Tell Me What You Want: Knights of Texas Book One Page 2

  Dead right. Renner merely smiled and took the beer. Their hands grazed each other, and he could’ve sworn her fingers were as icy as the can.

  She crossed her arms under her small breasts. No bra, either.

  Several empty boxes of muffin mix littered the counter, and a sink full of used bowls and muffin tins. A huge platter of muffins piled high filled the room with the delicious scent of blueberries and vanilla.

  “My son is with my parents tonight.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Five,” she replied on a sigh and moved away.

  Something didn’t add up. Why hire a Knight and be confident enough to bring them to your house, and then act standoffish? Almost scared. Renner didn’t push the clients. They always revealed what they wanted in the end. He’d be patient. Supportive, no matter how long it took. After all, she’d paid for the whole night.

  “How long have you been in the escort business?” Cassie sat in the only armchair in the living room, leaving the entire couch to him.

  Definitely not open to being touched yet.

  “I’ve been a Knight for about six months.”

  She tilted her head. “Is that different than a regular escort?”

  “Higher end. Focus on more than just physical.”

  She tightened her hold on her arms, and nodded.

  “I was in personal protection for several years before that.”

  “Like a bodyguard?”

  “Mm-hm.” He took a sip of beer and reclined on the couch, trying to reassure her with his own calm behavior. Anything to get this woman to relax. She was stiffer than a two-by-four.

  “What kind of people did you guard?”

  “Executives, the occasional stalker victim, and a few entertainment professionals.”

  “And what, the escort business pays better?”

  The hint of condescension in her voice didn’t throw him. However, he wasn’t breaking any ice on this woman, which would definitely make for a difficult night. Renner needed to find out her motives. “They pay about the same, but Knights have a little less danger involved.”

  She nodded, then yawned. An actual yawn.

  That threw him. But what threw him more was the glint of a gold band on her left ring finger as she covered her mouth.

  Not a divorcee. Or if she was, it wasn’t her choice.

  “So tell me, Cassie, why did you call the agency?”

  A desperate look crossed her face and erased just as quickly. She swallowed and shifted into business mode.

  Like what she was about to ask was extremely hard but refused to be judged for it.

  “I need some help.”

  That much was clear. “How can I help?”

  “To be honest, I’d like to go upstairs now.”

  Wow. Direct. I can handle that.

  Renner set his beer on the coffee table and stood. He’d definitely go upstairs with this woman. She looked like she had a mountain of problems and needed a good tussle in the sheets. He was good at that. He held out his hand and waited for her to take it.

  Looking down at her made her small frame look tiny and vulnerable. As if something had beat Cassie into a ragged doll. The potential for Jessica Rabbit was extreme.

  Taking his hand, she stood, and her tired eyes stared into his for several seconds.

  When Renner stepped toward her, she tugged her hand away and retreated to the stairs.

  Not sure what game she’s playing, but I’ll help as best I can.

  He followed, noticing the closed doors throughout the upper floor. The wood floors were scratched and dented, no doubt from hours of toddler toys and playtime. Very lived-in.

  Her bedroom was the only open door. Also very lived-in. Queen-sized bed with a rose flowered bedspread, cushy carpet and a reading nook by the window. At least twenty books piled on the nightstand and a box of tissues. Definitely her side of the bed.

  The rest of the room was tidy. Too tidy.

  Not a single candle, no music playing, nothing romantic about this setting. The nightstand on the other side of the bed was empty. What caught his eyes the most were the small holes in every wall. All the picture frames had been removed.

  “The bathroom is in here,” Cassie pushed on, ignoring his perusal. “I’ve put out fresh towels for you if you’d like a shower.” She showed him around the attached master bath as if he were staying in a hotel or sleeping over at his mother’s house.

  Definitely a divorcee. Not a single photo of an ex-husband anywhere.

  “Cassie.” He stopped her and tried to catch her hand, but she moved away.

  She was beautiful. In a reserved, scared squirrel way. If only she’d let her guard down. For a rather stoic lady, she fidgeted a lot.

  “I’ll help you relax,” he promised with a gentle smile. “It’s what I do best.”

  “I didn’t hire you for sex,” she rushed, and hugged herself, as if the thought made her sick.

  “Of course not. That’s illegal.” Renner smiled. “You hired my companionship. My time. I’m all yours, for the entire night.” He moved to her again, wanting to wrap his arms around her and start her night of stress-relief, but she stepped out of his reach.

  “I’ll be right back.” She escaped to the bathroom and shut the door.

  He took in a raspy breath. He still hadn’t discovered what she wanted. Any time he went to touch her, she scooted away like he had leprosy. The first client who didn’t seem attracted to him. It crawled up his skin like the scorpions in the Afghan desert.

  Not every woman was into the tall, muscular, crew-cut soldier. He hadn’t met any of those before. Not that he should take it personally. Cassie hadn’t given his agency any preferences for the kind of Knight she wanted, and sometimes clients changed their minds.

  Rationalizing her behavior didn’t make him feel better. Damn, this was just like his first appointment. A freshman pledge in a big man’s game, blowing his payoff too early.

  Cassie needed help with something. That much was obvious. It was his job to help.

  While she finished in the bathroom, he slipped off his shoes and took off his vest, draping it over the empty nightstand.

  As his cufflinks and shirt followed, she appeared with her hair draped over her shoulders. Long and wavy, with a crease where her hair band had been. Fresh, casual, almost a beach style with slender curves in all the right grooves.

  Bare-chested, he stood before her and watched her reaction.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “What do you think?” He smirked.

  Her mouth bobbed and she stared at his chest, her eyes visibly dropping down his abs and to his pants, then up to his face again. Pure shock. He smiled.

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  Renner sat on the bed and crossed his arms. “I thought this is what you wanted, Cassie. You paid a higher rate for the entire night at your private residence. The first thing you want to do is come straight upstairs. My assumption was intimacy. I apologize if I guessed wrong.”

  The desperate frown on her angelic face tugged at his heart.

  Something’s wrong.

  “Renner, I just want you to sleep with me.”

  He gave a nervous chuckle. “Agreed. Shall we?”

  Cassie sighed. “I mean, sleep beside me. Nothing physical.”

  That’s a curve ball. “You just want me to sleep next to you?”

  “I know it’s an awkward request for someone in your profession, but…I just want you to lay on this side of the bed, and stay there all night while I sleep.”

  He drew a blank. Who paid that much money just for sleep? “I’ll do whatever you want, Cassie.”

  “Thank you,” she sighed. The relief on her face rippled to the muscles in her shoulders.

  “Divorce?”

  She gave him a resigned stare. Her voice cracked when she spoke. “You can do whatever you like. Watch TV, read a book, sleep, anything. Just…don’t leave the bed until I wake up.”
<
br />   If Cassie didn’t look so exhausted, he might’ve pressed for more info. She’d skirted the question well.

  She walked around the bed and literally climbed in from three feet off the floor. Cassie ruffled the pillow and tucked her tiny feet in the sheets while Renner lay on his side, crossing his ankles.

  “Would you like another pillow?” she asked as she handed him the remote.

  “I’m good, Cass.”

  He might as well have sworn in a silent church, because everything in the room stopped.

  “Don’t call me that.” Her face turned blank, almost ghostlike.

  Ah, button number one. “All right. Cassie it is.”

  The pale green tank top hugged her figure perfectly and the fresh soap smell wafted from her smooth skin. While it wasn’t the typical nightwear his clients wore for bed, she was certainly seductive in her cute, college girl way. She didn’t look much older than that, either.

  She reached over her head and turned off the lamp, then snuggled into her pillow. “Good night, Renner. And thank you.”

  The way she’d whispered his name and thanked him with her eyes closed, set his protective instincts into hyper-mode.

  This woman paid to have a stranger sleep next to her in her own bed. No doubt she could use a good night’s sleep as much as phenomenal sex. Maybe the most helpful thing in the world to this sweet creature was something simpler.

  He slowly closed the two-foot gap between them and wrapped his arm around her middle, spooning her body with the gentle touch of a full body hug.

  Cassie’s head shot up instantly. “What’re you doing?”

  “Helping you relax,” he cooed in her ear.

  “Please don’t. I just…need to sleep.” The desperation in her voice almost sounded like crying. “I haven’t really slept in a long time.”

  It took all his military training to hide his bruised ego.

  What else can I do to get this woman to give?

  “Go ahead.” Renner struggled to use his most soothing voice. “I promise I won’t try to kiss you or seduce you, unless you ask me to. Just relax and try to sleep.”

  Her whole body had gone back to a stiff board and she pulled away. Flipping on the light, she sat up and looked at him, as if studying a stranger in the middle of a street. “I appreciate trying to help me relax, Renner. But…I don’t want this.”

  “Okay.” There was only one avenue left. Brutal honesty. “You just looked like you really could use a hug. No expectations, nothing intimate, Cassie. I promise.”

  They sat beside each other in silence.

  Renner watched her fatigued and tortured expression bounce between him and her side of the bed. He hated feeling useless. Like his presence was the exact opposite of what she wanted.

  I guess I’m not as good at protecting as I thought.

  It was several minutes before she spoke again. “You’re wearing his cologne.”

  He almost didn’t hear her, she was so quiet, but he swore he could hear her heart cracking.

  This was not a divorcee, no matter what his boss had assumed. This was much worse. And it was his presence that made her act this way. More specifically, his scent.

  “I’ll wash it off,” he whispered, and moved to climb out of the bed. But she held his arm with the grip of a drowning victim.

  “Don’t.”

  Neither of them moved.

  He sat there, letting her cling to his arm until she settled. A war of emotions battled across her pretty face. Renner wanted desperately to create peace, at least a truce and ease her pain. Everything he’d done up to this point had only driven her further away.

  Asking who ‘he’ was would make it worse, given Cassie’s fortified shyness. Although he was certain who shared the same cologne. The same man who was in all the missing frames. The man who’d put that ring on her finger.

  Was this a military man? Had she been visited by that black car with a chaplain, no doubt with her son playing in the house? Too many of his friends’ wives had been visited by two Marines with news worse than anyone should ever have to bear. She’d probably given them the same anguished look that she gave him now.

  “Do you want a hug, Cassie?”

  Her emerald eyes watered as she studied him, and he worried she’d refuse. Finally, she nodded.

  Renner opened his arms and let her rest her head on his shoulder. Her arms tightened around him as he heard her breathe in his scent.

  Another man’s cologne.

  For several long minutes, her breathing was uneven and often came in tiny gasps. Like she was fighting tears.

  Her hair smelled of raspberry shampoo and Irish Spring soap. The amber light from the lamp cast a cinnamon sheen across her blonde locks. Everything about this woman almost broke his reserve. The raw emotions pouring out of her were a weapon of love that no battalion could thwart.

  Hunkering down into the pillows and covers, he wrapped her in his arms and felt her muscles slowly give. Gradually, her breathing evened and the firm grip around his back loosened.

  It didn’t matter how long she slept or that he still wore jeans. Or that she drifted off to sleep thinking of another man. After only a few minutes, Cassie was deep asleep on his shoulder, and Renner just watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her back. Wet drops landed on his shoulder.

  Careful not to wake her, he shifted just enough to see a few tears drift down her cheek. “Cassie?” he whispered. He’d seen a lot as a bodyguard and a Knight, and even more as a soldier. But he couldn’t handle a woman crying. From her even breathing, she was asleep.

  His arms squeezed tighter, gentle and reassuring, and her whole body sighed against him.

  Cassie needed more than just a good night’s sleep. Suddenly, this night was more than just another job or another client.

  More than making someone feel safe or wanted. This was a desperate honor, a privilege to be here for Cassie during a dark moment. Perhaps, her darkest. Eventually, he slipped off and they both slept in the dim glow of the lamp.

  Cassie

  A few cracks of early light spanned across Cassie’s face and she opened her eyes. A dark sunrise peeked through the blinds, but the brightness of the room confused her. Ah, the lamp was still on.

  Something moved beneath her. Not a pillow.

  Suddenly the world rushed back into her brain, and she remembered.

  Renner…the escort.

  Wearing that cologne and looking just like…

  He’d stayed with her. The entire night.

  I slept the entire night?

  The clock on her nightstand glowed blue. 6:55 a.m.

  Thank God. Relief flooded her body and she hugged the strange, yet welcome form beside her. All she knew was his name, that he used to be a bodyguard, and had the same affinity for colognes. This man had given her the one thing she really needed. The first straight night’s sleep in six months.

  It didn’t matter that she’d had to pay for it.

  “Good morning, Cassie,” the man’s sultry voice cooed.

  She sat up and looked at him, watching his too-good-to-be-real smile and hazel eyes glowing into hers. Bare chiseled chest, light tan and defined abs filled her bed. Cassie could see why a woman would fall for this escort, but she knew better.

  Her heart wouldn’t let her connect after what she’d been through. Especially, not with an escort. Nevertheless, she was grateful he’d stayed with her, no expectations or assumptions.

  No judgments, either.

  “You slept well,” Renner continued when she didn’t say anything.

  “Thanks to you,” she sighed and brushed her hair back, not really caring that it was a crazy mess.

  Light shadows lined his eyes, and a hint of stubble covered his chin. He pulled off the sleepy warrior look to perfection.

  “Did you sleep at all?”

  With a noncommittal shrug, he yawned. “A bit. I enjoyed the company.”

  Cassie smiled, but pulled away. The whole exchange felt entirely too
intimate. Slipping off the bed, the carpet felt cold to her bare feet. She escaped to the bathroom and did her business. When she returned, he’d already stood and redressed. The chic and trendy vest and jeans combination looked good on him.

  What amazed her more was that she actually paid attention. The last six months had been on autopilot, making it one hour to the next, let alone day-to-day. Keeping her son on as normal schedule as possible kept her moving, despite moments of emotional chaos. Those weak moments were easier to handle at home. Public breakdowns were luxuries she couldn’t afford. Not with Landon.

  Hiring Renner was the last thing she’d ever expected to do. Desperation had driven her to it. How could she possibly explain to her family and friends?

  Standing before him, Cassie could still smell a hint of the cologne that had made her drift to sleep.

  He took her hands, cupping them in both of his and kissed her knuckles. His calluses were rough and easily defined.

  “I can’t believe you stayed,” she mumbled.

  “You asked me to.” Renner quirked a confused smile at her. “It’s what you needed.”

  It’s what I paid for.

  She couldn’t stop the thought from jumping in. The purpose of escorts—their stereotype—wasn’t lost on her. Not that she’d ever indulge. Cassie hadn’t been brought up that way. It wasn’t the kind of home she’d created for Landon.

  “Cassie, not that I’m not happy to be here and give you what you wanted, but why did you call the agency for this? Just a warm body in the bed, couldn’t a friend have done this?”

  The question was inevitable. Although, he’d gone the entire night before he’d asked. Or maybe she was just that tired; he hadn’t gotten to it before she’d collapsed.

  “I didn’t want someone I knew. Who knew me, and what…happened. The constant questions or talking about it, or the…pity. I didn’t want another reminder.”

  When he opened his mouth to push for more, she rushed the rest.

  “Asking this of another man who may have wanted to take it further was out of the question. I don’t want any hassles or entanglements with personal feelings or intimacy.” A crushing pain gripped her abdomen, the same she always felt when her mind wandered to him.

  Or the thought of asking for help. That was just as worse.