Page 65 of Royal Pain

“I have.”

“Okay, how did Joseph not know?”

“I was clever. I also worked at a bookstore, claiming I’d saved money. Now, I admit taxes were interesting to figure out, but I have a really good accountant who had done a marvelous job of doing two tax forms, trying his best to keep the other part hidden. Not entirely possible but enough so my lie appeared legit.”

“You never cease to amaze me.”

“Mmm… I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ll be happy to give you the numbers. It’ll be the money I need to take Damien somewhere safe when this is all over.”

I could feel the heat of his body and his long stare. Had I already had some crazy fantasy about this being a permanent situation?Yes, but I doubt a man like Gage Royal wanted to be saddled with a child. Still, a girl could dream.

Before either one of us could say anything, his phone rang. He’d left it across the pool on another table. Given the time of night, he moved quickly to grab the call. Why was it that I was more nauseous than before?

As soon as he picked it up, the limited light allowed me to see his entire body had tensed. I could feel his extreme anger from where I was, could tell he was fuming. I sat up in the chair, horrified of what I might hear. While I didn’t walk closer, the moment he looked in my direction, I knew my terrible feelings were right. And my instinct told me what he was being told.

He quickly moved from one call to another, more animated this time. As he paced back and forth in front of the table, I was certain he was preparing a defensive front.

Or war.

Either way, this might be the only night we had that would be considered peaceful. That was fine by me. I was ready for a fight. And I had a feeling so was he.

When he ended the call, he held the phone to his forehead before tossing it across the table. He remained where he was for a full two minutes before taking long strides back in my direction. Just as he became within earshot, I told him what I knew was happening.

“They’re after both of us, aren’t they?”

He sighed but I sensed he wasn’t going to lie to me. “Yes.”

“They will stop at nothing to track you down and since you don’t live in hiding or in a real fortress, if they haven’t locked in on your address, they will discover it by in the morning.”

“Correct.”

“And you’ve made some crazy arrangements to keep this little world protected.”

Now he chuckled in a dark and almost demonic tone. “I have a massive security system already, including highly sensitive cameras. The system will be turned on as soon as we go inside. I also have men working for me who are prepared to guard us at all costs. Four of them are on their way over. They will switch out with two other crews. I don’t mind luring at least some of the bastards into California. Home turf advantage is a plus, but the real action will be done in Connecticut. I just want you to know that.”

“I’m no fool. That much I gathered. Whatever happens, I am going with you.” I gave him a hard look that seemed to surprise then amuse him.

“We shall see.”

He took the drink from my hand, placing it on the small table. When he slid one arm under my legs, the other around my back, I laughed softly. He really did think he was a big he-man.

But I adored him for it.

Sophisticated.

Hardheaded.

Sexy as hell.

The three phrases described him the best. As he lifted me with ease, holding me against his chest, I was thrown how good it felt to be in his arms. Why? I’d felt this way often enough he’d become my fantasy. He walked us to the table where his phone was, nodding and bending down. I didn’t need any additional commands. I grabbed it for him, holding it close.

He walked inside, shutting and locking the set of doors. With me in tow, he moved to each room, ensuring the doors were locked, ending up in the foyer the last. “You need to see this,” he told me as he flicked down a plastic covering on a security system I hadn’t noticed before. “This is state of the art. Memorize the code.”

He repeated it and made me do so. I bit my lower lip, more worried than I’d been before.

“I’ll set it up with your thumbprint tomorrow. Now, here’s where you set the cameras. They are infrared, reacting to any movement, which includes wildlife. Notice even from this smaller screen, you can shift from camera to camera, taking a wide-angled look at what it’s seeing. This button activates a shrill alarm. There are panic buttons in the nightstand beside my bed, the room where you’re in in the top right dresser drawer, in the kitchen in the silverware drawer, and in my office in my desk. Unlike the shithead in Connecticut, no one owns the police out here. However, my family does contribute a lot of money to various causes that are near and dear to their hearts so they are very loyal and very reactive.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”