“You’re lucky to have them, you know.”
That stopped Suzanne at the edge of the dock. “I know I am.” She turned to him, and the moonlight illuminated the beauty and fierce intelligence that rocked his world every time he looked at her. “They’ve always taken care of me, the same way I’ve taken care of them. But being loved by someone doesn’t give them license to walk all over you.”
Her words hit home in a big way. Roman’s father had always said he was pushing Roman to fight more, to win more, to play for the bigger purses, because he loved him. Because he was looking out for his son. Because he wanted Roman to have a better future than he did working at the factory. It had taken Roman a lot of years to understand that his father hadn’t been lying—it was the best way Tommy Huson could parent after being raised by a father who had always spoken with his fists. Unfortunately, it had turned out that what Tommy thought was best for his son was the worst. Spending every night as a teenager in the boxing ring hadn’t made Roman happy. Especially when he could never make up for the damage he’d done to some of the other guys he’d fought.
Alec heard them first, turning with a smile. “We were wondering where you and Roman were.” His grin fell away damned quick, however, as he took in Suzanne’s wrinkled dress, messy hair, and fierce expression.
“Something happened.” Alec jumped up from his perch at the end of the dock, Harry springing up beside him. “Are you okay, Suz?”
“I’m fine.” When one of her heels caught between two planks of wood, she kicked them off. Being barefoot and at least half a foot shorter than her brothers didn’t make her any less impressive, however, as she walked up to them. “I asked Roman to kiss me.” She paused as if for impact. “He did. And I kissed him back.”
A feral growl emerged from Alec’s throat as he leaped past Suzanne to get to Roman. He wouldn’t normally have let the other man’s hands grip his neck, but it was no less than he deserved for doing exactly what he shouldn’t have with the one woman on the planet who was completely off-limits.
Harry and Suzanne were both working to pull Alec off as he roared, “We hired you to protect our sister.” His fury reverberated through the night sky. “Not to take advantage of her!”
“He didn’t take advantage of me,” Suzanne said as she finally pushed between them, making Alec’s fingers slide from Roman’s neck. “I already told you, I’m the one who asked him to kiss me.”
If anything, Alec grew angrier. “He’s your goddamned bodyguard, Suz! Not some guy we set you up with on a blind date.”
“Roman is a great bodyguard. I don’t want one, and I still have to admit that. But he isn’t just a great bodyguard. He’s intelligent. And sweet. And easy to talk to. And—” She shook her head. “I don’t have to explain anything to you. Neither of us do. If we want to kiss again, then we’ll kiss again whether you like it or not.”
Jesus, she was a fireball. A gorgeous fireball whom Roman hadn’t been able to figure out how to keep his mouth—or hands—away from.
“Like hell you will.” Alec shot Roman another furious look. “You’re fired, you bastard. And if you come anywhere near my sister again, I’m going to absolutely destroy you.”
“Alec.” Harrison’s voice was loud. Firm. As firm as the push he gave his brother in the opposite direction of Roman and Suzanne. “Tempers are too high right now. We should let everything settle and come back to discuss things later when everyone is feeling more rational.”
“I’m feeling perfectly rational,” Suzanne insisted.
Roman wished he could say the same thing. But the truth was that he hadn’t felt rational since the second he’d set eyes on Suzanne.
She turned away from her brother to face him. “I know you came here to resign, and I know that’s what I’ve said I wanted all along, but now I want you to stay.”
“You’ve changed your mind about wanting a bodyguard?”
“You make me feel safe. And like I said before, I have more thinking to do about things before I can make any definite decisions.” She held his gaze in the moonlight. “But I don’t want you to go. Not yet.”
“If you think I’m going to let this guy work for you anymore—”
She spun back to Alec. “I didn’t come here so that you could tell me what to do! I came here because I love you enough to tell you I’ve made up my mind, and you’re not going to change it.” Again, she turned to Roman. “Stay.”