OVERPROTECTED by Jennifer Laurens Read Free Book Online

at all?” he asked.

    “I hardly remember it,” I lied.

    “Palos Verdes is still the same. Man, I miss the beach. The views here are great, don’t get me wrong. But the coastal views… I miss not being able to park up on Via Del Monte and just sit and stare at the coast, all the way up to Malibu. You know?”

    I remembered. Early afternoon, when the fog finally slunk back out to sea and the view from our house in Malaga Cove stretched for miles showing off curved beach line, Pacific Ocean and endless city, the sight was a cause to take a deep breath and hold it, hoping the view would last more than a day.

    “Do any other employees live here?” He eyed the closed doors lining the hall.

    “No. Our cleaning service comes in three times a week. Gavin lives in Brooklyn. Eddy, our chauffer, lives in Queens.”

    “I see.”

    “There’s a den here.” I paused at another open door and let him peer into the room Stuart had used to hang out. A plasma TV

    hung on one wall, complete with gaming options. Couches sat in an inviting L-shape, a walnut coffee table between them. This room also had a dormer window, but the view faced the towering apartment buildings behind the townhouse.

    “Your dad’s obviously doing very well.” Colin scratched his head and let out a chuckle. “This place is… really spectacular.”

    I lifted my shoulders. I was used to visitors being taken in by an opulence I now passed by with second nature.

    Uncomfortable with us sharing the close space, I left the den and went out into the hall for a breath. Colin followed, his scan taking in each door.

    He stopped at the one that led to the roof and touched the security keypad. “Every exit on the same code?”

    I nodded. “Daddy will have you change it once a month for security.”

    Colin continued down the hall, eyeing windows and casings. “Is that the only way in up here?”

    “Yes.”

    “Mind if I take a look at it in the daylight?”

    “Sure.” I recited the code. He continued to the roof exit, entered the security code and opened the door. This time, I followed him up the steep stairway. He had a nice body, but I felt ashamed watching him. So what, he probably stared at you. Get over it.

    Unlike me, he seemed unaware that I was behind him and that I might be taking the time to check him out—like I had felt him do.

    He was probably used to girls staring at him. The thought registered a frown on my face, a frown I quickly dissolved, disliking that I’d even had the thought.

    On the patio, he set his hands on his hips as his gaze swept the rooftop area. A soft breeze always sung between the tall buildings, and the current lifted the dark hair from his face.

    He crossed to the corners, looked over the edge and then upward at the tall apartments flanking us. “Has the emergency ladder been kept in working order?”

    I shrugged. I had no idea—security had been Stuart’s job.

    His sweeping gaze finally settled on me. His midnight eyes sent a fluttering through my system. Would I ever not have a reaction to them?

    “Has it? Or do you know?” He started toward me, his gait as confident as it had been when we were children and he’d been intent on making my day miserable if he felt like it.

    For a second, I couldn’t speak. He stopped inches away, waiting for my reply.

    “Uh…” You sound like an idiot. Don’t let him think he still gets to you . “I’m pretty sure it is. But you’ll have to ask Daddy.”

    I turned and took the stairs down, relieved when my feet hit the hard wood inside.

    I crossed to his bedroom and heard him close the roof door sometime later. He studied the hall again on his way. He passed me in the door jamb, his lips curving up a little when he brushed by.

    “The other rooms up here, can I see them sometime?”

    “Sure, they’re not locked.”

    He opened his suitcases and let out a sigh. “Guess I should unpack.”

    There was a knock at the open door. With a swish of fabric