Chapter 265
Ellie’s POV
+30 Bonus
Dominic’s arm was so tight around my waist I could hardly breathe, but I forced a smile and gestured to Colt.
“This is Colt,” I said in as pleasant a voice I could muster. “I met him on the road. He’s looking for work.”
Dominic looked at Colt, sizing him up. Colt, to his credit, looked completely unbothered. He met Dominic’s stare evenly, neither challenging it nor backing down from it, and stuck his hand out.
“Alpha,” he said.
Dominic did not shake it immediately. A moment passed where he stared at the extended hand, and then he took it.
“What kind of work?” he asked.
“I invited him to apply for the bodyguard position,” I said.
Dominic turned to look at me. “The what position?”
“Bodyguard.” I smiled up at him. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Given everything that’s happened lately, it seems like a reasonable precaution. Colt has a strong background in personal security and warrior training, so when I ran into him, it seemed like good timing.”
“When you ran into him,” Dominic repeated.
“On the road,” I said. “His car was in a ditch. I helped him out and he paid me back with a burger, and well, we got to talking.”
Dominic looked at me for a long moment. Something that looked an awful lot like jealousy moved through his expression. His arm, I noticed, had not left my waist.
“So you,” he said carefully, “disappeared for three days, didn’t answer your phone, left a note on a sticky paper telling me not to worry, and came back with a man you met on the side of the road.”
I laughed. “Well, that’s a dramatic summary of events, isn’t it?”
“Is it inaccurate?” Dominic hissed.
“A little,” I said. “The sticky note was very reassuring. In fact, I thought it was a nice touch, since I didn’t really need to leave one at all.”
Colt, wisely, was looking at his feet and pretending he couldn’t hear the whole exchange.
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “I want to talk to you later,” he said quietly. It was clearly not a request.
“Mhm.” I stepped out from under his arm. “Later. First, Colt needs to be shown around.”
I was about to suggest that one of the staff handle it when the front door opened again. Vivian stepped out onto the steps. She had clearly heard us from inside and decided to come see what the fuss was about.
She got about halfway down the steps before she stopped.
Colt had turned slightly at the sound of the door, and the moment the two of them were looking at each other, I felt the shift. It was subtle if you didn’t know what you were looking for, but I knew. The slight tension that went through Colt’s shoulders. The way Vivian’s perfectly composed expression flickered for just a fraction of a second.
The mate bond was making itself known right on schedule.
Vivian recovered faster than I expected. She blinked, looked away from Colt and at me instead, then said, “Welcome back, sister.” Then, she turned around and went straight back inside without another word.
+30 Bonus
The door clicked shut behind her.
“That’s your sister?” Colt breathed.
I nodded. Smiled. “That’s Vivian.”
Colt stared at the closed door with his mouth slightly agape.
“What was that about?” Dominic whispered.
“No idea.” That was easily the most enjoyable lie I had told in recent memory. I turned to Colt again. “Sorry about that. Dominic, would you mind showing Colt to the barracks? I’d do it myself but I’ve just gotten back and I need to sort out some things.”
Dominic looked at me.
I smiled at him like the perfect, placid wife he wanted.
He let out a short breath that was almost a growl. “Fine,” he said in a clipped tone. He jerked his chin at Colt. “Come on.”
..
