Page 150 of Their Fairy Princess (Office Intrigue Duet 7)
I motioned her out of the direct path of the other guests. “Who’s your brother?”
“Ransom Bishop.”
“He’s not here,” I told her.
Her eyes widened and a glimmer of fear replaced the determination. “He’s not? He said he’d be here.”
I motioned toward the front door. “Left about an hour ago. Said he had to take care of something.”
Her hand covered her mouth. “Oh, God.”
Releasing the wrist I’d inadvertently been running my thumb over, I motioned for her to step toward the hallway. No sense causing a scene.
Footsteps erupted behind me. With my body blocking her from view, I glanced over my shoulder.
“Hey. She can’t be here.”
The new arrival was glaring up at me as though he just might have the mind to take matters into his own hands should I not abide by his declaration. He attempted to look around me to locate the female. As though it was my sole position in life, I didn’t move, keeping her sheltered between my body and the corner, my back to the room.
I turned my attention back to the female while I continued to speak to the male who was making a feeble attempt at passing himself off as security. “She’s here. And she’s not leaving until I say she’s leaving. Understand?”
She craned her neck, staring up at me, but I didn’t detect any fear in those pretty brown eyes.
“Look, man,” the male muttered. “I’m not some submissive you can boss around. I’m TJ Arlington’s second-in-command.”
“Ah.” I smirked, never taking my attention off the female. “Well, why don’t you find me the top dog then. Perhaps he’ll have a bit more respect for Mr. Arlington’s guests.”
“She’s not a guest,” he argued.
“Maybe not. But I am.” I spared him one quick glance over my shoulder. “Consider her my plus one. Interrupt me again, you won’t walk out of here under your own steam.”
He swallowed, clearly detecting the sincerity of my threat. I didn’t bother waiting for him to walk away before I peered back at the female.
“What’s your name?” I asked, my voice softer than before.
“Braelyn,” she whispered, still looking up at me. “Braelyn Bishop.”
I nodded as I stood tall, still keeping her protected from the room. “I’m Talon.”
As though she’d heard my name before, her eyes flared slightly before settling.
I took one step back, giving her room to breathe, but I kept her shielded in the corner.
“Did you try calling him?”
“Yeah.” She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “Several times. But he does this on occasion. Ignores my calls when he’s too busy.”
“Talon?”
The familiar voice had me turning to see TJ Arlington strolling my way.
A foreign need to defend had me standing taller, maxing out my full six feet eight inches, broadening my stance as I turned my back on the female. Didn’t matter that I knew TJ wasn’t a real threat. The beast inside me panted, paced, readied for a fight and I’d never felt it as fiercely as I did at that moment.
“Relax, big guy,” TJ joked. “I just wanted to let you know you’ve got access to any place in my home.” He motioned down the hall. “There’s a library and an office that way. Guest rooms upstairs. I’ve informed my boys to keep clear.”
I offered a nod of thanks.
Without waiting for more, TJ turned and walked off, greeting another guest.
“Why don’t I try calling him,” I told Braelyn when I turned back, gestured for her to head down the hallway. “Perhaps we should check out the library.”
She smiled, obviously hearing the amusement in my tone. I would never understand why someone had a library in their home. I had bookshelves full of books in my house, but they weren’t in the library, it was simply a room. In my house.
Perhaps that was too pretentious for me.
When we stepped into the room, I retrieved my phone, pulled up Ransom’s contact info and dialed. A minute later, I was leaving a message for him to return my call.
“Does he usually avoid your calls, too?” Braelyn asked, her cute little ass leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.
“No. Never.”
“Shit,” she bit out seconds before she began pacing the ridiculous room.
The ceilings were roughly twenty feet tall, some awkward mural of what could’ve passed for Greek mythology painted across it. The walls were lined with dark wood shelving, all filled to overflowing with books. The bulk of which I was almost certain cost more than a small country. One bookshelf was dedicated to TJ Arlington and his wealth of publications revolving around romantic BDSM fiction.
