Under His Protection

by Isabella Laase

  “We are in New York,” he responded. “Upstate, near the Finger Lakes. That’s Keuka Lake in the distance and when the leaves fall off the trees, you can see the lights from Penn Yan to the north. This place belongs to a buddy of ours who’s stationed in Germany for another year. He told us we can use it anytime we want, so we aren’t breaking any laws. And don’t drink all of my coffee. I’ll get you your own cup.”

  “I thought you meant New York City,” she continued to grumble. “I’m not exactly the outdoorsy type, in case you haven’t noticed. Are there bears and mountain lions around here?”

  Matt laughed. “There’s a lot of New York that isn’t in the city, little lady, so never insult an upstater by mixing the two. Hi, I’m Matias Cruz, it’s nice to meet you when you’re wide awake and not punching my brother’s chin.”

  “Hi,” she said, holding the coffee cup out of Cruz’s reach when he tried to take it back. “You look like your brother, but you’re even bigger than he is. Was he always this bossy? Because he drives me nuts sometimes.”

  “Worse,” admitted Matt with a grin. “Does he still do that thing where he says that he’s being calm, but the look of fire in his eyes is enough to light up half of Orlando? He really never developed his listening skills, either, even after I got big enough to kick his ass.”

  “Right?” said Victoria, leaning closer to Matt’s side. “I mean, he gets something in his head and there’s—”

  “You both remember that I’m still here, right?” asked Cruz, rolling his eyes. “And for the record, Matt’s never managed to kick anybody’s ass. Come on, let’s get you some breakfast and me another cup of coffee since I don’t think I’m getting that one back. Matt bought you some new clothes too, so you can take a shower.”

  “See what I mean,” whispered Victoria dramatically while Matt nodded his head in agreement.

  She slid the blanket off her shoulders revealing the same jeans and shirt she’d worn the day before, but she was shivering when they went in the house. “It’s freezing in here. Can we turn on the heat?”

  “There’s no furnace,” said Matt absently. “They shut everything down in the winter. I had to flush all the antifreeze out of the pipes yesterday.”

  “How could there not be a furnace?” she asked tentatively. Her next question held a touch of panic. “Is there hot water?”

  “Plumbing and limited hot water, yes; furnace, Wi-Fi, internet, cable, no,” said Cruz, popping her bagel in the toaster. “What did you think off the grid meant, anyway? This is a four-star resort compared to where I could have taken you.”

  “I don’t know... third floor walkup, maybe,” she mumbled.

  “She’s adorable, Alec,” said Matt with another laugh. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

  “Adorable,” repeated Cruz flatly, cutting some apples at the kitchen counter. “But let’s lay down the rules right now so there isn’t any confusion.” Pointing the small paring knife in her direction, he lectured. “One. You don’t leave this cabin beyond the trip wire that we’ll show you after breakfast. It’s designed to warn us about intruders but it can work as a little boundary reminder for you, too. Two. You’ll obey Matt’s instructions as though they are my own, and three... Well, three is to just behave yourself. Don’t get snippy even when you get bored.”

  “You sure you don’t want to add an electronic dog collar to that little mix?” she mumbled.

  He chose to ignore her, and she started on the bagel and fruit without saying a word, but he recognized the pouty, grumpy little girl that was just waiting to break into a tantrum. He handed her a grocery store quality donut hoping that the sugar would help her mood, but after twenty minutes, she still looked pretty immovable, and he had one major hurdle to overcome. “Before you take a shower,” he said casually, “let’s get your hair taken care of.”

  She jumped from the chair and took the half dozen steps to stand in front of the big stone fireplace with her arms crossed. “I already told you that you aren’t going to touch my hair.”

  “I’m not spending the next few days arguing with you about everything,” he said, trying to keep his temper under control. “Get your ass over here, or I’ll tie you down to do this, but one way or the other, we’re dying your damn hair.”

  “Why do you have to be such a bully?” she shouted, picking up a book from the coffee table like she was prepared to throw it at him. “You aren’t using dog scissors on me, either, like I’m some sort of poodle.”

  Before he could respond, Matt stepped in smoothly and wrapped his arms around Victoria. “Yeah, Alec. Why do you have to be such a bully? You’re scaring her.”

  “Be careful,” said Cruz with a sigh. “She bites when she doesn’t get her own way.”

  “No, she doesn’t,” said Matt soothingly. “Come on, kitten. Let’s talk about this whole hair thing. Let Matt help you fix it.”

  Victoria sniffled a little, but she took a deep breath and dropped the book back on the table, the simple action simultaneously calming both of them. Short of tying her up and butchering her hair when she moved all over the place, a relaxed Victoria would make this a hell of a lot easier and if Matt could help, more power to him.

  “He wants to chop off all my hair,” she whimpered. “With dog scissors. But I love my hair. It’s been part of who I am forever.”

  “Poor thing,” soothed Matt, patting her back while she buried her head in his shoulder and shed a few more tears. “If it’s so important to you, why would he want to cut it? It doesn’t sound very nice.”

  “Be-because he’s mean,” she stammered. “And because people might figure out who I am if they get too close to the cabin and...” She stopped talking when she reconnected to that whole horrible message. Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she sighed. “I need to do this, don’t I? But does he really know what he’s doing? I don’t want to look like I’m ready for the Westminster Dog Show.”

  “I’m sure the scissors are fine, but it wouldn’t have killed him to get the real thing, would it?” said Matt firmly. “And yes, he can cut simple, straight lines, and you can get it professionally trimmed when this is all over. And the dye is easy to change back to that pretty color as soon as you get home.”

  It was a much calmer few hours than he’d imagined with Matt holding her hand and sharing stories about the Cruz brothers’ childhood, most of which made him look like an idiot but it was nice to see her smile a little. The dye job went smoothly, but the six solid inches of wet autumn-brown hair hitting the ground almost made her whimper. They didn’t show her what it looked like until after she’d showered and dressed in clean, size eight jeans that were a tiny bit loose and a long-sleeved Buffalo Bills sweatshirt, Matt’s favorite team.

  “It’s boring,” she mumbled with a frown, carefully checking out the finished product in the bathroom mirror. “I look like everybody else, but I guess that’s what you wanted. And I guess that you did an okay job, even if there aren’t any highlights.”

  Compared to that little drama, the rest of the day remained anticlimactic. He and Matt spent hours finishing up the final security details and making a few phone calls to get the latest information from Matt’s sources, but it was apparent that his little spitfire was unhappy. Each time she touched her hair, her face fell, making him feel more like a jerk than her protector. After a dinner of sirloin steaks and baked potatoes that she pretty much picked at, she washed the dishes while Cruz dried them. She still spoke very little before moving to the deck where she curled into a ball with her legs pulled up to her chin and the blanket over her head with only a small opening for her eyes to face the sunset.

  Rummaging through Matt’s food supplies, Cruz found a box of soft chocolate chip cookies and joined her. She didn’t move when he took the chair next to her, and he held out the open box to let the cookies speak for themselves. She sniffled a little as though she might have been crying, and when she moved in the chair, her bunny fell from the blankets. Cruz handed it back to her,
and she snuggled it into her cocoon before taking a cookie.

  “I’m sorry, little bit,” he said sincerely. “It’s been a long few days for me too, but I should have had more patience over your hair. I know what it means to you.”

  “No,” she dismissed awkwardly, allowing the blanket to fall to her shoulders. “As hard as I try to forget sometimes, I’m an adult and you were right all along. I don’t want to be so shallow that I’m defined by something superficial like hair color, but I feel like I’m ten years old. I think that’s the last time my hair was this short and this color. Don’t worry about me, and I’m sorry I was a brat. But disagreeing is going to happen in any relationship, isn’t it?”

  “Probably. But I can still feel guilty over it. I don’t like making you unhappy.”

  She thought for a minute, taking tiny little bites out of the cookie as though she were prepared to make it last. “You know, if there were some milk to go along with that box of cookies, it would help. Dramatically.”

  “I think I can handle that,” he said with a smirk, but he didn’t move. Taking her hand, he leaned back into the chair to watch the sun set with a fiery display of color that glistened off the distant lake. He squeezed her hand a little tighter, adding, “You know, as long as you’re in that chair next to me, I don’t care what your hair looks like. I plan on hanging onto you for a long time. I’ll work on the rest of it.”

  For the first time in days, she truly smiled. “Thank you, Agent Cruz, but you don’t need to ever change. You’re the jerk I fell in love with, so there’s no take-backs, got it?”

  “Got it,” he said with a chuckle. “How are you feeling out here? Is it still tough?”

  “Not as bad as before,” she admitted. “I’m sure there are people nearby, but not being able to see any of them helps. Two Cruz brothers and a boatload of guns helps, too.”

  “Matt did a good job of securing the place,” said Cruz. “He’s former Navy counter-intelligence, so I knew that he’d be the best man for the job. And his old girlfriend is pretty high up in the FBI, so she’s been a great source of information. The investigation is still pointing to Teresa’s connection to an anarchist group called Hardcore who’s hated the government in general for the last three presidencies. We gave her the plates on the car that tried to nab you, but I’m not holding my breath. Only an idiot would attempt a kidnapping and use their own car.”

  “I’ll be glad when this is all over,” she said, taking another cookie from the box. “I bet I’ve already gained ten pounds with all of this sugar, stress eating.”

  “We’ve got a lot of good people working on it, Victoria. We’ll get a break soon.”

  “Something’s got to give,” she said sadly. “I just don’t want it to be me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  After several long naps on the couch and the overstuffed chaise looking across the valley, she fell asleep in the cozy, warm bed before the sun was fully down. It was still dark when she woke the next morning, feeling refreshed for the first time in days. Far removed from the twenty-four-hour city noises that she’d long since categorized as normal, she curled into his nude form, adapting slowly to the inconspicuous sounds that she’d have missed in her old life. The hum of the refrigerator drifted to the background to be replaced by a soft breeze singing through the nearby trees, and Cruz’s steady breathing that provided an anchor to her day.

  Watching him sleep was a gift, a chance to stare at the sculpted lines of his frame. His short, dark hair and Hispanic ethnicity contrasted with the plain white cotton sheets that had been pushed to his waist during the night, hinting at the secrets just out of her sight. Even at rest, his rock-hard abs and solid shoulders were powerful, and she slid her fingertip gently along the ridges.

  His eyes shot open, revealing a dark intensity accompanied by tense muscles. His hand started toward the nightstand where he kept his gun, but he relaxed as soon as he focused. With a grin, he rolled on top of her, pulling off her panties and nudging her thighs open until his cock prodded her already swollen clit. It had been almost forty-eight hours since she’d come for him, but her emptiness felt as though she’d been deprived his attentions for a lifetime.

  Matt slept just a few feet away in the open concept floor plan, and the twinges of forbidden excitement increased her need. She wrapped her legs around his waist to encourage him and bit his shoulder to settle her overzealous emotions. He immediately rolled her onto her tummy and peppered her bottom with a dozen biting spanks until she squealed and kicked like a little girl.

  “My god,” grumbled Matt from the other side of the living room. “The sun isn’t even up yet. Can’t you two do that any quieter?”

  “Stop,” she whispered dramatically, twisting her neck to try to glare at him. “He’s awake and can hear you.”

  Cruz responded by pinning her hands above her head, spiraling a deep, tingly pleasure through her body. “Then I suggest you stop talking,” he said, making no effort to be quiet. “Don’t give me any attitude, little girl. I’ve explained to you in great detail how to take a fucking.” Lowering his body on top of hers, he slid his shaft along her vulva before settling on her clit, her wet response providing the only lubricant necessary to drive his cock between her legs with an intensity that curled her toes. His grip cut into her wrists, and he moved in and out of her pussy with long, fluid thrusts, her vaginal muscles tensing round his shaft and her breath reduced to slow, steady gasps. Without the clitoral stimulation, her orgasm came from a deeper, more primal place, rolling across her sex in waves of pleasure, her relentless spasms grasping his cock until he came.

  Apparently still trying to sleep, Matt had the blankets over his head when they moved to shower together in the big bathroom, a long, luxurious soaking with steamy hot water penetrating her muscles and pushing aside the last of her sleep. By the time they’d dressed, she could hear Matt fumbling around the cabin accompanied by the rich, complex scent of coffee. She snuck into the kitchen behind Cruz, avoiding eye contact with his brother.

  “It’s still fucking dark out there,” mumbled Matt, looking a little bleary-eyed. “Do you two plan to do that every morning?”

  Cruz pulled a blushing Victoria in for a hug. “There’s not much else to do out here, bro, so we might not wait until mornings.”

  “Perfect,” Matt said sarcastically, closing his eyes in defeat. “I can hardly wait.”

  The sun slowly filled the cabin to showcase the spectacular view, but she spent most of breakfast listening to them banter and hoping Matt wasn’t still thinking about their sex life. It only took about ten minutes after the meal ended, however, when she realized that Cruz wasn’t kidding. Miles from true civilization, there really was nothing to do in that tiny house. Yesterday had been filled with hair drama, a little extra snuggling, and even some quiet conversations while getting to know Matt, but today was endless. No television. No computer. No phone. No shopping. No nothing. She couldn’t even hear a passing car; just an ominous, unsettling silence from every direction. It wasn’t even seven o’clock in the morning, and she was facing a day from wilderness hell.

  Boredom wasn’t her only problem. The isolated cabin represented a strange trade-off with two bodyguards to make her feel safe, but the square footage wasn’t big enough to ignore a third person. A close image to Alec, Matt was everywhere, with his easy grin and amiable conversation, changing her dynamics with Cruz from their magical twosome to an awkward group of three. She did her best to focus, starting two or three novels taken from the bookshelves in the great room and playing a few card games with whichever brother chose to entertain her. The mostly spy thrillers bored her beyond the first chapter, and she lost so many games that she gave up with a grumpy pout.

  After lunch, Cruz announced that he was going to town and get some supplies. “Take me with you,” she begged pitifully. “You’ve cut and dyed my hair, and I’ll wear my hat and sunglasses. Nobody would expect to see me around here. It’ll be fine.”

  “Not t
aking the chance,” he said way too simply to appease her strange mood. “Chill out with Matt for a little while, and I’ll bring you some magazines. I might be able to find some of those adult coloring books, too. What else would you like?”

  Just glancing at Matt made her blush before she started having visions of spending months in that isolated little cabin, reminding her exactly how much she hated the woods. “Nothing,” she snapped sarcastically. “I’ll just sit here and watch grass grow because that’s way too entertaining.”

  Turning to his brother, Cruz appeared to be in deep thought. “You know, I think it would be a good idea if we cleaned up around here so Aldi doesn’t come back to a mess. And since Victoria is so bored, she’s volunteering to start in the kitchen and the bathroom.”

  She looked for some hint of teasing, but his glare was enough to melt any rebuttal. Or the damned glacier that came to her mind every time he shot her that glower. “Never did learn to turn that look off, did he?” asked Matt quietly.

  “Nope,” she muttered.

  Cruz added a pair of fake quotation marks. “Or would you like me to ‘entertain’ you with some rope and an old spatula?”

  “Fine,” she said as eloquently as she could, her cheeks burning at the ease with which he talked about discipline in front of his brother. “I’ll clean before you return.” She thought about adding a snarky ‘sire’ to her response, but the timeline between a calm Cruz and one who followed through with his threat was a little too fuzzy to take the chance.

  For a woman who’d had cleaning services her entire life, kitchen and bathroom scouring wasn’t a skill that she’d ever truly mastered. She’d postponed the task as long as she could with a nagging Matt reminding her that Cruz wouldn’t react well if she didn’t obey her simple instructions. It took a full hour to push through the small kitchen, washing the dishes they’d used and putting away all of their food stores before she moved onto the gross bathroom with more than a little reservation.