CHAPTER 5
Gavin
I felt guilty about giving Charlie nothing more than the cursory facts about my life, taking care not to mention anything that might freak her out—like the fact that I’d done a couple stints in prison. Granted it was for hacking, rather than anything violent or more serious, but the time I spent on the inside had certainly changed me—and not for the better.
Behind bars, it was all about surviving to see another day, even if it meant doing things you would never in a million years do under normal circumstances. You made enemies you didn’t want, brutal and unconscionable men who changed the very person you were… changed the very fabric of your being.
I had secrets—and those secrets came with a lifetime of guilt for the things I’d been forced to do, even if I had no control over what happened. Because there was no changing what was already done, and that meant the guilt was mine to bear.
I shook my head free of my thoughts and turned my focus back to Charlie as we finished eating dinner, having opted to dine indoors, given that the temperature had dropped as the sun set.
“I’m stuffed. That was really good, Gavin.” She put her fork down and sat back in her chair. “Um… I don’t mean to be a pain, but… I don’t have any of my stuff here. And… I can’t just stay here indefinitely, though I really do appreciate you going out of your way to help me out. At some point, I’m going to have to head home.”
“I’ll buy you a new wardrobe first thing in the morning. New laptop, new dog bed… whatever you need. It’s not safe for you to go home. Even though I eliminated the hit on your life, I can’t guarantee that your boss didn’t go another route, and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take when it’s your life that’s on the line.” I didn’t want to freak her out, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her take unnecessary risks.
“I guess I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around this new reality.” Her brow furrowed with worry as she seemed to mull things over.
“I know you’ve never had to deal with anything like this before, and it’s a drastic change, but we need to be careful, since anyone coming after you will be a professional. Even if I was the one to go to your home, that would then link the two of us, and if your house was being watched, I’d end up leading them right back here.” Money wasn’t an object, and I’d happily buy her whatever she wanted if it meant keeping her safe. “But I swear, we’ll get this sorted out. You have my word. This is all just temporary.”
“So, until then, I’m supposed to just stay here and hope that some professional killer doesn’t track me down?” Her eyes widened with panic as her new circumstances seemed to settle in.
I reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze, unable to resist the urge to touch her and ease her concerns. “I’ll do all I can to get this taken care of quickly—and I get that this is hard on you. But for now, my priority is keeping you safe.”
“I really do appreciate it. But this has been overwhelming—and completely unexpected. I was just doing my job, and now someone wants me dead.” She was clearly starting to freak out a little, as her new reality set in. “What if it doesn’t stop with just my boss? What if this doesn’t stop until I’m dead?”
Unfortunately, she was right. Because her boss was likely working for someone else—most likely the person he was developing the virus for—and people like that didn’t like loose ends. And at the moment, that’s exactly what Charlie was.
The thought of her coming to harm filled me with a fierce protectiveness, unlike anything I’d felt before, even though I’d only just met her. I couldn’t let anything happen to her.
“We’ll take every single one of them down. I already sent emails to my connections in the FBI, and I can guarantee you that weaponized viruses aren’t something that they’re going to take lightly.” I didn’t know who was involved, or what their motives were, but this sort of thing was a big deal because it could easily involve the deaths of thousands of people.
She nodded, and though she still looked uncertain, she was still handling it better than most would, especially when it all went down in such a hurry, forcing her to trust a complete stranger. “I don’t even know what I’d do if it weren’t for your help.”
“Whatever you need, sweetheart… I’m here for you.” My cock went hard as I misconstrued my own words. What the fuck was I thinking? Except that my cock had had a mind all its own from the moment I first laid eyes on her. “I’m not sure what time you normally head to bed, but let me show you to your room so that you can get settled in. I can lend you a T-shirt and sweats, and then you have my word, we’ll go shopping first thing in the morning.”
I put the dishes in the sink, and then took her by the hand and led her to the nicest of my guestrooms, Thor and Ripley following after us.
In all reality, it was a second master suite, with its own luxurious bath, gorgeous views of the ocean just beyond, and a beautiful and inviting stone fireplace that reached up to the cathedral ceilings, while thick wooden beams crisscrossed overhead.
This house was far larger than I needed it to be, considering how much of a loner I was. But it was great for when family came to visit, or during the holidays when everyone would gather together. And since money wasn’t an object at this point in my life, and I had no other expenses, I figured I might as well make this my dream home, especially when I spent most of my time here, since I worked from home. “Here you go. You should have everything you need, other than a change of clothes.”
I loved the astounded look in her amber eyes as she took in the room. “Wow… I don’t even know what to say, other than this place is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it. There’s a nice soaking tub in the bathroom if you want to relax a bit, and a washer and dryer here in the hall if you want to toss your clothes in.” After the day she’d had, getting her to unwind a bit may not be a bad idea, though the thought of her naked as she gingerly slipped into steaming hot water had my hard cock aching and straining against the zipper of my jeans. And when I spoke, it was nearly impossible to keep the need from my voice, which was now thick and gruff. “Let me grab those clothes for you.”
I headed to my closet and quickly dug around, though anything I had would be swimming on her. Oh well… it’d have to do. I grabbed a T-shirt, hoodie, and a pair of sweats that had a drawstring so she could adjust them, and then headed back to her. “Here you go. I’ll be in my office if you need me—but feel free to wander. I want you to feel at home.”
Yet before I could go, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to her, looking suddenly shy. “I know I’ve already said this a million times today, but I can’t thank you enough for taking care of me.”
And then she went up onto the tips of her toes, and kissed my cheek as her lush curves pressed up against my body, my arms wrapping around her waist to hold her close. Fuck… It was going to be damn hard to let her take the lead and not ravish her. “Charlie…”
There was no hiding just how much I wanted her, but before I could take things any further, she was stepping out of my arms and putting some distance between us, a blush creeping across her cheeks. “I think I’m going to take that bath. Goodnight, Gavin.”
“Sweet dreams, love.” I forced myself to walk away from her, taken aback by the effect she was having on me.
Even though I didn’t date a whole lot, I still went out with my friends, and there was never any shortage of women who were happy to flirt with me and show me they were interested. And though they were usually nice people, and more often than not, gorgeous, I was never drawn to any of them.
But Charlie? The way she made me feel was completely different to anything I’d ever experienced with anyone else. Maybe it was because she was a bit shy, and didn’t really see just how beautiful she was. And maybe it was because she was the perfect blend of geeky scientist and sexy girl next door. Basically, she was all a man could ever want—all I could ever want.
And it didn’t matter one bit that it was insane for me to be having any of these thoughts when I’d only just met her.
All I have to do is keep her safe.
I sat back down in front of my multiple computer screens once I’d arrived back in my office and got to work.
Fuck... The ad had gotten reposted. I took it down again, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before he found another way to hire a hitman or the ad found a taker before I had a chance to take it down. We were safe here, but it might not be a bad idea to get out of town for a bit. Going overseas wasn’t an option unless I got her a passport under an alias, but this was a big enough country to get lost in, and I had the means to make it easy.
No matter what, I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe and see her through a situation that had to be like a nightmare scenario for her. I had to. Any other option wasn’t acceptable.