by Leigh James
Fiona looked stricken. “Jesus.”
Lauren sat back. “Call the FBI.”
“And Levi Betts.” I nodded at Fiona. “Trust me, you can’t take too many precautions in this situation. Please stay in touch with us. We’ve been there—you’re not alone.”
“I’m sorry to involve you, but I just didn’t know what else to do.” Fiona stood to go.
I stood, too, and pulled my friend in for one last hug. “Don’t be sorry. Be careful.”
But as I watched her leave, I was still worried. As my sister and I had learned the hard way, when it came to Li Na Zhao, careful wasn’t close to good enough.
* * *
I let the office early, which was unheard of in Silicon Valley—but I was anxious to get home to Wes. The whole ride, my mind worried over Fiona’s story. It had only been a few weeks since Gabe and the Betts security team had rescued me and shot multiple members of Li Na’s team, killing three men. But Li Na hadn’t even hit the pause button, already trying to hack into another California company and threatening its CEO the same way she’d threatened Lauren.
By the time the driver pulled up to the gate at Gabe’s compound, my palms were sweaty and I had a headache.
Brian, one of the three personal security agents assigned to me, noticed. He peered at me. “Are you okay, Ms. Taylor? You look a little pale.”
“Ms. Taylor is my sister—so please call me Hannah—and yes, I’m fine. It was my first day back at work, though, and it felt like a long time to be away from Wesley.” And the house. I breathed a sigh of relief as we went inside, grateful for the security of the familiar surroundings and also, the quiet.
Wes and Marcus, the handsome, dark-skinned, silver-haired nurse, were in the kitchen. Wes was standing, something he was approved to do only under supervision and in relatively short spurts.
I went and carefully wrapped my arms around him. I sighed in relief as I pressed my face against his chest, feeling his muscles surround me. I inhaled, relishing his familiar scent—a mixture of something manly (and testosterone-y) and clean laundry. Yum. “Hi.”
“Hey, babe. You’re home earlier than I expected.”
I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed his nose. “I missed you. Seven hours away was long enough.”
Wes grinned, causing a familiar tug in my belly.
“It’s good to see you.” He took my face in his hands, his lips hungrily meeting mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him and molding my body against his. Our tongues connected, and I almost moaned. Luckily, I remembered myself…and all the other people in the room.
We pulled apart, Wes giving me the crooked grin I loved. “Oops.” But he didn’t sound sorry. The erection straining out toward me didn’t look too apologetic, either.
The guards busied themselves rechecking the interior of the house, and Marcus scooted down the hallway toward the entryway. He turned to wink at us, clearly amused. “I’ll just grab my stuff and get going.”
Wes waved. “Uh…thanks.”
He smiled. “See you in the morning.”
Wes turned back to me, cheeks heated. “I won’t be able to look Marcus in the eye tomorrow.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry.”
He laughed and pulled me back against his chest. “Don’t you dare apologize—I just can’t wait to get you alone.”
I jerked my head toward the four security guards in the living room, all deferentially facing away and probably silently laughing their asses off. “Would you like to go outside and get some fresh air?”
“That’d be great.”
“You have to, you know.”
I motioned to the wheelchair, and Wes cursed under his breath. “I am so over that thing.”
“Please? You won’t have to use it for too much longer.” Dr. Kim had said that he’d need it for only a few weeks, until Wes had progressed with physical therapy and gotten stronger.
He sank begrudgingly into the chair, arranging his large body and looking uncomfortable, a jaguar in a too-small cage. He rarely complained, but when he did, it was about not being able to get around by himself.
“I’m sure it’s getting old.”
Wes rolled his eyes. “Try ancient.”
I didn’t blame Wes for losing patience—he wasn’t a sideline kind of guy. He liked working out. He liked being strong. He liked protecting me. He hated that he was missing work, just like he hated being stuck in this chair.
Speaking of things he hated… I swallowed nervously as I maneuvered him outside. He was going to freak about Li Na Zhao’s sudden reappearance. I didn’t want to stress him, but I had to tell him.
She’d put him in this chair. He deserved to know the truth.
“So, some stuff happened at Paragon today,” I explained as we headed for the pool deck.
Wes went instantly on alert. “What kind of stuff?”
“Fiona Pace, the Protocol Therapeutics CEO, stopped by. She’s a friend of mine, but this wasn’t a social visit.”
“The women-in-business leadership guru? I read her book. I thought it was great.”
I stopped the chair and peered down at him, dumbfounded. Wes read her book? Fiona had written a bestseller about women in business, but it’d never crossed my mind that he’d pick something like that up. “You did?”
He chuckled at my expression. “Yeah, back when I started dating you. I thought it would give me insight.”
“Insight on what?”
“On how to respectfully interact with a high-powered professional woman.”
My heart swelled, touched by his preparation. “You thought of me as a high-powered professional?”
“I think of you as a high-powered professional.”
I pulled the wheelchair up next to the chaise lounges. “That’s sort of hot.”
Wes tilted his chin, inspecting me. “You’re hot—and you’re totally high powered. Sometimes I don’t think you see yourself clearly, babe.”
“Oh. I guess I don’t really think about it.” I was used to Lauren always getting the professional attention and accolades.
I started to help Wes from the wheelchair to a chaise, but he gave me a very pointed look, so I backed off. I bit my lip as he used his arms, lifting himself. He winced a little, and my heart broke, but I looked away. Wesley didn’t want my pity—in the weeks since the shooting, I’d at least figured that much out.
He settled himself onto the chair with some effort, then sighed. “Tell me more about Fiona Pace.”
I sat down next to him. “It isn’t good news. She’s been the CEO of Protocol Therapeutics for about two years. They’re researching antibody therapies to help cancer patients.”
“Right, I’ve read about them.”
My brow furrowed. “You have?”
“Of course—their valuation came in at seven billion dollars. Not bad for a company that hasn’t even completed clinical trials yet.”
When he saw the shocked look on my face, Wes laughed. “I can actually read at grade level, you know. I can even do it when I make a muscle at the same time.” He winked.
“I know—of course I knew that.” But my cheeks burned. I’d underestimated him, and I just got busted.
I cleared my throat and continued. “Fiona’s IT team realized they were being hacked recently. They changed their firewalls so the person couldn’t get in.”
Wes frowned. “I’m waiting for the part where the news gets bad, and I’m dreading it.”
I blew out a deep breath. “It’s Li Na—she called Fiona and told her that since she can’t hack in, she wants to outright buy Protocol.”
Wes’s face hardened. “And?”
“And when Fiona refused, Li Na threatened her.”
Silence stretched out between us as he processed the news.
Wes finally shook his head, looking as if he’d like to crush something. “Jesus. She didn’t even take a breather.”
“I know. Lauren and I told Fiona to call the FBI, and we gave her Levi’s number.
She’s supposed to call him today.”
“Unfuckingbelievable.” Wes stared straight ahead, his jaw taut. “It’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“To take Li Na out. She’s done enough damage—we can’t let her get away with any more. I’m done with waiting.”
My heart thundered, and I reached for him, panicked. “The FBI will handle it.”
He wrapped his arms around me, cradling me carefully to his chest. “They haven’t managed to handle it yet, babe.”
“I know, but they’ll do something this time. She can’t just keep getting away with murder.”
Wes played with my hair. “You’re right about that.”
I pulled back, my gaze zeroing in on his. “It can’t be you. I need you.”
Wes chuckled. “You didn’t even know I could read until two minutes ago.”
“I didn’t mean it like that—” I spluttered.
He put his finger over my lips, shushing me. “I’m just teasing you, honey.”
I tried to relax against him, but the panic wouldn’t recede. “Just promise me.”
“Promise you what?”
“That you’ll stay safe. That you’ll stay with me.”
Suddenly I wished I had that master plan and checklist, because I didn’t even know what I was asking for. Still, I nestled against Wes, needing his assurance.
But although he continued to hold me, he never answered.
Chapter 3
Wes
Li Na Zhao is back. I swear to God, I am going to gut her, once and for all…
I wasn’t in shape to go after her yet, but I vowed to get ready. Then I tried desperately to think about something else so I would talk about something else. I didn’t want to push poor Hannah over the edge. She’d been through enough already.
Because of Li Na.
My hands curled into fists, but I pushed the thoughts from my mind.
I played with Hannah’s hair as we sat outside, not talking. Scrambling for something to say to break the tension, I sat up a little. “Hey, I forgot—I have a surprise for you.”
She perked up immediately, blue eyes sparkling in what was left of the sun. “What?”
“C’mon, let’s go back to the house. It’s just a little something.” I just wanted to show her that I appreciated her and everything she’d been doing for me for the past few weeks. She’d been taking care of me like she was family.
She was starting to feel like family, too, which scared the hell out of me. When I’d started working at Paragon, there’d been a string of different men, mostly sporting trendy beards and collarless leather jackets, showing up like clockwork in their Range Rovers to whisk Hannah out to lunch or dinner at various Silicon Valley hotspots. I never saw her go out with the same guy twice.
Things had been going good with us before the attack—so good. But we were in uncharted territory, my defunct ass was living in her sister’s house, and Hannah was stuck waiting on me…
I got back in the godforsaken chair, vowing to get rid of it ASAP. I’d just have to push it harder in physical therapy.
Hannah wheeled me through the house, toward our wing.
“We’re heading to our room for a while,” I told the guards.
“No problem.” Brian nodded. “We got you covered.”
“Don’t you think living with all these guys is sort of weird?” Hannah asked, keeping her voice low as we maneuvered through the long hallway to our suite, located on the western side of the house.
“No, but that’s because I was in the military. And because my brother’s been my roommate forever.” A Special Ops marine, my brother Ellis wasn’t home much because he’d been deployed overseas, but that was about to change.
“Will he be home soon?”
“Yeah. He’s officially retiring from the service—I still can’t believe it. He’s going to start working for Betts Security at the beginning of the month.”
Levi Betts and Ellis had gotten friendly while my brother had been home, visiting me in the hospital. Ellis had over a decade of experience with the Special Forces, and Levi had jumped at the chance to bring him onto his security team. Ellis had been thankful for the opportunity, but I still couldn’t believe he was leaving the military.
“Are you excited he’s moving home?”
I shrugged. The topic made me uncomfortable. “I have mixed feelings about it.”
“Why?”
“Because I feel like he’s giving up his career for me. He said he didn’t want to be so far away anymore, after what happened. But I’m fine.”
“Wes.” Hannah stopped pushing my chair and came alongside me. “He misses you and wants to be closer. I’m sure he was scared to death when you got hurt—but you shouldn’t feel guilty. He loves you and just wants to be here for you.”
“I know that, but leaving the service is pretty extreme. Ellis is all military—I honestly can’t even picture him as a civilian. I don’t even know what he’s going to do with himself.”
“Levi will keep him busy. He said their business is growing exponentially because all the tech CEOs in Northern California want to increase security.”
“I know, and that’s good. But I don’t think Ellis has taken a weekend off in ten years.”
“He doesn’t have a girlfriend or anything?” Hannah asked.
“Hell no. I don’t think he’s ever had a real relationship. There’ve been plenty of girls, but no one he ever brought home.”
“Well, maybe he’ll find a worthy candidate in Silicon Valley.”
“Maybe.” I couldn’t picture Ellis taking a woman out to dinner and a movie. All he normally did with his free time was clean his guns and drink beer.
“I think he will.” Hannah, ever the optimist, seemed determined.
“I’m going to have to buy a new house,” I complained. “There’s no way I could live with him full-time. I love him, but he drives me nuts.”
“You don’t need to buy a new house right now. We’re staying here where it’s safe, remember?”
We got to our suite, and I held my breath as she opened the door. With Marcus’s help, I’d filled the room with flowers and flickering candles.
Hannah turned to me, eyes shining. “Wesley, what did you do?”
I grinned. “I wanted to celebrate you going back to work.”
She walked around the room, examining the flowers. “Oh. Wow.” She hugged her arms around herself, suddenly looking like she might cry.
“Hey—come here.”
She came over, and there were tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m happy for you.”
Her tears spilled over. “I’m happy, too.”
She wiped her eyes, leaning down to kiss me. I cupped her face in my hands, wishing to Christ I could sweep her off her feet and carry her to the bed. Our tongues tangled, and I pulled her gently onto my lap. She felt my erection and scooted off me, breaking our embrace.
“Honey, we can’t do this.”
I pointed at my dick. “It doesn’t have to be involved at all. This is about you.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Let’s just wait, okay? Until we can both participate? I wouldn’t feel right about it.”
“You don’t want to let me touch you?”
Hannah’s face fell. “Of course I do. But it wouldn’t be the same—I don’t want it to be all about me.”
I smiled at her gently. “I am more than prepared for it to be all about you. But if you don’t want to do this right now, I understand.”
Still, something about her reaction bothered me. This wasn’t the first time since I’d been out of the hospital that she’d avoided getting physical. I didn’t know if it was because she was worried she’d hurt me, wasn’t as attracted to me in my beat-up state, or if it was something else…the same something she’d had a nightmare about last night. She’d woken up screaming for the third night in a row.
Looking crushed, Hannah reached for my
hand. “I’m not rejecting you. You know that, right?”
“Of course.” But it sounded like a lie.
She ran her hands through my hair, her wide blue eyes looking at me with concern. “I can’t wait to be with you again. Seriously, I think about it all the time. But I don’t think I’d be able to relax if I’m the only one getting naked. And you’ve already done so much”—she motioned around the room to the candles and the flowers—“in addition to taking a bullet for me. I don’t want to be a taker.”
I laughed. “You’re kidding, right? You moved me into your sister’s house, and you’ve been waiting on me hand and foot. If anyone’s a taker, it’s me.”
We looked at each other for a beat, neither of us sure how to proceed.
“Do you want to…have an antioxidant smoothie and watch the draft on ESPN?”
She patted the bed, looking at me hopefully.
The draft sounded promising. But the smoothie, which would be filled with kale and some weird green powder that Hannah insisted was good for me, was a tougher sell. Still, I forced myself to smile. “With you? You know it.”
That was one thing I’d realized over the past few weeks: I couldn’t say no to her. Ever. Even though kale was bitter. Even though she’d probably suggest tofu for dinner, when all I wanted was a big, juicy steak.
Even though she wanted me to stay put, and not kick Li Na Zhao’s ass.
I couldn’t say no to her. But I desperately wanted to say yes to some ass-kicking.
* * *
Hannah curled up against me and I played with her long, thick hair as we watched ESPN.
At one point she sat up and stretched. “We should probably go have dinner, and check in with Lauren and Gabe. And I need to call Fiona.”
“Okay.” I started to sit up, but she stopped me with a kiss—long and deep. It made me yearn for her to be closer.
“Let’s go in a minute.” Her voice was husky. She kissed me again, our tongues connecting, and she pressed herself against me.
