Dinner that night was agonizing for Grayson. It was the first evening meal the three had actually shared together, and Claire didn’t have much to say. Jeremy had tried to start small talk a few times, but Claire hadn’t picked up the conversation thread, and Grayson certainly wasn’t going to. When she finished dinner, she mumbled a quick good-night and went upstairs.

Grayson watched her leave, trying not to stare at the gentle sway of her hips. Those leggings she wore hugged her every curve, and the filmy tunic top she’d paired with them was gauzy enough to tease the imagination, but crinkled so you couldn’t actually see anything. It was maddening.

Jeremy’s gaze was also on Claire. Once she was out of earshot, he grinned. “She’s pretty cool.”

Glaring at his partner, Grayson said, “Shouldn’t you be doing your job instead of palling around with the protectee? You two have been awfully cozy.”

“Whoa, touchy.” Jeremy raised his hands in surrender. “Would it be better if I made her into an enemy the way you have?”

Grayson clenched his jaw but stayed silent.

“Sorry, man, but it’s true.”

He stared at his plate. It wasn’t as if he’d been trying to piss Claire off—

Okay, maybe he had. But he hadn’t intended to start an all-out war, which was what being in the same room with her felt like now after only a few days.

Why is it even bothering me?

“She’s a good person,” Jeremy said as he stood to load his plate and glass into the dishwasher. “Down-to-earth and easy to talk to.”

Surprised, Grayson looked up. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, it is. I like her a lot. Do you know she always brings her father’s driver a coffee whenever he picks her up?”

Hot pinpricks of shame swept through Grayson. That didn’t sound like something a spoiled debutante would do.

Keeping his voice even, he said, “Really?”

“Yeah. And she knows exactly how he likes it. It’s a routine of theirs.” Leaning against the counter, Jeremy gave Grayson a pointed look. “She cleans up the kitchen after I cook, and offered to do my laundry today. I think it’s really nice.”

“Are you trying to make some kind of point here?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Just thinking about her boyfriend. It’s going to suck for her when she finds out about him, and she doesn’t deserve that.”

Grayson leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Be careful what you say.”

“She’s in the shower, Gray.”

He listened, and Jeremy was right. The old pipes were clearly in use. “You need to be careful, anyway.”

“All I’m saying is it’s hard not to warn her.” When Grayson gave him a hard look, Jeremy held up his hands. “I’m not going to, all right?”

“See that you don’t.”

Grayson fought the unfamiliar surge of unease that swept through him. While Claire was doing her best to avoid him, she was having all her meals with Jeremy.

What do you expect with the way you’ve been treating her?

He scrubbed a hand over his face. Anyway, Jeremy didn’t have to worry about how Claire would react. Nice girl or not, she was tough. She’d find a way to get over the guy she was dating.

And it didn’t matter whether she was nice or spoiled. Either way, Claire Parker was trouble. She was too attractive for her own good, and that feistiness of hers was like an aphrodisiac. The smart thing for him to do would be to keep her at arm’s length, and he’d do his damnedest to do that.

Even if I have to hurt her feelings to do it.

Frowning at Jeremy, he said, “We’re not going to discuss this again.”

His partner gave him a disappointed look and muttered, “Fine. I’ll be upstairs.”

After Jeremy left the kitchen, Grayson turned off the lights and pulled back the living room curtains, then reached out to twist the wand for the mini blinds, angling them so he could see out but no one could see in. He settled into an upholstered chair they’d positioned in front of the windows, still thinking of what Jeremy had said.

It was no surprise that Claire thought he was rude. A lot of people thought the same, even if they didn’t use that specific word. Usually, words like “gruff” or “intense” came into play. The gist was the same, though.

It wasn’t as if he disagreed; he was gruff. He could—and should—do a better job of considering other people’s feelings. Despite what Claire thought, the gruffness didn’t come from a desire to be mean. It came from an inability to tolerate bullshit. Anything that came between him and his goals was fair game, which was why he’d reacted to her demands the way he had.

And it doesn’t hurt as much to lose people when you aren’t close to them, right?

Suddenly exhausted, Grayson let his head fall back against the chair. What he wouldn’t give for a decent cup of coffee. Maybe then he could clear his thoughts and act civilized. The dreck they had at the safe house was pure shit and wasn’t doing anything to improve his mood.

Tomorrow when he went on a grocery run, his first stop would be a Starbucks. But for now, he’d have to settle for some hot tea.