Page 17 of Securing His Heart

Chris’s sigh was audible and Lindy felt a momentary pang of regret for her sharp words but brushed it aside. She didn’t ask for all this secrecy, he was the one who’d decided to tell her the bad news face-to-face.

“I’m sorry, but you need to see what we’re about to show you.” Again, the American’s tone was curt.

“Fine,” she huffed out and yanked the door open, no way was she waiting for Chris to do it.

With the way he’d rushed to open it for her at her house, she imagined he would want to do the same here. Lindy was an independent woman and in an uncomfortable situation; she was taking charge.

Wilt chuckled as he came around the front of the car, giving Chris a chin lift. “I like her.”

Chris’s lips firmed and he came up beside her. “Ignore him. He has delusions of grandeur that will never come to fruition.”

The man’s eyes crinkled in the corners as he belly laughed. He was tall like, Chris, but where Chris was dark haired, this man was blond. “Just watch me.”

Her American harrumphed and rested his hand against her lower back. The touch light but possessive at the same time.

Was he jealous of Wilt?

Did he think that she might be interested in his friend?

Her mind whirled with the possibilities but firmly shoved them to the side. No way could Chris be jealous. Besides, he wasn’t going to be in the country for much longer, and the chances of him wanting to start anything with her were slim.

Yet, her mind turned over all the little instances where he’d shown he was interested. The touch, right now, on her back. The way he’d pulled her into a hug at her place. The way he’d held her all night.

The thoughts were still turning over in her mind when she, Chris and Wilt entered the offices of Power Security Services, the logo was a trident with a split lightning bolt cutting the middle of it. Subtle but effective and this was a firm she’d never heard of.

During the years she’d been at school, her father had investigated hiring security for her because his was in negotiations to mine a tract of land in South Africa and had been worried for her and her mother’s safety.

She’d been fifteen, in the midst of puberty and the last thing she’d wanted was to be treated differently to her school friends. In the end, Mum had convinced Dad that he was overreacting and he’d dropped the idea.

Was this the type of security that Steve provided?

She glanced at the two men who’d accompanied her and decided that with the air of danger that surrounded the both of them, they did more than just simple bodyguard duty. That was what it felt like Chris was doing—acting as a bodyguard.

“Ms. Jones, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Steve Power, owner of Power Security Services.” Another tall man approached her. His hair was cut military short back and sides and like Chris and Wilt, he carried himself with precision and confidence, with a hint of lethal force.

Lindy met him halfway, grasping his hand and giving it a firm shake. The last thing she wanted anyone in this place to think, was that she was a feeble female who needed protecting. She ran a billion-dollar company, she could hold her own. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Power. I have to say, I’d much rather it was in different circumstances.”

He inclined his head and smiled. “I’m sure we all feel that way.” He glanced over at Chris, and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

The hand on her back had shifted until he rested more firmly on her waist. This close, she could feel the tension in Chris’s body. The way it appeared as though each muscle had tightened ready to spring into action.

Damn, what was up with Chris?

These people were his friends, and he was acting as if they were the enemy and about to kidnap her. At least, she assumed they were his friends, maybe they weren’t and he wasn’t comfortable with them.

No, she squashed that thought quickly. Lindy might have only known Chris for a short while, but there was no way he’d willingly put her in danger. Or in front of people he didn’t trust.

“Shall we get started?” she asked after the tension around them all seemed to rise a few notches. “I do have a bit to do today.”

“Sure. This way.” Steve turned, with the same precision she’d seen Chris turn the previous evening.

Looks like you could take the man out of the military, but you couldn’t take the military out of the man.

Lindy waited a couple of heartbeats before following Steve. “Are you okay?” she murmured to Chris.

“Fine.”

The short-clipped answer gave every indication that he was anything but fine. As a woman, she was very familiar with the connotations that four-letter word could bring.