The Heiress's Pregnancy Surprise (Heirs to an Empire 2)

“High praise indeed.”

“Sorry.” He let his gaze catch hers. “You’re a beautiful woman, Charlotte, with or without makeup.” He’d seen her without this morning and that same punch-to-the-gut feeling had happened, even when he’d been furious. “So don’t worry about the interview.”

Her lips dropped open a little in surprise. “Thank you. For the compliment and the boost of confidence. Apparently you’re more than a simple bodyguard. You’re the cheerleading section, too.”

He’d never been called that before. At least not in this job. He snorted a little at the idea and her lips curved in a smile, while the air in the car seemed to rise a good ten degrees.

They arrived at their destination, some trendy place in Hell’s Kitchen he’d never heard of, and once more he got out and held the door for her. “Thank you, Jacob,” she said smoothly, and the personal spark in her eye was gone. She was in full work mode again. And it got him thinking.

Once inside he did a quick perusal and then grabbed a stool at the bar while Charlotte met with the journalist. It seemed they already knew each other, and they settled into easy conversation over lunchtime drinks.

Jacob ordered iced water.

A while later, he saw Charlotte and the other woman ordering lunch, and he realized they were going to be here awhile. His tastes were simple, so he ordered something for himself, the simplest thing he could find on the menu that didn’t have a description four lines long. When it came, he settled the bill, not wanting to leave it to Charlotte. He’d simply expense it, with anything else required above his salary this week. He’d finished and was sipping on another glass of water when the meeting seemed to be winding up. It had been nearly two hours since they walked in the door.

Charlotte rose, retrieved her coat, and she and the other woman exchanged a cheek kiss before going on their way. All the while that serene, lovely smile was on Charlotte’s lips. Jacob got up from his stool and met her near the door. “Ready to go?”

“Yes. Back to the shows. There are two more I need to go to today.”

Two more? Jacob wouldn’t say it out loud, but he didn’t get fashion. No one he knew would be caught dead wearing any of those things in public.

“You’re the boss,” he said gamely, and took her elbow as they stepped out into the sunny but chilly February air.

Everything changed once they were back in the car, though. Charlotte wilted and closed her eyes as she leaned back against the seat. “Mon Dieu, that was exhausting.”

“You looked like you were having a nice time.” Jacob frowned. There’d been nothing but smiles during the interview.

“You think that was real? I mean, Lauralea is nice enough, and does a good job, but the whole time I was measuring every answer, considering my body language, making sure I didn’t get salad dressing on my blouse. Thank God there were no pictures today, which I thought there would be. But I did invite her to the Aurora party on Wednesday. She’ll bring a photographer, I’m sure.”

“You looked completely at ease,” he assured her, amazed.

“I’ve had years of practice.” She opened her small handbag and took out a protein bar. “I also ate about thirty calories worth of salad. I’m starving.”

He was going to say something about the morning pastries, but decided against it. No need bringing up that argument again. “If I’d known I’d have snuck out a takeaway bag,” he said, truly sorry it had been a tough few hours. “Let me know if you need me to next time. I had some sort of hanger steak thing that was delicious.”

Her stomach growled and she chuckled wearily. “It’s mean of you to bring it up.”

“Sorry.”

She ate the protein bar and then leaned her head back on the cushioned seat with a sigh.

“Are you really all right?”

She opened one eye and nodded. “Of course. With this kind of event, I’m ‘on’ all the time. Being in the car? It gives me a chance to regroup and recharge. And this week... It’s a little more hectic than my usual schedule.”

“Very nonstop,” he agreed. “You’re right to take some quiet time. In my experience, things go hinky when people get overtired and overwhelmed.”

“Like when?” She turned her head, looking genuinely interested.

“Well, there was one instance where my team was sent in to extricate three hostages. We got in just fine. But the three people we went in to rescue were so tired and had so much adrenaline running through them that they really kind of lost it.”

“What did you do?” She sat up now, her eyes alight with curiosity.

He grinned at her. “Threatened to shoot all three if they didn’t shut up and do what they were told.”

Her eyes widened. “And what happened?”

“They shut up.” When she laughed, he smiled. “Point being, you are not in a hostage situation, but you are in danger of being overtired or overstimulated, and so taking time to decompress is a smart thing to do.”