“All right. I suppose we can keep all that to a minimum.”
“To nothing, would be preferable.”
“Well, I’m just curious. And you can’t blame me. Of course I’m going to wonder about you. We’re spending time together and …”
“Don’t think of this as spending time together,” he said, his accent thicker than usual, forcing her to listen carefully to each word. She didn’t really mind. “Think of it as cars in traffic,” he lifted his hand from the wheel and gestured in front of them, at the line of cars that was starting to grow the closer they got to the city. “We’re on the same road for a while, but we’re not traveling together.”
“Right,” she said. “Except you and I are in the same car.”
They were stopped at a light, and he took his eyes off the road for the first time since they’d started driving, one dark eyebrow lifted. “You’re missing the point.”
“No, your metaphor doesn’t work because … well, we are traveling together.”
“No, it still works as a metaphor. Because it’s not meant to be taken literally.”
“Well, it’s just confusing as we’re traveling in the car, but you’re asking me to think of this as us in separate cars on the same road.”
“Now you’re just being obstinate.” The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile and he turned his focus back to the road.
A small flutter started in her stomach, growing and spreading to her veins, turning into fizzy bubbles as it flowed through her body. “All right. Maybe a little bit. But it’s just that … if we can’t talk at all I’m going to be lonely.”
“I didn’t realize I was meant to protect you, keep you entertained and keep you company.”
She let out a breath. “You’re making it sound like you’re nannying me again. And I’m certain my father is paying you enough to do all three of those things.”
“Actually, as of yesterday, he is not paying me.”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
“My men made inexcusable errors. And even though I was not personally responsible for those errors, it falls to me to correct it. As I said earlier, it’s not about money. It is about reputation, my standing in the eyes of my potential clients. This may surprise you, but I generally aid in the protection of people who are under a much larger threat than you will ever find yourself in.”
“Like?” she asked, curiosity too piqued to allow her to be offended.
“Men who dare oppose despots in their rigged elections, people who fight for change and find themselves in danger as a result. Sometimes, my clients are less noble. Sometimes it’s simply an entitled sheikh who has offended the wrong people.”
“So this really is babysitting for you?”
He grunted. The sound was noncommittal, designed to drive her crazy without him actually having to insult her. Not with actual words anyway.
“Do you intend to walk for a while?” he asked, as they drove through the main street of old-town Thysius.
“That would be good. I could go to the coffee shop and then to a couple of the boutiques. I want boots.” She wasn’t sure that she really wanted boots, but it was as good a destination as any. Mak, spending time with him, was starting to seem more interesting than boutiques.
“I’ll park and follow you from a distance.”
She swallowed the rising lump of disappointment she had no business feeling. “And they say romance is dead.”
“Romance has nothing to do with this,” he said, his voice hardening as he pulled the car, quick and smooth, into a tight parking space against the curb and between two other vehicles.
“I was being facetious.”
“Wait,” he said, killing the engine and getting out of the car, rounding the back of it. He put on a pair of dark sunglasses. His movements were liquid-smooth, his focus on the area around them. There was no way he could blend in, which meant his only option was to adopt an air of absolute authority. No one would ever question whether he belonged. No one would ever question him, period.
He opened her door and rested his forearm on the top of the car, leaning in. “It’s clear. Put your sunglasses on. Let’s not draw a crowd.”