The Mogul and the Muscle: A Bluewater Billionaires Romantic Comedy(10)

She stared at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. Her green eyes were oddly mesmerizing. “You’ll what?”

“I need to know the layout of the building.”

“Who are you?”

Was she serious? “Jude Ellis.”

“Right, but who are you?”

Wait, had Derek set me up? That asshole. “I take it Derek didn’t tell you I was coming.”

“Derek? As in Derek Price?”

“The very same.”

The crease between her eyebrows deepened. “No, he didn’t. Why would Derek ask you to come here?”

My neck prickled again. Maybe it wasn’t danger I was sensing, but Derek’s bullshit. Although this wasn’t in character for him. He wasn’t exactly a prankster. Why would he have done this?

“That’s a great question. He said you needed security, but apparently he was screwing with me. Sorry to have wasted your time. I’m going to go rearrange his face now.”

I turned to go, annoyed that I’d ironed a shirt for this.

“Wait,” she said. “Derek told you I needed security?”

“Yeah. He said it was a favor for Emily.”

Cameron rolled her eyes and shook her head. “That sneaky bitch. Don’t move.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

She picked up her phone and tapped the screen a few times, then put it to her ear. “Don’t pretend you don’t know why I’m calling.” Pause. “Yes, he’s standing right here.” Another pause. “I already told you I don’t need a bodyguard.”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but apparently whoever she was talking to—I assumed it was Emily—wasn’t letting her talk. Cameron’s lips parted again several times, like she was about to speak, but instead, she kept listening. I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation.

Finally, Cameron pinched her lips closed and her nostrils flared. Those green eyes flashed. “We’ll talk about this later.”

She ended the call and set the phone back on her desk.

“Emily asked Derek to hire me behind your back,” I said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, she did.”

There it was. My easy out. I didn’t want another gig. She didn’t want a bodyguard. I could tell her it had been nice to meet her, walk out that door, and never look back. Maybe go play golf.

Or go punch Derek in the teeth.

But something was wrong, and it was driving me absolutely crazy. The thought of leaving her here alone made my stomach twist into a knot. I wasn’t sensing danger in her office, or even in this building. I sensed it in her. She was in danger.

“Look, it sounds like Emily’s just concerned for your safety,” I said. “Didn’t someone attack you in the parking garage?”

She waved a hand. “It was random, and I was fine.”

Her voice was flippant, but if I had to guess, she didn’t fully believe that. Maybe she was trying to convince herself.

“Still, I could at least do a security evaluation for you.” Why are you still talking, Jude? You can leave. “Find the weak points. Give you, and your friends, some piece of mind.”

She lowered herself into her chair and motioned for me to sit. I took a seat across her desk from her.

“What are your qualifications?”

“Derek hired me.”

“What does that mean?”

I crossed an ankle over my knee. “It means you can either trust his judgment or not. I don’t exactly have a resume.”

“So what is it that you do? Bodyguard-for-hire?”

“Sometimes. Depends on what the client needs. But this will be my last job. I keep trying to retire.” I cleared my throat, not sure why I’d told her that last part.

“What was your most recent job?” She put up a hand. “I’m not asking for confidential client information. I’m just trying to get a better idea of what you do.”

“Female college student. She was being harassed by an ex-boyfriend. His father was prominent politically. Made things complicated. She hired me, and now she no longer has a stalker.”

She was hard to read, but the slight twitch of her eyebrows might have meant she was impressed.

“Did you use violence?”

I shook my head slightly. “Wasn’t necessary.”

“But you would have.”

“Only if my client had been in danger of serious harm. What are you concerned about, Ms. Whitbury? That Derek hired a thug? I don’t have a criminal record, nor have I ever broken anyone’s kneecaps with a baseball bat.”

Her eyes stayed locked on mine. They were such a bright shade of green. The intensity of her gaze, coupled with that danger instinct that wouldn’t shut up, was making my adrenaline kick in. My heart beat harder, but I kept my posture casual. My face neutral.

“Okay,” she said, finally. “I’ll hire you—temporarily. We’ll start with a security evaluation, and you can make your recommendations from there. I’ll take them under advisement.”

There was a challenge in her expression. In the set of her full lips and the way her eyes narrowed slightly. Like she was daring me to convince her she needed me.

All right, Cameron Whitbury. Challenge accepted.