Sold to the Hitman by Logan Chance
Five
Titan
I knowthis woman thinks she can handle Steele on her own, but she’s crazy. I can’t let her traipse around in dark alleys and dangerous places looking for a man who could kill her with one bullet to her head.
Nope.
I won’t let that happen.
I won’t let anyone hurt her.
Now that I’ve met her, I can’t ever let her go. This sort of possessive thing has never happened to me before, but my gut tells me this is fate. That she’s my woman. I’ve never had this primal urge I can’t ignore.
“What’s your last name?” I ask, wondering if she’s even given me a real name.
“Payton. Blue Payton. And yes it’s my real name.”
I laugh a little at her reading my mind. “I guess your parents named you after those striking eyes of yours?”
She moves in front of me and shrugs a little, in a cute as hell way. “Yeah, they said they were the bluest eyes they’d ever seen.”
I’m right at her plump breasts. I look up at her, licking my lips.
Her gaze drops to my mouth and then darts to the cloth in her hand. “You’re all clean.” She skitters away to toss the towel in the washer that’s off to the side of the kitchen.
“So, how do you think we can work together?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, do you have a plan?”
“I’ve always got a plan.” This is a big fat lie, but I like to pretend I have a plan most days. Usually, I just go in places and fuck people up, no plan needed. But I can tell that Blue is a planner. “I suppose you like to plan?”
She beams, jabbing a thumb over her right shoulder toward the opposite end of the house. “I have three planners in my bedroom.”
Not shocked. Anyone who has a calendar on their refrigerator with post-it notes and stickers all over it is a person who doesn’t just wing it. After spotting that thing when she fled to grab a towel, I knew. Based on the amount of things on it, she appears to be the busiest person on the planet. And the sexiest.
At the mention of her bedroom, my body heats. I wish I could take her back there and get a feel for her bed, with her in it. We could plan how I’m going to slide my dick inside her and claim her as mine.
“Ok, as of right now, I have no plan,” I confess. “But I’m confident we can think of something.”
Blue nods. “I’m sure we can. Maybe we should get a good night’s sleep and start first thing in the morning?”
I peek over at the navy sofa covered in daisy print pillows. “I guess I’ll take the couch?”
“You would guess right,” she says with a wink, gliding across the tiled floor, past the kitchen. She disappears for a few minutes and comes back with a blanket and pillow. “You’ll love this faux fur blanket.” She spreads it out on the cushions with a whoosh, and tucks it in, giving me a prime view of her delectable ass. “Got it on sale at QVC. It was a steal.”
Her chatter makes me grin. “Thanks.”
“You shouldn’t fall asleep or use any electronics. Concussions are a big deal.”
I rub my head, feeling the bump there. “Yeah, I know.”
Once she’s gone to bed, I make a call to Rogue, filling him in on everything. I know I shouldn’t go to sleep just yet, in case I really do have a concussion, so I stare out at the vast woods outside her home. It really is quite peaceful.
I think about the woman I just met tonight. Behind my eyelids is a vision of long brown hair flowing in the wind when I took her outside. A few strands swept across the porcelain skin of her face and I wanted to brush it behind her ear like I’ve seen done in movies when the hero saves the girl.
I roll over and plump the pillow, unable to get her out of my mind. Her eyes are possibly her best feature. Sky blue like a cloudless day. She’s the type of woman when you see her, you keep staring just to take it all in, just to keep your breath from escaping your lungs too fast.
She’s the type of woman you can’t wait to get home to every day. The kind you don’t like leaving.
I toss and turn, trying my best to stop thinking about Blue and everything she has to offer.
Opposites attract,I guess. Blue is a morning person, and I’m definitely not, even more so because she woke me up every few hours to make sure I wasn’t in a coma. I jolt when she kicks the side of the couch.
“Time to get up. We have bad guys to catch.” She’s bright and chipper, and I cover my eyes against the rays of sun pouring in from all the glass.
“Go away.”
“Oh, no you don’t. It’s time to get to work. Isn’t this how you get things done?”
I groan louder.
“Well, sorry, I guess hitmen only work at night? In the shadows?”
I pop one eye open, staring at her.
She lifts her arms, palms facing me, like she’s surrendering. “Ok, ok. I guess hitmen don’t like to be bothered in the mornings. I’ll make a note of it, in case I ever cross any other’s path.”
I think about the brothers I work with at Ruthless Corp. “You’ll never meet another hitman.”
Blue’s eyes fill with questions. “I won’t? Why not?”
“Hitmen just don’t go places. They don’t go to bars and meet pretty girls.”
“They just buy them?”
I sit up, removing the blanket she gave me to use last night from my body. “You sure ask a lot of questions for this early in the morning.”
She rolls her eyes. “Want some coffee?”
My ears perk at the mention of a nice hot cup of joe. “Yes, now that sounds great.”
“Wonderful. I have a Keurig, so you can have any flavor you prefer. I have caramel mocha, creme brulee,” she taps on her fingers as she names each flavor, “pumpkin spice, glazed donut, hazel—"
“Do you have any coffee-flavored coffee?” I interrupt.
She laughs, and it’s the cutest sound. It lilts and sails in the air, making my heart thump. “Of course, I do, silly.” She praddles off into the kitchen, and I’m not ashamed that I check out the sway of her hips as she saunters away.
I follow her into the kitchen. “I need to get home and tend to some things there.”
Blue’s gaze catches mine, one brow raising. “Ok, I can take you to your place and you can pick up some clothes and manly items.”
“What are you talking about?” I prop against the counter.
“Well, I figured you’d stay here until we catch this guy.”
“I will?”
Blue diverts her attention back to the cupboard and searches around in it, rising on her tiptoes. “Actually,” she says as she whirls around to face me, “it looks like I don’t have any coffee-flavored coffee.” Her eyes sparkle as she smiles, and I’d much rather have that than coffee.
“I’ll just take whatever you’re having.”
She pulls down two red mugs from a cabinet. “Chocolate mocha it is then.”
“Now, why do I need to stay here?”
“Well, honestly, I’m kind of afraid after last night I may have blown my cover.”
My muscles tighten at the notion of Blue in trouble. “Then you can stay with me. I need to stick around at my place anyway.”
She places a pod into the Keurig and turns it on. “Oh god, I never even asked if you have a pet or a girlfriend.”
I shake my head. “No girlfriend. No pet either.”
“Phew, you were about to make me feel lousy for holding you prisoner last night.”
I smirk, my mind heading into perilous territory at the thought of being trapped with her all night, her my prisoner. “No, but I need to go home. I’ve been away for too long already. There’s something there I need to take care of.”
“Right, ok.” Blue is all business now as she immerses herself with preparing the coffee and bringing the mug to me.
I take a sip and nearly spit it out for fear of becoming diabetic. “That’s very sweet.”
Blue has a sip and sighs. “I love it.”
I love watching her drink it. Her pink lips form an o as she blows on the hot drink and I can barely tear my gaze from the sensual action. We eye each other over the rims of our cups until she moves away to check email. After she’s drunk her coffee and I’ve pretended to drink mine, she packs a bag and then I drive her to my place.
I pull into my driveway and shut off the engine.
She gawks at my sprawling stone house. “Wow, this place is massive.”
“Yeah,” I shrug, “it’s home.”
“Well, in your line of work I guess you have the luxury to afford nice things.”
I give her a sly smile. “I work hard for it. Come on inside.”
“Right, you have something mysterious that demands your utmost attention.” She raises a hand to her mouth. “You don’t have a prisoner in your basement, do you?”
“A what?” I lean closer to her as I open my truck door. “You watch too many movies. Besides, I’m retiring, remember?”
She opens her door. “Well, what’s the rush to get home?”
“My garden.”
Blue nearly slams the door on her leg, whipping her head to me. “Garden?”
“Yeah.” I get out of the truck. “My garden needs tending.”
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
Inside, I lead her on a mini tour of the house. She moves throughout my living room, staring wide-eyed at the vaulted ceilings and the artwork on the wall. Rogue collects extravagant artwork and kind of got me interested in collecting a few pieces for my own home.
I show her my favorite pieces of art. Mainly the Salvador Dali original hanging over my black-leather sofa. I show her my kitchen, where I love to cook using my own spice blends, and the spacious patio. We walk across the back yard to my favorite place.
“This is my garden.” I show her my tomato plants and other vegetables. She marvels at my green thumb while I explain I’m growing basil and a host of other spices and herbs.
“Wow, I would have never pictured you as a gardener.”
I bend down on one knee to pick a few weeds near the cabbage. “When I decided to leave Ruthless Corp., I had a lot of stress and madness going on in my head. People suggested therapy, and I thought I’d give it a try. One therapist suggested I take up gardening.” I laugh a little. “I thought she was insane at the time and didn’t want to deal with a garden. But I finally did it.”
“Oh,” she says, staring at all the basil plants lined in neat little rows. “So, this is what you’re retiring to do?”
My chest puffs out with pride. “I am. I’m going to start my own spice blend company.”
Blue’s bright eyes light up. “I love it.”
“It’s called Killer Spice Blend.”
Blue gives me a cheesy grin. “Oh, I get it. Very clever.”
Is it weird that I already feel very comfortable around this woman? No one I’ve ever brought home has ever known what I do for a living, but with Blue it’s a non-issue. “Besides, the gardening has helped me in so many ways.”
“Helped how?”
“To quiet the demons.”
