now, his back to her, and she felt a little deflated. He hadn’t even acknowledged her compliment. Well, it’d be a cold day in hell before the magnificent playboy received another one from her. She couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself the briefest second of romanticizing the man through his work. He was just what she thought he was, a manipulative womanizer. He’d touched her with such softness, such familiarity that she’d, for a moment, believed they’d had some sort of connection. That was absurd. He was Renny Bennett and she was his bodyguard. He was not attracted to her and she was definitely not attracted to him!
Chapter 3
Renny was quiet in the car, his body still adjusting to its reaction to Sabrina and his sculptures. If he let his mind wander he’d feel her soft strokes against his skin and the heat would ultimately begin to rise again. So he tried to focus. He turned on the radio. Something by Usher was playing and to his dismay Sabrina started to sing. The lyrics were a bit sexual and bam…his thoughts again turned lusty.
He rolled down his window, let some of the breeze into the interior of the car. He was losing his mind. He was not supposed to be attracted to her. You’ve got to be kidding. Who wouldn’t be attracted to her? But I’m no good for her. She already thinks I’m some rich playboy. She probably wants picket fences and kids in the yard.
He stole a glance at her. She had her hands raised as high above her head as they could get in the confines of the car and was snapping her fingers, gyrating the top half of her body to the rhythm of the music. Then again…maybe she didn’t.
Either way, she definitely didn’t want a one-night stand or even an intense physical affair that would ultimately end badly. She deserved more than that. Besides, Rico would never forgive him if he mixed business with pleasure and he’d hired Desdune Security to do business with the Bennetts. Touching her was definitely out of the question. But he’d already touched her, albeit briefly. He’d already felt her soft curves against him and so help him he desperately wanted to feel them again.
“What?” she asked when she caught him staring at her. “You don’t like this song?”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m just not a big Usher fan.” But he was definitely a fan of the way the man’s music had her body moving. This little woman continued to wreak all kinds of havoc on his libido.
“Then let’s find something to loosen you up a little. I’m tired of you looking all grim over there.” Bree leaned forward and pushed the buttons that roamed the radio stations.
“Ooh, I love this one.” She swayed slowly from side to side as the smooth voices of Boyz II Men vibrated through the speakers.
Oh, hell, no! Renny’s mind screamed. Was it pure coincidence or pure torture that they were singing “I’ll Make Love To You” at the same time he was fighting a tremendous hard-on.
Renny gripped the steering wheel even tighter, praying his pants were baggy enough not to give away his state of mind.
“I know you like this one. All men like this one.” Bree gave him a brief smile. She touched his arm and sang along with the four men of the group. Renny’s muscle tensed beneath her hand and she frowned. “Are you always this happy?”
He clenched his teeth so tight his head started to hurt. “I didn’t say I didn’t like the song. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” About one hundred and twenty pounds of gorgeous female, come to think of it.
“Is it the letters? Are you worried about whoever is stalking your family?” Bree grew serious, reaching over to turn the radio down. She was being insensitive. His family was dealing with a lot right now, the merger and these threats. It had to be hard on him since he and his brothers seemed so close.
No, it wasn’t that, because he thought that was some big promo scheme thought up by the execs at Coastal Technologies, but he couldn’t tell her the real reason. “That and the opening.”
“Oh, your gallery? Is that where we’re going now?”
“Yes. I need to talk with the decorator and make sure things are moving along smoothly.”
Bree sat back and looked out the window. It was early afternoon. People lined the streets either heading for their lunch breaks or to run some mundane errand; that’s all they did around here. “So, what made you get into art? I mean, did you need some type of hobby?”
He cut his eyes at her once, then paid attention to the right turn he was making. Her flippant question had sounded a lot like his father. And here he’d thought she really got his work. “It’s not a hobby. At least not for me. I’ve always been good with my hands.”
Bree shifted uncomfortably at his remark. “Oh? Really?”
He knew she was thinking of his comment in the wrong context and most likely with the wrong female, but he ignored the thought. “As a kid I used to spend hours drawing. I went through so many sketchbooks and pencils that my father threatened to cut down all the trees in our backyard to keep me in supply. He didn’t mind my drawing so much back then.” It was only when he’d grown up that Marvin said it was time to put that task to rest.
“How does he feel about your career choice now? I mean, since you obviously don’t care for the family business.”
“It’s not that I don’t care for the business. I get all the stock reports for Bennett Industries. I know all of our products and all of our customers. I’ve read and reread this merger file a billion times. It’s my family and my family business, so naturally it means something to me.” He took a deep breath. “Sculpting just means more.”
“I know what you mean,” she said softly.
“You do?” He pulled into the parking lot behind the newly renovated building. “Do you have a big family?”
“I guess you could say that. There’s Sam and me, we’re the youngest of the bunch. Then there’s Lynn and Cole, Mom and Dad. My parents are from Louisiana. They have a chain of Creole restaurants along the coast called Lucien’s.”
Renny switched the engine off and sat back in his seat. “I’ve heard of them. Actually, I’ve been to the one in New York. They have great food. So why aren’t you in the restaurant business?”
“While I love to cook, slaving behind a hot stove for a bunch of patrons was never my idea of the perfect career.”
Because she looked so vulnerable at this moment, and the hollow of her neck seemed to glisten in the sunlight that streamed through the window, Renny reached over and traced a finger over the bare skin.
Bree jumped. “Look, Bennett, I wasn’t going to say anything about this touching habit of yours, but now I don’t have a choice.”
Renny grinned. Did he have a touching habit where she was concerned?
“Just because we’re going to be working in close proximity doesn’t give you free privileges. I’m not one of the women you trifle with—not that I needed to remind you of that—but regardless, I won’t be fondled by you, either.”
Renny blinked, wondering what she’d meant by not needing to remind him that she wasn’t like other women. Of course she didn’t need to remind him, he knew very well how different she was. And that, ultimately, was the problem.
But it was his problem and he’d deal with it. “Relax, Sabrina. Since the window was open some of that pollen stuff blew into the car. I was simply wiping it off of you. I have no intention of fondling you while you’re working.”
“Good.” Bree unlocked her seat belt. “Just so we’re clear on things.”
Renny released his seat belt, as well. “We’re perfectly clear. You’re the bodyguard—”
“And you’re the client in need of protection. That’s all.”
Their eyes locked and in that moment their circumstances didn’t matter. He looked as if he wanted to say