Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(31)

“I thought you were leaving.” Taggart winced. “Oh, was she not supposed to know that?”

“He told me,” Lisa said quickly, a hand on her hip. “He’s moving back home. That’s why he’s in the apartment. He has to get his place ready to sell. He’s been upfront and honest with me, so stop baiting him, please, Master Ian.”

“Well, since you asked nicely,” Taggart replied.

“I’m going to take a shower. I have a busy day of staring at the computer and applying for jobs,” she said, putting her spatula down.

“You’re not going to eat?” He didn’t like the look in her eyes. It didn’t come close to matching the smile on her face.

“Poverty has killed my appetite. I’ll get something after my shower,” she replied. “You two try not to kill each other. And I’ll be happy to come back. I missed the kids, too.”

Taggart nodded. “See you soon, then. And thank you for breakfast.”

Lisa smiled and walked back to the bedroom.

Remy turned on his boss. “You massive, meddling asshole. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Taggart was looking at him without a hint of sarcasm on his face. “I am trying to ensure that a woman who has been a sub in my club for years isn’t getting played by one of my operatives. I thought you had better sense than this. Do you know why I picked you for this job?”

“Because everyone else was taken.”

Tag pointed a finger his way. “Because you’re the sane one. You’re the stable one, and I know that says something about my hiring practices, but you’re the one who knows his limits and can control his goddamn dick. You think I don’t know what happened with her earlier this year? The whole club saw that.”

He was never going to live it down. “I didn’t mean to make a scene.”

“No, but you did make the right choice,” Tag shot back. “You should have softened that blow, but you were smart enough to not take what she had to give because you got nothing to give back to her. I would like to know what happened between then and now. Tell me this isn’t some play to make the time pass. Tell me you’re not fucking her because she’ll be easier to keep up with if you’re on top of her. Damn it, I told her brother we would take care of her. I owe him and I owe her brother-in-law, and I damn straight owe Bridget.”

“I’m fucking her because I want her more than I’ve ever wanted a woman. I’m fucking her because I can’t stand the thought of not fucking her. What’s the difference? I was stupid before and didn’t see past her family’s money and accomplishments to consider who she was as a human being. I saw a pretty face and expensive shoes and didn’t think she would have the depth to be able to care about a man like me for more than sex. I was wrong and I’ve corrected the mistake.” And yeah, he’d thought about how sex could make his job easier, but that had flown out the window the minute he’d realized who she really was.

“Have you given a single thought to how she’s going to feel when you leave?”

“Yeah, and she assures me that she would rather have these weeks than not have them, and I feel the same way.” He was getting a bad feeling in his gut. “If you’re going to fire me, do it, but I won’t leave her alone. She’s mine for as long as we’re together, and I won’t give up the right to protect her. I’ll stay here until I’m sure this thing is done.”

“She’s part of our family.” Taggart sat back. “She’s been in the girls’ lives since they were born. Her sister-in-law is Serena’s best friend. She’s more than a client. It’s why I came here this morning. I thought I would talk to you. Lisa was taking out the trash and caught me walking in. Imagine my surprise at that. She was walking around outside like nothing was wrong. An infamous assassin is in town and she’s taking out the trash and making sure the recycling went into the right bin.”

It made his heart threaten to seize. “I was asleep. We agreed last night to not think about our contract until this morning. I’ll put in protocols. I’ll make her understand how serious this is. I think she’ll let me protect her if she doesn’t realize her brother’s paying me. She’s got a strong streak of pride, but she’s reasonable.”

“And if she catches you following her?”

This could work. “Then she catches her very real Dom making sure she’s safe. I’m serious about that contract with her. There’s nothing fake about this. I care about her.”

“But you’re leaving her behind.”

Though he’d slept well the night before, the conversation was making him weary. “I have to go home. You heard her. She’s not leaving her family. I have to do what I can to save mine. We’re adults who’ve made our decision. Stop playing her dad and be my damn boss and help me protect her.”

Tag took a deep breath, seeming to consider the problem. “I can try to find someone to back you up. I can bring Riley off vacation. He’ll be pissed but he’ll do his job.”

“No, I can handle this, but I have some out-of-the-box thoughts on how to keep her safe. You just gave me two nights where I don’t have to worry. She’ll be safe at Sanctum.”

“You can take her on other nights,” Tag mused. “Sanctum is the safest place for her. You’re her Dom. You sign that contract with her and you trump her brother. Will can deal with it.”