He turned to Maksim. “I’m sorry. I’m not the right man for this job.”
Chapter 2
Well, he wasn’t a lunkhead.
That was Ellina’s first thought when Maksim escorted the man who was to be her bodyguard into the room. Nope, not a lunkhead at all. No bulked-up shoulders and chest that hid any hint of a neck. No military crew cut or arms the size of small battering rams.
Really, the only way to describe him was—perfect. Very tall—6'5" maybe. Lean, powerful muscles like those of a swimmer, hair that bordered on shaggy. Sexy, but not because he intended it to be that way.
His touch had been very nice too, his palm slightly callused and warm, his fingers tapered and strong. And she’d felt a wave of something, so she’d released his hand.
He did appear—well, perfect.
That was until he spoke.
“I’m sorry. I’m not the right man for the job.”
What? Ellina frowned, all of her pleasant surprise and interest disappearing in a rush of irritation.
What? How had he come to that conclusion in just a few seconds? Ellina knew it was silly, but damn it, she was insulted. She was supposed to be the one deciding whether she wanted to hire him. Not the other way around.
Maksim started to say something, but Ellina cut him off.
“What do you mean you’re not right for the job?” she asked sharply, which was probably what Maksim was going to ask too—although maybe a tad more tactfully.
The man, who was rapidly becoming the lunkhead she’d expected, didn’t react right away, didn’t even act as if he’d heard her speak. Another bad response on his part. But after a moment, he shifted to face her.
“I just don’t think this job would be a good fit for me.”
She raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, feeling further insulted.
“And you came to that conclusion how?”
He again didn’t respond immediately. As if he was searching for the right words.
Lunkhead.
She frowned at him, fighting the urge to tap her foot as she waited.
Why was she reacting this way? Because she was supposed to be the one who was reluctant about this. But instead he hadn’t just been reluctant, he’d refused to work with her. And it was…it was insulting. Why wouldn’t he want to work with her?
“I—” He snapped his mouth shut.
She’d been right, he was trying to find the appropriate words, and he was struggling. That wasn’t particularly comforting, frankly.
What was it about her that made him decide he couldn’t work with her? And that quickly too? She was easy to get along with. She was downright enjoyable to be around. Ask anyone. Well, ask her brother. Or her sister-in-law. Maybe her editor.
Whatever! Plenty of people thought she was just lovely.
Her right foot started to tap, and she stopped it.
“I just don’t think I’m right for this job.”
All that careful thinking, and that’s all he could come up with?
Her foot tapped again, and again she caught herself, keeping her bare foot pressed to the worn floorboards.
“I’ve already discussed the details of this job with you. You said it wouldn’t be any problem,” Maksim said, impatience coming out in his voice rather than his foot.
Jude shifted back to her brother, the action so swift, she got the impression that he was relieved not to have to interact with her any further.
She gritted her teeth. This was ridiculous—and in a different way than she’d expected.
“That is true,” Jude said. “But—”
“But what?” Even Maksim seemed insulted on her behalf.
“I can usually tell right away if I’ll be the right for the job or not. And in this case—I just think it wouldn’t be a good fit.”
“So you’ve said,” Ellina couldn’t help saying to his profile. “But you seem unable to explain why.”
Jo made a noise from beside her, but Ellina didn’t stop glaring at the once-perfect-now-lunkhead in front of her to see if her sister-in-law was laughing or just making a sound of agreement.
“Sometimes these things can’t be explained,” he said, turning to meet her gaze, although she couldn’t read his eyes. Just blank. “In my work, I’ve become pretty good at following my gut.”
Ellina made a face, letting him know exactly what she thought about his gut, then asked, “Well what could your gut possibly tell you about me? In less than two minutes?”
From the corner of her eye, she noted that Maksim’s reaction changed from irritation to bemused amusement. She had no doubt that he found her reaction quite humorous, given that she’d adamantly said she didn’t want a bodyguard and now she was fighting with the man to have him.
Well, not have him. But not be disregarded by him.
She paused. What was she doing? She had become far too careful to become agitated. She knew what could happen when she felt anxious. She’d spent years perfecting her ability to remain calm. But she could feel herself slipping. And how long before this lunkhead saw it too?
Who the hell cared if he did? She didn’t want him here anyway. She should be pushing the man right out the door. He was giving her a perfect out.
The only thing still perfect about the guy.
She started to open her mouth to say that he should probably go, then snapped her lips shut.
She couldn’t help it. She wanted an explanation as to why he didn’t want the job. Breathing in deeply, she calmed herself down. A method she’d mostly perfected over the years.
“Why can’t you work with me?” she asked again, this time keeping her voice steady.
“Well, I’m pretty certain you are difficult,” he said, his voice wry.
“She can be,” Maksim agreed.
Ellina glared at her brother. Breathe.
“But difficult clients can’t be that unusual to you,” Maksim added, oblivious to Ellina’s glower. “You know as well as I do that this isn’t the typical security position. Ellina needs some pretty special abilities to keep her safe. And you have those abilities. This is exactly the type of job you said you take.”
Jude didn’t say anything, but a muscle in his jaw jumped slightly as if he was clenching his teeth.
“Special abilities? What special abilities does he have?” Ellina asked Maksim, already aware that she wouldn’t get a direct answer out of the lunkhead.
Maksim frowned. “If you’d read his résumé, you’d know that he’s more than capable of handling any situation, whether it be from human causes or otherwise. And he knows what you are too.”
“Oh. Right.”
Of course he’d have to be paranormal. All bases had to be covered, didn’t they?
And, of course, Maksim would have disclosed that she was a freak. Half human/half demon. Not a part of either world. She could deal with that most of the time, but there were moments when she struggled with being okay in her own skin. This was beginning to feel like one of those times—even now that she’d gotten her agitation under control.
Still, did the half-breed thing bother him? She knew it was off-putting for some preternaturals. Maybe he was one of them.