Protector

by Lisa Renee Jones

  He glanced at her direction but quickly turned back to the road. “Three times a normal man’s. How did you know?”

  Holly noted the reference to normal. She had already heard him make it several times. He wanted to be normal. Holly thought normal was overrated. She was a scientist. Creating a new definition of normal was what she did.

  “A girl’s dream come true,” Holly said. “It would be great to be able to eat chocolate and not pay the price.”

  “You didn’t answer the question. How did you know?”

  “The rate you healed. It indicates a fast metabolism.”

  His tone was matter-of-fact, but she sensed it covered up darker feelings. “It got old fast. If I don’t eat, I get weak.”

  “It comes with incredible perks though, at least from what I’ve seen so far.” She tried for a cheerful tone.

  “And negatives.” He pulled into a gas station and stopped the truck. He pushed open his door and stepped out of the truck before she could ask any more questions.

  Seconds later her door opened. “Come on,” Mason said. “Anywhere I go, you go.”

  Swiveled around to sit on the edge of the seat, she studied him. He was every bit the warrior standing there, rippling with muscle, tall, broad and just plain sexy. But he was also a scarred, haunted man. His eyes reflected pain.

  She wanted to see him healed. The need cried out from deep inside her. This man needed laughter. And he needed love. Her love.

  And he needed acceptance.

  From himself.

  From others.

  From her.

  They had a special bond and she had no intention of walking away from what was between them. No matter how upset she was over his deceptions, she wanted this man.

  Holly wanted to reach out and touch him but she didn’t. “My protector?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Yes.”

  Holly smiled and scooted off the seat to stand directly in front him. Her hand settled in the middle of his chest. “Who will protect you from me?”

  He didn’t move. “Why would I need protection from you, Holly?”

  She flattened both hands on his chest. “That’s exactly what I intend to find out.”

  Not giving him time to respond, she sidestepped him and began walking toward the store. She heard him mutter something resembling a curse just before the door slammed shut.

  Holly smiled. He had met his match, whether he knew it or not.

  Once she was in the store, she grabbed a package of Cheez Doodles and started to walk toward the drinks. Thinking about a candy bar, she took a step backwards and bumped into the hard wall of Mason’s body.

  The man moved as fast as a bullet train. She turned, peering up at him with mischief in her eyes. She grabbed an extra bag of Cheez Doodles instead of a candy bar. “My favorite,” she said, indicating the bag.

  Mason looked at the bag she already held. “I see that.” There was a hint of a smile on the corners of his mouth. Holly liked it when Mason smiled. She got the feeling he didn’t do enough of it. Silently she vowed he would start smiling a whole lot more.

  Holly turned toward the store’s refrigerator and selected a container of chocolate milk. Grabbing two bottles, she turned and watched Mason gathering several items himself. His choices included two hot dogs and an extra-large bag of Cheez Doodles.

  Their eyes met across the store and Holly laughed. She covered the distance between them. “You like them, too.”

  To her pleasure, he smiled. “Yes, I like them, too.” He looked at the milk she held. “Tell me you’re not eating Cheez Doodles with chocolate milk.”

  “Everything goes with chocolate milk.” She grinned.

  Mason shook his head. “I’ll pass on the chocolate milk. I think I’ll go with orange juice.”

  Holly gave him a look of disbelief. “With Cheez Doodles? Now that is disgusting.”

  He grinned. “Everything tastes good with orange juice.” Then he winked.

  Holly let herself enjoy a secret smile as he paid the cashier. Mason was a whole lot more fun when he allowed himself to think he was normal.

  Chapter Ten

  They rode in silence as they ate, but not without eye contact. Several smiles were exchanged as the crunching of Cheez Doodles filled the truck. Holly was encouraged by his smiles.

  The future was blurry at best. Being with Mason gave her an odd sense of calmness. Looking skyward, Holly silently thanked her father for instilling in her his outlooks on life. With that in mind, she reminded herself that she was simply entering a new path in life. Fear of the unknown was not her style.

  Mason was part of her next step. She wanted to know about him for reasons having nothing to do with fear. He made her feel alive and fearless and new in ways she didn’t quite understand.

  Once they were done eating, Holly decided to probe and see what she could find out about him. “How long have you been a Black Knight?”

  It took him so long for him to answer, Holly was beginning to think he wasn’t going to. Finally, he said, “Five years.”

  “And before that?”

  He kept his eyes focused on the road. “Delta Force.”

  She considered his answer. Everyone knew how covert Delta Force was considered. The Black Knights were the same, only they were considered myth rather than reality.

  “Both tough jobs,” she said and then added, “being the soldier no one claims.” She studied his profile. “Why do you do it?”

  “It’s who I am,” he said simply.

  She knew there was more to it than that. “What about your family? Don’t they worry?”

  “I don’t have any family,” he said flatly.

  Holly frowned. “You mentioned a brother.”

  “He’s dead,” Mason said so quickly, and with such conviction, Holly was taken aback.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly and then dared to push him farther. She couldn’t seem to help herself. She needed to know about him. “No other siblings?”

  “I had one. He was killed in the Iraq war.”

  “2003?”

  Mason looked at her. “That’s right.”

  “Were you there?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  When he said no more Holly let out a frustrated breath. “This is like pulling teeth. Why are you so secretive?”

  He stared at the road but she saw the way he tightened his grip on the steering wheel making his knuckles white. “In the eyes of many I don’t exist. It’s better kept that way.”

  “Too late,” she said softly. “I know and I’m not going to forget.”

  Mason turned to her then, giving her his full attention, almost seeming to forget the road. “Holly—”

  “You better watch where you’re driving,” she said pointing forward. Mason made a frustrated sound and turned back to the road. “Where are your parents?”

  “Holly—”

  “Please, Mason,” she pleaded. “You know everything about me. I know nothing about you.”

  He gave her a sideways look. “All I know is what a file tells me. I don’t know the important stuff.”

  Her brows dipped. “What do you consider important?”

  His gaze moved between her and the road. “The things that make us who we are as individuals.” His tone was serious. “What makes a person smile or cry or even laugh can’t be captured in a government document. Those are the things that are ultimately important.” Then he added, “Like washing down Cheez Doodles with chocolate milk.”

  She smiled for a moment but then moved forward. “I agree to some degree but our family history and relationships impact us as people as well.” She needed to know more. “Where are your parents, Mason?”

  He laughed then, but without humor. “You never give up, do you?”

  “Nope,” she replied, “so you might as well answer.”

  He sighed with resignation and she knew she had won a tiny war of her own. His grip on the steering wheel loosened and he dropped one hand to his
lap. After long moments, he said, “Like yours, my parents are no longer around.”

  Holly considered what she had learned. Both of them were very alone in the world. Perhaps that drew them together. “How?” she asked in a half whisper.

  “My father was called back during the Iraq war to help with a special intelligence mission. He was killed in friendly fire.”

  Holly gulped. “You lost your brother and your father to Iraq. I’m sorry, Mason.” She slid closer to him, reaching for his hand because she couldn’t help it. At first he held his hand limp in hers. “It must have been horrible.”

  Slowly he closed his hand over hers. “It was my mother who took it the hardest. She sunk into a depression and …” His voice trailed off.

  Holly felt his emotion like a wave of heaviness. She squeezed his hand. “And?”

  “I left for a mission,” he said. “I had to. While I was away, she killed herself.”

  Holly swallowed. Oh God, what he had been through would have destroyed a lesser person. She scooted the rest of the way to his side and rested her head on his arm. “I can’t imagine what it was like.”

  Processing what she had learned, she realized she hadn’t found out what had happened to his other brother. Now wasn’t the time to ask any more questions. He had already shared far more than she thought he would.

  This man, a warrior, so strong and fierce, yet so deeply wounded, touched her in so many ways. She wanted to comfort him. If only he would let her. She held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t push her away. When he didn’t, she let her eyes drift shut, feeling sleep reaching for her. At peace beside Mason, a man she hardly knew, yet on some level knew better than anyone else on earth, she slept.

  * * * * *

  Mason pulled his vehicle into a small diner just as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. Holly was curled up on the seat, sound asleep, looking sweet and angelic. When she had drifted off, he had been thankful for her silence. Somehow, the woman managed to get him to talk about things he simply preferred to forget.

  Once he killed the engine, he sat looking down at her. Her knees were tucked up close to her body and one of her dainty little hands tucked beneath her chin. She took his breath away.

  What was he going to do about her?

  Her attitude baffled him. She wasn’t angry and didn’t appear freaked out over his differences. In fact, she seemed more eager than ever to get to know him.

  She never did what he expected. She was a complex puzzle full of surprises. Most people, even some of the well-trained soldiers he knew, would be completely unnerved about being pulled from their lives, and thrown into some alien world.

  But not Holly.

  She seemed almost as if…as if…

  Hell, he wasn’t sure what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. His senses told him it wasn’t trauma. No, his Holly Heart, his mate, was not doing anything a normal person would do under similar circumstances.

  Like freaking out.

  There was that damn word. Normal. Holly was normal, he reminded himself. He, on the other hand, was not. It was the ultimate separation between the two of them he could never bridge.

  The urge to touch her was strong. Gently, he slid his hand down the softness of her hair. “Holly, Angel, wake up.”

  She stirred but didn’t wake. He dipped his fingers into her hair and gently caressed her scalp. She made a soft noise, much like a purr. “Ohhhh,” she murmured. “That feels wonderful.”

  Holly rolled to a sitting position, scooting closer to him as she moved. On purpose, he was certain. He fought the desire to pull her into his lap, to kiss her and make love to her until they were both lost.

  He needed that escape and, more than anything, he feared he needed her. But he couldn’t ask her to stay with him. It was too dangerous.

  “Where are we?” She touched his arm, looking out the window.

  A shiver of awareness raced through his body at her touch. His cock went rock-hard. He bit back desire. He couldn’t believe the fire she evoked by simply touching him. Arion mates hunger for one another. Her eyes told of her own desire.

  He had to work to keep his voice normal. “A small little town in the middle of nowhere,” he said, willing his hands not to reach out to her. “Are you hungry?”

  Slowly the corner of her mouth lifted. A hint of wicked intent laced her tone. “Starving.”

  The last remnants of the sunlight danced in her eyes, making them sparkle like fine diamonds. She was so damn beautiful and he wanted her like he had never wanted a woman. She was his mate, bound to him for all of eternity…unless he figured out how to undo what he had done.

  They stared at one another and, with each passing moment, his will power weakened. He forced himself to close his eyes, breaking the spell wrapped around them. He had no option but to find a way to undo their mating before she knew about it.

  Until then, he simply had to find the strength to keep himself in check.

  He reached for the door handle, needing to put distance between them. His willpower, the ironclad control he was so well-known for among his fellow soldiers, seemed nonexistent where she was concerned.

  Holly sat in the truck. He assumed she was waiting on him to come to her side. When he opened the door for her, she didn’t move. “Holly?”

  She turned her head to look at him. “What?”

  Anger in her tone, he noted. “You’re mad.”

  “You’re observant,” she retorted. “It must be those great warrior senses of yours, hard at work.”

  He held the door with one hand, dropping his head between his shoulders so she couldn’t see his expression as he contemplated his response. This was like playing tug-of-war with his own mind and body.

  Before he could answer, Holly slid down to the ground and faced him. Her hands went to her hips. “A warrior on the battlefield, a coward off.”

  His head popped up, eyes narrowed and dark. “What in the hell does that mean?”

  She snorted. “Figure it out yourself.” Grabbing her purse from the truck, she flung it over her shoulder and started walking toward the restaurant.

  Mason let a low growl escape his throat as he shoved the door shut and quickly followed on her heels. Chasing after her was becoming a bad habit. His mind raced with options, emotions, anger…and yes, irritation. But it was short-lived as he analyzed her actions. Damn. She was trying to get an emotional response from him and he had taken the bait.

  As he stepped into the diner, Mason found himself fighting a smile. The woman was impossible.

  To ignore.

  To resist.

  He made a frustrated sound and silently added, to win an argument with.

  Holly had slid into a booth and grabbed a menu before he was past the front door. Mason covered the distance between them, sitting across from her as he took in their surroundings, looking for escape routes and potential problems.

  The first thing he noted was the emptiness of the place. They were the only customers. Good. The fewer people around, the less likelihood of trouble.

  Several no-frills booths lined the walls with alternating red and yellow seats. Six regular tables covered in checkered cloths sat in the middle of the room. In the far back was a sign indicating a bathroom.

  Turning to rest his back against the wall, he put one leg on the seat as he surveyed the scene behind him. The diner was connected to a bar by way of a huge cut-out door. He could see several pool tables and miscellaneous people milling around them. The sound of country music filtered through the air, as did the sound of pool balls clicking.

  A waitress approached their table wearing a pink uniform and smacking gum like a teenager. Only she was more like thirty and had cleavage and big blond hair that screamed look at me. “Coffee for you folks?”

  “Orange juice for me,” Mason said and, indicating Holly with a nod, “Chocolate milk for the lady.”

  The woman smacked her gum. “Got it. I’m Janis. Be right back.”

  Holly sat down her
menu and looked at Mason. “What if I didn’t want chocolate milk?”

  “But you did,” he said with certainty.

  “That’s not the point,” she countered tartly.

  He brow lifted. “Why do you want to argue with me?”

  She glowered at him. “Why do you want to avoid me?”

  He smiled. “Want isn’t the issue.”

  “What does that mean?” a challenge in both her voice and eyes.

  “I’ve already told you, Holly. There are—”

  Janis sat down their drinks. “What can I get you to eat?”

  Mason sighed. “Holly?”

  “Cheeseburger and fries,” she said to Janis.

  “Same for me,” Mason said, “only make it two.”

  Janis eyed him. “Big appetite, huh?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She tucked her pen behind her ear and grinned at him. She gave him a good several second inspection. “Looks like you handle it well. I like that in a man.”

  Mason didn’t say anything. Janis turned and left swinging her hips a little too obviously as she did.

  Mason refocused on Holly to find her frowning. “Janis was hitting on you.”

  “No, she was not,” he said. “Besides, Janis is far from my type.” Then he lowered his voice. “There isn’t anyone who would take my attention from you.”

  Holly snorted and looked away. “Whatever.”

  “Holly,” he said reaching across the table and covering her hand with his. She turned to look at him the second he touched her, questions in her eyes. He answered the only way he knew how. “There are things about me you don’t know.”

  Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Yes,” she said in a clipped tone. “We’ve already established that.”

  His lips thinned. “Things you won’t like. I am simply trying to protect you.”

  “Protect me?” she asked with disbelief in her eyes. “If this is how you protect me, then stop. One minute you want me, the next you push me away.” Her voice quivered ever so slightly, giving him insight into her feelings. “Your form of protection is pretty hard to swallow.”

  She averted her gaze and he knew he had hurt her. “I’m sorry, Holly.” He tried to relay how sincerely he meant the words in his tone.