The Guardian (Mended Souls Book 1)

by Jacquie Biggar

  She and Scott had always been close. All three of them were. She was going to take this hard.

  “Natalya…” He grabbed her hands and waited until she met his somber gaze. “He made it, honey. We’re all alone.”

  The excitement shining in her expression slowly died, leaving behind bewilderment and pain. “How? What happened, Lucas? Where are we exactly?” Moisture formed at the corners of her eyes and she dashed it away. “The last thing I remember is that van coming right for us and Scott pushing my head down, then… nothing until I woke up here.”

  So she’d probably been in the cabin while he’d been receiving his new duties. The Big Guy had to know how he’d feel about seeing her. Why keep it a secret? And why let him in on it now?

  She stared at him with so much trust and affection. Cursing himself for the asshole he was, Lucas sidestepped her questions. “Do you want to know how Scott is doing? I’ve seen him since—you know—this.”

  The clouds in her eyes dispersed, leaving elation in its wake. “Of course I do. Is he okay then? Does he miss us? When can I see him?”

  The last was said in a plea that ripped at his heart.

  He turned and strode across the room to the fireplace, adding another log and stirring the embers, anything so he wouldn’t have to see her disappointment. The truth was, unless the boss gave the all clear, she might never get to see her brother again.

  “Lucas?”

  He jumped. She’d followed him and now crouched in front of the fresh sparks, her hands held out for warmth.

  “I’m not going to, am I?” she asked, her attention on the quickly spiraling flames.

  Lucas gazed at the silken fall of honey-gold hair hiding her expression and cursed the God that would do this to someone so undeserving.

  “I don’t know, honey. I just don’t know.”

  * * *

  Scott was slow to pull out of the sensual haze a few kisses from Tracy induced. The effect was like a bomb on his heart, the blood pounding so hard in his ears he’d barely heard the phone she turned to answer. Their chemistry was off the charts crazy, yet he had no idea where he stood with her. It was maddening. And exciting. She was different from his usual hook-ups—not that he classed her anywhere near the same category as them—and he liked her. A lot.

  She pulled a file closer, met his gaze, then returned to her call. He could still see the remnants of tears on her cheeks and ached to kiss them away. He knew something of how she must be feeling, having just lost Lucas and Natalya himself. There were no words that could give comfort in a situation like theirs, but having her in his life the past couple of days made a big difference. Hard to imagine that’s all it was; two days. Their connection was instantaneous from the moment he saw her crouched over that poor dog. If he were a person who believed in fate, he’d have to say they were meant to meet.

  Tracy murmured goodbye to whoever was on the other end of the line, then sighed and sank into her chair. Elbows on the cherry wood desktop, she combed her hands through the chestnut waves of her hair. “We can’t do that any more.”

  “Do what?” he asked, knowing full well what she meant.

  She waved a vague hand between them. “You know what I mean.” Letting it fall to her lap, she stared at him with haunted green eyes. “You confuse me. And no, don’t you smile.”

  He wiped the smirk away.

  “I like my life structured and organized, but ever since you came into the picture it’s been anything but ordinary. You’re messing with my Zen, Anderson.”

  Scott’s lips quirked. He couldn’t help it. She looked like a little kid who just found out the Easter bunny had given up his day job.

  “I don’t mean to mess with your Zen, as you put it.” Poor baby, she did look frazzled, and a little scared.

  He leaned forward and held his hand palm up on the desk. “I’m sorry you lost your partner. Why don’t you let me take you away from here for the day?” She gave her head an undecided shake. “C’mon, Trace. You heard your boss. He encouraged you to take some time off.”

  “What about you? Aren’t you here to see your sister and friend?”

  Scott looked down. “It can wait. I’d rather remember them as they were.”

  Her hand gently entwined with his fingers. He lifted his gaze and got lost in her eyes. They reminded him of a meadow he’d seen on a shoot in Ireland. He could cheerfully spend the rest of his days waking up to that view.

  Holy shit.

  He was in love. How the hell did that happen?

  He’d played parts before that included love at first sight and always thought the screenwriters needed to jump on the reality train more often. Who believed in that crap anyway? But it had always paid the bills and gained him fans, so he’d gone along for the ride.

  But this. It made no sense, and yet all the sense in the world.

  “So, what do you say? Want to run away with me?”

  Tracy scowled. “Be serious,” she said.

  He squeezed her fingers and met her defiant gaze. “Oh, I am, sweetheart. I am.”

  It looked as though his work was going to be cut out for him. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. We can go for a picnic in the park. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had a good meal for a while. I’m starved.”

  She looked him up and down and his heart kicked up a fuss. Suddenly, food wasn’t the only thing he was hungry for.

  “I guess, but we can’t go far. I want to stick around in case Gil hears something about Hank. And I need to pick up Sugar-Bear today.” She pushed her chair back and stood, nervously smoothing her skirt down that delectable ass.

  “Sugar-Bear?” He shook his head. Poor mutt was going to get a complex.

  Tracy gave him the stink-eye. “What’s wrong with it? He’s as big as a bear and he’s a sweetheart. It seemed rather obvious.”

  He held up a hand in peace, and then completely ruined it by laughing. Yep, she was one in a million all right.

  Chapter 15

  Tracy stole sideways glances at the handsome profile of her date as he negotiated the heavy Chicago traffic. A date. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done something so spontaneous. There were any number of open cases on her desk she should be working on, including Hank’s, but for the moment nothing else mattered except spending a little more time with this man. He affected her more than she cared to admit.

  He had led her outside the ME’s office to the convertible Mustang parked in the visitor lot and handed her onto the sleek leather passenger seat. Shell-shocked after their kiss, she hadn’t said anything when he lowered the top, started the engine with its deep-throated growl, and pulled away from the lot.

  Curiosity had kicked in now, though.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Grant Park,” he said, shooting her a quick glance as he signaled onto Congress Parkway. The wind flirted with his sandy blond hair and blew a lock over his forehead. With his leather jacket and sky-blue eyes, it was no wonder thousands of women swooned at his movies. He had the whole James Dean vibe going—it was difficult to resist.

  Soon they were driving into the park. Scott found a space and pulled in, shifting the gearshift into first with his left hand in an economy of motion, then yanking up on the handbrake before he shut the engine down.

  The sudden silence made her nervous. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “This is nice.”

  Brilliant observation, Watson.

  “Yeah, it is.” He gave a melancholy smile. “We came here to show my sister the sights the day of the crash.”

  Oh, Scott.

  She touched his casted arm in sympathy. “We don’t have to stay.”

  He stared out the window, then pulled his keys and met her gaze. “I want to share this with you.”

  Her heart squeezed. She swallowed back the tears and forced a teasing grin. “Okay then, hotshot. What’s for lunch? I’m starving.”

  Scott slanted her a grateful look and opened his door. “I s
topped at a diner on my way to your office this morning and had them do us up a basket—on the off-chance you’d actually agree to go out with me.”

  His backward grin was engaging, and she hopped out to join him at the rear of the car, her emotions as effervescent as the bottle of champagne he added to the basket.

  He lifted the hamper and a red and white checked blanket from the trunk, slammed the lid, and held out well-tanned fingers dangling below the white cast. “Shall we?”

  Tracy hesitated, then accepted his hand, luxuriating in the hard warmth of his touch. They began their walk across the lot and entered the park proper, stopping to watch a wedding shoot at the iconic Bellingham Fountain. Grant Park nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, a favorite with the locals. Tracy envied the obvious adoration of the groom for his beautiful bride. Sometimes she wondered if her choice of career stopped men from looking at her in a romantic light. Or maybe it was just her. Not that she was a hag—or at least she hoped not—but she wasn’t someone men generally stopped and stared at, either. Victoria’s Secret wasn’t going to be calling her for a contract any time soon.

  And where had all this sudden self-condemnation come from? She was normally a fairly confident person. Just because every woman they passed took second and third looks at her companion… It didn’t bother her. Much.

  She stopped to admire a gorgeously laid out flowerbed filled with bright red tulips, nasturtiums, and daisies. Scott chose a nearby knoll, and set the hamper down before fighting one-handed with the blanket.

  Tracy hurried over and grabbed an end, laying it out on the lush green grass.

  “Well, that’s good to know,” she said, sinking down and kicking off her heels to bury her toes in the grass.

  Scott towered above her, his body casting a shadowy outline over her legs. He grinned and crouched down with only a slight grimace this time. “What’s good to know?”

  She brushed away a nosy fly before answering. “Just that you’re human like the rest of us mere mortals, that’s all.”

  He huffed out a laugh and sank onto his butt, long jean-clad legs stretched out in front of him. He wore tan cowboy boots with intricate stitching. It was much too easy to picture him on the side of her bed, without a shirt to hide the taut muscles of his back, as he worked to pull those boots off.

  Whew, that sun was warm today.

  “Of course I’m human,” he answered. “And if you keep looking at me like that, you’re going to find out how much.” The heated intent in his eyes made it clear that they were traveling the same wavelength.

  Oh, boy.

  Embarrassed, Tracy turned to the hamper and opened the lid, but Scott’s hand on her arm made her stop and raise her gaze to his.

  “Why do you do that?” he asked, brushing a curl behind her ear.

  She shivered in response, then shrugged to cover it up. “Do what?”

  “Turn away every time I tell you how much you turn me on. It’s natural, you know.” He sat back. “We’re two healthy adults who happen to find each other attractive. I say we should explore the possibilities.”

  Well, of course he did. What red-blooded American male was going to say no when a woman practically threw herself at his feet?

  Her lips twisted into a dry smile. “Why don’t we just enjoy the afternoon and take it from there?”

  He leaned back on his good elbow and crossed his ankles, which did interesting things to the fit of his jeans—not that she was looking or anything.

  “Okay, Doc. Whatever you say.”

  * * *

  Scott worked to keep his expression casual, but holy hell, the woman was testing his integrity. He didn’t think she realized just what those eat-me-up eyes did to his equilibrium. He was the one supposed to be seducing her, not the other way around.

  And the kicker was, she didn’t know she was doing it.

  If they weren’t sitting in the middle of a public park, he wouldn’t have been able to control the urge to tumble her right there. As it was, he was going to be walking with a limp if he didn’t cool things down soon.

  “Hand me the wine and I’ll crack the bottle,” he suggested.

  She looked at him doubtfully, but handed it over nonetheless. He placed the bottle in the crook of his arm, just above the cast, and gave a sharp twist with his hand. The top popped and bubbly exploded, causing Tracy to jump and laugh. He watched, fascinated. Her eyes sparkled when she thought something was humorous. And she had this thing where she’d suck her bottom lip into her mouth and crush it between her teeth. It was so sexy he had to glance away before he was the one embarrassed.

  He held the wine up and waited for her to find glasses, then poured them each a healthy shot.

  “You trying to get me drunk, Anderson?” she teased, taking an appreciative sip. Her tongue peeked out to lick up the excess.

  He groaned, he couldn’t help it.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, concern turning her eyes mossy.

  How to answer that.

  Sure, but I’d be better if you came and climbed onto my lap.

  Yeah, that’s probably not going to work. Damn.

  “Just a spasm, no worries. Why don’t you see what they packed for us?”

  She gazed at him skeptically, then twisted to remove the contents of the basket. The swell of her breasts pressed against the material of her shirt and his heartbeat swelled into a crescendo.

  He could see a long cold shower on his horizon.

  “There’s chicken, prawns, cheese, crackers—oh, oh perfect.” She pulled a giant slice of German chocolate cake out in a plastic domed container. “Let’s start with this.”

  Scott laughed, absurdly happy he’d pleased her. Already the lines of stress from this morning were easing and she was looking more relaxed. The dull noise of traffic was accompanied by the nearby sound of singing birds and the odd curious insect. It all worked to create a little bubble of contentment, one he hated to break.

  He took a sip of his wine and watched in amusement as she dived into the cake with the exuberance of a child. She looked at him and placed a portion on her fork, hovering it in the general area of his face.

  “Try this, Anderson. It’s amazing.” She leaned closer to give him a taste and lost her balance. The cake slid to the blanket and she landed right where he wanted her, against his chest.

  “Oomph. I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed, her eyes huge and filled with amusement.

  “I’m not,” he whispered, right before he got his own taste of amazing.

  Chapter 16

  Lucas stared down at the bright blonde head by his side and cursed his helplessness. It had always been his personal goal to make sure Natalya had whatever she needed. He couldn’t explain to himself why it mattered so much, just that it did. Which made this situation all the worse. He needed to find a way for her to connect with her brother so that she could see for herself that he was okay. But how? It wasn’t like there was an elevator down to ground level or anything. He didn’t even know how he’d gotten there himself. It just sorta—happened.

  And then there was the issue of his new partner, Mike. He hadn’t seen the other man since he left him at his house, but could guess what he was going through. Losing your whole family like that… it sucked.

  Lucas had gone over his own accident a hundred times already. If only he hadn’t turned his head and been distracted just then.

  If wishes were horses…

  “Have you talked to anyone else since you arrived?” he asked Nat, curious as to who might be hanging in limbo around here.

  “No, you’re the first.” She stabbed at a log, causing a shower of sparks, before she rose and placed the poker in an ornate stand on the hearth. She turned to face him and the gratitude shining in her expression set him back a step.

  “Do you realize how happy I am that you’re here? I was so scared. I thought I was going to be alone forever.” Her eyes welled up, becoming deep pools he could cheerfully drown in.

  “Nat,” he
said, and held open his arms, helpless against her pain.

  She hesitated for a nano-second, then heaved a giant sigh of relief and snuggled in tight to his chest. Her arms crept around his back and Lucas was going to hell for sure, it felt so good. His cheek rubbed against her silky hair and he closed his eyes, the better to let his other senses soak up the scent of sunshine and summer meadows.

  When she glanced up, it was the most natural thing in the world to lean down and touch his lips to the smile on hers.

  The room tilted.

  Lucas pulled away, cursing under his breath, but Natalya murmured a protest and lifted her hands to jam them in his hair, tugging him closer. Her mouth flirted shyly with his, leaving soft butterfly kisses that drove him Over. The. Edge.

  And then there was no turning back.

  He groaned and slanted his mouth over hers, taking control and showing her this was no game they played. His thumb caressed the side of her face, reveling in the soft texture of her creamy skin. Up close she was even more enticing, and he was going down for the count.

  She stood on her toes for leverage and the fullness of her breasts strained against his chest, the hard nubs turning him inside out. He’d waited a lifetime for this moment.

  “Do you know what you’re doing to me?” His voice was little more than a growl, filled with the effort of holding his passion under lockdown. If Scott knew…

  He grabbed her arms and held her away. “Stop, Nat. We can’t do this.”

  She looked as dazed as he felt. It was all Lucas could do to step away from the sweet temptation of flushed cheeks and bee-stung lips.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You know this is wrong.” He smacked the fireplace mantle. “Dammit, you’re too young. Barely more than a teenager, for crying out loud.”

  Natalya snorted, and swung away, striding over to the sink and running a glass of water. She took a long drink, set the glass on the counter, then turned and leaned against the ledge with her arms crossed and cheeks flushed.