What? The irritation grew into full-throttle anger. “Maybe he should stay out of my business. He’s supposed to protect her, not play boyfriend.”
“It’s my understanding that Ms. Francis came up with that cover.” He held up a hand to stop me from speaking. I hated that it made me feel like a child. “The point is, he’s supposed to protect her, but when he left the other day, he wondered if he needed to protect her from you. He said you were pretty hot under the collar.”
I glared at him.
“We all know that you have a short fuse, Bran. It’s annoying the shit out of us. But we hadn’t ever thought that any of the women we were hired to look out for could be in danger from you.”
I grit my teeth. “I would never hurt a woman. I most certainly wouldn’t hurt Anne. She’s carrying my child, for God’s sake.”
“You know, Bran, there are a lot of aspects of you that scream asshole—”
“If you’ve come here to insult me—”
Noel held his hands up. “Let me finish. You come off as an asshole, but I can see that you feel things intensely. The love for your sister. The need to protect what’s yours. I think that comes from a genuine place of caring. But you’ve got to ease up. I understand you and your sister are estranged right now.”
I scraped my hands over my face.
“Look, I’m not here to bust your balls. Actually, I’m here because I want to help. We want to give you the services you asked for, but you can’t go guns blazin’ whenever you’re irritated.”
I nodded. I’d been a bit high strung as a kid, but I hadn’t developed a short fuse and deathly fear of losing those I loved until my parents died and left me in charge of everything at only nineteen.
I sighed. “I know my faults. It’s the way I coped after losing my parents. Harper was fifteen. I was nineteen and all of a sudden raising a teenage sister and running a multimillion-dollar company and trying to keep the board from kicking me out.”
He nodded.
“Sharks are everywhere, Noel. You know that. Death and destruction could be around the corner. It’s my job to protect Harper and Anne.”
Why the fuck was I telling him all this? I suppose for once I wanted someone to understand that I wasn’t an asshole. I was terrified of losing the people I loved.
“I get it. Believe me, in my line of work, I know that evil lurks. But life and love are like sand. The tighter you grip it in your fist, the more it slips through your fingers. There’s a line between keeping your loved ones safe and holding them prisoner.” He tilted his head. “It’s my understanding that Ms. Francis is a surrogate, not a girlfriend.”
I sucked in a breath. “I feel possessive over her even though I shouldn’t.”
“Because of the baby?”
I shook my head, wondering if I was going to speak out loud what I’d only allowed myself to think. “No.” I stood and walked to my office window. “She’s important.”
“You have feelings for her.”
I nodded. “But our situation is complicated by our contract. Everything I do is interpreted through the lens of our agreement. Like you, she thinks I’m just overprotective because of the baby.”
“So, tell her differently.”
I turned to him. “My words don’t mean anything with this deal between us.”
“So, end the deal. Fulfill the contract now. Give her some breathing space. See how she responds. If she’s going to stick around, you want it to be because she likes you, right? Not because she’s trapped.”
I listened to his words, letting them sink in.
“That’s the same advice for Harper as well. Dax said running into her was the first time he was afraid for his life.” Noel laughed.
I was sure that wasn’t true, but it spoke to Harper’s disdain of me.
“Perhaps hot headedness runs in the family. It’s usually more intriguing on a woman, though.”
I scowled.
He laughed again and held up his hands. “I’m not hitting on your sister, Bran.” He stood. “I’ve got to go. Think about what I said. Give your loved ones a little breathing room. Let them know you trust them.”