Man of the House: A Dark Bad Boy Romance(132)

“Dad,” I warned, “I’m not going along with this if you can’t give me something.”

He paused. “Listen, Janine,” he said. “This is pretty serious. It’s better if we talk in person.”

“Am I in danger?”

“Not right this second, but I’m being careful.”

I blinked. I had never been in danger before or really even close to it. Larkin kept his club business far away from me, and I’d never once felt like I was in trouble.

This was completely new. I could hear the stress in his voice, and I’d seen it all over his face the night before. This war was a drag on him, drawing him down.

I took a deep breath and then let it out. “Okay,” I said. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll explain everything.”

“Yeah, well, you better.”

“Bye. Have a good shift.”

“Bye.’

I hung the phone up and tossed it onto the bed.

Whatever was happening must be pretty serious. If it was bad enough for him to put one of his best enforcers on me, he must have been really worried. And if he was worried, then I probably should’ve been, too Except I wasn’t. It just didn’t really seem real to me, especially considering I didn’t even know what was going on. Plus, Clutch was a very competent man. I’d heard things about him, lots of things, some of them pretty downright terrifying. He wasn’t the sort of person you messed with and expected to walk away from.

Which was what drew me toward him. Clutch lived his life on his terms. I envied that freedom.

I wrapped a robe around myself and went out into the living room.

“Okay,” I said to Clutch. He was sitting on my couch, drinking coffee and watching the news on TV. “I talked to my dad.”

“Good,” he grunted. “How’d that go?”

“Sounds like you’re sticking around.”

He looked up at me and grinned. “Good deal. I can’t wait to follow your pretty ass around all day.”

“It’s going to be boring,” I warned. “You know that, right?”

He laughed. “Boring? Hell no. This is the best job I’ve ever been given. I get to stare at you all day long.”

I felt myself starting to blush and quickly shook it off. “What would Larkin think if he heard you saying that?”

“Go ahead,” he said, his smirk getting bigger. “Tell on me.”

“I might.”

“You won’t. You like it too damn much. I bet you’re dripping wet over there just thinking about all the dirty things you can do with your new bodyguard.”

I opened my mouth to say something cutting but stopped. I took a deep breath, reigning my anger in, and nodded. “I’m showering and getting dressed. Make yourself at home.”

He looked back at the TV and kicked his feet up. “Already did.”

I shook my head and walked back into my bedroom.

Clutch was a dangerous man, for a lot of reasons. I needed to keep my head on straight if I was going to deal with him. I quickly walked into the bathroom and started the water, getting in.

I didn’t know a whole lot about him. We’d been orbiting each other for years, had a few conversations, even opened up to each other once or twice. But really, for all this time and all the talking, I couldn’t say I knew him at all. I couldn’t say what he was thinking or what he wanted from all this. He was a loyal Demons member, one of the best really, but he kept to himself for the most part.

And what was my life going to be like with him around? I didn’t want or need a babysitter. I was tolerating him today because Larkin promised he’d explain everything later. But the idea of Clutch following me around day and night for the foreseeable future did not bode well.

Especially considering I couldn’t stop thinking about that cocky grin sitting just out in my living room. I was soaking wet, he was right. A single word and I was dripping for him, which only surprised the hell out of me. My body had never reacted to a man like that before, and suddenly he was able to set me off with just a look and a word.

It was bad, and I had no clue how much worse it was likely to get.

I finished showering, tossing a towel around myself. I stepped out and crossed the hallway, heading into my bedroom. I dropped the towel, pulled on a pair of panties, and started to put my bra on.

Then I heard his boots on the floor and looked over.

“Shit,” he said. He looked surprised for a second as his eyes took in my body. I pressed my bra against my breasts, covering them. He quickly turned away.

“What the hell are you doing?” I said, quickly hooking my bra. My heart was pounding in my ears and excitement coursed through my blood.

“Thought this was the bathroom,” he said.

“Across the hall. You know, the room with the toilet.”

“You left the door open. I didn’t know.” He was looking away, but that devilish smile still played on his lips.

“If you’re going to follow me around, you should get better with directions.”

“Sorry about that, princess,” he said. “Though I can’t say I minded the show.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Not sure I ever could get used to a body like that,” he said. “You look like you’re a new surprise every f*cking day.”