Page 61 of Her Sensual Protector

“I want to hear that crap. Haven’t you figured it out yet that I want to spend time with you and hear all about you, the insignificant minutia, the things that trouble you, the heart-wrenching and the funny. I want to hear it all.”

Her eyes went wide. “Are you high? We’ve known each other for three days,” she scoffed.

Leo could have taken it as a gut punch, but he had three older sisters and two teenage nieces. He could see the vulnerability that Daisy was working so hard to hide. And he could hardly blame her for still being angry that he’d ghosted on her when she needed him the most. That’s the story of her life. And it was up to him to convince her that he was the next chapter.

“We’ll take this a step at a time, okay?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

“Finish telling me what you started on the phone before I came up here.”

“No. I was just being a whiny baby.”

Leo went over to the window, sat down on the sill, and folded his arms. He waited.

“You think that tactic is going to work on me?” she asked.

He didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously Leo, I’m sick of hearing all the crap swirling around in my brain, why would you want to hear it?”

Once again she sat down on the bed. “I mean seriously. Where is my time better spent? At the home office, where I can really help bring in the money and coordinate the resources, or figuring out where W.A.N.T. is truly needed? And if it is on the ground, how can I do that without spending time with them? Did you see the girl? Abia? My God, Leo, she is so bright, she has so much potential, but the conditions she’s living in are horrific, and when you add on the fact that she’s living in a household run by a woman, she doesn’t stand a chance. What can I do?”

In four long strides, Leo was in front of her, then he knelt down. He put his hands on her knees. “Honey, you’re so tired you can’t see the forest for the trees. You’re not the same person I met three weeks ago. I’ve seen this happen so many times before. Have you ever been in-country like this when you were trying to help?”

“Sure, all the time. There was Haiti, the Philippines, Guatemala, and the Sudan.”

“When was that?” His thumbs rubbed circles on her knees.

“The last time was probably five years ago. Since then I’ve been more administrative.”

“Bullshit—you’re not administrative, you’re running the whole damn thing. Now, what did you do when you were in the field?”

“I helped where I could, and I submitted reports to recommend where funds could be best spent.”

“Could you have made the decisions of where to spend the money back then?”

She shuddered. “God, no. I would have wanted to spend all the money, wherever I was at the moment.”

He nodded. “Exactly. That’s what’s going on right now. That’s why you’re spiraling.”

For long moments she looked down at his hands. Finally, she looked up, her eyes fierce. “What is my fucking problem? How could I have not seen that?”

“Probably because you’ve not had food or sleep, would be my guess,” Leo gave a slight chuckle.

“How dumb could I be?”

“Don’t call my girlfriend dumb.”

Daisy threw back her head and laughed. “I heard that. Thought you could sneak that by me, did you?”

“Like I said, you’re in a vulnerable state, you can’t see the forest for the trees. Seemed like a good time to stake my claim. Plus…” His voice lowered.

His eyes heated.

She shivered. “Plus what?”

“You’re sitting on a bed. In a hotel room, and…” His voice was a whisper.