Forged in Desire (The Protectors #1)(69)

“Don’t be. A few days ago Goldwyn overheard a phone conversation between Liz and a private investigator. Seems she was hiring one to dig up dirt on the family. Of course Goldwyn alerted me as to what was going on.”

Of course, Margo thought. Good old Goldwyn. He was more than just a butler. He’d been her uncle’s faithful confidant for years. That was why she’d never worried about Liz. She’d known that sooner or later Liz would mess up and her uncle would see the woman for who she truly was.

“Just what sort of dirt did Liz think she could dig up on our family?”

“I don’t know. She probably intended to use it as leverage if I never got around to proposing to her.”

“She would have tried blackmailing you into marriage?”

“I believe that was her plan.” He paused a moment and, as if he was through talking about Liz, then said, “I want you to promise me that you’ll stay safe.”

She smiled at Striker, whose eyes were on the road. “I’m being protected by the best.” When Striker turned and gave her an intense look, she couldn’t help noticing how the lines around his eyes were tight, as if he’d realized the depth of her faith and confidence in him. When he turned his attention back to the road, she said to her uncle, “I just hope everything is wrapped up soon. I have a wedding dress to complete.”

“I hope so too. But if it’s not as soon as you’d like, be patient and stay put until it’s safe for you to return.”

She talked to her uncle a few minutes more before ending the call.

“You and your uncle are close, aren’t you?” Striker asked her.

“We’ve had our moments, trust me. But I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”

“Did he ever visit you in New York?”

“Once or twice. He preferred us meeting somewhere warm like Florida or the islands. Uncle Frazier isn’t overly fond of cold weather and can barely tolerate Charlottesville’s winters.”

“So Scott never got a chance to meet him?”

She shook her head. “No. The one time Scott could have done so, he claimed he had dinner plans with a client.”

“He claimed? You didn’t believe him?”

“No.” She paused a moment and then said, “I’m not stupid, Striker. I suspected another woman was involved, which was one of the reasons I broke things off with him.”

Margo wondered how she had wasted almost a year with Scott. Putting up with his crap? She knew the answer. Because he hadn’t mattered. If he had mattered, things would have been different. She would have felt the need to be honest with him about her finances. She would have demanded more of his time. She would have ended things when she first suspected him of cheating.

“But you never confronted him about it? The other woman?”

“No. I didn’t see the need. I honestly didn’t want him to think I cared.”

“But you did?”

“I tried to. I wanted to believe he was different from Brock.”

Striker lifted a brow. “Brock?”

“Yes, Brock Ford, a guy I dated my senior year of high school. The guy I thought was my Mr. Right until I heard about his plan.”

“What plan?”

“To marry me after college to get his hands on my trust fund and secure a cushy job at my uncle’s firm.”

“How did you find out?”

“He bragged about it to the wrong people, thinking it wouldn’t get back to me.”

“Is that why you never told Scott just how wealthy you were?”

“Yes. I wanted the next guy to want me because I was me, not because I was some rich chick.” She chuckled. “I went from bad to worse. Scott didn’t see me as a rich chick but just the opposite. He saw me as one of those needy women looking for a well-to-do husband. So I guess you can say I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to men. I decided to never put them at the top of my priority list again. I don’t need a man in my life to be happy. I can be happy all by myself.”

*

STRIKER EASED BACK in his seat as he absorbed Margo’s words. I don’t need a man in my life to be happy. I can be happy all by myself.

Why did that bother him when for years he hadn’t felt the need to have a woman in his life? He wasn’t into casual relationships. He didn’t want to let anyone down or not be there when they needed him. But whenever he spent time with Margo, the possibility of something more serious crept into his mind.

Could it be because they’d spent so much time together? It was going on three weeks now. Typically the same protector wouldn’t be assigned to the same case from start to finish. They worked in shifts. But Margo’s case had been different, and he’d known it from the beginning. He just hadn’t realized at the time just how different it would be.

She had started growing on him, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Granted, they’d slept together and, more likely than not, would continue to do so. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything. She’d made it clear just now that she was not looking for a serious relationship with any man because of Scott and that guy she’d fallen for in college. So why was he dwelling on it?

He had to admit he enjoyed talking to her, listening to her voice...even when she was asking him questions that really weren’t her business. And he liked looking at her, even when she wasn’t aware he was. They shared meals, practically all the time. He was getting used to it. He liked it.