Sworn to Protect

by Diana Gardin

  “God, Jeremy. Do you think someone’s in the house?”

  In response, Jeremy squeezes my hand.

  “Should we call the police?” Cold, oily fear is a bitter taste in my mouth. My limbs are tingling with adrenaline; the high surges through my body and makes the blood pound in time with my pulse in my ears.

  Jeremy shakes his head. “Let me see what’s going on first, Rayne. It’s going to be okay.”

  He twists open the doorknob to Decker’s room. Gesturing that I should stay put, he ducks inside. I can see him walking through the room, making sure all is right. He’s moving silently, and I take a second to marvel at his stealth. Basically, if Jeremy Teague doesn’t want you to know he’s coming, well then…

  When he reappears, he nods. It’s the all-clear for me to be with our son, and so I pull his face down to mine and plant a hard kiss on his lips before ducking inside. I don’t close the door, though. I want to be able to hear everything that’s happening downstairs.

  I give a quick glance to my son’s sleeping form. He’s lying on his stomach, his pillow clutched tightly in both hands. His breathing is steady and even. When I peek back outside the bedroom door, it’s just in time to see Jeremy and Night disappearing down the stairs.

  I’ve yet to hear any sounds from down there, though. It makes me feel a tiny bit better. Maybe Night was just growling at the sound of a car outside? Or something as equally harmless?

  It feels like forever, the waiting. I know that whatever happens, this can’t be a coincidence. Wagner Horton is used to getting what he wants when he wants it. He may be a spoiled billionaire, but he knows exactly how to close a deal. And right now? I’m a loose end. He knows I can out him, and now I’ve brought Jeremy into this mess. I need to figure out how to get rid of Wagner without bringing everyone around me down with me.

  I know that Jeremy can take care of himself; it becomes more evident every moment I spend with him.

  Guilt threatens to swallow me, because I’ve brought him into my problem when he never deserved it.

  There’s not a single sound from downstairs. Jesus. He’s like a super-silent ninja. But as the moments tick by, my anxiety ratchets up another notch. Every sound the house makes pulls an overzealous reaction out of me. When one of the hardwood stairs lets out a creak, I jump like I’ve just heard a gunshot. When the soft click of Night’s nails on the floors downstairs reaches my ears, I draw back like I’ve seen a ghost.

  Finally, I hear the sound of the front door opening. After a moment, it closes again. And then Jeremy’s voice whispers to me from the bottom of the stairs.

  “It’s okay, Rayne. Come down.” He flicks the lights downstairs, sending an arc of light creeping up the steps.

  With one more glance over my shoulder at my sleeping boy I shoot out of his room and down the stairs. At the bottom, Jeremy catches me and I squeeze him until I know he’s safe and that everything really is okay.

  “Hey,” he croons into my hair. “You’re shaking. It’s okay, Rayne. Everything’s okay.”

  Pulling back, I scan his face. He gives me a reassuring smile, but there’s something else there that sets me on edge again. “What is it, Jeremy? What aren’t you telling me?”

  Jeremy sighs, and then gestures toward an envelope on the table beside the front door. “That was on the porch outside. Whoever left it is gone.”

  The struggle within his eyes is real. It goes against everything inside of Jeremy to let me see the envelope, but he knows that keeping me in the dark would be worse.

  Grabbing it off the table, I slide out a piece of paper with a handwritten note.

  Rayne, you have information that you shouldn’t. I’m not worried about you sharing it with anyone else, because I know what a smart girl you are. Let’s talk about this, so there will be no consequences to those you love.

  My hands tremble, and the envelope falls to the floor. Something falls out of it, sliding across the floor toward me. Bending, I pick it up, and my breath is lost somewhere between my lungs and my mouth.

  It’s a photo of Jeremy, Decker, and me on his boat.

  16

  Jeremy

  The following morning, I wake up and immediately reach for Rayne. It’s a base instinct that I know will never leave me now. I’ve had her in my bed for a night, and that’s where she belongs.

  After she received the note from her asshole ex-boss last night, she was a mess. All she wanted to do was pack up Decker and run. I could see the fight-or-flight instinct driving her, spurring her into action. She said crazy things, like coming back home to Wilmington was a mistake, and how she should have run as soon as she found out I worked at Night Eagle. Like she could have saved me from being involved in all of this.

  Crazy shit. Shit that scared the pants off me.

  I took her back upstairs and put her in bed with me. Cradled her in my arms. Held her to show her that I wasn’t going anywhere and that she and Decker are safe with me. Eventually, she fell asleep, but I stayed awake much longer. Planning all the different ways I could end Wagner’s life.

  He has no idea who I am or what I can do to him. That much is clear, or he wouldn’t have made the mistake of threatening the mother of my child.

  Before the incident last night, we’d made progress. I could see in her eyes how she felt, and I know my eyes conveyed the same sentiment to her. She’s scared. She hasn’t been able to trust anyone but her grandmother since before Decker’s birth, and I get that. I get how protective she feels about our son and how much she doesn’t want to get hurt by letting me into her life.

  But she was ready. It was written all over her face.

  Then after she fell asleep I was left wondering where we stand now. All of her talk about running terrified me. She can’t do this alone. She shouldn’t attempt to, and I’ll be damned if I allow it. My mission today is to make sure she understands that. I need to make her realize that she and Decker belong with me from here on out. She needs to pack up whatever she’s got at her sister’s house and move in with me. Permanently.

  It might seem fast to people who don’t know us. But I don’t give a shit about that. The truth is that I never stopped loving Rayne. And the fact that she carried my child for nine months and then raised him for eight years by herself only intensifies that feeling. They’re my family, which means they’re everything.

  The place where my hand lands only encounters cold cotton sheets. My eyes snap open, searching. Rayne is no longer lying beside me. I bolt upright in bed, scanning the bedroom. The bench under the big picture window, the walk-in closet, and entrance to the attached bathroom. No sign of Rayne.

  Panicking, I jump out of bed. Venturing into the bathroom, I see that she’s not there, so I pull on a pair of sweatpants over my boxer-briefs and exit the room. The absence of my dog is a clue; Night usually sleeps on the floor beside my bed and doesn’t move until I do. But he isn’t there.

  I breeze by Decker’s room, doubling back when I realize he’s sitting on his bed. Retreating, swallowing my panic about Rayne, I lean against his doorway and shoot him a grin.

  “Hey, Deck.”

  “Hey.” He glances around the room and then back at me. “I like it here.”

  My heart is thrust into my throat. “I like having you here, buddy. You sleep okay?”

  He nods, a smile that reaches his eyes lighting up his entire face. “Yeah! Can we have breakfast now? I was waiting for my mom to come and get me.”

  I beckon him out of the room with a hand, and he joins me in the hallway. Heading for the stairs, I sling an arm around his shoulders.

  “Dos your mom usually make you breakfast?”

  He wrinkles his nose, causing me to chuckle. “My mom doesn’t really cook. So we have a lot of cereal and Eggos.”

  Laughing outright, I shake my head. “We can do better than that this morning.”

  He glances up at me. “Awesome.”

  The downstairs is quiet. There’s no sign of Rayne. Or Night, for that matter.
But my panic has all but disappeared, because I know she wouldn’t leave without Decker. But a nagging worry still tugs at me. Where is she?

  I’ve just settled Decker on a stool at the kitchen island, with a mission to help me add ingredients to a batch of pancakes, when we hear the front door open and Night’s nails skittering on the hardwood floors.

  Backing out of the kitchen with a spatula in my hand, all the breath whooshes out of me. I’ve been holding it since waking up to find Rayne gone. My gaze finds her now, watching as she bends down to detach Night’s leash. My eyes travel down her body. She’s wearing the shorts and a v-neck athletic shirt she bought last night when we went out after dinner. Very small, very tight shorts. Long toned legs extend for miles. Her body is a work of fucking art, and my cock responds, causing an uncomfortable strain in my own shorts.

  Striding toward her, I scoop her into an all-encompassing hug. Discreetly, I press myself against her hip, so she’ll know exactly what I’m thinking. Her sharp intake of breath lets me know I’ve succeeded.

  “Someone missed me this morning.” Her voice is a low, husky whisper that only makes my situation worse, and small hands slide up my back.

  Quickly stepping back, I keep her hand as I gaze down at her. “Decker’s in the kitchen.”

  Her gaze shifts and what was previously hooded is now bright. “Oh? I’m glad he’s up. Are you two…doing okay?”

  Two small, adorable lines of worry pinch her forehead.

  God, she’s gorgeous and she’s cute. That combination is downright lethal. And then another thought, a shocking one, plunges into my mind like I’ve been dropped into frigid water.

  She trusted me with him. And happiness beyond anything I’ve felt before lifts me high.

  “Come ask him yourself.” I can’t help the grin that stretches across my lips.

  We round the corner into the kitchen, where Decker is still busy stirring dry pancake ingredients. His tongue has poked out of his mouth, and he’s giving the task such intense concentration that I chuckle when I see him.

  They’re a package of cute. Lord help me.

  “Whatcha doin’, sweetie?” Rayne wraps an arm around him and kisses his temple.

  “Oh, hey Mom!” Decker glances up at her, apparently so engrossed in his task he hadn’t noticed her arrival. “Hey, Night!”

  Night doesn’t stop for greetings; he heads straight for his water bowl and starts lapping like his life depends on it.

  I take in her appearance one more time, including the bright eyes and rosy cheeks. There’s a glistening sheen of sweat coating her cleavage that I have a strong desire to lick away. “Did you go for a run?”

  She nods, leaning over the counter to watch Decker. The way she’s standing makes her hips jut out, and a vision of owning her body while she’s bent over the countertop fill my vision.

  She shoots me a sly glance, like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. “Running is how I stay sane. My life doesn’t really allow for a gym membership, but I can get out for a quick run most days.” She focuses on Decker, worry coloring her tone. “Did you sleep okay, sweetie?”

  I return to my task, pouring out the liquid pancake ingredients to add to Decker’s bowl, listening to Decker tell his mom that he slept just fine. Our eyes meet, and I can see the relief in hers knowing Decker wasn’t disturbed by last night’s events.

  The safest place for both Decker and Rayne is with me. The work and school week begins tomorrow, and we have some logistics to work out. But I have the entire day today to convince her that this is where they belong. Not just because there’s a potentially dangerous predator stalking Rayne, but because they’re mine.

  I let Decker help me finish whipping up breakfast, and when it’s ready he gobbles it up like a little man starved. Then he grabs Night’s ball and asks to take the dog out into the backyard to play.

  I defer to Rayne, who hesitates. “Um, yeah we can go out there for a little bit, sweetie. But not long. We have to go home soon.”

  She avoids my stare, and I nod to Decker. “Go on out there Deck. We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  He whoops and grabs the ball. My dog, who seems to have found a brand-new best friend in Decker, joyfully bounces in front of the little boy out the back door. Leaving the door open a crack so we can hear Decker, I turn on Rayne.

  She stares up at me, a defiant expression on her face.

  I take a step toward her, frustration fizzling around me like an electric charge. “We’re going to pick up your stuff. All of it. Then I’m bringing you and Decker back here. It’s where you should be.”

  Rayne folds her arms and locks her jaw, the stubborn set challenging me in a way no woman ever has. No woman but her. “Listen, Jer. I want you to get to know your son. And I…I want…” She trails away, her cheeks flushing and her eyes going bright.

  Sensing her vulnerability like a shark smells chum, I step into her space and box her in against the polished stone countertops. She looks up at me, her eyes going dark. Her pink tongue darts out to lick her lips, and my eyes are momentarily stuck there, watching as she moistens first the plump bottom one and then the top one.

  “Jeremy.” Her hoarse whisper goes straight to my dick, and I jerk my gaze back up to hers.

  “Stay.” It’s a whisper from me, but it’s also a request, a demand, a promise.

  She sucks in a breath, her chest rising and falling with the movement. Her round tits press against my chest and my entire body tightens in response.

  “I’m too much trouble for you right now…and this between us…too much too fast could screw it all up.”

  Maybe if the situation were different we’d take this thing slow. Maybe I’d take her out on dates, see her at work, test out how our lives would fit together with careful diligence. But life has other ideas, and she needs me to be there for her more than she needs me to be careful. She has to see that.

  “Stay.” My voice is laced with rough edges, but I can’t help it. I bend to kiss the pulse point on her neck and feel her heart racing under my lips. I’m dying to taste her. My tongue slips out to lick her sweet skin, and I nip at her with my teeth.

  A deep, low hum leaves her and her head drops back, giving me easier access to her neck. Taking advantage, I use my hips to pin her against the countertop, letting her feel just how much I want her to stay. The evidence is overwhelming, and even though I’m supposed to be torturing her, my cock throbs, begging me to take her right here and now.

  “Stay,” I growl, biting her neck and using my tongue to soothe the nip.

  “This is…” She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls herself closer. “…Coercion. Any answer I give you has been emitted under duress.”

  Her sexy, breathy voice drives me insane. I’m close to losing it altogether, and it’s funny that she has no clue the kind of effect she has on me. Not really.

  Pulling back slightly, I lose myself in the sapphire depths of her eyes. “Say yes to me, Rayne.”

  As she stares back, a sadness that I don’t understand crosses into her eyes. A crushing sense of foreboding creeps in, trying to fight its way past the haze of happiness I have when I’m surrounded by all things Rayne. I ignore it.

  “Yes. We’ll stay.”

  17

  Rayne

  All I can think about is the veiled threat on that clean, white piece of paper and the fact that I won’t be able to keep my promise to Jeremy. Staying with him and Decker will only put them in danger. I’m not stupid. I know that Jeremy has the skills and the background to help. But putting him in the line of fire when it comes to Wagner Horton isn’t just selfish; it’s dangerous, because my son might lose his father before he’s even had the chance to know him.

  But I don’t exactly know how to avoid Jeremy’s involvement. When Jeremy keeps me safe, he’s also keeping Decker safe. And nothing is more important to me than that. If the opportunity arises down the road for me to take action on my own, I’ll do it to save them both. But for now…I have t
o let Jeremy help.

  I leave Jeremy at Olive’s house and head over to Macy’s with Decker. The second Jay opens the door, he and Decker run off to play a new video game. I close the door behind me, calling Macy’s name as I head into her kitchen.

  “Rayne, hey! I’ve been worried about you!” Wiping her hands on a dishtowel, she walks toward me and gathers me into a tight hug. When she pulls back, her liquid brown eyes are brimming with concern. “Everything okay?”

  Taking a deep breath to prepare myself to tell her all about Jeremy, instead I burst into tears. Quiet, racking sobs that I can neither control nor cork. They keep flowing and flowing.

  With a gentle hand on my back, Macy leads me into her great room, pushing me down on the sofa and grabbing a box of tissues. Then she just sits with me, letting me cry and patting my back until I finally gulp in a big enough breath to curb the tears.

  “Oh…my…God,” I gasp. “I am so sorry, Macy. I…never…do this.” The words are interrupted by the occasional sniffle, and I grab a handful of tissues to wipe my face. “It’s been a crazy weekend.”

  She looks into my eyes. “I’m here for you, Rayne. Why don’t you tell me about it?”

  And her voice is so warm, friendly, and comforting, that’s exactly what I do. I explain that I ran into Jeremy at work, and that he’s Decker’s father. That he wants to be in Decker’s life, and that what he does at work is not even remotely close to installing security systems. That I’m being pursued by someone from my life back in Phoenix that I don’t want to encounter again, and that I’m worried for both Jeremy’s and Decker’s safety.

  After the story is finished, albeit modified for Macy’s own safety, we sit in silence while Macy takes it all in. Her expression is unreadable as she sits back on the couch and stares at me, her hands clasped against her chest. Her chest fills just before her gaze shifts to mine.