The man who hadn’t figured out she was the woman he was here for looked ready to argue with her.
Then his eyes landed on her suitcase. “Are you stealing an old woman’s luggage?”
“Of course not.” Eva tugged the handle up on her case and tipped both bags onto their wheels. “That’s my Gram-Gram.” She gave him a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”
He nodded. “Enjoy your trip.”
Enjoying this trip wasn’t going to happen, but his arrival at the airport was certainly making it more interesting.
Eva resisted the urge to glance back at him. There would be plenty of time for that on the drive to the Airbnb she rented for the next few weeks.
Hopefully she was overestimating how long this stay would be.
By like, a lot.
Elmer was still sitting just where she left him, only now he had company. Eva grinned at the tiny woman with turquoise hair at his side. “Hey. I was just getting your handsome friend’s bag for him.” She passed the bag handle over to the other woman, giving Elmer a wink. “Stay warm out there.”
He smiled wide. “Thank you, Miss Eva. You are an angel.”
That was a first. Most people likened her more to the other end of the spectrum. Which was understandable.
She tended to have more to do with people’s sins than their salvation.
Elmer’s eyes drifted over one shoulder. He pointed at the spot. “You take good care of her. She’s something special.”
Eva didn’t have to turn around to know who Elmer was talking to.
She could feel him.
The young woman with turquoise hair helped Elmer to his feet, steadying him before taking the bags in one hand and wrapping the other around his shoulders to guide him toward the doors leading out to the snow-covered tundra Eva had been banished to.
“You could have told me who you were.”
Oh. Mister bodyguard didn’t sound too happy with her.
Which definitely made her much more comfortable. She was used to men being unhappy with her.
She was frequently in charge of their downfall, after all.
Eva turned to face him.
Good lord what a face he had too.
Hopefully he was very unhappy with her, because there was only one thing she could think of that might make this situation a little less boring.
And that was not a good idea.
At all.
“What would the fun have been in that?”
His eyes narrowed.
She smiled. “You draw the short straw?”
“Something like that.”
The man sent from Alaskan Security was huge. Taller than any man she’d met before, and broad in a way that said there was nothing but lean muscle hiding under the heavy coat that must have been custom made just for him.
But his size wasn’t the most striking thing about—
“And you can’t really be mad at me for not telling you who I am when you still haven’t told me who you are.”
His eyes barely widened. She’d surprised him. Again.
“Brock.”
Eva took the opportunity to size him up a little, hiding the perusal under the guise of assessment.
But to be honest, she’d already assessed everything the man had.
Twice.
It was one of the things that made her so good at her job. She could spot a person a mile away. Break them down in a second, and figure out more than they would ever want her to know.
And this man stood out like a cactus in Alaska.
Eva snorted, tipping her head back as she laughed at her own idiom.
Brock watched her with an odd look on his face. More like an odd mixture of emotions on his face.
Confusion.
Interest.
And fear. The last one was the strange one.
Because for once Eva wasn’t here to ruin this guy’s life.
She was here so he could save hers.
At least that’s what Mona believed was happening.
“You ready, Broccoli?” Eva grabbed the suitcase wrapped in her Gram-Gram’s face and started toward the doors. “I’ve got things to do.”
“Ms. Tatum.”
Eva kept going. This guy was going to have to figure out who ran this show. Better he do that sooner rather than later.
“Eva.” The sharpness in his tone put a little hitch in her stride.
She still didn’t stop.
Not until a heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her to face down a very angry-looking bodyguard.
His eyes raked down her body and he only seemed to get angrier. “Where the fuck is your coat?”
So Broccoli liked swears too.
That was good. Meant his ears weren’t going to bleed when they had to be around each other.
“In my bag.” She wobbled the case back and forth.
“Put it on.”
Any ideas she might have had about digging out her winter coat stopped dead at the demand. “No.”
One of Brock’s dark brows lifted. “Is this how this is going to go?”
“Definitely.”
Poor Broccoli clearly thought he was going to be getting a nice, agreeable lady to babysit. Hell, he was probably looking forward to it.
Instead he got her.
And was definitely going to be making some phone calls later. She’d probably have a newly-assigned replacement by morning.
Which was fine.
In the blink of an eye Brock shucked his coat and whipped it around her, completely ignoring the fact that she had upper limbs as he zipped her into the giant parka. “Come on.” He grabbed one of the empty sleeves with one hand and her suitcase with the other, dragging both out the doors.
“Holy fuck.” Eva’s feet stopped moving and her lungs refused to accept the icy air, locking up as she tried to breathe.
“Yup.” Brock didn’t stop, just kept hauling her along as she tucked deeper into the warmth of his coat.
Her eyes burned from the air cutting across the lot, watering as they fought off the icy slice of the freezing wind.
She was dying. This was how she would end. Frozen solid because no one would let her do what she wanted.
Which was stay in Ohio and face down whoever was royally fucking up her life.
“This is why I didn’t want to do this.” Brock was mumbling under his breath now and it just kept coming.
“Pain in the ass.”
“Make everything as fucking difficult as possible.”
He yanked open the door on a bright red Land Rover. “Get in.”
Eva tried to glare at him but her eyeballs were frozen in place.
“Jesus.” Brock grabbed her by the waist and hefted her into the seat, grabbing her feet and spinning her into place before shutting the door.
He opened the back hatch and tossed in her luggage then rounded to the driver’s door, folding his huge self into the seat beside her.
“You’re a crab.”
“I’m not.” He started the SUV and switched the vents to high before flipping on the warmer in her seat. “You’re just frustrating.”
Eva tipped her head to one side. “Was that not in the file you have on me? I’m positive Mona would have made my temperament very clear.”
“Who’s Mona?”
“My business partner.” Eva tried to work her arms into the sleeves of the coat Brock straight-jacketed her into. “And I’m supposed to text her so she knows I’m okay.” Eva managed to fish her cell from the purse Brock zipped in with her and poked it out the top so she could power it up.
Brock immediately snatched it away.
“What are you doing?”
He tucked her lifeline into the side panel of his door. “You can’t use your phone.”
“What?” Eva wiggled around, fighting with the heavy fabric of the coat. The movement pushed the scent of pine and fresh air out around her no-longer-frozen nostrils.
Broccoli must smell as good as he looked.
Too bad he was so damn cranky.
And definitely the fun police.
“Give me my phone, Broccoli.” She managed to get the zipper down and shoved one arm out at him. “Don’t make me call your boss.”
His lips barely quirked.
But it was the glint in Brock’s eye that gave his amusement away.
“Go ahead.” He shifted into reverse then swung one long arm her way to grip the back of her seat as he turned to look out the rear window. “Call him.”
Eva stared at the sizable bulge of a bicep his thick sweater couldn’t even hide. “You work out a bunch, huh.”
His eyes bounced to hers. “What?”
Eva pointed at his arm.
Then she took it a step further, poking at the spot. “How much can you curl?”
How much did she weigh? Probably well within the limits of those arms.
When her eyes lifted from the spot she was still jabbing, Brock’s gaze was there, resting strong and steady on her face. “You’re an odd woman, Eva.”
“You’ll have that.” She shrugged his comment off.
It was old news.
Just because most people were scared to be who they were, didn’t mean she was going to fall in line.
Conform.
It wasn’t who she was or ever would be.
Which was the whole point.
“Hmm.” He turned his attention back to exiting the parking garage, one hand braced on the top of the steering wheel, the other hanging off the edge of the armrest of his seat.
“Give me back my phone.”
“I thought we’d moved on.” Brock pressed the button to roll down his window and a blast of frigid air swept through the interior, sending Eva burrowing back in his coat.
She sniffed at the neck. Holy hell it smelled good.
No doubt the man beside her had led many women to make bad decisions based on attraction and hormones.
And she couldn’t blame them even a little bit.
“Are you smelling my coat?”
Eva froze mid-huff. “No. I’m trying to stay warm because you rolled the freaking window down.”
Brock shook his head. “You were definitely smelling my coat.”
This was not how conversations normally went. She was the one calling people out on their actions.
Not the one going on the defensive.
And she never lied.
Eva straightened. “Fine. You are right. I was smelling your coat because I think you and my new friend Elmer wear the same cologne.”
There. Put Broccoli back in his place.
He was not the one in charge here.
He might have her phone.
And his substantial form might be making her brain linger on ideas she would most certainly not be acting on.
But she was still in control.
One-hundred percent.
For sure.
The barely-there twitch of his lips was back. “Elmer has expensive taste.”
Eva didn’t even try to hide the next sniff. Like her perusal of him before, it would just seem like she was investigating.
That was her job after all.
Except it was a little more than a sniff.
It was a full-fledged, lung-filling breath. “Explains how he ended up with seven kids.”
The twitch of Brock’s lips moved to his left eye and his mouth flattened into a thin line.
He turned away, facing out the windshield, the hand on the wheel squeezing a little tighter than it did a second ago.
“I think I just hit a nerve, Broccoli.” She should leave it alone, but holding back had never gotten her anywhere good.
Life worked better when everything was out in the open, spread for everyone to see.
No secrets.
No lies.
No deception.
Unfortunately that was not how 99.9 percent of the population lived their lives.
Brock ignored her.
Because it would seem he was a part of the majority.
Eva sighed, turning her attention to the contents of her purse. Thank God she printed out the address to her Airbnb. It meant she didn’t have to reclaim her cell just yet, and considering Brock was getting less and less amused by her presence with each passing second, that was probably best.
Hopefully his replacement was more amiable.
She pulled out the printed paper and shook it open before shoving it Brock’s way. “Here’s the address for my place.”
He frowned at the paper. “Your place?”
“Not my place, just the place I rented to stay in while I was here.” She shook the paper, trying to get him to take it. “It’s supposed to be close to the airport.”
“You’re not staying in Fairbanks.”
“Uh. Yeah. I am.” She waved the paper in front of his face.
Finally Brock grabbed it, scowling as he scanned the sheet. “Did you rent this in your name?”
What did he think she was? An idiot?
“No.” Eva grabbed the paper back and went to work punching the address into the navigation system since Brock didn’t seem like he was going to do it.
“I’m not taking you there.” He pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a strip mall before retrieving the file that probably held all her secrets.
Not that she kept any.
Piles of snow stacked around the edges of the lot. Ohio could get a decent amount of snowfall, but this was insane. “How much snow do you guys get?”
“Do you ever stay on one conversation until it’s finished before starting the next one?” Brock flipped through the pages.
“No.” Eva leaned forward to punch at the navigation screen. After a few screen changes she found what she was looking for and tapped the green framed phone.
The sound of a ringing line filled the SUV.
Shawn picked up on the second ring. “I hope you’re not calling to tell me something I don’t want to hear.”
“Hey, Shawn.” Eva smiled sweetly at the irritation brewing in Brock’s dark eyes. “I think we have a miscommunication here. Broccoli was unaware I was providing my own accommodations.”
She could swear she heard Shawn laughing through the muffled line.
At least someone at Alaskan Security thought she was amusing.
A few seconds later the line cleared and Shawn’s voice was back. “Ms. Tatum’s contract with us states that she will be providing her own housing.”
“You know damn well that’s a terrible idea, Shawn. Anyone could find her rental agreement.”
“I doubt that will be a problem.” Shawn’s voice was back to the all-business tone she was used to. “Ms. Tatum understands the risk, and has assured me she’s taken every precaution.”
Well, maybe not every. But a few.
This whole thing was ridiculous anyway. If she was going to be in Alaska she was sure as hell going to be as comfortable as possible, and being holed up in some isolated cabin was not her idea of comfort.
Brock disconnected the line and turned to her, his scowl from earlier back and digging in deep enough to give her the tiniest glimpse of a dimple in one cheek.
“Do you only have one dimple?”
“No.” Brock leaned closer. “I need you to listen to me and understand the words that are coming out of my mouth, are we clear?”
The deep, and a little threatening, tone of his voice was nowhere near as intimidating as it should be.
“Jesus Christ. Don’t look at me like that.”
Eva blinked. “Like...”
Brock shook his head. “Just—” He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When he opened them again his brow was less pinched, his jaw less clenched. “You are here because you weren’t safe in Ohio, right?”
“Not exactly.”
Brock’s head tilted as he stared at her. “What in the hell does not exactly mean?”
“It means I don’t share the same opinion as my partners.” She fought the urge to pout.
&nb
sp; She’d pouted for days.
Thrown a fit.
Offered to hire someone in Cincinnati to guard her.
Mona and Chandler wouldn’t budge.
Acted like she’d made enemies over the years or something.
“Eva.”
Ignoring Brock so he would say her name again was tempting as hell.
How long had it been since a man said her name without either disdain or fear?
Longer than she could remember. Because at the end of the day every man she met either hated her or feared her.
Rightfully so.
“Eva.”
She jumped in her seat at how close his deep, rich voice was this time. “What? I’m right here. I can hear you.”
Brock was leaned in so close it wasn’t the coat’s scent she was breathing in. Somehow he smelled even better. The heat of his skin warmed the notes of fresh water and wood, making them rounder.
Heavier.
“Shit.” Brock suddenly leaned away, wiping one hand down his face. He threw the SUV into drive and pulled out onto the road, following the directions she put into the GPS.
He was completely silent except for the sound of his molars grinding together.
“You’re going to break a tooth.” Eva crossed her arms under the coat, craning her head to look out the window as they pulled up in front of the place she rented. It was a townhouse in a brand new complex, with big windows and high ceilings.
And a heated garage, praise the good lord.
Her hand was already on the handle when Brock stopped the Rover in the short driveway. “The opener is in the planter at the corner. I’ll be right back.”
“Nope.” Brock’s hand clamped around her arm, holding with a firm, but still gentle, grip. “You stay here. I’ll get it.”
“You don’t even have a coat on.” Eva grabbed for the handle again. “It will only take a second.”
Brock pulled her close enough she could see the tiny ring of chocolate brown lining his iris. “No man is going to let the woman who flew across the country to be with him trot her ass out into the cold while he sits in the car.”
Eva stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
The smile that she’d only seen bare hints of finally tugged its way onto Brock’s mouth. “You wouldn’t want anyone watching to get the wrong idea about us, would you?”
Counterfeit Relations (Alaskan Security: Team Rogue Book 2) Page 2
