Page 78 of Her Ruthless Protector

“Now do I get Ding Dongs?” she asked hopefully.

He pulled out another carton. “This will work, the hummus has a longer shelf life.” He spooned some on pita bread. “Eat,” he commanded.

“Yes, sir.” She ate a bite, then realized she really was hungry and downed the whole piece along with the entire bottle of water. She sat back on the couch. “Okay, sorry for the mini-meltdown.”

“Everyone’s entitled,” he told her.

“Sure, they are. Have you had one?”

“Yep. I drew a gun on Asher.”

She snorted. “You drew one on me. So, how’s that a meltdown?”

“I did it during one of our meetings because I was pissed at him. Trust me, it was a meltdown.”

She looked at Kane in amazement. “Did you really admit to that?”

“Why not? Honey, we’re all human, and I need you to know we’re in this together. We might not have known each other long, but dammit, we’re a team.”

A.J. got up and put her arms around him. “I needed to hear that. I really needed to hear that.”

Kane wrapped his arms around her and just held her.

It was perfect.

No questions.

He just held her.

A.J. had no idea how long they stood there, all she knew was that by the time she was ready to ask more questions, she felt at peace.

“Thank you,” she whispered up at him.

“Always, Adolphina.”

She shoved away from his chest.

“You did not just call me that,” she said with a grin. “Tell me you did not just call me that.”

“I think I’m going to call you Adolphina Jade from now on.”

“Oh, you’re an asshole of epic proportions. Here I was feeling all warm and snuggly from the hug and you go and say that.”

The man is perfect. Absolutely perfect. A.J. couldn’t wipe the silly grin off her face.

“Let’s get to it,” she said. “How is it going with Gray and checking out everything with the main stage?”

“The main stage is fine, it’s the VIP boxes and the covering over the seats that’s directly across from the stage that’s our problem.”

“I’m not surprised. What are you doing about it?” she asked.

“It’s one hundred and fifty meters across so we’re going to have ten armed men patrolling the top at all times. Underneath there, in the rafters, our man Hunter Diaz went through every potential hiding spot. It’s clear. He’s now positioned there for the next twenty-four hours.”

“You can’t mean to leave him there for that long.” A.J. was aghast.

“Damn right we can. He’s perfect for the job. Nobody will get past him.”

“Okay, but you seem worried about something. What is it?” A.J. asked.