Cocky Protector: A Hero Club Novel

by Kat Mizera

  We sank onto a love seat, and I settled against his chest without thinking. I was about to move when his arms closed around me.

  “You fit against me like you were made specifically for my chest,” he whispered against my ear.

  “We do seem to fit together pretty well,” I said. We’d kissed and held hands and done a lot of talking, but it hadn’t moved beyond that and I was relatively sure he was waiting for me to make the first move. I wanted to, but it felt like there were so many other things going on, I didn’t want our first time together to be overshadowed by anything. Especially not something as serious as this stalker business. Most likely, he felt that way too, but I needed to be sure because this was too important. He was too important.

  “Ace?”

  “Hmm?” He glanced down at me, his deep-set blue eyes meeting mine with the same intensity as when he’d kissed me at the Christmas market.

  “When this is over, whatever’s going on in Cologne, are we going to…stay friends?”

  He stroked the side of my face, his eyes not leaving mine. “I’d like to.”

  “Are you leaving as soon as you figure it out?” I blurted out. “Because if you do, you might have to hire someone to protect you from me, when I find you.”

  He laughed. “I have to leave at some point, but that doesn’t mean I won’t come back. I have to go back to D.C. to figure out what’s going to happen with my current assignment.”

  I frowned. I hadn’t realized he was on an assignment. “Are you AWOL right now?” I asked.

  “That’s not what it’s called—I’m not in the military anymore. But yes, essentially I walked away from a long-term assignment to see what was happening with you.”

  “Are you going to get fired?”

  “Potentially, but not because I took unscheduled leave. There’s been a lot going on and I don’t know that I like the internal power struggles within the agency. They want me to do something that I have neither the ability nor the inclination to do.”

  “Can you tell me what?”

  He seemed to consider it and then said, “They want me to convince my friend, King Erik, not to do something he needs to do for the safety of his people, and I’m not sure why they think I could or should.”

  “Is it something that hurts anyone?” I asked.

  “Not at all. He wants to build an intelligence agency within his government, similar to the CIA, so he has the ability to protect his country. I don’t know why our government doesn’t want him to, but nothing I say is going to stop him, so I’m not sure why I’m even there.”

  “Are you supposed to tell me these things?”

  “No, but I did anyway. I don’t mind keeping secrets to protect people, but what’s happening with this is ridiculous because it’s not really a secret, and it makes me think there’s something going on behind the scenes. I don’t want anything to do with this particular assignment and Erik has my back because he’s keeping his plans on the down-low for now, hoping the CIA will think he’s put the entire idea on hold.”

  “And if they don’t buy it?”

  “Then I’ll most likely get fired and they’ll send someone else to handle it, which won’t be good for anyone.”

  I grimaced. “Would they hurt you?”

  “Not me, no.”

  “But your friends in Limaj?”

  He nodded. “Let’s not talk about that, okay?”

  “Why not? This is something important going on in your life, something you’ve let go because of me and I feel bad.”

  “I haven’t let it go. I’m in touch with Erik or his head of security every day. With the holidays coming, I’m hoping everyone, especially back at Langley, thinks all of that stuff is on hold until January. It buys me time to help you and gives Erik time to come up with a plan.”

  “So you’re going back as soon as we’re done here?”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Us.”

  I blinked. “Us?”

  “Whether we find your stalker.” He trailed his knuckles along my cheek. “Whether you’re still in danger.” He dragged them down along my throat, letting them linger there lightly. “And whether or not we decide there’s more to us than just a few innocent kisses.”

  It was time to bite the bullet, no matter how far out of my comfort zone it was. “We both know there’s more to us than that.”

  “Yes, but is it enough?”

  “For what?”

  “To upend both of our lives? To make short-term plans that are going to have long-term ramifications.”

  “You think the possibility of us being together, as a couple, is going to have something you would label ‘long-term ramifications?’” I arched my brows at him. “That sounds more like a business deal than a relationship.”

  “I just meant there are a lot of things to consider. My job, your job, the fact that we live in different countries, whether or not we want the same things… This could get hella complicated.”

  “I disagree.” I took his hand in both of mine and gently splayed his fingers. His hands were big and a little rough, as though he used them for his work. I assumed he had fighting and weapons skills, but I didn’t want to think about that. Instead, I thought about how it felt when he used his hands to touch me. How it would feel when his touches became more intimate than hand-holding and stroking my cheek.

  “Shannon?”

  I’d been quiet too long and I brought his hand back to my cheek. “I love the way it feels when you touch me,” I said after a moment. “I love your hands. I know it’s dumb, but just looking at them makes me feel safe.” I was dying inside, unsure how to talk like this to a man, especially one as exciting and powerful as this one. But I couldn’t stop. “I didn’t know you ten years ago, but my father did. For him to invite you to be my date that night, there had to be something special about you. Obviously, he was right, because the chemistry between us ignited immediately and has remained a gently simmering fire despite the fact that we’ve had no contact in many years. And both of us have had the same memories, the same longings, the same—albeit I’m sure very different in detail—fantasies. That isn’t a coincidence or something we should take lightly. I can’t let you go again without at least trying.”

  “I’m thinking the same thing,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss me. Just as his lips found mine, we heard the sound of the sliding glass doors and suddenly there was noise and a rush of people. The other cruisers were back from their excursion into Cologne and we were no longer alone.

  “Shit,” I muttered against his mouth.

  He chuckled. “Don’t worry. We can go back to—”

  “Ace? That you, mate?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ace

  Who the fuck knew me on a fucking cruise on the Rhine fucking River in fucking Germany? As a spy, I was prepared for almost anything, but not for being recognized here on this damn boat. I got to my feet, instinctively blocking Shannon from view. The face in front of me was one I hadn’t seen in a while, and probably the last one I expected to see here.

  “Chance?” I probably looked like a deer in the headlights staring at him, but he didn’t have any such qualms and reached out a hand.

  “Good to see you! Been a long time.” His blue eyes twinkled with unspoken humor at running into each other considering our history, but the attractive woman beside him didn’t seem at all suspicious.

  “It has been.” I nodded as I shook his hand.

  “This is my wife, Aubrey.” He slid an arm around the auburn-haired woman’s waist. “Our first vacation since the baby.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I shook Aubrey’s hand and then reached for Shannon’s, hoping she would fall into the role of girlfriend. And of course she did, because she was Shannon and we knew each other far too well for two people who’d only been together a week. “This is my girlfriend, Shannon. Shannon, this is Chance Bateman and his wife, Aubrey.”

  “Hi.” Shannon was smiling
, shaking their hands.

  “Fancy winding up on a cruise like this together.” Chance seemed highly amused and I wondered if his wife knew what he’d done to stay safe during the two years he’d spent in prison.

  “It was a last-minute decision for us,” I said. “Our first vacation as a couple. Shannon teaches at an American school here in Cologne so we hopped on a day late because of her final exam schedule.”

  “How fun.” Aubrey smiled. “How do you know Chance?”

  I looked to him, since I had no idea what his wife knew.

  “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Aubrey knows everything.”

  Now Shannon was the one looking confused.

  “Chance was in prison,” Aubrey said to Shannon, when neither Chance nor I continued. Then she turned to her husband. “I’m assuming Ace is the man who kept you safe while you were there.”

  He gave a brief nod.

  Shannon frowned. “But…”

  “I’ll tell you about it privately,” I told her. “Let’s not talk about it here in such a public place.”

  “We’ve been out all day, so we need to freshen up,” Chance said, “but how about we share a table at dinner? I’d love to catch up.”

  “Sounds great,” I nodded, glancing at Shannon. “Okay with you?”

  “Of course.”

  Chance and Aubrey left and Shannon sat down again, leaning against me. “They seem nice. Dare I ask why he went to prison?”

  “He beat the shit out of the man who raped his sister.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh. Well, good for him. I hope prison wasn’t too terrible. There aren’t a lot of honorable men in prisons, I don’t think.”

  “I made sure he was protected.” I spoke quietly, right into her ear. “There was a very bad man at the prison with him, and I needed someone to watch him. Everyone he spoke to, what he ate, who he hung out with, everything. Chance did that and more, but the details don’t matter. He got me information I couldn’t get anywhere else and I kept him safe. Over the course of about eighteen months of visits, we got to know each other pretty well and he’s a good guy. I’m glad he got his happy ending.”

  “Are we telling them about my stalker?” she asked.

  I hesitated. “Let’s see how it goes. If it comes up and you feel it’s pertinent, I trust Chance completely. So I’ll leave it up to you.”

  “Okay.” She looked down. “I’m in jeans and a T-shirt. Should I get dressed up for dinner?”

  “The info they gave us didn’t say anything about formal attire, but you can change if you want. I have a pair of dress pants and a button-down shirt I can wear.”

  “We may have to go shopping,” she said, grinning at me. “I can’t have you wearing the same slacks and dress shirt every night.”

  I chuckled. “We can go shopping if you want. Tomorrow we’re in Rüdesheim. I don’t know much about it, but they must have stores.”

  “I’m sure they do.”

  We went down to dinner at seven and I was having a hard time thinking about anything except Shannon. She wore a calf-length black dress that hugged her curves. Especially her spectacular ass. She had a fantastic body in general, but this dress left very little to the imagination. Everything was covered, of course, but the cleavage peeking out of her low neckline and the way it showed every detail of her slim figure had me imagining her naked. Very naked. Very soon.

  Chance and Aubrey came down the stairs just as we got to the restaurant and we walked inside together.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Bateman.” One of the waiters approached us. “Would you like to sit where you sat this morning or somewhere else?”

  “We’d like to sit with Mr. Ross and his girlfriend,” Chance said. “Is that all right?”

  “Of course. Come.” The waiter led us to a table toward the back. We had a great view of the shore, with lighted buildings and homes. It was dark now, so we couldn’t see the water, but there were enough lights on shore to make it pretty to look at.

  No one said anything, but within minutes someone poured us all flutes of champagne, brought baskets of bread and butter, and gave us menus. There were nightly specials as well as items that were apparently always available, like pizza and hamburgers. I hadn’t seen any children on the cruise so far, but I figured there had to be adults who were picky eaters too.

  “He’s fine,” Chance said softly to his wife, gently taking her phone from her.

  Aubrey sighed and then glanced up. “It’s my first time away from our son. I mean, he’s with family and I know he’s okay, but I check my phone constantly to make sure they’re not trying to reach us.”

  “I’m sure it’s hard,” Shannon said with an understanding smile. “I don’t have kids, but it seems to me you should take advantage of having time alone with your husband. My friends tell me it makes a big difference.”

  “Oh, it does. I’m just a little nervous.” She reached for her glass of champagne.

  “Let’s have a toast,” Shannon said, picking up hers as well. “To old and new friends and a fantastic adventure this week.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Chance lifted his glass and we clinked them together.

  “So how long have you been dating?” Aubrey asked.

  “Well…” Shannon glanced at me. “We knew each other briefly back when I was in college, but he was in the military and about to be deployed, so we kind of lost touch. We ran into each other about a week ago and picked up right where we left off. And a friend told us we could get on the boat here in Cologne, which is where I live, so we did something a little romantic and a lot impulsive.”

  “A week, huh?” Aubrey glanced at her husband. “Sounds a little familiar.”

  “Really?” Shannon’s eyes twinkled. “Do tell.”

  The girls talked about how Aubrey and Chance had met on a road trip, while Chance and I had a separate conversation.

  “How are you doing?” I asked him. “Everything been okay since you got out? I meant to check in, but I heard you were good.”

  “Yeah. Married my girl, became a dad, ride my bike a lot—can’t complain. What about you? Still jetting off around the world being a hero?”

  I snorted out a derisive laugh. “Yeah, kinda.”

  He arched a brow. “Do I sense a change in the air?”

  “I don’t know. My life is complicated.” I glanced across the table at Shannon. She had her champagne flute in one hand, laughing at something Aubrey was telling her, her eyes sparkling as they talked.

  “Why?” He followed my gaze briefly and then brought it back to me. “Looks pretty simple to me.”

  “Do you even know me?” I started to laugh and he did too.

  “Well, if you want to talk, I plan to be at the gym at seven. Aubrey will be sleeping in.”

  “I don’t know what Shannon’s plans are but—”

  “You’re welcome to go to the gym without me,” she interrupted, laughing. “I have no interest in getting up that early to work out. I’ll sleep in and maybe Aubrey and I will meet for coffee while you two do whatever exercise thing you want to do.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” I told him.

  We spent the evening with Chance and Aubrey, moving to the lounge after dinner and talking and drinking late into the night. Chance was Australian, and his accent got more and more discernible when he drank. He also had a bawdy sense of humor, so he had us all in stitches. Surprisingly, Shannon was a lot of fun when she was drunk as well, telling hilarious stories about her students over the years.

  We drank way too much champagne and told far too many dirty jokes, but when the DJ played “Something About The Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John, I had to dance with her. She followed me onto the dance floor and moved into my arms—as usual—as if we’d been dancing together forever. Now that she was up against me, the restraint I’d been showing all night began to slip away. I wanted her so much it hurt, but I was trying like hell to be patient and let her come to me. Not when she was this dru
nk, though. I wouldn’t do more than kiss her when she was like this. If we were going to make love, it was going to be when we both were able to remember every second of it.

  “You smell nice,” she murmured. “I don’t remember you wearing aftershave before tonight.”

  “I only wear it when I’m on a date,” I whispered against her ear. She was moving with me, her body practically molded to mine. And I was getting hard again. Jesus, I normally had better control than this.

  “Is this a date?” she asked softly.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think I want you to kiss me.”

  “Honey, I already told you once I start kissing you, I might not be able to stop, and that could go very wrong on the dance floor here in front of all these people.”

  “Mm, I suppose.” She closed her eyes, pressing her cheek to mine. I was about six inches taller than her, but she was in heels, so it was a comfortable difference. I closed my own eyes, enjoying the feel of her body, the way the air practically sizzled with the electricity between us. It was subtle, much like the two of us in general, but it was there and if I felt it this acutely, she probably did too.

  “It’s been ten years and seven months since we danced,” she said suddenly.

  “Ten years, seven months, and twelve days.”

  She gave a delighted little sigh. “You counted the days… It’s been such a long time since that night, Ace.”

  “But I’m here now, baby.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shannon

  “I can’t think of a single place I’d rather be than right here,” I told him.

  “Ditto.” His arms tightened around me and we barely moved, swaying as little as possible and losing ourselves in the moment.

  “I have a question,” he said softly.

  “Sure.”

  “What happened to your glasses?”

  “I had laser surgery. My ex hated me with glasses, and I had the surgery for him, but it turned out to be a good thing. I love waking up and being able to see, or when I swim… I don’t miss them at all.”