Rescued by the Cowboy (WEST Protection Book 1)

by Em Petrova

  “Yeah—he meant exactly that. We can continue work as soon as I’m back in the lab.”

  “‘I missed seeing you in the lunchroom.’”

  She shrugged. “So? Ryan’s got a girlfriend. He isn’t interested in me, and I only like his mind.”

  Ross leveled his stare at her.

  “Ross…I knew this would happen. You’re only acting this way because we slept together!”

  “Hooooeeeee,” Josiah sang into Ross’s ear.

  He ended the call and slammed the phone on the table. Taking a step closer to Pippa, he forced her to back up. “In five seconds, all of my brothers—probably my sister too—will know what happened between us. And no—I’m not suspicious of Ryan Letters because I had my hands and tongue all over your body.”

  She shuddered.

  “It’s because he’s dropping lines in that email that are red alerts to people like me and my team. If he likes you, he has a reason to stalk you. If he harbors professional jealousy of your brain and talent and your find, then he has a motive to come after you.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand. He likes me but he’s jealous? Those ideas completely conflict with each other.”

  “Not if you’ve studied criminal minds, and I have. He may have an unhealthy attraction to you.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “Envy drives most people.”

  “It doesn’t drive me.”

  “I know, honey. Me either. But I want you to search your mind and tell me every single detail about this guy. I don’t care if it was a weird feeling you got from him or a certain look.”

  She gazed at Ross for a long minute and finally nodded. “Okay. But I can’t work without food, Ross.”

  His mind tripped over the off-topic statement.

  “What are you getting us for dinner?” she demanded.

  His lips quirked. “Of all the things I expected you to say, this was the furthest from my mind. Though I don’t know why it surprises me from a woman who would eat the last blueberry bar.”

  * * * * *

  “That tasted better than it actually was because I was so hungry.” Pippa sat back in the stiff chair and clasped her hands over her stomach.

  Across the table, Ross stuck an entire chicken wing in his mouth, clamped his teeth and pulled the bone from his mouth clean of meat. She watched him do that three more times before he tossed the last chicken wing into the paper tray.

  “Everything’s better when you haven’t eaten in a while.”

  She studied him. He’d showered and changed clothes. He wore his chambray shirt open at the throat, showing off his tanned skin as well as a few hairs creeping up from his chest. Veins snaked down his forearms, visible below his rolled sleeves. Even without his hat, he still owned the cowboy look one hundred percent.

  “What would you eat if you could pick the menu?” she asked.

  He cut a glance at her and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin in a manly move that would leave a woman breathless.

  “Ribeye and baked potato with sour cream and loads of butter. My momma’s rolls.” He groaned.

  She did too. “I remember your momma’s rolls well. I helped her make them once, but I’ve never attempted it on my own. My mother made them once for Easter and they came out like stones. We still tease her about it.”

  His smile popped the dimple in his cheek. “What would you eat?”

  “Doritos.”

  He chuckled. “You? Junk food? Doesn’t the fake cheese alter your genetic makeup or something?”

  She laughed. “That’s not how it works.”

  “I saw a vending machine at the end of the building. I can have Roman grab you a bag if you want.”

  “No, I’m full. Thank you, though.” Their gazes caught and held. The touch of his eyes roaming over her face, hair and down to her breasts left her with a burning memory of his rough hands on her.

  His tongue on her.

  “We’re leaving at four a.m. Roman and I decided it’s best to travel at a quiet time of day.”

  She dragged in a breath, the warm fuzzies in her stomach forgotten. “So we really are going to Seattle?”

  He nodded. “The guys and I worked it out. Boone’s left his current post and is on his way there now to secure things the best he can for our arrival. The rest get into Seattle right before we do.”

  Looking down at her twisted fingers, she tried to picture what could happen in Seattle. She couldn’t, so she gave up trying. She met Ross’s stare. “Your mom told me she worries about you all doing this dangerous work. If she knew what happened to us so far, she’d lock you in your room.”

  “I have no doubt she could too. Pippa, it’s been decided that you can’t go to your family’s house. We’ll have guards on them, just in case. But we can’t take the risk.”

  She blew out a sigh. “Even though I already knew it, I still held some hope of seeing them.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “C’est la vie,” she said with a forced note of brightness.

  He tipped his head, eyes glowing at her. “I suppose you studied in France too.”

  “No. I only spent one weekend there. Meredith and I took a long weekend after we graduated from our doctorate program.”

  “I wasn’t aware you graduated together.”

  “Yes. We started MIZR at the same time, though I’d been slated to work there since I won the science competition in high school.”

  “Did you get her a job there?”

  Surprise made her blink in reaction. “No. Not at all. She’s brilliant. She’s done a lot of work on fusion proteins.”

  “Whatever those are.”

  She chuckled. In only a few days her voice had returned to normal and the bruising on her throat began to fade. “Tell me your hopes for WEST Protection.”

  He squared his shoulders, making them appear broader. “I want to be the best in the country.”

  “I have complete faith in your skills.”

  As their gazes locked, it hit her—how different their lives were. She worked in a lab and was happy as a cell organelle to bury her nose in research and learning. Ross lived and breathed the ranch and his security company. They lived states apart. Seeing each other in future would be impossible.

  None of these revelations shocked her, but they did jab her square in the heart. Anything they may have gained would be lost. Cut short. Maybe forgotten.

  No, she’d never forget their scorching encounters and his burning kisses. Even the way he looked at her now left her on edge and breathless.

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Pip, but I don’t like the look on your face.” His voice came out as a low rasp.

  She turned her attention to her hands. “I was just thinking of my family. How much I miss them.”

  When she glanced up, she found him studying her. Since she was a terrible liar, she wouldn’t be surprised if he called her out on the one she’d just told. But he remained silent, and the moment passed.

  “How do you manage to throw yourself into the protection agency and keep up with the ranch?” Turning the topic seemed to be her go-to when it came to avoiding strained moments with Ross.

  Thankfully, he rolled with it. “We’ve got enough ranch hands. Most of what I do is on the management end. I’m slowly taking over some of those jobs my dad always did.”

  “Is he ready to retire?”

  “Don’t know if he’ll ever fully retire. But I think he’s happy to step back sometimes and let us do the work. Pretty sure he always liked bossing us around better.”

  She smiled. “That’s what they call a supervisor. And you’re the same, Ross. Cut from the same bolt of worn denim.”

  Her statement made him drop his gaze. For a moment, she wondered if she’d offended him in some way. Then he said, “Ryan Letters split with his girlfriend three weeks ago.”

  Her jaw dropped. “He didn’t say anything to me.”

  “Would he have said something? You say you aren’t
close.”

  “We aren’t. It’s office chit-chat. Water cooler talk. I know he roots for Detroit Mercy Titans basketball and he and his girlfriend were talking about getting a place together.”

  “What does he know about you?”

  Flustered, she straightened in her seat. The angle of the back was starting to make her spine ache the longer she sat here, but their discussion wasn’t finished, and moving to the bed meant other things might happen. Things she wanted with every burning ember of her being.

  But whatever chemistry boiled between them would end abruptly the minute the danger ended and they returned to their separate lives.

  Another pang hit her heart—sharper than before.

  “Ryan doesn’t know anything about me.”

  “Does he know what team you root for?”

  Irritated, she turned the question on him. “Do you?”

  He leaned forward, staring her in the eyes. “You hate basketball.”

  “So do you.” Why was her heart thumping so hard and fast? Knowing some stupid little detail about her such as the fact she wasn’t a sports fan meant nothing.

  He did know what made her moan, though. How to make her pant for more.

  And she knew how to raise his skin into goosebumps under her fingertips.

  That bolt of lightning that she really did love Ross sent electricity through her limbs. Energized, she pushed away from the table.

  “If you suspect Ryan has something to do with the situation I’m in, then investigate it. By all means, arrest him. If he deserves it, if he chose this path. But please don’t suggest that something more lies between us. We work together. Nothing more.”

  She stood and started by him to the bed. As she passed, he thrust out his arm to bar her way. She glanced down at the obstruction, passion raging through her veins. She wanted to turn into his arms. She wanted to run away.

  Closing her eyes for a beat, she said, “It’s late, Ross. I’m tired.”

  When she opened her eyes again, he’d withdrawn his arm.

  “I’d like to talk to my family. Am I allowed to video call them on my laptop?”

  He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his phone. She stared at the device dwarfed by the size of his big, deliciously rough palm. “Use mine.”

  “What if you get a call while I’m on?”

  “It will go to voicemail.”

  She took the phone from him, trying not to brush her fingers against his skin. She crossed to the bed and sank to the edge. For long minutes, she didn’t dial her parents’ number or Holly’s. The room felt like a cage locking her within its walls. When would this all end? Did she clue her family in to the peril she faced?

  Across the room, Ross’s chair creaked as he shifted to his feet and began clearing the detritus of their meal. She stared at him for a heartbeat, unable to imagine being ripped from him.

  Would her life be enough once she returned to it? When compared to her dull existence—she could only think of it this way now—she didn’t know if she could ever be happy without Ross.

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, she dialed her parents instead of video calling. She didn’t trust herself to keep the stress off her face.

  The minute her mother’s voice projected into her ear, the blockage in her throat slipped downward into her stomach and lay there, a heavy coal.

  “Pippa! Hold on. Let me get your father. Gabriel! We’re so glad to hear from you.” She pictured her momma’s beaming expression and her father’s wide grin and ached for them all the more.

  Forcing a note of normalcy into her tone, she said, “Hi, Mom and Dad.”

  From the corner of her eye, she took note of Ross dumping the garbage into the small trash can in the corner of the room. He kept his face in profile so she couldn’t tell his reaction.

  She was more than out of her element with the hot cowboy bodyguard listening to her every word and watching her every move.

  “We’re all ready to pick you up at the airport. Same time? They didn’t change your flight time, did they?” Her father’s question didn’t surprise her. He was always a stickler for an itinerary.

  She struggled with words—with that lump in her throat too. The one that threatened a long, draining bout of tears.

  “Um…I had a change of plans.”

  Ross’s head jerked up.

  “I’m not flying into Seattle. I’m…I’m with Ross.”

  Silence met her statement.

  “Ross Wynton! Do you mean Ross Wynton?” her mother asked.

  “Yes, that Ross.”

  He turned to look at her, but she skittered her gaze to the side.

  “Why are you with Ross, dear?”

  “We just…ran into each other.” Lying to her parents would surely earn her a spanking? Or at least time-out in the corner.

  “How exciting! Where did you run into him?”

  “It’s a long story,” she evaded the question. “But he’s traveling with me. We’re in his truck.”

  He didn’t move from where he stood. In fact, his muscled body appeared hardened, his stance wide and braced for impact.

  “Well, we know that you’re in good hands then. We haven’t seen Ross in a couple years. He was away doing a training last time we visited the Wyntons. Such a driven young man, and an enormous help around the Wynton Ranch, according to his family.” Her mother did most of the talking, as usual, while her father provided grunts of agreement.

  “Yes, he is.”

  Ross’s gaze sharpened on her.

  “I suppose he’ll be with you when you come home, and we’ve got plenty of room,” her mother said.

  “I don’t know if he can stay.” The sadness weighting her down finally seeped into her voice. She cleared her throat and tried to cover what she’d said so her parents didn’t read into anything. “He has his own work to see to.”

  “Of course, he’s so busy. But surely he has time for old friends.”

  “I’ll ask him, but we can’t make any promises. Well, it’s late. I’m going to catch some sleep, and you should too.”

  “We’ll see you soon, Pippa. Love you.” Her dad’s declaration finally broke the dam of tears free.

  Biting back a cry, she nodded first and then realized they couldn’t see her. She sucked in a breath. “I love you too. Night, Mom. Night, Dad.”

  She dropped the phone to her lap and lowered her face into her hands. Tears wet her fingers, hot and unstoppable. The bed dipped under Ross’s weight. He slid his arm around her shoulders, turning her against him. When her body gave a shaking heave, he made a noise in his chest.

  “Damn, honey. Come here.” He pulled her into his lap.

  The only place she wanted to be.

  In the end, when she was safe and this was all over, letting go of her cowboy bodyguard would be the thing to finally break her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ross glared at the whiteout of snow in front of the truck. “The last thing we need is more bad weather.”

  “I ate all the blueberry bars. We’re down to water now.”

  She didn’t sound a bit fussed about being stuck on the road in a blizzard for the second time that week.

  He growled with annoyance at the situation. “Slowing down means the people hunting you have time to catch up.”

  “I don’t have my phone anymore. And you said that Silas removed the spyware from my laptop overnight.”

  “He did.” Ross laid awake half the night, grabbing sleep in twenty-minute spells, alternately battling his throbbing hard-on and the need to stand guard over Pippa.

  He slapped the wheel. “Dammit! Why did they have to shut down the road between exits? There’s nowhere to get off.”

  “I have to be at the conference soon for check-in. I know you don’t want to reach Seattle, but I didn’t know you have so much command that you can call down snow and keep me away.”

  He stared at her and then dropped his gaze to her mouth. Plump. Sweet. She could suck cock like a court
esan and twist him up in knots with her sassy comebacks.

  “Shush, woman.”

  She geared up to say more, and he reached over, looped his hand around her nape and dragged her mouth to his. She gave in immediately to the crush of his lips. The instant she went boneless, he deepened the kiss by gliding his tongue over hers.

  She moaned. So did he.

  She unbuckled her seatbelt, and he did the same.

  “As long as we’re at a standstill, we might as well make good use of our time,” she murmured between sweeping passes of his tongue.

  Suddenly, she threw herself over the console into his lap. His cock responded with a jolt of anticipation. Clamping his hands on her waist, he dragged her over his groin. They shared a roughened groan that mingled with the wind howling at gale force outside the vehicle.

  Bracketing his face with her hands, she leaned into him for another kiss. Her honey sweetness stole his mind. So responsive. So right.

  Long moments stretched on while he plundered her, taking the kiss from intense to gentle and back again.

  She broke apart. “Why didn’t you take me last night?”

  He’d been asking himself the same question since the minute she climbed between the sheets. One look at the curve of her hip under the covers had him grinding his teeth. He could have reached out and had her melting in his arms within seconds. Yet, he held back.

  Instead, he lay staring at the yellowed ceiling thinking about getting her home to her family, if not this weekend then someday soon. But each time he touched on the idea of her returning to work in Detroit—alone—it felt like he poked at a sore tooth. And he didn’t like pain.

  In the end, he lay stiff beside her. Touching her would both ease his torment and incite more pain when they parted. She was smart—she knew their time together would end.

  “Maybe we’re not meant to go to Seattle,” she whispered an inch from his lips.

  He nodded. “Maybe it’s fate.”

  “Events developing outside a person’s control,” she said as if quoting from a dictionary buried in the depths of her mind.

  He slammed his mouth over hers. Wind, snow and ice drummed at the truck. They were in a dangerous situation he feared he wouldn’t get her out of. Yet kissing her seemed to be the only solution right now.