Caleb

Chapter Six

Elaina~

Lainey gave herself one last check in the mirror before heading down the hallway to see if Caleb was ready to go. Her heels clacked against the tiled floor as she walked and her mind started rattling off the things she needed to get done that day only to be silenced when her eyes fell on Caleb in the living room. His suit was perfectly tailored to his lean muscular body which only made him look more statuesque and perfect.

Quit staring like an idiot Lainey.

Turning his head toward her, she watched his chest inflate slightly beneath his jacket as his eyes made a slow journey down to her feet then back up again. The slow pathway of his gaze put an instant grin on her face.

Like what you see Mr. Tanner?

"Ready to go shadow?" she asked playfully.

Her words broke his trance and he cleared his throat awkwardly before standing.

"Lead the way, Darlin." He said with that deep southern drawl that she was slowly starting to become addicted to.

Caleb opened the car door and helped her in, offering his hand to her so she could climb in gracefully, then went around the car and took a seat beside her.

Goodness, he's really laying it on thick for that extra bonus in his check.

She almost scolded herself for the ugly thought, but knew deep down it was a defense mechanism. It was her only defense mechanism at the moment. Keep everyone at arms length and assume their intentions are less than honorable to avoid getting hurt.

Lainey's driver, Daniel didn't even ask where she needed to go, but knew instinctively to take her to the office. His assumption spoke volumes to her nonexistent social life.

"So...are you just going to follow me around all day?" Lainey asked, half joking, but still curious as to what Caleb had in mind.

"Somethin' like that." he said with a smile that made her insides melt.

He shifted in his seat, trying to angle his long legs toward her as he prepared to say something.

"Listen Lainey, there's going to be a slight learning curve to this. I'm walking into your world with only surface level knowledge. My first instinct, and what I'm trained to do is to detect and prevent anyone from getting into your personal space. But I realize that there are certain people who you are comfortable with, who you will allow to approach you."

She listened intently waiting for him to finish so she could have a rebuttal.

"I will be listening and learning about who you're comfortable with, but until I get a firm grasp on who is friend and foe, I am going to defer to you. All I ask is that you signal me when you want me to intervene. You signal and I'll step in, you give me the all clear sign and I'll take a step back. I'm not looking to take your independence or ruin any of your business relationships, I'm just here to keep you safe. Can you help me do that?"

All of her snarky comments dissolved at his request. It seemed...genuine, which was new and not what she had expected. From the looks and credentials of Caleb and his team, she expected to be told what to do, not asked.

"What kind of signal?" she asked with her head cocked and a slight smile, relieved that he wasn't barking orders at her or treating her like property he had been charged with.

"A threat signal needs to be something that is unnatural, something that you'd never accidentally do."

She nodded along in agreement.