“I was busy with work. You have my number. You could’ve called me, you know.” His palm rubbing up and down her thighs.
She let out a breath. “I know. But I wasn’t sure.”
“You weren’t sure? About me? About how I felt? How to use a phone?”
She playfully shoved his shoulder but he gripped the back of her neck and pulled her to his lips and kissed her softly. “I want you. I want to see where this goes. The only one who is unsure and pulling away is you. So whenever you get the urge to call me or kiss me or whatever . . . do it. Don’t think about it so much.”
The sound of the door opening and closing caused Olivia to jump from his lap and straighten her skirt. “’Morning, Ms. Russo.”
“Good morning, Tom.” Tom eyed Joey questioningly, but Joey didn’t care. Yes, he looked comfortable in Olivia’s house and he wanted her to feel comfortable with him being in her house. “You got a minute to talk about the security plans, Tom?”
“Yes.” Tom said, his brows furrowing, probably wondering why Joey was there and why he was asking about the security.
“It’s okay. I’m not ready yet,” Olivia said to Tom. “Sophie, how are we doing?”
“I’m ready!” her daughter yelled, but Olivia rolled her eyes and mumbled, “doubt that. I’ll be back.” She moved upstairs as Joey questioned Tom about everything from their daily routine to the security of the car to the alarm system. . He wasn’t Tom’s boss, but Olivia was very important to him and he wanted Tom to understand that he’d be checking and rechecking his work henceforth.
By the time Olivia was ready to leave—looking flawlessly beautiful in her professional but sexy outfit with high as fuck non-sensible high heels—Joey had come to one conclusion: Tom sucked and the only security that would do was himself.
* * *
“I want more security on you,” Mark said, that afternoon at her office.
“More? Why? Do you know something? What was the outcome of the car thing yesterday?”
“Tom and their team are looking into it,” Mark said. ICS was also looking into it, Joey had told her, as well as the police. For some reason her gut told her that Joey would have answers before anyone else.
“Have you heard about Iron-Clad Security?” she asked.
“No, why?”
“Well, I met this man, Joey Clad. He’s one of the owners and I think we should have him check things out.”
“You met a man? When?”
She put her pen down and sat back. “The other day when I went to fix my laptop.”
“Okay,” Mark said, eyeing her suspiciously. Mark was protective of her. He’d been very good friends with Neil.
“It’s not what you think.” Well, it was. But she wasn’t ready to tell him that just yet.
“So, he wasn’t the man in the elevator?”
She let out a breath. She’d been caught. “Okay, fine. Yes. Maybe it’s more than just
friends but I don’t want to make a big deal about it. I just met him and I like him,” she admitted. And damn, it felt good to say that out loud. As if saying it made it real.
“So what, you’re dating?”
“It’s . . . complicated.”
“Livie, you don’t have the luxury of complicated. We’ve based your entire campaign on your family values. You are the single mother, the poor widow, the—”
“I don’t want to be the poor widow, Mark. I want to win on merit.”
“And you will. You have a strong platform. People love you. But, scandal, this late in the race? Having a man we know nothing about around Sophie? The media would have a field day.”
“I don’t want a scandal. I’m not even telling you this because we’re dating. I’m saying this because I don’t think Tom is exactly doing a stellar job.”
“You fought me tooth and nail over having a bodyguard and now you want this new company? Or a second security guard? What’s really going on, Livie?”
“I didn’t think we needed it, but I have to think of Sophie and the thing in the car . . . well, that seemed personal.”
He let out a breath and sat down letting his shoulders sag. “Yes, I agree that it did seem personal. That’s why I want more security on you. I’ll look into this guy and his company. I want you and Sophie safe. I made Neil a promise, Livie. If you think Tom’s not working out we’ll find you someone else, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks Mark. Now, tell me about the events coming up. And what’s the latest polls?”
Later that that same morning, Mark walked into her office as she checked her schedule. “I’m having ICS go by the house this afternoon and check things out. I haven’t let go of Tom yet, though. I have to admit ICS is very highly recommended once I started checking around.”
“Great.”
“After your two o’clock meeting, Tom’ll take you back home and ICS will be there shortly thereafter, then you have a Skype interview tonight for the evening news. You should be all set up, so you can do that from home. The questions are in your inbox. I’ve sent you a dozen email responses. If they’re good, send them.”
“Who answered them?” She didn’t like that other people were answering her emails, but the truth was, she was receiving hundreds of correspondences and she just didn’t have the time to check every single one herself. She did, however, want to review everything that was sent with her name on it.
“One of the interns.”
She groaned because she would have to review them carefully, which meant she’d have to work late into the evening . . . again.
Olivia ate her lunch at her desk and was nonstop all day. As soon as the meeting was over at three, Olivia had Tom take her home, where Winnie was already waiting with Sophie like every afternoon.
“Soph, change out of your school uniform,” Oliva instructed when she saw Sophie in the backyard with a net, running after a butterfly. A few minutes later, a black Suburban pulled up to her driveway.
All she’d had time for was to untuck her shirt from her skirt, unbutton the top button of her blouse, and slip out of her heels.
“Hello,” she said, breathlessly, as she opened the door. “Come on in.”
“Olivia,” Joey said as a hello. “This is Ben and Rollins. They work with me at ICS. We’re just going to walk around and check things out. Where’s Tom?”
She looked over her shoulder. Where was Tom?
“I’m sure he’s around. Maybe in the backyard smoking.”
Joey rolled his eyes as he stepped inside.
“Make yourself at home. I have a few things to do.”
Ben and Rollins walked off to the kitchen, but Joey lingered, his eyes roaming her body. He wasn’t even trying to hide it, and she suddenly felt naked and flushed. “Hi,” he said, in that deep sexy voice.
“Hi.”
“I think I need a kiss.”
“Yes. I think you do.” She took a step closer to him. “My daughter’s here somewhere.”
“’Kay.” He took the remaining step and then one hand was wrapped flush against her waist and she was firmly pressed against him, her palm on his chest. He smelled good. Manly, like he’d been out in the sun. He leaned in and pressed his lips against her. The way he held her promised more than a chaste kiss, but that’s all he gave her and it left her wanting more, her knees wobbling in its wake.
“Dinner later?” he asked.
But it took her too long to reply because he’d turned her normally sane and rational mind into jelly. “Uh . . . no. Soph—”
“I know. You have a daughter, Livie. We’ve been through this already. I’m not scared of her. We’ve met. We bonded over Cheerios this morning, remember?”
“Joey, I just—”
“I’m not going to maul you while she’s around. It’s just dinner, darlin’.”
“I don’t think—”
He kissed the top of her head sweetly, and then stepped away. “That’s your problem right there. You think too much. Stop thinking.”
He wi
nked and then stepped away, leaving her discombobulated.
* * *
Joey couldn’t be around Olivia one more moment without being able to touch her. He liked her too much. From the moment he’d met her he’d been attracted to her. And then every time after that his hands twitched to kiss her, hold her, touch her. And those goddamn skirts she wore that clung to every bit of curve, accentuating her small frame and toned legs that went on for miles, were making him insane. Even with the skirt going past her knees, her legs still looked miles long.
Deciding it was a good time as any to get the lay of the land, unable to be this close to her and not touch her the way he wanted to, he went outside to walk the exterior of the house, checking for safety concerns since he hadn’t had sufficient time to do so this morning.
It was a smallish home, not at all what he had expected. Not when she was the future governor, not when she drove a Lexus, not when she looked the way she looked, and not when he knew she had a shit ton of money thanks to her late husband’s very generous life insurance policy and her hefty portfolio. But even though the house wasn’t very big, the land it sat on was. At least two acres with a lot of trees surrounding it.
Stepping over a broken log, he stopped when he heard leaves rustling behind him. He had his hand on his Sig before he turned around.
“Hi.” Sophie stood a few feet behind him with a cute wonky smile, a big floppy hat, a little net, and a clear box.
Immediately he let go of his weapon, which he’d luckily not unholstered. He did note, however, that this was the second time in less than twenty-four hours he’d come close to pointing a gun at the girl. She was a sneaky little thing. If he was going to be spending time with Olivia and Sophie, he needed to take extra precautions with his weapon, especially since the little girl had a tendency to sneak up on him, ask a lot of questions, and touch everything.
“Hey, freckles,” he said, kneeling down to get eye level with her.
“I’m Cwocodile Hunter,” she said, with that little lisp and the r’s sounding like w’s.
He chuckled. “Is that what the net is for?”
“No silly. It’s to catch lizards. Lizards are baby cwocodiles. Did you know that?” It was said very matter-of-factly.
He chuckled again. “I actually did not know that. Shouldn’t you be a princess or a fairy or something?” Wasn’t that what little girls played? She was wearing overalls and big rain boots with ladybugs on them.
“My mommy says girls can do whatever they want and I want to play with lizards.” She had a hand on her waist and her hip out. She said it with the same sass her mother had.
“You certainly can.” The girl was as fearless as her mother. “And are you supposed to be out this far from your house?”
She bit her fingernails, which were full of dirt, making him cringe but also smile. He noted that the Russo girls fidgeted, bit their nails, were feisty, and had a lot of energy.
“Tell you what, I won’t tell your mom you wondered off this far if you promise you won’t ever do it again.”
“Okay I pwomise, but only if we find lizards first.”
“Are you negotiating with me?”
She looked at him with confusion and it made him chuckle.
“Sophie!” Olivia called from afar. “Sophie!”
Her eyes widened big, so he winked at her and said, “Hurry.” He walked ahead of her. On his way he stopped and caught a lizard with his palm. “Open the box.”
“Eww!” she shrieked, but then did as he said. He dropped the lizard inside which made her giggle and forget she was two minutes away from getting in trouble with her mom.
“Sophie Alexandra, you better not be by the Bougainvillea trees.”
She looked up at him through the wide brim of her hat and he had to stifle a laugh. “We’re here, catching lizards!” he hollered.
Sophie looked up at him in utter shock, like he’d just blown their cover. A moment later Olivia appeared through the bushes. “Sophie! What have I told you about running off by yourself?”
Her lips started to wobble and he quickly stepped in. “It was me. I saw all those lizards and lost track of where we were.” He winked at Olivia, and she narrowed her eyes. “It was all my fault, isn’t that right, Sophie?”
He was sure she was going to agree so she could get off the hook with her mother but her bottom lips started to tremble and a second later she burst out in full blown sobs and tears. “I ran off. I’m sorry, mommy.”
“Inside. Go wash up for dinner.” Sophie jogged quickly into the house.
“That was sweet of you, trying to protect her. But we don’t lie to each other.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, I was just trying to be nice.”
She looked down at the clear box. “You caught her a lizard. You’re her new favorite person.”
“How do you know it wasn’t her who caught it?”
“We Russo girls, we like to play in the dirt, but we don’t necessarily like to get dirty. Now let that thing go.” She pointed to the lizard and shivered. He laughed as he turned the box over, allowing the lizard to escape.
“Ms. Russo, I’m headed out, unless you need something else,” Tom said.
“Thank you, Tom. Have a good evening. See you tomorrow.”
Tom walked off and Joey looked at his watch. It wasn’t even four o’clock. He wanted to tell her to fire him immediately, but he needed to sort a few things out at ICS before he could take on this job. Jax was about to leave on tour with Megan and he needed to man ICS while Jax was gone, but he also wanted to be the one to guard Olivia.
“Stop it,” she said, walking into the kitchen.
“Stop what?”
She looked into the freezer and took out a lasagna. “Oh, don’t act coy. You know exactly what. He’s only supposed to be here until Sophie and I are safe at home. He’s not doing anything wrong by leaving.” She looked over her shoulder and glared. “Dinner will be ready in—” She looked at the instructions on the cardboard box. “—in an hour.”
He stepped off the wall he’d been leaning against and pressed his front to her back and looked over her shoulder to the frozen Italian food. “I thought you’d be cooking me a nice dinner.”
“I am. This is the best frozen lasagna money can buy.”
He shook his head and went to the fridge to take stock.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She had her hand on her waist exactly the same way her daughter had a minute ago.
“I’m going to cook you dinner.” He looked at the box. “That’s not suitable for human consumption.”
“Of course it is.”
“Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes,” he said, taking out cheese and milk and all the other ingredients he could find for mac and cheese. She had Gruyère, which would kick it up a notch. “Why don’t you go change, grab a glass of wine, and relax. You said Sophie liked mac and cheese, right?”
“Yes.” She eyed him as he smiled and went to work. “What are you doing, Joey?”
“I told you, making dinner.”
“We’re complicated, Sophie and I. You can have your pick of hundreds of women without kids, without a demanding career, without a crazed stalker or whatever the hell is happening. Why are you trying to so hard to insert yourself into our lives? You keep saying not to think but how can I not think? This is all . . .” She threw her hands up in the air. “Too much.”
He flipped the dishtowel he’d been using to dry his hands over his shoulder and walked to her. “I didn’t take you as insecure.”
She opened her mouth with a gasp and indignation. “I am not insecure.”
“Then stop questioning us. Stop fighting it. You’re ending something that hasn’t even started. I like you, Livie. Does there have to be more of a reason than that? I also like Sophie. She’s precocious and cute, and unlike any other kid I’ve ever met. I’d like to get to know her a little better too. I get that you’re a package deal, you don’t have to keep reminding me as if I’m going t
o be scared off.”
She let out a breath, her bangs flying up with the movement and her shoulders slacking a little. “She’s a handful, but she can also be the sweetest little person you’ll ever meet.”
“So let me in so I can see all of that about her. I’m patient and have a lot of energy, Livie. Neither of you scare me off, okay?”
“Okay.” She finally relented.
“Then just go with it. I get that you’re worried about Sophie, just tell her we’re friends. It’s not a lie.”
She seemed to mull it over before finally nodding and then saying, “I’m going to go change.”
And it felt like a small victory.
“Wait!” she said, turning around and quickly jogging up to him and kissing his cheek. “I like you too, Joey.”
Then she left the kitchen and he tried to concentrate on what he was cooking on and not the unexpected kiss from Olivia.
A little while later, Sophie walked down the stairs with her mom in tow. She was wearing her pajamas which had frogs all over them. She also had a big frown.
“Why the sad face, freckles?”
“My mommy got mad at me for catching lizards.”
“Soph, honey, I didn’t get mad at you for catching lizards. I got mad at you for wondering off.” She poured a glass of milk and placed on the spot at the table where Sophie sat.
“You know, some lizards get awfully big all the way back there. Your mom is right, you don’t want to get snatched up by a big giant lizard.”
The little girl’s eyes went wide, then she burst out in giggles. “You so silly. There’s no big lizards. But cwocodiles can be big. I don’t want to get bited by a cwocodile.”
“Bitten,” Olivia corrected her.
“So, let’s make a pact. If you absolutely must go hunting for lizards or crocs, you’ll ask your mother and she’ll take you.”
“Mum hates wepitailes.”
“Wepitailes?” Joey asked.
“She means reptiles.” Olivia explained, as Joey portioned the food. He’d found some tomatoes and had sliced them and drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them.
Kiss Kiss Bang_Iron_Clad Security Page 9
