by M. Stratton
“Well, yes.” Her mind whirled as she considered what to do. She was afraid to say no to him, but then she was also afraid to be alone with him. Then there was Bender; she was sure he’d go off the charts if she said yes. It wasn’t as if she had much of a social life, unless you counted her nightly dates with her books. “I’m sorry. I just really don’t date.”
He cocked his head from one side, then slowly to the other pinching his lower lip. “Is it Bender? Does he already have your heart?”
“No. No one has my heart.”
“Well then, what would it hurt to have a nice, friendly dinner with me?”
She was sure it would hurt more than what he implied. “Normally, I’d agree with you, however, I’m a bit shorthanded around here, and I’m trying to decide what comes next.”
“Oh, really? Well, I’m a bit of a businessman myself. I’d love to offer my services to help you in any way I can.”
“No, really, I’m fine. I have a couple of options and I’m just weighing them to see which is better. I’m used to working alone.”
“Someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t be alone. You should be cherished, adored, lavished with everything you’ve ever wanted, and things you hadn’t even dreamed of yet.” He stared deep into her eyes. She hadn’t realized he’d moved until he was right in front of her. “I can give that to you. All your heart desires will be yours.” He held out his hand. “All you have to do is say yes.”
Looking down at his hand and then back up at him, she felt her eyes getting heavy. His voice was so smooth and relaxing, completely at odds with what her head was telling her he was. “I . . . I . . .”
“Say it . . .”
She opened her mouth and jumped when there was a banging at the door. Shaking her head, she turned and looked at the small faces at the door, wanting to get in. “I’m sorry; I lost track of time.” She frowned as she looked down at her watch; it was much later than she thought it should have been. “I need to let them in.”
He backed away from her. “Of course, princess, anything for you.” He turned and walked toward the back of the store melting into the shadows.
She turned and quickly opened the door for the children and then walked to the back, checking every dark corner making sure he hadn’t hid himself somewhere. Once she locked the door, she felt better. She didn’t know what happened to her. It was almost as if he’d hypnotized her.
Feeling the need to be surrounded by life, she went back to where the children laughed, shared, read, and most importantly, came together. Sitting behind the counter, she knew Bender would be back soon, and she’d have to tell him what happened. She pulled her book out of her purse and wanted to read, but her eyes kept going back to the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes until he came back to her.
“Damn it. Next time call me.” Bender paced the new hotel room where they were staying for the night. After she’d told him she’d had a visitor, he didn’t want to go back to her place to install the security system. He was still pissed at her and was hoping to drive the point home not to keep things from him. “He’s not going to give up. You can’t be left alone anymore.”
She stood up and stalked toward him. “Now wait a minute, buster—” She jabbed her finger in his chest.
Grabbing her finger and not letting it go, he frowned at her. “Stop it. You don’t have any idea what is going to happen if Nutter gets you alone. You were so lucky today. I’m going to have to adjust some things in the store.”
“You can’t think of everything.”
“The hell I can’t. This is what I do. This is what I’ve done for years.” He snapped his fingers and pulled out his laptop. With a few clicks of the keys, he had a website up. “Here, look at this.” He turned the display so she could see it.
She sat down next to him, her scent filling the air between them. He watched as she read about jewelry created to send out a signal to people if a woman knew she was in trouble. Those people in turn could notify the police. The last thing Bender wanted was the cops knowing what was going on, but he could set it up so people he trusted would know what was happening.
“What an amazing idea. It’s an extra layer of security; one I could wear all the time. And this way I wouldn’t need someone with me all the time.”
“I didn’t say that.” He started panicking at the thought of her walking around with only a piece of jewelry to transmit her last location to him.
“Then why did you show me this?”
“Because then you wouldn’t have to worry about something like today happening again. You didn’t know how long it would take someone to show up. I can tell you, if you press that button and I am notified, I will be there quicker than you’d think was possible. I’ll also have people watching you at all times. He won’t get that close to you again.”
“Why?”
“Why, what?”
“I mean I know why I don’t want him around. I’ve heard a few things, probably watered down versions of what he’s done, but there’s also how he makes me feel. I know he’s not a good man. His eyes are dead unless he’s playing a game of cat and mouse with you. That is the only time he shows any emotions. But why don’t you want me alone with him?”
Bender remembered watching the video of Nutter killing those two men and painting Stormy’s picture. After they were dead, there was no more cat and mouse; however, before and after, Nutter was practically vibrating with emotions. “Let’s just say I know more than you do about him. And before you ask, no I’m not going to share with you; you just have to trust me.”
They were sitting just inches from each other, alone, in a hotel room on a bed. Instead of talking, they could be doing so many other things, but Bender knew what he had to do. Keep his distance. He didn’t know why that pained his heart, but he knew it was for the best.
“Nutter says I shouldn’t; that there’s more to you than meets the eye. You’ve got a past.”
“Lady, we all have a past.”
“And you’re really good at dodging questions.”
“You don’t live as long as I have in this business without learning how to dodge.”
They stared at each other. He knew she’d break before he would and he hated having to do this to her, but she needed to know this was serious. That he wasn’t some teenage chick who was going to spill her guts because they were having a sleepover.
“Fine.” She pulled back and went over to the other bed, settled in, and picked up her book. “Be that way.”
He had to grin at her. He knew it was her classy way of saying ‘fuck you’ and it was so sexy. His breath hitched in his chest. Shit, Roger was right, he was so screwed. He lay back in bed with the laptop on his lap, purchased the jewelry for her, and put a rush order on it.
Thinking back, he wondered if he became intrigued by her when he first read her file. She was so different from what he’d ever known. Lonely girl who’d moved from city to city before her parents settled in a small town on a farm. They sell the farm and the girl ends up with a lot of money and wants to give back. More interested in losing herself in a book than going out partying, not asking for anything in return. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her stretched out on the other bed, her delicate bare feet crossed at the ankles and purple nail polished toes. He was reasonably sure he might be able to turn his head and stare at her and she’d never know. It wouldn’t be the first time. She seemed to get so lost in the books. Something he couldn’t do, it wasn’t safe. Someone had to make sure nothing would happen to them.
When his computer dinged, he opened the message and frowned. Someone was digging into his past, and he had a good idea who it was. He had to stop them before they did more damage. With a few different keystrokes, it sent them off on a wild goose chase, smiling at what they were going to end up with.
Opening the other file, he put an earbud in one of his ears and frowned, watching as Nutter snuck up behind Stormy. Seeing and hearing everything that had happened earlier in the day
made his blood boil. He wanted to punch something. He’d known guys like Nutter over the years; granted none were exactly like Nutter. He was in a league of his own, but they were the same. Knowing he’d laid his hands on Stormy was wrong. The rage built inside Bender until it was ready to explode. He knew if Nutter were in front of him right now, he’d kill him. No matter the outcome, to keep Stormy safe, he would.
Excess energy pulsed under his skin; he needed to do something. He turned to Stormy. “You work out?” When she didn’t answer, he got up, walked over to her bed, and leaned down putting his fists on the bed next to her hips. “Stormy, do you work out?”
He could see his words were slowly penetrating her book haze and she came back to him.
“What?”
“Do you work out?”
“Oh, yeah, not as regularly as I should, but I do. I’ve got a treadmill set up at home and I can walk and read.”
“Of course you do. Come on, they have an exercise room here. Let’s hit it.”
“But should we? You know, someone might see us.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“How can you know?” She hugged the book to her chest.
“I need to exercise. I have to stay on top of my game and I can’t leave you here. I’m sorry, but you can’t bring your book. You need to pay attention. You aren’t at home; we’ll be in a public place.”
Laying her book to the side, she got up and grabbed some clothes from her bag before going into the bathroom to change.
Once the door was closed, Bender quickly sent a text letting the team know what they were doing. An all-clear reply came back within seconds. He figured a gym in a place like this wasn’t going to be in high demand, especially at this time of night.
He’d had someone stop by her place, get her suitcase, and drop it off. When she came out of the bathroom, he wished he’d been prepared for what she looked like in yoga pants and a bright blue tank top, which just happened to match her eyes perfectly. She walked by without looking him in the eye, her long ponytail swinging playfully behind her. He felt like he was back in grade school; he wanted to pull it so badly.
Needing to get his mind on what they were going to do and not the perfect shape of her ass, he opened the small refrigerator and grabbed a couple of bottles of water for them. “Ready?”
“Sure. I grabbed a towel for both of us. We may need more; I know I’m going to need a shower when I get back.”
“I’ll make sure we have enough.” He started going over the workout he was going to do. All he knew for sure was he was going to push himself like he’d never pushed himself before. It was the only way to get her out of his mind. Especially the thought of her all wet and slick from the shower.
Stormy was thankful for the automatic pace she kept on the treadmill. If it wasn’t for the natural rhythm she had, she might have ended up facedown and flung off the machine while watching Bender work out. The way he pushed his body to the limits was breathtaking. His body moving so gracefully as he worked harder and harder, building up more and more of a sweat until he took his shirt off.
Dialing the machine up higher, she hoped to stop obsessing about him, but it wasn’t working. She knew he had a hard body, yet seeing him without a shirt, punching the heavy bag repeatedly, the muscles in his back moving and rippling, was so sexy. Without realizing it, she’d adjusted her pace to his pace. One jogging, one punching. Her fingernails dug into the palm of her hands. His body was perfection in motion.
She had a moment like in the movies, where everything moves in slow motion and becomes crystal clear. No longer able to deny she was attracted to him, she slowed her pace and her mind began to whirl with the ramifications as she continued to watch him move.
She’d been attracted to the opposite sex before, but in school, she ended up being teased so much she knew there was no way any boy would look at her any other way than just some quiet bookworm. The older she became, the more she drew into herself. She had dated; some even lasted a few months, but no one who wanted to deal with her introverted ways for too long and they always ended up resenting her love of reading.
Walking now, she flipped through everything she knew about Bender and attempted to analyze exactly what it was about him she was so drawn to. There were too many missing pieces, but she was surprised it didn’t bother her as much as it should. She knew she was setting herself up for disappointment, or worst case, heartbreak, but she wanted to take a chance.
For the first time in her life, she felt like someone cared about what happened to her and wanted to protect her, someone who wasn’t part of her family. She thought it went beyond just a job to him, but couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. Mentally, she flipped through all of her favorite books and considered what the heroines in their stories did when faced with a similar situation.
Completely focused on putting one foot in front of the other and looking at his body, she didn’t realize he was talking to her until his smoking hot body had moved and stopped right in front of her, the solid expanse of his chest at her eye level. She could feel herself blushing as she slowly looked up into his eyes. “Ummm . . . I didn’t hear you.”
“Yeah, I figured that out. You ready to go back to the room?”
Her face flamed an even brighter red. “Sure.” She stopped the machine and grabbed the towel he handed her without looking at him. Walking in front of him out of the room, she was thankful for the minute to get herself under control so maybe he wouldn’t know she’d been thinking of him. Then she thought he was right behind her and the yoga pants didn’t leave much to the imagination. Using his trick, she quickly looked up to the mirrors and saw she was right; he was checking her ass out.
It took everything she had not to brush at the lint she was sure was all over her butt. Imagined or not, there had to be at least one white speck of something on her black pants; that was why he was looking at it.
As soon as they were back in the room, his phone rang. She couldn’t hear what he said, but saw his body tense. She crossed to the bed and waited for him to finish his call, not sure what was going to happen next. Her worst fear was somehow Nutter knew where they were and they were going to have to move again.
Ending the call, he looked over at her, his brow furrowed. “I need to leave for a bit.”
“Leave? You?”
“Yes, I’ve got to take care of something.”
“But, I thought I wasn’t going to be left alone.”
“You aren’t, there is someone watching this room, actually more than one person. They’ll make sure you are kept safe and no one bothers you.”
“How can you be sure?” Her breathing was increasing rapidly and her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest.
He crossed to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Stormy, you’re going to be fine. No one knows where we are. We have people watching Mick and Nutter. They are nowhere near here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, I’m positive.”
“But what about you? I’m assuming you’re going somewhere you don’t want me to be; otherwise, you wouldn’t entrust me to someone else.”
“No one can say you’re slow. Yes, I am going somewhere I don’t want you to go. But you can’t worry about me. I’ve been doing this for years. I can take care of myself.”
“Famous last words.”
“Are you superstitious?”
She crossed her arms and stood there looking at him. “Maybe.”
“I won’t do anything stupid. I’ll be back before you know it.” He rummaged around his duffle and pulled out an old, leather bound book. “Here, this will keep you busy.”
Carefully, she took the book from him and ran her hand over the leather, feeling its history. She opened it, closed her eyes, bringing the book up, and breathing in deeply. She couldn’t help herself; a grin spread across her face lighting up her eyes. “Thank you.” She was at a loss to say anything else. The man who wanted to travel as light as possible carried
around a huge, heavy, old book, just for her.
“You’re very welcome. Kick back and read some Shakespeare. I’ll be back soon.”
Her smile dimmed and she nodded. Logically, in her head, she knew she had to suck it up and let him go. The last thing she wanted to do was to distract him by wanting him not to go, and then have him worry about her. She waved the book in the air. “This will keep me busy.”
Handing her a phone, he kept his hand on hers. “This is for emergencies. Use it. I’m serious. No matter what, even if you think it’s nothing, just push send. It only goes to one number. Someone will be here in fifteen seconds to help you.”
“How do I know they’re with you?”
“If you have to call, you’ll know who the good guy is and who the bad one is.”
Stormy hoped he was right. “Okay, then, stay safe.”
“I will.” He walked to the door, and without looking back, he walked out.
Stormy stood there clutching the book to her chest, waiting for the door to open and him to come back to her.
Bender hated leaving her, but he had to. The cops were sniffing around his place again. He needed to find out what was going on, and quickly. The streets weren’t too busy on a Tuesday night, so he made good time. The police were still talking to Roger when he arrived. He walked up to them memorizing everything he could about them. They both had been on the force for a while, no rookies here. “Can I help you?”
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Bender. Long time, no see.” The older of the two looked him up and down and tried to suck in his gut.
“Look who’s all grown up, looking good there, Sporto.” There was no way he was going to be able to keep the sarcasm out of his voice; and sure enough, when the cop’s face flamed red, he knew he’d hit home.
“We’ve got some questions for you.”
“I’m sure you do. If you came for advice on women, I’m sorry I’m not going to be able to help you. The bar closes in a couple of hours and I’ve got a hot date, so let’s just cut to the chase.”
