Guarding His Fortune

by Stella Bagwell

  His thumb caressed the back of her hand as he thought about everything she’d told him. Savannah hadn’t just lost someone she’d loved. She’d gone through years of watching her friend struggle to live. Clearly, the experience was still affecting her deeply.

  “That’s tough, Savannah. Really tough.”

  A resigned smile curved her lips. “Yes. But everyone goes through rough spots in their life. My loss isn’t any more or less important than the next person’s.”

  He suddenly realized how much he wanted to gather her close to him and press his cheek against the top of her head. He wanted to hold her until she forgot about her friend. Until she forgot everything, but him.

  But that sort of wishful craving would only get him into trouble. And not just the kind that caused a heartbreak. No, if Miles Fortune believed Chaz had touched his daughter in a romantic or sexual way, he’d fire him on the spot.

  “Anyway, I just wanted you to know,” she went on. “That’s why—in the garden I was looking at the sculpture of cherubs and all of a sudden it reminded me of Bethann.”

  “Perhaps she was thinking about you.”

  She smiled at him and this time her eyes were shining. “That’s a nice thought, Chaz. Very nice.”

  Something turned over in the middle of his chest and though he had enough strength to disengage his hand from hers, he couldn’t find enough willpower to move away from her.

  “You told me you were studying about diseases. Why people get them and how to prevent them. This doctorate you’re after—does it have anything to do with losing your friend?”

  His question appeared to surprise her and then after a moment, she nodded. “Watching her try to fight the disease made me angry and helpless. I wanted to do something so badly. Once she was gone, I understood it was too late to do anything for her. But I could do something because of her. I think she’d be pleased to know I am trying to make a difference for other people. At least, I’m hoping that once I finish my education I’ll be able to make a difference in the world of research.”

  When Chaz had met Savannah at the airport, he’d told himself he didn’t want to know anything about her personal life. The less he knew about her, the easier it would be to let his job stand as a barrier between them. But now he was glad that she’d shared a part of her past with him. He was glad to learn that she was far more than a rich little princess playing at life.

  “You will make a difference someday. And, Savannah, if I seemed brusque yesterday—it had nothing to do with your tears. Just forget it. Okay?”

  “If you want me to.”

  “I do.”

  After he spoke, silence fell between them, but it was the companionable sort and as they sat there together in the darkness, Chaz couldn’t remember ever feeling okay to simply sit with a woman. Saying nothing. Doing nothing. Except pleasantly absorbing the warmth of her thigh pressed against his and her sweet, sultry scent floating around her.

  “During the eight years I was in the army, I saw plenty of bad sights,” he remarked. “Once something like that gets in your head, it’s impossible to get out.”

  For long moments, she quietly studied him. “Were you ever deployed?”

  “Three times. First to Germany, the last two to the Middle East.”

  “That’s serious. Did you lose any buddies?”

  “I did. One by ambush. Two when the vehicle they were traveling in hit an IED.” Strange, he thought, but during those structured years he’d spent in the army, he’d felt more free than at any other time in his life. Free of his family’s scrutiny, free of the futileness of loving a woman who’d never really loved him in return.

  Savannah shivered and Chaz wondered if she was the clingy sort, who’d be afraid to let her husband work a dangerous job. Would the worry and stress be too much for her to handle?

  Hell, why was he wondering about that sort of thing? If by some far-off chance he decided he wanted to take a wife, it would hardly be a Fortune woman. Besides, for all he knew, Savannah might be dating a law officer back in New Orleans.

  “I’m sure your family was relieved when you decided to return to civilian life,” she remarked.

  He shrugged. “They were glad I moved here to Austin and all of them are proud of my service to our country. If any of them worried about my safety, they didn’t let on.”

  “What made you want to go into the army?” Her gaze turned curious. “Has anyone else in your family served in the military?”

  “My Uncle Orlando was a pilot in the air force,” he told her. “But I wasn’t necessarily trying to follow in his footsteps. I first entered the ROTC as a way to get my college education.”

  Her brows arched with interest. “Oh. I’m rather ignorant about such things, but I thought members of the ROTC only did their military service state-side.”

  “Most do. But after I finished college, I decided to go full-time army.”

  He could feel her gaze probing his face, searching for answers he wasn’t ready to give her. When he’d told her that Orlando’s service in the air force hadn’t influenced him to enter the army, he’d not been totally honest. Back then, he’d wanted to be more like his uncle and less like his father.

  “That was admirable,” she finally said.

  Chaz couldn’t remember any woman calling him admirable. But then he didn’t talk about himself to any of the women he dated. Most women enjoyed talking about themselves and Chaz found it easier to just listen. That way he didn’t have to reveal much about himself. He didn’t have to risk the chance of an emotional connection developing. Yet, during these past few days, he was discovering that everything felt different when he was with Savannah. She was different.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Savannah. I wasn’t necessarily trying to be noble. Serving in the army just felt like the best thing for me at that time.”

  She smiled at him again and Chaz felt the sincerity of her expression drawing him in and making him wonder whether she really might be different from Allison. Maybe all the wealth and privilege of being a Fortune hadn’t separated her from regular folks like him.

  “So what did you study in college?” she asked.

  His short cynical laugh summed up his struggles in the classroom. “I wasn’t like you. Learning was a real effort for me. After I scraped through the basics, I geared everything toward criminal justice.”

  “Mmm. That covers a wide spectrum. What plans did you have? I mean in the way of a job?”

  “Law enforcement. That’s why I was contemplating being an MP. But then the pull of my family changed my thinking and I decided to move here to Austin.”

  “Because you felt they needed you?”

  He shrugged. “No. Because I needed them more.”

  “Oh.”

  Chaz was jealous of the moonlight kissing her face. He wished he had the right to slide his lips along her cheekbones, down her nose and onto the luscious curves of her mouth. He figured kissing her would be like dipping into a bowl of crushed berries sweetened with sugar.

  Trying to shove away the forbidden urge, he asked, “Does that surprise you?”

  “Actually, it does. You don’t seem like a man who needs anyone but yourself.”

  Chaz had never thought of himself as an isolated man. A man who wanted to be totally independent of others. But apparently she viewed him in that manner and he wasn’t at all sure he liked the image.

  “Everybody needs someone, Savannah.”

  “But some don’t want to admit they do,” she said. “I’ve always had my parents and siblings around me. I wouldn’t know what it was like to be entirely alone. I hope I never have to find out.”

  He gave her a droll smile. “You’ll never have that problem, Savannah. I’m betting you probably have a list of boyfriends back in New Orleans just waiting on your return.”

  Her mouth fell open in a com
ical way and then she let out a soft laugh. “Excuse me, but would you repeat that so I can video it on my phone and send it to my sisters? They’d get a huge laugh.”

  As his gaze slipped over her, he couldn’t help thinking Savannah was more than a mark for Charlotte Robinson’s revenge. With her beauty and wealth, she had to be a huge target for men with self-gain on their minds. Maybe Chaz was stupid, but in spite of her travels and going through years of college, he was beginning to see she was still naive and vulnerable in many ways. To think of some greedy jerk taking advantage of her soft heart, some creep putting his hands on her, made his stomach churn.

  “Why would your sisters laugh?” he asked.

  Her gaze fell to her lap and though he couldn’t see her face clearly, Chaz got the impression she was blushing.

  Did women actually do that nowadays? Not the ones he dated, he thought ruefully. Modesty was something their grandmothers practiced, not them.

  So what’s the problem, Chaz? You’re the one who chose to date them. All you want with a woman is fun and games anyway. And you sure won’t get that with a woman that blushes.

  Chaz was relieved when the jeering voice in his head was suddenly interrupted with her answer.

  “Because my sisters call me the science spinster,” she said glumly. “They’re convinced I’ll live the rest of my life with my career and nothing else.”

  Chaz had no business asking, but he did anyway. “Is that what you want for your future?”

  She looked up and for a moment he thought he spotted a mist of moisture in her eyes.

  “No! I mean—I don’t want a man in my life right now. But that doesn’t mean I always want to be single. Someday, after I finish my education and find my dream job, I’d like to have a husband, and children, and a home of my own.”

  “A home on Bourbon Street. With an inner courtyard and a balcony where you can hear the faint sound of someone playing the blues. And if you get the urge for beignets and coffee for breakfast, all you have to do is walk down the street to a little outdoor café. Right?”

  The smile on her face was dreamy and he realized that pleasing this woman would certainly feed a man’s ego. Hell, it would probably make him feel like he could bend a piece of steel with his bare hands or pluck a star from the sky.

  “What’s wrong with that?” she asked.

  “Nothing. It all sounds nice. If you have the right man with you,” he added slyly.

  “I’ll make sure he’s the right man.”

  “By waiting until everything is perfect?”

  His question put an annoyed look on her face. “I don’t believe you have a wife and children tucked away anywhere. What are you waiting for?”

  “We weren’t talking about me,” he said bluntly.

  “You brought up the subject. So you opened the door for cross-examination,” she pointed out cleverly.

  “You haven’t been telling me the truth,” he muttered. “You’ve been studying to be a trial lawyer. Not epidemiology.”

  She laughed softly. “When Miles Fortune is your father, you have to learn how to argue your case. And even then, he usually wins.”

  Yes, Chaz could very well imagine. He’d never met Savannah’s father face-to-face, but during his phone calls with Miles, he’d detected the man’s controlling attitude.

  “I suppose this means you expect me to answer your question about a wife and children.”

  One of her slender shoulders lifted and fell. “Thoughts about love and marriage are private matters. And you’ve only known me a short time. I would understand if you tell me to mind my own business.”

  Only a short time. Why was it beginning to feel like he’d known her for much, much longer? How was it that everything about her was already burned into his memory?

  He let out a heavy breath. “Okay, since you asked, I date whenever the mood hits me. But as far as me in a special relationship—that isn’t going to happen.”

  She didn’t make a reply. But then, she didn’t need to. Confusion and disapproval were marching across her face.

  He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Look, I don’t have anything against marriage. As long as it’s the other guy and not me. I’m not the type to settle down in a two-story house with a bunch of little Mendozas running around my feet. Besides, in my line of work, I need my independence.”

  “Hmm. I guess it would be rather awkward explaining to your wife that you had to leave for a few weeks or months to protect another woman. She might not approve.”

  Stints as a bodyguard didn’t come along every day for Chaz. And once this one ended, he was going to make damned sure he was going back to his rule of not accepting a woman client.

  “I figure she’d have to be a special person to approve of the job,” he said drolly.

  “It’s too bad that you consider being a bodyguard more important to you than having a wife and children,” she murmured.

  He countered with a question. “Like you consider finding a job in epidemiology more important?”

  A faint smile gradually curved the corners of her lips. “Okay. I guess neither of us is interested in finding love and a spouse. But that hardly makes us abnormal. A person doesn’t have to be a husband or wife to be a well-rounded human being.”

  Chaz didn’t understand why he continued to sit here, tempting and torturing himself. Her luscious scent and soft lilting voice were lulling him into a false paradise. He needed to move to some other spot on the patio. He needed to forget about touching her. Kissing her.

  Rising from the glider, he said, “I have some safety checks I need to make on my laptop. I’d better go in and get them done,” he said gruffly.

  She quickly stood and the movement caused her arm to brush against his. The contact was like having a branding iron sear his flesh and he immediately took a step back.

  The reprieve was only momentary as she suddenly stunned him by moving forward and gently resting a hand upon his forearm.

  “Chaz, I’m sorry. All my talking has made you uncomfortable and that wasn’t my intention. But I’m glad that you listened. I’m glad that you told me a bit about yourself. Now it doesn’t feel like we’re two strangers living under the same roof.”

  “We should’ve remained strangers,” he said, his voice hoarse from the need to pull her into his arms.

  Her eyes widened just a fraction. “Really? Why?”

  He groaned and then suddenly his fingertips were trailing down her cheek and along the edge of her jaw. Her skin was softer than velvet. Softer than anything he’d ever touched. His fingers longed to slip downward to where the tiny strap of her top rested on her shoulder. And farther still to the shadowy vee between her breasts.

  “Because now that we know each other better, I want to do this. And this.” Bending his head, he touched his lips to her temple, then to her forehead and down to the tip of her nose.

  When his lips finally hovered over hers, she let out a soft sigh. Her breath brushed his face, while the needy sound pierced him in the middle of his chest like a burning arrow. His heart missed a beat and his lungs refused to work. If he didn’t kiss her in the next five seconds, he figured he would surely die from longing.

  “Chaz.”

  His name came out like the whisper of a breeze, while at the same time her fingers were fluttering against his chest, searching for a place to safely land.

  “Don’t tell me this is wrong,” he murmured. “I already know it is.”

  Her lips parted, but she didn’t utter a word. Chaz took advantage of her silence and closed the tiny chasm between their lips.

  The contact was ethereal. Like touching a cloud and floating through a sky so bright and beautiful he had to close his eyes to be able to bear the wonder of it all.

  This was not a kiss, he thought. This was an experience unlike anything he’d had before. It was swee
t perfection and a connection he didn’t want to end.

  But the end did finally arrive when she stepped back and stared at him in complete dismay.

  “What was that?” she whispered hoarsely.

  His lips twisted to a rueful slant. “That was me being the biggest fool you’ve ever met.”

  Her chin quivered ever so slightly and Chaz had to fight with himself to keep from reaching out and dragging her into the circle of his arms.

  “And what does that make me for kissing you back?” She wanted to know. “The second biggest fool?”

  He shook his head. “This moment is over, Savannah. Gone. Never to be repeated. Understand?”

  She licked her lips and Chaz inwardly groaned as desire suddenly gripped his loins.

  “Not exactly,” she answered.

  “Then I’ll explain it in plain, simple words. If I kiss you again, I’m going to have to take myself off the job. Your father will have to find someone else to be your bodyguard.”

  She looked crestfallen and Chaz wondered if her reaction had more to do with no more kisses or his leaving.

  “Oh. Then we’d better stay away from each other. As far as possible.”

  “Yeah. As far as possible.” Bending down, he picked up his dessert plate and coffee mug, then started toward the house. Midway to the patio doors, he looked over his shoulder at her. “I’m sorry this happened, Savannah.”

  Not bothering to collect her dirty dishes, she hurried over to where he stood. “Why? I’m not.”

  Chaz groaned with frustration. “Then you obviously don’t care whether I lose this job. I thought—”

  “You thought what?”

  Like a fool, he’d been thinking she was beginning to like him as a person. That his feelings mattered.

  “Nothing,” he said stonily.

  A frown wrinkled her features. “I don’t understand you, Chaz. Whether you want to kiss me or I want to kiss you has nothing to do with my father. Please don’t use him as an excuse to wedge a barrier between us.”