Evidence of Attraction

by Lisa Childs

  “What the hell are you doing?” he asked. “Were you leaving?”

  She nodded.

  “Why?”

  Had he waited too long to tell her how he felt? Had he blown his chance?

  Or maybe she really didn’t care about him at all anymore. Maybe it had just been lust and sex between them as she’d claimed.

  “You can’t be my bodyguard,” she told him.

  “Why?”

  She’d lowered her gaze as if she couldn’t meet his eyes. And she seemed to be staring at the bandage wrapped around his thigh. Some blood had leaked through and stained the gauze a dark crimson. She murmured, “Because it’s too dangerous.”

  He patted the bandage. “This wasn’t because of you. Or even because of Luther Mills.” Though he wouldn’t have put it past that bastard. “What happened with the bomb and the shooting at the first hotel...that was Bruno.”

  She shook her head. “It’s still too dangerous. Look at what nearly happened at my parents’ house. You could have been killed then.”

  “I would have been,” he agreed, “if you hadn’t saved my life.”

  She met his gaze now and her eyes glistened with the tears she was furiously fighting back, her lashes fluttering as she blinked. “It’s too risky,” she said.

  “That’s what I thought, too,” he admitted.

  “The assignment?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “You. I thought it was too risky falling for you.”

  She sucked in a breath and her green eyes widened with shock. “What?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was letting what happened with Monica affect me.”

  She flinched. “You must have loved her very much.”

  He shook his head again. “I didn’t know her. Not the real her. And by the time I did, Felicity was already on the way. I couldn’t abandon my child.”

  “That’s why I don’t want you as my bodyguard—”

  He stepped closer and pressed his finger across her lips. “I know,” he said. “And that’s why I’m so damn sorry.”

  Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand...”

  “You’re nothing like Monica. You’re as selfless as she is selfish,” he said. “You gave up the best damn bodyguard with Payne Protection...” He cracked a grin, unable to keep a straight face at the outlandish claim. “Well, the best damn bodyguard for you,” he amended. “Because you were worried that I would get hurt.”

  “You’re all Felicity has,” she reminded him, some of those tears brimming over and sliding down her beautiful face.

  He cupped her jaw in one hand and wiped away the tears with the other. As he did, his fingers shook slightly. “No. I’m not all she has anymore. She has you. She has Winnie...”

  “I don’t want to put her in danger, either,” Wendy said. “Especially not her...”

  He smiled, knowing that at long last his daughter would have the love of a mother. Wendy would love his child like she was hers, too.

  And he hoped that soon she would be.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I think I have a plan for how we can all be together and be safe. You just have to trust me.”

  “I’ve been told I’m too trusting,” she said.

  He smiled wider. “That’s not true. Or you wouldn’t have hidden that evidence.”

  She nodded.

  “I need you to trust me,” he said. “Like I trust you...with my heart.”

  “What are you saying?” she asked. She had gone very tense and still.

  “I’m not doing a very damn good job, but I’m trying to express my feelings,” he explained.

  “By comparing me to your ex?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “There is no comparison.” But she’d freaked him out when she’d said that what they’d done was just sex. “And I should have realized that I could trust you with my heart. You won’t betray me. Or abandon Felicity.”

  In fact, she had been willing to give him up for his daughter.

  “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met,” he said. “And I love you...”

  Chapter 25

  Wendy couldn’t believe what Hart had said. He couldn’t love her. But he seemed intent on proving that he did—when he made love to her all over again.

  And it was definitely love. Not sex...

  The way he kissed her...

  The way he touched her...

  And most especially the way he stared at her...

  She had thought he would never look at her like that, with such a look of love. That look intensified as he moved inside her, joining their bodies. They moved as one, slowly driving each other out of their minds.

  Then the pleasure crashed over Wendy, and she felt as if he’d driven her out of her body. It went limp and boneless, and she collapsed against his chest, which heaved as he panted for breath.

  His finger stroked down her spine. “What about you?” he asked. “Was that just sex? Should I have no expectations?”

  She smiled and he must have been able to feel it because he tickled her ribs. She squirmed against him and confessed, “It’s love. I love you.”

  “It’s not just lust?” he asked, his body tensing against her, not with passion now but with fear.

  She remembered why he’d fought his feelings for her. He hadn’t wanted her to hurt him.

  She tipped her head up so her gaze met his. She wanted him to see the look in her eyes, the same that was in his. She loved him.

  “It started out that way,” she admitted. “I thought you were hot. And when your arrests piled up, I was impressed with your work ethic and your brain. And when I saw you with Felicity... I fell so hard for you.”

  His breath shuddered out in relief. “She’s going to be so thrilled to see you. We should get dressed and get going. We could get there by morning.”

  “Are you sure she will be safe?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Will you trust me like I asked?”

  “I do trust you,” she said. “With my life and with my heart.” And she knew she could trust him with his daughter. He would keep all of them safe. “I love you, Hart Fisher.”

  He kissed her. “And I love you...”

  * * *

  Hart had thought his heart was too damaged to love anyone but his daughter. But he knew now that wasn’t true. Monica had only hurt his pride and his ability to trust.

  His heart was just fine and it continued to grow as he loved more. He loved Wendy so much, and he loved her parents, too.

  Even though her father was once again pointing a gun at him...

  He held up his hands. “No need for a shotgun wedding,” he told Ben Thompson. “I freely want to marry your daughter.”

  “Maybe you should ask her first,” Wendy remarked as she stepped around him and hugged her father.

  Her dad clasped her closely, lifting her up and swinging her around like she was as little as Felicity. “There’s my girl,” he said. Over her red hair, he met Hart’s gaze, and his eyes were filled with tears. “You kept your promise. You kept her safe.”

  “You kept yours, too,” Hart said. He could see Felicity through the sliding doors that opened onto a fenced backyard. She was playing with Margaret, apparently making mud pies on a picnic table.

  Wendy spotted her, too, and wriggled from her father’s embrace. She pulled open the sliders and stepped into the backyard.

  “Winnie!” Felicity yelled. She launched herself at Wendy, getting mud in her hair and on her face as she wrapped her arms around Wendy’s neck.

  Monica would have yelled at her for getting her dirty. Wendy laughed and spun her around like her father had just spun her.

  His heart swelling with even more love for the woman who was beautiful inside and out, Hart started toward them. But before he could join them, Ben Thompson grip
ped his arm.

  “How did you get her to come here?” he asked. “She was so convinced that it wouldn’t be safe.”

  “It is,” Hart said. “And so is she.”

  “But Luther Mills...” Ben’s voice cracked with fear. “He’s a killer.”

  Hart nodded. “But he has no reason to kill her now. She doesn’t know where the evidence is.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “She turned it over to the chief,” Hart said.

  Ben chuckled and slid his arm around Hart’s shoulders. His dad had died so long ago that Hart barely remembered him. But he had a feeling he was going to find out what it was like to have a father. “How’d you manage that?” he asked. “My daughter is a stubborn one.”

  “She’s also a loving one,” he said. He nodded to where she stood with Felicity in her arms. “She did it for her.”

  Ben squeezed his shoulders as his eyes filled with tears. His weren’t the only ones.

  Hart could barely see the two women through the sudden rush of moisture in his eyes. His heart ached to join them, but he had more to tell her father. He had to be honest with him.

  “She will still have to testify,” he said. “So we’ll need to stay here until the trial. All of us.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Margaret said as she joined them inside the house. She threw her arms around Hart. “Thank you so much for making my daughter so happy.”

  Hart blinked hard. “She’s the one who’s made me happy.” Happier than he’d ever thought he could be.

  Felicity caught sight of him and squealed, “Daddy! Daddy’s here!” And suddenly she was climbing all over him with her muddy hands.

  He laughed and caught her close. As Wendy joined them, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into their embrace. For so long it had been just him and his daughter. But now he knew that no matter what happened, his little girl would never be alone.

  She had family now.

  They were a family now.

  * * *

  “Your bodyguards have a tendency for getting a little too personally involved,” the chief said as he leaned back in his desk chair.

  Parker nodded in agreement. But he was unrepentant. “That’s why you hired my division of the agency,” he reminded his stepfather. “Because this assignment—because Luther Mills—is personal for all of us.”

  “It’s more than that,” Woodrow said. “They’re not just invested in making sure that Mills is finally put away for all the crimes he’s committed.”

  Parker arched a brow. “Then what is it?”

  Woodrow stared at him until Parker shifted slightly in his chair. He’d begun to feel like he was in the principal’s office again, about to get blamed for something he hadn’t done. Or maybe something that he had...

  “You’re more like your mother than I realized,” Woodrow said.

  Parker furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”

  “The way you’ve matched up your bodyguards with the people they’re supposed to be protecting.”

  “Are protecting,” Parker reminded him.

  Despite his best efforts, Luther Mills had not managed to take out or to intimidate the witness or the evidence tech.

  Woodrow nodded in agreement. “True. So far...”

  Parker knew it wasn’t over yet. It wouldn’t be over until after the trial, until after Luther Mills’s long-overdue conviction.

  “So what’s the issue?” Parker asked. “Why are you saying I’m like my mother?” Had his stepfather found out that Parker had some experience with that damn sixth sense thing that his mom had?

  Even now his gut was starting to tighten up again. Rosie Mendez and Wendy Thompson were safe, though. So it had to be about someone else.

  Maybe it was about Woodrow. The chief had taken possession of the evidence, and he’d made damn certain that everyone within the department knew he had it.

  Yet he didn’t seem worried. Instead he was grinning. “You’re like your mother because you’ve been playing matchmaker.”

  Parker shook his head. “No. No way...”

  “Clint and Rosie,” Woodrow said. “Hart and Wendy.” He ticked off his fingers.

  But he would have to stop with those two. There wouldn’t be any more.

  Parker laughed. “That was...” Well, he didn’t know exactly what that was. “I didn’t do that on purpose.” Or at least he hadn’t thought he had. “But it’s not going to happen again.”

  Certainly not with Tyce Jackson and the judge’s daughter, Bella Holmes. The socialite heiress had nothing in common with the ex-vice cop.

  And there was no way Landon Myers would ever be interested in the assistant district attorney; he didn’t even trust her.

  Even Keeli Abbott was more likely to kill Detective Dubridge than Luther was.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, that won’t be happening again...”

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss the next Bachelor Bodyguards book, available April 2020

  from Harlequin Romantic Suspense!

  And catch up with the rest of the

  Payne Protection Agency in these other

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  Guarding His Witness

  Soldier Bodyguard

  In the Bodyguard’s Arms

  Single Mom’s Bodyguard

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  and ebooks are sold!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Colton’s Rescue Mission by Karen Whiddon.

  Colton’s Rescue Mission

  by Karen Whiddon

  Chapter 1

  Snowfall—check. Festive music playing on speakers in all the outdoor common areas—check. Ornate and glittery Christmas decorations both inside and out—final check.

  Remy Colton stood on the sidewalk of downtown Roaring Springs, Colorado, and surveyed the merry atmosphere. As director of public relations for The Chateau, the premier luxury destination also known as a little piece of France, Remy couldn’t have asked for more perfect holiday weather. With both his family’s ski resorts—The Lodge up on Pine Peak and The Chateau, here in the Roaring Springs valley—booked to capacity for the two weeks leading up to Christmas, any snow was always welcome. And they were definitely getting a lot of the beautiful white stuff.

  Remy liked to keep busy during the holidays, especially since he’d never really gotten into the holiday spirit. That was never a problem, even though the PR department pretty much shut down until after the New Year. The Chateau attracted a wealthy clientele—sometimes celebrities—and those patrons could be quite demanding. He never minded pitching in, especially on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so his employees could spend the holiday with their families.

  As for himself, out of necessity, he always made sure to spend a few hours with his own extended family at the elaborate holiday dinner his uncle Russ and aunt Mara hosted at Colton Manor, the 35-million-dollar showpiece of a home they’d constructed up on a hill. While he enjoyed visiting with his cousins and their significant others, he usually hightailed it back to The Chateau as quickly as he could. As far as he could tell, no one ever noticed or minded. If there was one thing his father, Whit, understood, it was the concept that work came before anything else. Clearly, it had never occurred to Whit that Remy might be lonely.

  Pushing away the unsettling thought, he forced himself to focus once again on the positives. Nothing like a great snowfall to make the guests happy.

  “Excuse me?” A feminine voice, both sultry and with a faintly northeastern accent. Before he could react, she tapped him on the shoulder.

  He turned and eyed a tall, blue-eyed woman wearing top-of-the-line ski gear. Not only was she athletic, but she was also strikingly beautiful. He felt a jolt the instant he met her gaze. Probably one of the guests, though he ha
d no idea how he could have possibly missed noticing her. “Yes, can I help you?”

  “I asked at the front desk and they sent me out to talk to you. I’m looking for Seth Harris. I believe he’s the hotel manager. I’ve already been up to The Lodge, but they said he wasn’t working today.”

  Seth. His gut clenched. What had his brother done now?

  Normally he would have directed her to the gondola that ran between The Lodge and The Chateau. But she was correct. Seth was off today. Remy caught himself staring and rapidly checked himself. Something about her eyes...

  Whoever she might be, she wasn’t his brother’s usual type. Seth’s taste usually ran to leggy, busty blondes.

  Since Remy knew better than to let this woman—whoever she was—drop in on Seth unannounced, he simply shrugged. “I believe he’ll be working tomorrow, so I’d suggest you check back at The Lodge then.”

  Instead of nodding and thanking him, she didn’t budge. “I’ve been told you’re his brother. I really need to talk to him.”

  Remy made a mental note to find out which employee had seen fit to give out such personal information. “Are you a friend of his, Ms....?”

  “Fisher,” she stated. “Vanessa Fisher. And I’m not sure if Seth still considers me a friend or not. We were recently engaged, though we’re not any longer.”

  Engaged? This was the woman Seth had wanted to marry? She looked nothing like the shy woman the rest of his family had described. This woman was tall, true. And she did have dark, silky hair. What everyone else must have forgotten to mention was that she was beautiful. Stunning, punch-in-the-gut gorgeous. Her dark blue eyes studied him.

  Years of practice had taught Remy how to hide his shock. Nothing Seth did should have surprised him, but when he’d learned his baby brother had gotten engaged, shock hadn’t even begun to describe how he’d felt. Sure, Seth had mentioned dating someone named Vanessa. He’d made several trips down to Boulder to visit her. But first he’d gotten engaged and then, in typical Seth fashion, the engagement had been broken off.

  Which meant now Remy was actually meeting his brother’s former fiancée for the first time.

  “Remy Colton,” he said automatically, removing his glove and holding out his hand.