Protecting You - Complete

Chapter 3 - Ana

Sitting in the fanciest apartment I'd ever seen, I said that lemonade would be lovely. Mrs. Jones seemed friendly, and I felt myself relax a little knowing she was close by. Mia's brother, Christian, joined me further down on the sectional but not close enough to alarm.

"Make that two please, Mrs. Jones," he said, relaxing back into the buttery soft leather. Oh, how the other half lived!

"So, Ms. Steele. Anastasia? You said you have no family, no job, and no friends? How so?"

I shivered slightly, hearing the way he said my name. I usually preferred Ana, but the way his lips caressed my name made me want to hear him say it constantly. Quickly castigating myself for letting my thoughts stray in that direction rather than toward gratitude for all Christian was doing for me, I cleared my throat and answered.

"Well, I grew up in Montesano, a small town a few hours south of here. My father died when I was a day old, so it was just my mother, Carla, and me until she married my stepdad, Ray Steele. I was only a baby when they married, so he's the only father I've ever known. When I was in middle school, my mother had an affair and divorced daddy. Carla took me to live in Las Vegas with husband number three, but I hated it there, so daddy came and brought me home and I lived with him until I left for college. My mother divorced husband number three, and last I heard she had moved to Savannah and was on to husband number four—but that was some years ago, so she might be onto husband number five or six by now," I joked.

Oh, God! Please stop me rambling! Something about the stunningly handsome man in front of me made me lose my brain to mouth filter, and I'd just revealed my family history in the most humiliating way possible. The man probably thought I was a red-neck hick and wished he'd never invited me into his home.

"Which college did you attend?" Christian asked, regarding me with his beautiful stormy gray eyes.

"WSU for English literature. I was in my freshman year when daddy died. A driver who was texting hit his car. By the time I paid the mortgage on the house off, there was just enough to help me get through college. I was lucky to find a job in a hardware store that worked around my on-campus hours. Between that, and being a residential advisor, I had little time to party." I didn't add that being an RA wasn't exactly the best way to endear oneself to other students, even if it did mean free accommodation. Maybe it was because Ray had been so determined I get through college, or perhaps it was because I lost him when I did, while my fellow students saw college as a time to explore and party, I'd kept my eyes firmly on the prize. "What about you, Christian? Did you attend college?"

"Harvard. But I dropped out after a year."

I raised my eyebrow questioningly.

"I had plans to start my business, and Harvard was holding me back," he explained. "I didn't want to waste my time studying when I could be doing."

"Well, you've obviously succeeded," I said with a smirk, gesturing to the opulent surroundings. "Tell me about what it is you do."

I listened for the next twenty minutes as Christian outlined GEH, and how he made his money. While he was talking, Mrs. Jones brought out an elaborate array of finger sandwiches and a large pitcher of lemonade, placing them on the coffee table between us. Even though we'd not long come from lunch, I'd eaten sparingly, so still had room for these. And damn if they weren't the best finger sandwiches I'd ever eaten. I really should have stopped at one or two, but since there were so many on the platter, I allowed myself to have a third. By the time talk had moved on from his work, and my career aspirations, to books and then movies, our afternoon tea felt more like a date than a security situation.

Mr. Taylor walked into the room and discreetly cleared his throat—and just for a moment, Christian looked annoyed.

"Yes, Taylor?"