested for disorderly conduct while filing his report. Told the desk sergeant he was a paper-pushing loser, among other things.”
Hamilton didn’t give a damn about Wesley. All he cared about…
“Before you ask, the threatening message included nothing about Dakota. Unless you’d prefer to keep her all to yourself, I think you can let her go home.”
Hamilton didn’t miss the amusement in his friend’s voice. Though as tempting as it was to keep her to himself, he wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. He hated Wesley, but he really liked spending time with Dakota. Unfortunately, he didn’t know if he could separate the two.
“Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll fill Dakota in.”
Laz chuckled. “Ham, she seems like a nice lady. If you like her, and I know you do, don’t let the bad blood between you and her old man get in the way. Besides, she’s very easy on the eyes.”
Laz disconnected the call before giving Hamilton a chance to respond.
“I can leave?” Dakota asked.
Hamilton relayed all that Laz had told him, except for the part of him keeping Dakota to himself. Fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, he watched as she moved away from him.
“I’ll give my father a call later, or maybe I’ll stop by his office tomorrow to find out what’s up with him. But…I’m glad I wasn’t the target and that no one knows I was there, but I don’t think I can stay at my apartment. It would be a little too weird.”
She had mentioned that her and Tymico’s lease was up in a couple of weeks.
“Can you move into your new place sooner? Or is there someone else who can put you up for a few days?” Hamilton asked. He started to suggest her staying with her father but changed his mind.
“I’m not sure if I can move into the new place, but I think I’ll stay at a hotel while Ty and I figure out our next steps.”
“Remember what we talked about. No one can know that you were in that lobby at the time of the shooting.”
She nodded. “I know. I won’t say anything. Would you mind taking me to my place so that I can pack up some of my clothes and get my car?”
“I don’t mind at all. How about we leave in twenty minutes?”
“That’s fine.” She started toward the room she’d been using but turned back to him.
“I don’t know what happened between you and my father, but I’m not him, Hamilton. What went on between you two has nothing to do with me.”
“I know.”
She moved closer and he stood stock-still. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and taste her sweet lips one more time before they left. But he restrained, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stop at just one kiss.
“I like you,” she said, as her hands did a slow crawl up his arms. “There’s something between us, and I know you feel it, too. Since I’m not in danger and I don’t need a bodyguard, you and I should explore this attraction between us.”
“I—”
“Don’t say no.”
He hadn’t planned to say no. “How about we meet up for a drink Friday night?”