While Geoffrey parked in the three-car garage next to a BMW X6 SUV and a blue Chevrolet Malibu, Sven parked behind Geoffrey’s car. He started to reach for his duffle bag of clothes but stopped. He had to check things out, clear the house, and assess Geoffrey’s security needs. Climbing out of the SUV, he was immediately hit with the wall of thick afternoon heat that was steadily baking the earth. Despite the fact that it hadn’t rained in weeks, the river valley air was uncomfortably humid, like pushing through superheated wet cotton. He hated summer in Cincinnati.
Geoffrey stepped around his car toward the trunk, his hands shoved into the pockets of his khaki shorts. He looked a little more relaxed than he had in Rowe’s office, but Sven could still see the tension pulling his slender shoulders tight. He wanted to reach out and squeeze them, tell him that he was going to be safe now, but he clenched his fists at his sides.
Touching a client was unprofessional. He’d never needed to remind himself of that fact in the past. But then, everything felt different about Geoffrey Ralse. Hell, he couldn’t even think of him as Mr. Ralse. He’d spent much of the past several months with his hands all over various parts of Geoffrey in their self-defense classes. Every damn class had included a wink or a smirk or some flirty quip from Geoffrey that was meant to tempt and unsettle Sven completely. Lines were already blurred, but he would get them back on track.
“Do you live alone?” Sven asked.
“Most of the time.” Geoffrey gave a little shrug, his bright blue eyes skimming over the woods surrounding the house as if he were searching for his stalker. “Finn is away at college up in Boston most of the year.”
“And now?”
“He’s in Europe with friends. It’s their last summer of freedom before they start their final year of college.” Geoffrey stopped and a genuine smile spread across his face. “He’s studying biomedical engineering with a concentration in nanotechnology at Boston University.”
Sven stiffened as he looked down at Geoffrey. “Smarts runs in your family.”
Geoffrey’s smile dimmed a little. “Finn is brilliant. I’m just good with a bit of coding.”
Sven started to argue but swallowed back the comment. He wasn’t there to reassure him that he was also brilliant. He was there to keep him safe. “You said that your house was locked when you woke this afternoon.”
The last of the sexy smile on Geoffrey’s full lips fell completely away and a stab of guilt pierced Sven’s heart. “Yeah, the person would have needed a key.”
“Who has a key? Are there other spares?”
Geoffrey shook his head. He shifted from one foot to the other, the rubber soles of his sneakers scraping on the concrete. “Only ones with keys are me and Finn. I don’t have any friends or family who have keys to the house.”
He led the way back into the neat and tidy garage. His smaller frame allowed him to easily move between the SUV and the sports car, while Sven had to turn sideways and shuffle along to fit between the vehicles. As Geoffrey reached for the doorknob, Sven put a hand on his shoulder and moved around him, leading the way with his handgun tightly clenched in his other hand.
“I checked all the rooms before I left,” Geoffrey said.
“But if he has a key, he could have returned while you were gone.” He paused again and looked over his shoulder at Geoffrey. “You will stay behind me until I clear the entire house.”
Geoffrey’s grin returned and he pointedly looked down at Sven’s ass. “That’s not a hardship.”
Sven could feel the blush fill his cheeks as he jerked his head back around to face the door. He wouldn’t allow himself to say anything, not that he could even begin to think of what he could say to something like that. Rowe would have some cheeky remark and probably give a little wiggle of his ass, while Andrei would probably have some appropriately chilling comment that would have put the boundaries firmly back in place. Clenching his teeth, Sven opened the door and led the way through the house with Geoffrey following. Geoffrey only spoke to label each room—guest bedroom, office, master bedroom, media room, Finn’s room, and so on. While his focus was on checking every potential hiding place and window, he noted that the entire house had a free and open feeling to it. The furnishings were mostly whites, tans, and pale grays. There were even more windows at the back of the house, looking out on a courtyard with a swimming pool. And the entire property was surrounded by trees. No way of easily seeing anyone who might be out there watching the house.
“We need to secure the house,” Sven announced as they returned to the living room. He watched Geoffrey flop down on the sofa, his arms resting along the back and his head tilted so he could stare at Sven from under some of his thick blond hair.