Atonement (The Protectors 6)

Simply put? I thought the guy was a douche. But I didn’t really have a good reason as to why I thought that…it was just a feeling. That or the fact that Magnus was like a whole different guy around the man. Smiling, laughing, reminiscing. I hadn’t even tasted the huge steak Magnus had grilled for me because I’d just wanted to get done and get away from the guys. I’d done a wider perimeter check to explore all the different possible access points on the property as night had fallen while Magnus and Colton had sat around chatting and drinking beers.

“Totally fuckable,” I said, hoping the comment would get Magnus off my back.

When Magnus didn’t respond, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him looking at me. But he didn’t look pissed. He just looked…hell, I didn’t know what to make of the expression in his gaze. It looked a lot like pity, but if that were the case, I’d really lose my shit. I finished the last window and then said, “I need to go upstairs and make sure all the windows are secure.” I risked shifting my eyes to Magnus. The last time I’d been upstairs hadn’t turned out so well.

But Magnus merely nodded. I hurried up the stairs and went to Jenna’s room. I didn’t linger as I checked the windows and then moved on to the room I could only assume had been Matty’s when he’d lived here. The last room to check was Magnus’s. I ignored the huge bed and tested all the windows plus those in the bathroom. It was clear Magnus had been a bachelor for a while because there was nothing feminine about his room. It was nicely decorated, but more along the lines of comfort and function rather than fashion. Besides the bed, there was a tall dresser and a walk-in closet. No pictures hung on the wall, though the nails sticking out of the drywall proved there had been some at one time. The paint was a soft gray and the floor was a gorgeous walnut colored hardwood.

The bathroom was huge with a walk-in shower big enough to fit two – a fact that was causing a whole host of images to go through my head – and there was a jetted tub in the corner. His and hers sinks took up one wall, but only one sink looked like it was being used, leaving me to wonder how many women had ever used the other sink. I hadn’t seen Magnus with any women in Seattle, but he’d been pretty preoccupied with Matty’s illness, so I doubted dating had been at the top of his list of priorities. I had seen him dancing at Tate and Hawke’s wedding, but his partners had all been married women from the huge Barretti family. Even knowing those dances had just been for fun, I’d felt the ugly shimmer of jealousy in every cell in my body. My solution had been to drink and pursue the cute catering guy…actions that had had ugly consequences and just solidified Magnus’s low opinion of me.

I double-checked the windows in the bathroom and then headed back into the bedroom, but paused when I saw Magnus leaning against the doorframe. His big body was blocking most of the space, meaning it would be a tight fit if I tried to get past him. On any other day, that would have been a good thing, but right now I was just too on edge.

God, he really was beautiful. With his white Henley shirt that outlined every muscle on his broad chest and his snug jeans that hinted at thick thighs and nearly perfectly shaped ass, he looked like he should be in some catalogue showing off the clothes while sitting in an oversized armchair by a fire with a cup of coffee in his hand. I ached to test the softness of his dark hair that was generously threaded with silver. I knew within a couple of years, he’d have that salt and pepper thing going on and it would only make him even more gorgeous.

I moved towards him, fully expecting him to get out of my way, but when he didn’t move, I slowed my pace until I was forced to stop just a foot from him. “Did you need to get in here?” I asked, motioning to the room.

“Everything secure?” Magnus asked, ignoring my question. I felt my cock thicken in my jeans when his eyes briefly traveled up and down my body. With any other guy, I would have considered him to be checking me out, but with Magnus I knew better.

“All good,” I said and then stepped a little closer, hoping he’d get the hint and move.

He didn’t. And worse, being so close to him had me smelling whatever cologne or aftershave he was wearing…along with the intriguing scent of the man himself.