She wrenched her eyes off her plain black shoes and met his fierce gaze.
“How come you’re doing all this anyway, huh? Jake and Julie clearly have money. Why didn’t they hire some expensive wedding planner to deal with all of this crap?”
“The wedding is small and low-key,” she said. “Just forty guests, including the staff, and it’ll take place here at the ranch. The reception is in the restaurant and Manny’s making all the food. Julie’s best friend is making her dress, and Jake’s renting a suit and Phil’s his best man. It’s casual and laid-back and it just didn’t make sense to hire some wedding planner. Besides, Bethany’s local and Victor’s a long-term partner, and they were supposed to be easy to deal with. You know?”
“OK, I get it.” He thought for a minute, then went to his go-to solution for most irritants. “You want me to kick their asses for you?”
She laughed and he looked at her face, amazed. This was the first time she’d looked so relaxed and natural and he found himself smiling back, happy to see and hear her so happy. He also liked that he’d been the reason for her laughter.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. “I’ll let you know.”
“Uh-huh. Good.” He looked up sharply as the door opened.
“Oh, hey, Laura,” Maria said. “How’s it going?”
Laura stared at Dillon, taken aback at his frank perusal of her. “Uh, good. You?”
“Good.” She gestured at Dillon. “This is Dillon Saunders.”
“Hi.”
He nodded.
“OK, so let me tell you a few things and then I’ll go for lunch.” Maria clicked the mouse, opened a few files on the computer. Dillon retreated back to the sofa and sat down, watching the women carefully.
“Um. Is Mr. Saunders a guest?” Laura asked, sure that his name wasn’t on the reservation list for the day.
“He’s – he’s staying at Open Skies for a little while,” Maria said evasively.
“Oh.” Laura looked over at him again. “Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
Wow, Laura thought. That voice is something else, all roll-out-of-bed rough and sexy. Everything about the man is sexy, actually. I have to get Maria alone and ask her what the hell.
She tried to catch Maria’s eye, but the other woman wasn’t looking at her. OK, she’d wait. From the sounds of things, the hot man would be sticking around and she’d get the scoop eventually. Whatever it was, she was sure it was good… and damn well worth waiting for.
Chapter Three
Tamara Jenkins had her mouth full of pins, which was the only reason she wasn’t pelting Julie with endless questions. Tammy narrowed her violet eyes at her best friend, knowing damn good and well that Julie had told her about Maria and Dillon right at this moment because she knew Tammy wouldn’t be able to talk for a while.
Julie grinned at Tammy, fluttered her eyelashes innocently. “You have nothing to say about any of this? Oh, wait… you can’t say anything!”
Tammy glared daggers at her. “Ummmfffhhha.”
“Sorry?” Julie said brightly.
“Yyyaauuugggtttrruuummmfffwwwwhhhhh.”
“I’m not sure, but I think you may have said something along the lines of, ‘I hate you, you damn wench’.”
Tammy nodded vigorously, pinning frantically. She finally finished with the alterations around the waist and she stepped back to look at Julie.
“So is Maria really OK here?” Tammy asked. “You sure she shouldn’t head off to the Grand Poobah King’s safe house in Denver?”
“Let me tell you something about this Dillon guy,” Julie said. “He is bad ass. I mean, we may think our men are tough and strong and all of that, and they are, right? But this guy? He’s trained up and he takes on drunk criminals in a rough bar. He’s – he’s dangerous and quite probably lethal. You get me? He won’t let anyone near Maria and if someone tries, he’ll stop them with his bare hands. I truly think he could take down a man with one finger.”
“Sexy,” Tammy purred.
“He is. The packaging is hot, believe me.”
“Nice guy?”
Julie paused. “I’m not sure. So far? Not really. But I guess he’s on the clock so he’ll be all gruff and overly professional.”
“I must see him,” Tammy announced. “It’s imperative.”
“Oh, you will. I want you to scare the hell out of him, if it’s at all possible. Now.” Julie turned to face the mirror. “Let’s see this dress.”
The women stared at her reflection, smiling. Tammy had designed the wedding dress for Julie and was now in the process of putting the final touches on creating it. Julie had asked for something simple and feminine, and Tammy had more than come through. Julie’s dress was long, loose and graceful around the legs, more fitted around the upper body. It showed off her amazing breasts, hugged her curves. Tammy looked at the waist again, a bit concerned.
“Hey, it’s looking kind of snug around here,” she said, tugging at the extra material she’d just pinned to the side. “For a few weeks, you were losing weight and now it looks like it’s coming back.”
Julie looked insulted. “You calling me fat?”
“Oh, God. Not even close.” Tammy rolled her eyes as she took in Julie’s gorgeous body. Her own was much taller and slimmer, but Julie was nothing but lush, ripe curves and sexy as hell. “If you’re looking to fit in this thing on your wedding day, though, I’d better not get rid of the extra material.”
“Yeah, I think you should keep it. The dress will need to be expanded, for sure.”
“Yeah? You planning on gorging yourself on pre-wedding goodies? I love a bride-to-be who eats. So refreshing.”
“Oh, that’s not it.” Julie’s green eyes were bright. “I’m not really getting fatter. I’m getting bigger.”
Tammy paused, wondering if she was getting the right idea. “Say what?”
“Yeah. I’ll be getting bigger for the next seven months or so, I figure.”
Tammy stood totally still. “Fuck off, Jules. Really?”
“Yep.” Julie grinned. “I’m knocked up.”
“Shut. Up!”
“Truth.”
Tammy shrieked and threw her arms around Julie, then she backed away. “Shit. Did I hurt the future ankle-biter?”
Julie laughed. “With an overly enthusiastic hug? Impossible.”
“And you haven’t told Jake?”
“I want it to be my wedding present to him, but I may not be able to keep it a secret that long.”
“‘Cause you’re getting fat? Oh, I’m sorry. I mean, ‘cause you’re getting big?”
Julie glared at her. “Because I’m starting to feel a bit sick in the mornings sometimes.”
“Oooh.” Tammy winced. “I didn’t think about that part of it. You have morning sickness?”
“Not full-on. More like – morning nausea.” She sighed. “And the only thing that seems to help is toast heaped high with tons of butter and peanut butter.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Makes me wonder how much of my weight gain is baby weight and how much is carbs loaded down with fat and sugar.”
“Christ, Jules, who cares?” Tammy hugged again, more gently. “You’re pregnant!”
“Yeah.” She touched her stomach. “I am.”
The women giggled then Tammy looked back at the waist of the dress.
“I’ll leave this for now and do the final alterations the day before the wedding. OK?”
“OK.”
“So let’s finish this up and we’ll go get some lunch. And I’ll check out this bodyguard from the Hot Side. I just hope Rob isn’t around to see me ogling the man’s ass-kicking ass.”
“You think he’d mind?”
Tammy grinned. “Nah. He’d just insist that I make it up to him tonight
at home.”
“Hmmm.” Julie pretended to look puzzled. “Like – you’d have to make him dinner?”
“Not dinner, Jules. Dessert.”
“A special dessert?”
“Very special.” Tammy imagined what Rob would do to her and she felt her pussy flutter. “The kind of dessert that really, truly takes the cake.”
**
Dillon watched Maria at the lunch buffet. She was moving slowly and looked tired. Her face was drawn and pale, she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a woman who needed some sleep and as a man in the exact same state, he sympathized.
She poured herself a glass of water and joined him at the table now. He waited until she was sitting down and then he stood up.
“I’ll get some lunch. You need anything?”
She smiled at him. “I forgot a fork.”
“One fork, coming up.”
“Thanks.”
He walked around the buffet, mindful of the gaggle of kids running around the place. He switched his attention to Maria for a split-second, and that was when one girl with blonde curls crashed right in to him and rebounded backwards. Without a second of thought, his free hand shot out and he caught her before she fell flat on her butt, then he let her go right away.
“Hey there, little one. You alright?”
She stared up at him, her eyes wide. She nodded.
“OK, then.” He smiled, hoping that made him less terrifying to a tiny person.
“You’re big,” she informed him. “Bigger than Daddy.”
“Yeah, I’m big.” Dillon gave her a wink. “I eat a lot.”
She looked at his plate piled high. “I see that. You eat cookies?”
“Every chance I get,” he responded solemnly. “You?”
“Mommy says I can’t eat too many.”
“Yeah. Mommies are like that.”
She nodded. “I love her anyway.”
“That’s good.”
They stood and stared at each other for a few more seconds, then she turned and skipped off to a table. Dillon watched her sit down, returned his attention to Maria. She’d watched the whole exchange with the small human and she was giving him a strange look.
He grabbed the cutlery – remembering an extra fork – and headed back to the table. He sat. “What?”
“What what?” Maria said.
“You’re giving me a weird look.” Dillon dug in to his stir-fry. “How come?”
“You like kids?”
He shrugged. “Some, I guess. The not-whiny ones. You like them?”
“I do. I like seeing kids come here with their parents and all spend time as a family.” She played with her pasta, ran the fork around and around the edge of the plate. “A woman in the marketing department, Vicky, has a daughter named Sonia and I love seeing them together.”
Dillon leaned back, watching her closely. Gabi had told him a bit about Maria – not that much, but enough to know that her childhood must have been rough. He wavered, some questions on his lips, then he decided that this wasn’t the time or place to get in to it.
But why would I get in to it at all? Her childhood in foster care after being abandoned by her mother isn’t the slightest bit important to what I’m doing here, is it?
Again, Dillon found himself drawn to Maria on a purely personal level; again, he wondered just what the fuck. The woman was a job, a job that he hadn’t wanted and certainly hadn’t asked for and as a job, the personal stayed firmly the hell out of it. He knew that, knew that it was one of the cardinal rules of bodyguarding: getting too close to the principal meant that you ran the risk of losing your detachment. Losing your detachment could lead to people getting hurt. Maybe even getting dead.
He looked around the sunny restaurant again, saw Julie come in now. She was with another woman and Dillon took her in. Tall, slim, curvy in all the right places. Dark hair, almost-purple eyes, a sassy look and strut. She met his gaze with a smirk, said something to Julie and they both laughed. Dillon watched them walk over to the table.
“Mr. Saunders,” Julie said.
“Ms. Everett.”
“This is Tammy Jenkins. Tammy, Dillon Saunders.”
He stood and held out his hand. “Ma’am.”
“Oh, ‘ma’am’ is it?” she said, looking him up and down. “Good to meet you.”
“And you.” He still stood, waiting to see what they wanted; it was clear that Tammy had a few things on her mind.
“So you’re protecting Maria, huh?” Tammy said.
“Yes.”
“You really think these MC assholes will show up here?”
“I don’t know.”
“What if they do?”
He shrugged. “I take care of them.”
“A man of few words, I see.”
Dillon cocked his head. “I’m answering your questions.”
“Barely.”
He said nothing to that.
Julie cleared her throat. “I spoke to Dallas Foreman this morning about you. He said you were one of his best and that he was sorry when you decided to go. Said that Maria was in good hands.” She narrowed those amazing eyes. “And I talked to King and Jax, too.”
“Oh, yeah?” That must have been one hell of a conversation.
“Yeah. They’re also men of few words.”
He grinned. “Yep.”
“But we’ve all reached an understanding, I do believe. You’re very welcome here and you’ll stay as long as this mess takes to sort out.” To his surprise, she reached out and gently touched his muscled forearm. “I want you to take care of her, Dillon, whatever it takes. You hear me?”
“Yes.” He stared down at her, liking her more and more. “I hear you.”
“OK, then.” She withdrew her hand. “Enjoy your lunch. Your apartment is all set up, whenever you want to go and settle in.”
“Thanks, Julie.”
“Sure.”
“Dillon?” Tammy again.
“Tammy?” he replied.
“You really think this is necessary?” She looked very serious. “This isn’t paranoia or overkill?”
“Honestly? I don’t have a clue if it’s necessary. What I do know is that I’ve had dealings with the Fallen Angels before at the bar I work in, and I’ve seen them… do some things. Bad things. They’re closer to animals than men, you get me? Any chance that they’ll hurt Maria, no matter how small, is way too fucking big, because if they get a hold of her?” He shook his dark head. “Well, you don’t want to know, I promise you.”
The three women stared at him and finally Tammy nodded.
“OK, then. We’ll let you get back to work.”
He sat again and returned to his lunch. Maria wasn’t eating, he saw now, and he looked up at her.
“What’s wrong?” he said.
“I’m not hungry,” she whispered.
“No?”
“No.”
He examined her face. She looked like she was seconds away from bursting in to tears and that was about the last thing he wanted to have happen in the middle of the restaurant.
“Maria?”
She nodded to show that she’d heard him, didn’t say anything.
“You want to go lie down? Get some rest?”
“I still have two hours on my shift,” she said, her voice wobbly.
“Forget it. Julie will understand that you need some time.”
“I – I – maybe I do.” She twisted her fingers. “I feel like it’s just starting to hit me now, what you’re actually doing here.”
He stood up. “Let’s go. Come on.”
She stood up too. “Your lunch…”
“It’s not important.” But you are.
She stumbled a bit and Dillon took her upper arm gently.
<
br /> “Sorry,” she said, mortified at her weakness.
“Hey, it’s OK. Let’s get you to the apartment.”
They walked out of the restaurant and out the front door, Dillon holding her arm the whole time. She was leaning towards him a bit, the curve of her hip brushing up against him, and he liked it. He liked it a lot. He was close enough to smell her shampoo now, see the tiny details on her earrings, notice that her eyes had flecks of brown in the black. She was stunning and frightened and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her.
She pointed to a path. “That way to the door to the staff quarters.”
They reached the closed door and Maria tapped in the code. Dillon watched, memorized it, and they walked in to what looked like a huge common area. There was a TV, a few sofas and chairs scattered around, a kitchen, large windows facing the mountains. He loved it right away and was quite surprised to find himself smiling. It was warm and welcoming and for the first time since getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, he was truly happy to be there.
Maria walked down the hallway, all the way to the room at the very end. She fished in to her vest pocket, pulled out the key. Her hands were shaking and his heart squeezed at her distress.
He took the key from her hand. “Let me, Maria.” He unlocked the door, shoved it open. They stepped in to their apartment and again, Dillon felt a wave of joy crash through him. It was bright and sunny and practically shouted a greeting at them. He saw a small patio through the sliding glass doors leading outside, a fireplace, a cute little kitchen.
“OK,” he said. “Where are the bedrooms?”
“Over there.” She pointed. “Those two doors.”
“I’ll take the one closest to the patio.”
She managed a weak grin. “Uh. That was Sonia’s room.”
“So?”
“So we painted it pink and stuck up butterflies everywhere.”
“I like pink and I think butterflies are nice.”
Maria laughed aloud and Dillon smiled back at her.
“OK, tough guy,” she teased. “You get the pink bedroom.”
“Excellent. Only one question: is there a normal-sized bed?”
“Yeah. Julie had all the furniture replaced but she hasn’t gotten around to repainting.”
Open Life (Open Skies #5) Page 4
