“You care about me now?” she challenged, but behind the bravado, there was a real question.
“You work for me. Of course I care about you.”
“I work for you, and therefore I’m your responsibility. Isn’t that what you mean, Dante?”
“Is there a difference?”
He saw the flicker of disappointment in her eyes, but then it was gone, and, smiling, she pulled away. “I heard you arrive.”
“You recognized the sound of the vehicle,” he guessed.
“There aren’t many that purr their way across the yard. Most clang and clatter before collapsing in a heap.” She laughed.
He laughed too. He loved to see her laugh—too much, maybe.
Closing his eyes, he dragged in Rose’s familiar scent in an attempt to reboot his senses. There was a top note of soap over clean hay and horses, with a little bacon fat thrown in. He recognized his Romani ancestry at work. Romani would talk about the scent of one special woman imprinting on the senses of her mate so there could be no escape. Was that what was happening? He’d always thought it nonsense before.
“Tea?” she asked, jolting him out of his introspection.
“Coffee?”
“Ah yes,” she said. “I’ll make some for you. And as for my being safe in the house with the door unlocked,” she added as she reached inside a cupboard. “You knew I was safe.”
“Did I?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t find the cameras? Your men are good, but not that good, and I’m not exactly stupid.”
“You weren’t supposed to find them. I’ll have a word with my men.”
“You leave them alone,” she warned, only half joking. “Did you see anything to interest you last night?” she added, casting him a look.
“I checked in to make sure you were safe.”
“And?”
What he’d seen last night had just taken on a whole new meaning. If Rose knew about the cameras, she’d been performing for him.
“Did you watch me undress?” she pressed.
“Yes. And I watched you caress your breasts when you took a bath.”
“Anything more?”
He’d watched her sleep.
“I obviously entertained you.”
“You did.”
“So, what brings you here so early?”
“You.” He saw no reason to string this out. “Where’s your father?”
“Still sleeping off last night.”
When he brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck, she quivered beneath his touch.
“He’s just upstairs,” she whispered.