Inescapable

She masked her disappointment, but not before he caught it. She wandered over. “I’d really appreciate it, just to breathe that crisp air and get some natural light.”

He went to the hall to switch off the alarms at the main box, ad she followed, clinging to his arm as if it was Christmas and he was giving her the best present in the world. While he flicked the alarm switches off, he dealt out the rules. “I need to be able to see you at all times, and I want you to stay close to the doors so that you’re not visible to anyone who might be walking on the land beyond the gardens. There’s a public footpath there, and occasionally people pass through.”

“We are safe here, aren’t we?” She stared at the alarm box, as if he’d put the doubt in her mind.

It was no bad thing, but still…he hated to see the worried expression of face. “Yes, very safe, as safe as we can be right now. I just have to remain vigilant. It’s my job.”

“Thanks Seth, I appreciate this.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly. It was like a promise. Her kisses always felt like promises.

When they walked back to the patio doors, he paused and stroked her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry it can’t be more than a minute.”

She nodded. He opened the door and she wandered out.

He stood in the doorway watching as she walked up and down the patio a mere three feet away from where he was in the doorway. She was following his rules. Shielding her eyes, she looked first at the landscape beyond, and then she looked at the border shrubs that ran along the patio. If Gareth, his stepfather, had been here, he’d be out there with her telling her the names of the various plants. He always did that when a guest showed interest. They’d like Lily, his parents. She was warm and vivacious. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, wondering at the way his thoughts had wandered. It was Lily; she got him so easily distracted. That was not a good thing.

She wrapped her arms close around herself, and he knew that she was cold. It was pretty obvious that she didn’t care. She was dressed so inappropriately for a winter morning, he noticed, with that short skirt and the high heels.

It’s because she is dressed for a date, a sexy date in London, with Adrian.

I just got lucky and got in on the act.

He cursed himself under his breath. It just wasn’t right, any of it. The most important rules of his job were to always remain vigilant, and never get emotionally involved. What was wrong with him? He was failing to concentrate. Perhaps he was too old for the job. It happened. Whatever it was, the niggling doubts he had faded as he watched Lily. She was coming back to the house.

“My minute is up, thank you.” A smile hovered around her mouth. Once he stood back, she stepped outside the door and looked at him. “I need to ask you for something.”

That sounded heavy. “Go ahead.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I need some underwear.”

He frowned. “Underwear?”

“I only had the one pair of knickers, obviously.” She flashed him a glance that showed she really didn’t want to have to ask him about this. “I’ve been washing them and drying them on the radiator overnight, but you tore them, yesterday.”

“Right.” Staring at her, he felt stupid. He should have thought of it. Normally his witnesses in protection were prepared, at least with an overnight bag. Not this one. With Adrian it was easy; he’d passed on some of his own gear. He hadn’t even thought about Lily, except how good she looked in what she was wearing. Then again, when he was thinking about her underwear, he was mostly thinking about taking it off.

He shook his head. Yep, he was well and truly a lost cause over this woman. “Come on, I’m sure we can find you something, upstairs.”

Lily cocked her head on one side as she looked up at him, but didn’t comment. He locked the patio doors and took her hand, leading her into the hallway.

“Hold on.” He walked over to the control panel and flicked the alarms back on. Lily watched, and nodded. She followed him up the staircase, looking around with curiosity. There were several more rooms on the first floor that she hadn’t seen before. Seth led her to another staircase, at the top of which was the door he’d checked was locked at the outset. She stared at the ’private‘ sign on the door. Seth unlocked the door and ushered her in, watching as she walked into the private space.

“Oh, wow, what a fantastic view.” She walked across the sitting area to the picture window, which was directly above the patio she’d been on earlier. Gareth, his step dad, plotted and planed all his planting from up here. His aerial view, as he called it.

Seth shut the door and walked in, glancing around. He’d been here just a few weeks before, at Christmas, but he was seeing it through her eyes.

“Oh, my God, this is you.” She’d lifted a framed photo from the sideboard.

Shit. He strode over and snatched it out of her hand, but she wrestled him for it, grasping it in both hands and holding it up next his face, chucking as she did so. “What were you, eighteen?”

Seth could have kicked himself, he hadn’t thought this through. “Thereabouts.

”

She looked at it from under her lashes, and that knowing look that women got appeared on her face. “I bet you had lots of female attention. I certainly would’ve been interested.”

Seth reached for the photograph when she was off guard, putting it back in its position on the sideboard.

Her expression grew more serious, and he knew the penny had dropped. “This isn’t a safe house at all, is it? This is your family home.”