Page 113 of Knox

“I wish it were. It would make things simpler.”

“What do you mean?”

“Greedy people are easy to predict,” Knox says, his hand moving up and down my spine. “Whoever is targeting you doesn’t just want your inheritance, Cil. They want your life.”

I pull back just enough to look at him. “Knox…”

“Yes?”

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” he says, his thumb tracing my jawline. “I won’t let anyone get close enough to touch a single hair on your head.”

“Promise once we reach the island, you’ll check on me from time to time?”

“Check on you? Cillian, I’m not moving a meter away from you,” he explains, and I laugh out loud.

Knox glares at me like I’ve lost my mind.

And maybe I have.

“Sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s just ironic. Three weeks ago, the idea of having a bodyguard in the same room made me want to jump out a window. Now, knowing you’ll be attached to my hip makes me feel safe.”

“The feeling is mutual. Three weeks ago, I wanted off this assignment. Now I’ve asked Logan to keep me as your primary.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we won’t be doing daytime rotations anymore. I’m staying with you.”

“So you don’t trust your team to protect me?”

“I trust them with my life.”

“But not mine?” I push, knowing damn well that a lack of trust in his team isn’t the real reason.

I just want to hear him say it out loud.

“It’s not that… Law and Damián will be busy mingling with the guests to spot threats. Logan is managing team operations, and Tae is our medic, so he needs to stay mobile for emergencies.”

Excuses, excuses…

“And Alexios? Or the twins?”

“Alexios is always glued to his computer monitoring surveillance, and Leif also needs to be mobile in case of an emergency extraction.”

“What about Björn?”

“Fuck no!”

“Why not?” I grin, teasing him. “He already secured the island, so he’s totally free for the event.”

“He’s free, but no.”

“He seems really fun.”

Knox rolls us over, pinning my hands above my head against the cushions as he crowds his huge body over mine. “Stay away from Björn, Cillian.”

“Is he a bad guy?” I ask, biting my lip to suppress a smile.