“Oh, but I do get to tell you what to do when it comes to Maya’s welfare and care. Right now, you’re a threat to that and you need to leave.”
“You’re here to guard her body.”
“I’m here to protect Maya. All of her. Now leave before I have to call in your escort and have them make you leave.”
Maya wasn’t sure he could do that. Whoever was with Kathryn was likely under her thumb.
“I am not going to stand for this!” Kathryn told him. “You will pay for the way you’ve spoken to me.”
“Oh, give it a rest, Kathryn,” Maya said, peering around Matthieu’s back. He placed an arm out behind him to keep her from moving any further. But she didn’t try to. It wasn’t like she wanted to get closer to Kathryn. “I’m not that scared girl anymore. I’m stronger. I’m smarter. And I’m no longer your punching bag. So get out of here.”
“I have never hit you!” Kathryn said, affronted.
“Not physically. But I took hit after hit from you when I was a kid. And I don’t have to do that anymore. I’m hungry, Matthieu.”
“Then let’s get you fed.”
Turning, she headed back to the break room. She could turn her back on Kathryn, because she knew that Matthieu was there, protecting her.
And that felt amazing.
She walked into the room and sat at the table, feeling shaky. Matthieu didn’t sit across from her, though. He moved around to sit next to her, then turned her chair to face his.
“Are you all right?”
Maya automatically nodded. Then she really thought about it and shook her head.
Matthieu grasped hold of her hands. Yep, they were shaking. He squeezed them lightly. “Everything will be all right.”
She shook her head. “She’s going to go to my father and make up some story about the way I mistreated her. And then he’ll probably fire you and I’ll be on my own again.” Shoot, she hadn’t meant to say that. “I mean, I’ll be unprotected.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“It will.” It was nice that he was optimistic. But she wasn’t. She’d had too many years of being let down and discarded to feel anything like that when it came to her family.
“It will be fine, because no matter what happens, I’m not leaving you until the threat is gone.”
“But I can’t pay you.”
“Didn’t say anything about payment, did I, Bébé?” he asked in a surprisingly tender voice.
She glanced down to see him rubbing his thumbs over the tops of her hands. Then she realized she’d had this whole conversation while looking him in the face.
Hmm, either it was because she was too upset to see his beauty. Or she was becoming less intimidated by him.
Probably the former, but she also hoped it was a bit of the latter.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Don’t think you did ask. I offered. Actually, it’s not even an offer. It’s a promise. Because no matter what you say, I am staying to look after you.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t know what to say.”
He tilted up her head with his finger under her chin. She stared into his face, feeling herself heating up from the inside out.
God. She wanted him so much.
She could feel the heat from where parts of his body touched her. His knees brushing against hers, his finger under her chin, his hand on hers.
