To say that Hope was impressed with the new digs would be an understatement. The new hub, as Abel called it, was about thirty minutes away from the clinic, but it hadn’t been an issue since they were using Lex’s old truck. Hope peeked at her watch, noting she had a couple of hours before she needed to be at the clinic. That gave her time to poke around the fully furnished place, and grab a small bite to eat. Turning in a circle and taking in the modern place, Hope froze when she got a glimpse of the bed stuffed in the corner.

Placing her small suitcase down, she stared at the queen-sized bed in a bit of shock. She thought he was getting a two-bedroom place. “Is this a loft?” she asked Abel, who was busy setting up his surveillance equipment.

Moving closer to the hall opposite the bed, Hope peered down the narrow walkway, expecting to see another bedroom. At the end of the hall, one door sat ajar, and Hope could see the room had a three-piece bathroom set. The narrow hall led to a small balcony on the other side, and that was it.

Turning, Hope made her way to the middle of the room, and just as she was about to ask Abel to find them a place in which his half-naked, toned torso wouldn’t cause her sex dreams at night, he spoke.

“This is all I could get on such short notice.” He knelt, fidgeting with what appeared to be a tiny camera. “I called in a favor and I have thirty days before I have to start paying rent here.”

Once again, she took in the loft and its exposed brick walls, sleek, black and white modern kitchen, stainless steel appliances, and beautiful hardwood floors. Hope swallowed hard at the idea of having to pay to live here.

Clutching the bottom of her shirt, she asked, “And how much would that cost?” Born and raised in New York, Hope was used to prices that would knock your socks off. Something like this would run at least two grand in the city, and it wasn’t even as big as her boss’s old apartment, which had cost even more due to its prime location in Manhattan.

Rising, Abel made his way to the door. “About six a month.”

“Six grand?” Hope gasped, nearly choking on her words.

Abel eyed her as if she’d suddenly grown two heads. “Six hundred,” he corrected.

Hope blushed. “Oh, yeah. I forget I’m not still in New York.”

He scoffed. “I don’t know how you could ever forget that in this small-ass town.”

She released the hem of her shirt, now that her heart wasn’t in her throat. Still, she understood that while she could afford this place, there would come a time when Mark would grow tired of playing his games and come after her. There was no point in signing a lease she knew she wouldn’t keep.

Hope watched while Abel rigged the door with his hidden camera. As they’d left her place, he made sure to mention the broken glass outside of her door. He’d warned it wouldn’t work as a deterrent, and it was hazardous to her health if she would have ever needed to flee her place in a hurry. Hope hadn’t said a word. She’d sat there thinking about what she would do when Abel was no longer around and she didn’t have his little gadgets to keep her a step ahead of Mark.

“This here,” he pointed to the camera, “will trigger whenever there is movement, or when I send a signal from . . .” Abel pulled a small device, similar to a kindle, from his bag. Swiping his hand across the screen, he used his thumbprint to unlock it. “This handheld device.”

Hope bent forward. “Nifty gadget.” She watched as the screen brought up a video of the hallway.

“This is better than your average security camera. I use government grade CCTV cameras. This one here records sixty frames per second, resulting in a feed that looks like we’re watching live TV.” He tapped a button on the screen. The empty hall disappeared and in its place, a wide view of the elevators appeared. Again, he clicked, and the traffic in front of the building popped up. A few people milled about as cars passed by.

“Holy shit. It’s such a clear picture.” Hope moved closer to Abel, his warmth spreading around her like a protective blanket. She ignored the gooseflesh that rose on her skin; but harder to ignore was the insane need growing in her belly. What in the hell was going on with her libido? Since the night before, she’d thought of nothing other than Abel’s expansive chest, and his deep, soul-searching eyes.

She shook her head clear. There was no time for that, and he’d all but turned her down last night—even after admitting that sleeping with a client hadn’t been off the table in the past.

Placing the device down, Abel turned to face her. As he moved, the bare skin of his forearm brushed against hers, spreading heat throughout her body. Hope trembled, and Abel—extreme gentleman that he was—took her reaction the wrong way. Apologizing, he stepped back. And then, as if thinking about it further, he took another step back for good measure.

Hope resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was not some simpering victim who would never allow another man to touch her again. She was, however, a very horny adult who needed to get her libido in check.

When she looked in the mirror, she saw a different woman. One that Mark had molded and trained, but that wasn’t what she felt like inside. She still felt like Hope, and Hope needed others to see that as well. It would take some time, but she was healing. Thea and Lex had aided in a way they would never understand, and Hope prayed that men wouldn’t always treat her the way Abel was now.

Clearing his throat, Abel stated, “I need to save your fingerprints in my system. Also, you should know that before Thea and Lex left, they hired my old security company for the clinic. So, even when the place is closed at night, it will have one of the guys doing systematic drive-bys. On top of which, someone will be there on your days off.” He eyed her, waiting for a reaction.

Hope hadn’t been too sure she liked the fact Thea had to spend so much money now that she’d brought her problems down with her. She bit her lip, the idea of skipping town weighing heavy on her mind. How could Thea afford this? She got much of her funding from the state, and it was hardly enough to pay for the day-to-day expenses.

“Hey.” Abel’s soothing voice broke through the cacophony of noise in her head.

Closing her eyes, Hope took a few deep breaths. His callused hand softly gripped her elbow. She opened her eyes as he guided her to the plush, white sofa in the middle of the room. With a gentle tug, he pulled her down onto the cushion beside him.

Hope kicked off her tennis shoes and pulled her feet up under her butt. Burrowing into the soft cushions, she sighed. “This is too much. I can handle it when it’s my finances that are affected, but not when it’s Thea’s.” She gave him a sheepish glance. “Or yours.”

Abel leaned back, adjusting himself against the back of the sofa. “I understand.”

She hoped he did, because after what he’d said last night, Hope wasn’t so sure.

Looking up at him she asked, “Yeah?”

Abel gave a small nod. “You’re independent. Probably had been your whole life before Mark. And now, you have to depend on others.” He shrugged. “I’d hate it, too. To be truthful, I was in your position just yesterday, until Lex called me and offered me this job.”

Hope pulled the fuzzy afghan from the arm of the chair and swaddled up in it. “I know. Lex told me a bit about what happened. I can’t believe you lost your job for protecting a woman at a bar.” Anger swept over her at the idea of a shit sheriff holding grudges.

Sneaking a peek at Abel, she noticed he seemed unaffected. How could that be? He’d lost his job, his apartment, and spent the better part of almost two years in a jail cell. Hell, there were still nights Hope sat up late, her heart thrumming in her chest, close to drowning in anger at what Mark had put her through. She wondered if he’d confide in her and tell her the entire story. He knew so much about her, yet the only things she knew about Abel were what Thea and Lex had been willing to share.

“Well, I didn’t lose it,” he explained. “I still have a job, but I can’t be active in the field. And honestly, that’s where I’m at my best. I’m not a desk jockey. I’d rather do the leg work or the protecting. It’s in my blood.”

“Is it?” she asked, wanting him to elaborate on the comment. What had happened in this man’s life to make him desire to be a personal guardian?

“Yup.” Throwing a hand behind his head, he took in the place. Hope followed his gaze as it roved over every nook and cranny. He said he’d chosen the place because it was in a well-populated town, close to local authorities, and was extremely easy to set a surrounding surveillance.

Releasing a breath, Abel stood. “I’m going to get to work setting this place up. By the way, Thea gave you the rest of the week off.”

“What? No!” She nearly stood, but Abel knelt in front of her, placing his warm hand over hers.

“You need your rest, and we need to formulate a plan. This is non-negotiable.” His tone was firm and unyielding.

It was early Saturday morning, and Hope knew there was most likely already a line wrapped out the door of the clinic. Through the fog of concern, she felt Abel’s thumb tenderly caress the sensitive flesh between her thumb and pointer finger.

“You are not an inconvenience, nor are you a liability,” Abel muttered. His voice so low, Hope could barely hear him. “But if you don’t keep yourself healthy and alert, you can become both.”

With him kneeling before her, and Hope leaning forward to grip her knees, Abel’s face was mere inches from hers. She took in the beautiful sight of his warm gaze, luscious lips, and the adorable little dimple in his left cheek. She was too engrossed to care about the choice she was about to make. Leaning forward, Hope gently pressed her lips to Abel’s.