“Other than for one particular event, it was an okay day,” he replied vaguely.
“Expand on ‘particular event.’”
“I’ll tell you all about it when we get to the penthouse.”
Satisfied that he didn’t intend to blow her off, Khloé nodded. “All right.” Having said her goodbyes to everyone, she allowed him to shepherd her out of the studio.
Radiating protectiveness, he practically glued himself to her side as they strolled down the strip, passing an endless number of pedestrians. Many businesses were now closing and pulling down aluminum roller shutters. Others were only just opening, and “Closed” signs were being flipped around.
“Do you miss guarding Asher?” she asked as they walked into the hotel.
Keenan gave her a sideways glance. “I miss seeing him every day—I got used to it. But there’s no way I’d protect him properly when I’m so worried about you. I’d be distracted, so I’d be no good to him. Plus, I just need to be near you right now. I won’t function well if I’m not.”
Warmth bloomed in her stomach. The dude said the best stuff sometimes. Her demon might have melted if its emotional repertoire wasn’t so stunted.
Once inside the elevator that would take them up the penthouse, Khloé said, “Although I don’t think it’s strictly necessary for you to always be local in the event that I’ll need you, I do appreciate that you’d put some of your responsibilities temporarily aside for me—I know that can’t be easy for you. You take your position very seriously.” She respected and admired his dedication and drive.
He gave her an odd look that was close to hopeful, and his face softened. “I do.”
Reaching the top floor, she stepped out of the elevator and made her way to the fancy kitchen with Keenan hot on her heels. He leaned against the counter, watching as she prepped the coffee machine and then switched it on … as if every little move she made fascinated him.
She grabbed two mugs out of the cupboard. “So, tell me what happened that tainted your otherwise okay day.”
He straightened, sighing. “Knox called Thea in for a disciplinary meeting. I asked him to speak with her and make it clear that she was not to bother you again. I wasn’t so confident that she’d heed my warnings.”
Khloé would have liked to have been there, but she understood why she hadn’t been invited—lair business was lair business. And, yeah, she’d have probably stirred shit up. “I’m guessing she wasn’t too pleased about the whole thing.” Which made Khloé feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
“No, she wasn’t,” he confirmed.
“Did she make excuses about why she approached me?”
“She just said she wanted to talk to you.” He gently tugged out the tie binding her hair and watched as it tumbled down her back like a black river. His gaze followed the movement of his hand as he smoothed it over the dark strands. “She didn’t seem to see any wrong in that, though she did say she could understand why her behavior would be reported.”
“Which she no doubt said in the hope that it would placate Knox.”
“Probably.” Coffees in hand, they settled on the stools at the kitchen island, angling their bodies to face each other. “She found it hard to believe that I’d truly taken you as my mate,” Keenan added.
Her demon huffed. “Found it hard to believe or simply didn’t want to believe it?” asked Khloé.
“Probably a little of both, considering she claimed that she wouldn’t have kept walking out of my life if only I’d chosen her over my position of sentinel.”
Khloé jerked back. “Say what?”
“She felt that she wouldn’t have been my priority.”
“Because you have a demanding job? That’s bullshit. It’s more likely that she felt threatened by how close you are to Knox and the other sentinels. She wanted to weaken the bonds between you and them.”
Keenan pursed his lips, considering that. “Possibly.” Honestly, he couldn’t give a shit either way anymore. “But she wouldn’t be the first person to find being mated to a sentinel very difficult,” he said, knots in his stomach. It was a probing comment, and she clearly sensed it.
His little imp sipped at her coffee. “If you’re asking, in a roundabout way, whether it will be a problem for me, the answer is no.”
With hope budding inside him, he waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t. “Just no?” he asked.
“Just no.”
He inwardly sighed. That was the thing about imps—you’d only get the right answer if you asked the right question. “Any particular reason why my position won’t be a problem for you?”
“For one thing, I like that you have your own life and a sense of purpose—not everybody does, and it can make them feel lost.”
“Like your mother,” he mused.
“Like my mother. And Lucian, for that matter.”
Keenan gave a slow nod, in total agreement that Harper’s father—the ultimate nomad—was in fact lost. His demon didn’t have even an inkling of respect for the other male.