usual banter. You and Sable will live
together. No dropping her at her door. She’s your shadow, Colton. Around the
clock.”
“I’ll
tone it down.”
“That’s
all I ask,” Caleb nodded.
“Dad.”
Colt
frowned, his eyes pensive. God, Caleb thought with affection, he looks like
his mother. Colt had his father’s eyes; the rest was pure Callie.
“Yes?”
“That
thing I said about Sable being special. I didn’t mean special, special. Like
Jade is to Garrett. Or Paige to Nate.” It was clear that Colt regretted
bringing it up. He jumped to his feet. “You know what, never mind. Forget I
mentioned it.”
After
Colt had left, Caleb sat alone in the room where he did his best thinking and
let his mind wander.
Colton?
And Sable? Caleb closed him eyes and smiled. Too soon. But interesting.
CHAPTER THREE
“I THOUGHT YOU lived in Beverly Hills.”
“I
did.” Colt shifted gears, his Maserati purring like a well-oiled machine—which
it was. He treated his cars with the greatest of care. “When Garrett and Jade
moved to his house in Laurel Canyon, I decided to buy his downtown loft. It’s a
great place.”
“I
agree.” Sable had stayed there when she guarded Jade. “It’s more practical.
From a security standpoint.”
“Right.”
The
awkward silence drove him crazy. Colt never had a problem finding something to
talk about. He was naturally outgoing. Part of what made him a good actor was
his interest in people. He listened and observed. Every conversation was
another opportunity to pluck information he could later use for a role.
Talking
to a woman was especially easy. Next to getting one naked, it was his favorite
activity. He liked the way they sounded. The way they smelled. Just looking at
a woman, any woman, was a pleasure.
It
was his father’s fault. Until he pulled him into the office of shame, he and
Sable had been doing fine. A little lighthearted banter. Give and take. Colt
was certain he hadn’t read her wrong. She enjoyed it as much as he did.
Not
that Dad was wrong. The situation was a new one for him. He dated. He carried
on a few long-term relationships. However, the last woman he had lived with was
his mother. Now, he had Sable. Twenty-four hours a day. Seven days a week.
Strictly hands off.
Colt
sighed. He should have done a better job of thinking this through. A single
glance at the woman sitting next to him and his sigh became a groan. A male
bodyguard would have been a much better idea.
“Are
you all right?”
“Right
as rain.”
Colt
rolled his eyes. Right as rain? Really ?
“That
groan sounded…”
Sexy?
Titillating? Intriguing ?
Colt’s thoughts didn’t fall in line with his father’s edict, so he kept them to
himself.
“How
did it sound?”
“Constipated.
Do you have enough bran in your diet?”
So
it’s come to this .
Never had a woman commented on his bowel movements. Either he was getting old,
or Sable was different. Crap. There it was again. Special. Different .
Colt didn’t know why those words kept popping up.
Sable
Ford was a beautiful woman. Gorgeous. But not in a cookie cutter, I’ve seen
that face on a million magazines , kind of way. Sable didn’t look like
anyone else. Hence, special. Different.
Colt
felt his shoulders relax. That was it. Everything about Sable was unique. From
the top of her glossy dark hair to the tips of her brightly painted red
toenails. And everything in between.
Long
and lean, with just the right amount of curves, Sable made his mouth water. She
had from their first meeting. She knocked him on his ass, literally and
figuratively. That kiss. Unexpected and memorable. He’d thought of it more than
once.
Had
she? At the time, Sable seemed unaffected. And uninterested. It would be best
if that didn’t change. His ego could take the hit. Colt shifted in his seat.
His libido was another matter. Damn. It served him right. His thought to ask
for