Zara wrote on her clipboard and again his curiosity was piqued. “Now what are you writing?”
“You’re very nosy. I’m going write that down after I finish making a note to find someone for you who doesn’t require much time and attention. Recreation and social time are clearly not a priority in your life. The human equivalent of a succulent would be best.”
Jay leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “You want to match me up with a succulent?”
“A human succulent. Prickly. Resilient. Able to survive hot climates, cold temperaments, and emotional drought. Sprinkle a few e-mails on her, maybe buy her a lunch, and that should keep her going through the long cold months.”
“You think I’m hot,” he said, his voice smug. For some reason her opinion mattered to him, all the negativity aside.
“You know you are or you wouldn’t be puffing out your chest.” She made another note and looked up just as he opened his mouth. “Don’t even ask.”
“What’s next?” Jay inquired. The time was going far too quickly. “What else do you need to see to get to know me?”
“Your apartment was on my list but now that I see your office with its minimalist vibe, your painfully tidy desk, and lack of personal items, I’ll just ask: Is your apartment sparsely furnished with only the essentials—I’m talking couch, coffee table, maybe a chair, TV, bed, dresser, kitchen table, and chairs?”
“Yes.”
“No paintings on the walls, decor, ornaments, books, throw pillows, blankets, pictures, statues, magazines, newspapers, signs of life, or anything that might reflect your personality, such as it is?”
Jay shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “No. I don’t spend a lot of time there. It’s just mainly to sleep.”
“Good. Then we don’t need to waste time visiting your place,” she said. “I’m in your head, Jay. I’m walking all around in there. Another day or two and I’ll know you as well as I know myself.”
His stomach tightened at the thought of Zara breaching his walls and seeing what lay beneath. Would she still want to find him a match when she found out he was responsible for the deaths of twelve men? And what about the nightmares? There was a reason he never asked his hookups to spend the night.
“I think we should go for a stroll.” She walked slowly around the room, inspecting the abstract pictures on the walls—he’d left the decor to the company’s interior designer. “I’d like to see how you interact with the common people.”
“They’re just people. Same as me.”
Zara pulled open his closet door and peered inside. “What are these?”
Jay shut down his computer and crossed the room to see what had caught her attention.
“Company uniform. Elias and I used to work every event, but after we expanded nationally, we hired a local team so we could focus on running the business.”
“You get plus marks for that.” Zara smiled. “Women love a man in uniform.”
Did she love a man in uniform? The question sneaked into his brain like the paparazzi sneaked into the celebrity events J-Tech was hired to protect.
“Do you still have your uniform from when you were in service?” She closed the door and made another note on her clipboard. “I asked around about you at the wedding. Eight years in the air force. Multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Decorated combat search-and-rescue pilot and—”
He could almost feel a steel door slam down in his mind. “That part of my life is over and not on the table for discussion.”
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Her smile faded, and he immediately regretted his abrupt tone.
“Where would you like to go?” He straightened his tie and stepped away from her soft, agile body and her seductive floral scent.
“I don’t like to make plans.” Her smile returned, beating back the gray clouds that had rolled in when she’d brought up his past. “Let’s see where the wind takes us, so long as it takes us to food.”
* * *
? ? ?
“I don’t usually eat at this time.” Jay unwrapped his hot dog and settled on the grass beside Zara on the lawn in Yerba Buena Gardens. “I have also never come to this park and I don’t usually sit on the grass.”
“You’re almost like an alien.” Zara took a small bite of her hot dog, desperately trying not to get ketchup all over her mouth. Despite his uptight demeanor, Jay had been surprisingly willing to follow her through the city streets in search of the perfect hot dog, answering her questions about his work and the celebrity parties he’d guarded—no names disclosed, of course. She’d felt safe with Jay, free to talk without having to worry about everything around her. He ushered people out of her path with a wave of his arm. His gentle hand on her back steered her around fire hydrants, dogs, strollers, and small children and pulled her to a stop at traffic lights. He was like a watchful guardian angel.