While he’d been setting up the computer, night had swept down on the city. Maverick hadn’t realized so much time had passed, and he’d barely eaten all day. There was some food here, but not much … Maverick barely knew how to cook.
Surely, ordering takeout is okay?
Nick had ordered him not to leave until the agent arrived. He hadn’t said anything about getting food delivered. Maverick’s stomach growled, a shocking sound in the quiet room.
That does it.
Maverick looked around for his phone, finally finding it by the computer. He was thinking about what to order when the phone rang in his hand, making him jump so badly he almost dropped it.
“Yes, hello?” he said, trying not to sound grouchy.
“Good evening, sir. This is door security.”
“Yes?” he asked. “Is my bodyguard here?”
“Yes, she is. I have checked her documentation. Shall I send her up?”
“Of course. Thank you.” Maverick hung up, slipping his phone into his pocket. He headed over to the door, unlocking it so he could let her in.‘
Her? Yes. He saidshe, so it must be a woman.
He didn’t have time to think too much about it before there was a firm rap on the door. When he opened it, he really didn’t know what he expected to see.
As he stood stupidly in the open doorway, the only thing he knew for sure was that he certainly hadn’t been expecting this. The woman standing in front of him was tall, almost as tall as he was. She had long, flowing blonde hair that shimmered under the harsh lights in the hallway. Her eyes were a perfect, flawless blue.
She spoke … he saw her lips move, but he didn’t catch it. She was holding a piece of paper that she handed to him, and he took it, nodding as if he were an ordinary human being capable of speech … not a shivering wreck of a schoolboy standing in front of his first crush.
His eyes swept across the writing on the page. It was an official document, and the seal at the top was from Nick’s agency. The only thing he absorbed from the entire page of text was her name.
Pilar. Pilar Douglas.
“Hi,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Maverick.”
He looked up from the page, steeling himself as he met those gorgeous, shining blue eyes. It wasn’t just the color or the edge of ferocity that lurked deep within her gaze. There was something about the way she was looking at him that made him feel special.
I’m her client. That’s it. I’m reading too much into this.
“Yes, I’m Pilar, but you already know that,” she said, brushing past him. She didn’t shake his hand, nor did she touch him as she moved through the doorway. He found her manner a bit dismissive, and even though he felt a little ignored, he told himself he had no right to feel that way.
She’s not my escort. She’s my bodyguard.
“Oh, no,” she announced as she walked into his living room. “This place is a fucking train wreck.”
“Excuse me?” Maverick asked a bit defensively. He looked around at the sunken living area, the pale carpet, and the wall-to-wall windows, trying to figure out what could possibly be out of place.
“I have a cleaning lady,” he said, confused. “I think she does a good job.”
“No, no,” Pilar said, waving her hands as she turned to face him. “That’s not what I’m talking about. These windows all face directly toward other buildings. The blinds have to stay closed. There’s a pool on the level below us that looks like it was set up for target practice. The patio over there is also completely unprotected, but at least there aren’t any buildings close to it.”
“Okay,” he said softly. Maverick took two steps over to the windows and shut the blinds, feeling disappointed as the city lights disappeared behind the slate gray shades. He was beginning to feel a little intimidated by this woman, and it wasn’t just her forceful attitude.
The longer he looked at her, the harder it was to stop. She was wearing tight black pants that hugged her curvy hips, flat stomach, and toned ass. Her thighs were long and smooth, her calves strong but delicate. With every sure, determined step she took, he found his eyes drawn to the way her butt moved under the tight fabric of her pants.
Is she wearing underwear?
“No, no,” she was saying, striding across the room so seductively he was hypnotized. “This won’t do at all.”
She was heading for the other end of the condo, and Maverick was just starting to gather his mental process together when Pilar suddenly reached up, hooked her jacket with her fingers, and tugged it off, letting the garment slip down her arms as she tossed it on to a chair.