Protect Me

by Margaret Watson

  "Fine," she finally said. "But if you walk in there and see another door, you come out and tell me. And I’ll need a list of everyone in that meeting. Even the grunt who brings the coffee." She stared at him, her blue eyes dark with irritation. "And this doesn’t happen again. I’m with you all the time."

  Irritated that she was pushing him, unhappy he wouldn’t be alone for the next three weeks, he crowded her. Close enough to feel the heat from her body. Close enough to smell the orangey-tart scent of her hair, the faint sweetness of her skin.

  She stilled. Turned her head to frown at him. But her pupils were a little too large. A flush of red bloomed on her cheeks.

  An answering arousal stirred in him, spurring his irritation. "So you’re gonna be there when I’m pissing? You want a look at the goods?"

  She stared straight at him. "'A look at the goods’, Mr. Hollywood Star? Really?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. And you know what they say about the size of the package."

  Even knowing it was a mistake, he couldn’t stop himself from taking her bait. "I’m all ears, Mia."

  "If you have to brag, there’s not much to see."

  Chapter 3

  Mia stared at Finn, shocked at what had just come out of her mouth. She couldn’t believe she’d said that to him, a guy she was supposed to be protecting.

  He held her gaze as red crept up his neck and his pupils dilated. He shifted his feet, as if his jeans had suddenly become too tight.

  She swallowed and kept her eyes above his neck. She would not look below his waist.

  She didn’t have to. The slash of color along his cheekbones, the tiny rim of green around the black of his pupil, the pulse beating too fast in his neck were all too clear. She’d stepped over the line, and she’d wound him up.

  She was wound up, too.

  Closing her eyes, she swallowed once and reached desperately for control. She was supposed to be a professional. Level-headed. Cool. Always paying attention to the environment. Snarky comebacks were not part of her job description.

  Especially sexually charged snarky comments.

  She was supposed to keep her head even if Finn made a tasteless, suggestive remark. She was supposed to be smarter than that. Smart enough to ignore his crack about watching him take a leak.

  "I apologize," she said stiffly. "That was inappropriate and wrong."

  "That’s too bad," he said, watching her out of half-closed eyes. "I found it very…informative. Very…stimulating." His gaze dropped to her chest, then back to her face. "I’m guessing that put-down came out of Mia’s mouth. Not Officer Donovan’s."

  "Doesn’t matter," she said, holding his gaze, even though she wanted to disappear into a hole in the floor. "I am Officer Donovan."

  "Not now, you’re not. You’re Mia, and I bet she wouldn’t let a guy get away with a dig like that. I think Mia would probably say something even worse."

  Finn was right. If one of her brothers said that to her, Mia’s comeback would slice and dice until the stupid ass was filleted, gasping, on the floor.

  And if it was a guy she was dating, she would have parried with a much more suggestive answer. The kind that would make the guy want to drag her home immediately.

  Then she’d make him wait for hours.

  "Let’s just say we were both wrong and let it drop," she finally said.

  Finn smiled. "So I was right." He leaned a hair closer. "Tell me what you would have said to a guy you were really dating."

  "I don’t think so."

  "Why not?"

  "Because we’re not dating." The devil on her shoulder made her add, "That’s a need to know basis."

  "And I don’t need to know?"

  "No, O’Roarke. You don’t."

  He shifted a fraction of a step, but suddenly he was much closer. Close enough to feel the heat pouring off her body. "What if I want to know?"

  Before Mia could answer, a door opened behind her. She spun around, tensing, to find a frazzled-looking guy with wild, curly hair in the doorway.

  "Get in here, O’Roarke." He narrowed his gaze at Mia. "Who’s she, and what’s she doing here?"

  "This is Mia," Finn said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He tugged her close, and she tried not to notice how the hard planes of his body fit her softer ones perfectly. "She just arrived this morning."

  Curly-haired guy studied her for a long moment, and speculation sharpened his gaze. "Why is she here? We have a lot to do today."

  "She’s here because she wanted to be with me. And because I missed her, too." Finn squeezed her shoulder before letting go. He glanced at Mia over his shoulder as he moved toward the door, and she simpered at him, aware of curly-hair watching them closely. The twinkle in Finn's eyes screamed ‘I’m a really good actor, aren’t I’?

  She wanted to do something childish, like stick her tongue out at him. Instead, she cooed, "See you soon, honey."

  "You know it, babe."

  Finn followed the curly-haired guy into the room, looking back at her and mouthing a kiss as he closed the door.

  Idiot.

  But at least he’d been distracted from their conversation. And now everyone in the room would know Finn had a girlfriend. The sooner her presence was accepted by his co-workers, the sooner she could blend into the woodwork and keep an eye on all of them.

  Mia sank into a chair against the wall a few feet down from the door and tried to pull herself together. Why had she let that completely inappropriate exchange take place? Why hadn’t she simply ignored Finn’s crack and moved on?

  Because she wasn’t good at letting go and moving on. Not good at turning the other cheek. Growing up with four older brothers meant she’d had to fight and claw for every inch of respect. As a kid, she’d been the annoying little sister who wanted to tag along with her big brothers. Brendan had tolerated her, but Quinn, Connor and Mac had teased her mercilessly. The only way to avoid getting squashed like a bug was to have the thick skin of a rhinoceros and a quicker, sharper tongue than her brothers.

  Not exactly the best attributes for protecting an egotistical Hollywood guy. Although he hadn’t seemed particularly egotistical yet.

  Let it go, Mia.

  He’d probably forgotten about their little exchange already.

  Determined to do the same, she pulled out her phone. Tapped her email icon and sighed.

  Way too many emails had accumulated overnight. This was the perfect opportunity to go through them. Erase the lingering hum of arousal from her exchange with Finn.

  Fifteen minutes later, as she was typing a reply to Brendan’s request that she come to dinner with him and Cilla – she hated to say no, since Brendan was her favorite brother and she was crazy about his fiancée – she heard the sound of the elevator arriving. Hitting send on her email, she pretended to be scrolling through her phone as the elevator doors opened.

  A woman stepped out. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties, with brown hair and a round, pleasant face. She wore running shoes, jeans and a bright pink tee shirt, along with a fleece jacket. She stopped short when she spotted Mia.

  Her expression was no longer pleasant. "Who are you?"

  "I’m Mia." She smiled in a way she hoped was irritatingly vapid. "And you are…?"

  "Ginny," the woman finally said after a too long hesitation. "What are you doing here?"

  Mia slipped the phone into her pocket and rested her right hand on her thigh. Close to her gun. "I was looking through my phone."

  Ginny’s eyebrows squinched together in a scowl. "I mean in this building. It’s not public. This is a private business."

  "I know." Mia smiled again. "Do you work here?"

  "Of course I do," Ginny sputtered.

  "Really? What do you do? The movie business is so fascinating." Mia knew she sounded like an airhead. Exactly what she was going for.

  Ginny hesitated a beat too long. "I’m in production," she finally said. "Set decoration."


  "I bet that’s fun," Mia said. "Getting to play with the scenery." She leaned forward in the chair. "Do you get to shop for all the stuff you use? It would be so cool to be paid to shop." A reputation as an airhead could be very useful.

  Ginny snorted. "Not exactly how it works. And you didn’t tell me why you’re here."

  "I’m waiting for a friend," Mia said, as if it should have been glaringly obvious.

  "Who would that be?"

  "Why does it matter?"

  "Because no one’s supposed to be here," Ginny said through gritted teeth.

  "It’s okay." Mia leaned back in the chair. "My friend knows I’m here. We came together."

  Ginny stared at her, apparently assuming that Mia would crack. Mia stared back. She could do this all day long.

  Ginny couldn’t. After about a minute, she looked away. "I’m going to discuss this with Mr. Higgins," she said.

  From her research, Mia knew that Sean Higgins was the director. "Whatever. Nice to meet you, Ginny."

  Mia pulled out her phone with her left hand, leaving her right in her lap. As she navigated through her screens with one hand, she watched Ginny out of the corner of her eye.

  When Ginny headed for the door to the meeting room, Mia tensed. As Ginny eased the door open, Mia slipped her hand beneath her jacket and curled it around the grip of her Glock.

  "What do you want?" barked a voice from inside the room.

  "Oh! Sorry," Ginny said, backing out the door. "I didn’t know this room was occupied."

  "Get out!" the voice roared.

  Ginny jumped and closed the door. Mia let go of her gun.

  Glancing at Mia, Ginny hurried back to the elevator. As she pressed the call button, she glanced over her shoulder at Mia. Mia smiled. Ginny turned away.

  A few moments later, the elevator arrived and Ginny stepped inside. She stared at Mia as the doors closed.

  Mia let out a long breath and wiped her sweaty palm on her thigh. Then she slid the phone into her pocket.

  Could Ginny be Finn’s stalker?

  It seemed too neat. Too pat, that his stalker would show up the first morning. But maybe Mia was just that lucky.

  She’d ask him about the woman after he was out of his meeting. She should have gotten Pete’s phone number. Then she could have called him and asked if Ginny exited the building.

  There was a window at the end of the hallway, and Mia hurried over to it. There were a few people on the sidewalk now, and several cars moving on the street. She watched for five minutes, but Ginny didn’t appear. So either the woman had gone the other way, or she really worked at the studio.

  Adrenaline still pumping, Mia prowled the long hallway, examining the doors, opening them after she knocked and got no reply. They were mostly offices, with a few larger meeting rooms mixed in.

  Nowhere on the floor was there an office for set decoration.

  Ginny could have been looking for anyone.

  But she’d gone right to the occupied meeting room and opened the door. Why had she come to this floor and walked into a meeting? Was it possible she’d been looking for Finn?

  Mia wasn’t about to assume Ginny was the stalker. But she would definitely check the woman out. Make sure she worked in set decoration.

  She hadn’t asked Finn if he’d gotten any notes or packages in California, or if they’d only started since he arrived in Chicago. Rookie mistake not to ask.

  After memorizing the names and titles on all of the doors in the corridor, Mia returned to her chair and pulled out her phone again. But she was too on-edge to focus on it. Too wired up from her encounter with Ginny.

  So she paced the hallway. She knew exactly how long the corridor was. Every uneven spot on the dingy gray carpet.

  She studied the diagram of the building that hung on the wall, until she was sure she could find her way through the studio blindfolded.

  Looked at the photos of past movies in production hanging on the walls, feeling like a giddy fangirl when the titles caused a flutter in her belly. Some of her favorite films had been shot here.

  She spun around when she heard the door open forty-five minutes after her encounter with Ginny, and watched the people trickling out. Finn was one of the last few, deep in discussion with the curly-haired guy.

  Curly guy finally slapped Finn on the back. "See you at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow, O’Roarke. I’m looking forward to working with you."

  "Feeling’s mutual, Sean." Finn shook hands, then turned toward Mia.

  "Good meeting?" she murmured as he got close.

  "Good enough. Not as long as usual, which is a plus. Have to be on the set at five tomorrow morning."

  "Oh, God," she said before she could stop herself.

  Finn raised an eyebrow. "Not a morning person?"

  She wasn’t, but he didn’t need to know that. "I’ve been working the night shift," she said. "Still on that rhythm."

  "That going to be a problem?" Finn frowned.

  "Not at all." She felt herself bristling at his assumption that she couldn’t handle the change. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly before she answered. "Cops move from days to nights all the time. I know how to adjust."

  "Not what I meant," Finn said. "I don’t want to disrupt your schedule."

  Mia shook her head. "You’re disrupting nothing, O’Roarke. I volunteered for this detail."

  "What happened to Finn?" He leaned closer. "That’s more intimate. More girlfriend-y." His breath tickled her ear, but she refused to back away.

  "There’s no one else to hear me," she retorted. "So there’s no reason to call you Finn."

  "Yeah, there is. Habit. Familiarity. Body language." He smiled, and his famous toothy grin reminded her of a shark. "Sell the premise, sell the bit. That’s what they teach us in acting school. Calling me Finn is selling the premise."

  "Fine," she huffed, but she knew he was right. "Finn."

  "You ready to go?" he asked.

  "You’re the one who had the meeting. What’s next?"

  "I need to talk to the wardrobe people and meet with the screenwriters. Going to be boring for you."

  Mia resisted rolling her eyes. "Gee, not sure I can handle that. My job is usually a thrill a minute. Constant action. Gun battles on every other street corner."

  "You always such a smart ass?" he asked as he headed for the elevator.

  "Sorry," she apologized, not sorry at all. "I’ll try to rein it in."

  He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes twinkled. "Not on my account," he said. "But Pete’s a delicate flower. Easily offended. You’ll have to watch yourself around him."

  Her mouth twitched, but she refused to let the smile loose. "So noted. I’ll do my best not to hurt his feelings."

  He laughed as the elevator dinged, announcing its arrival. "I’d pay good money to watch you and Pete go at each other."

  "Pete and I are fine as long as he does what I tell him to do."

  The muffled noise he made sounded like a snort. "This is going to be an interesting three weeks," Finn said as the doors slid open.

  Ginny faced them from inside the elevator.

  Chapter 4

  Finn eased a little closer to Mia as the elevator doors began to open. Teasing her earlier had been a lot more fun than his meeting with Sean’s team, and he wondered if he could get her going again.

  As the doors opened fully, Mia tensed beside him. Then she stepped in front of him, crowding him into the wall next to the elevator. "Hey, Ginny." She greeted the woman in a voice he barely recognized as Mia’s. Higher pitched than her low, sexy tones, irritatingly breathless, it was somewhere between Valley girl and space cadet. She didn’t take her eyes off Ginny. "This is my friend from earlier, Finny," she said. "The woman I was telling you about. From set décor."

  Finny? Damn, she was good. He wanted to laugh out loud, but bit his lip instead.

  Ginny’s eyes shifted from Mia to Finn and back again. "It’s set decoration." A muscle jumped in Ginny’s jaw as
she studied Finn. "Finn O’Roarke is your friend?"

  "Yes," Mia said happily. "Isn’t he yummy?"

  She used her left hand to keep him behind her, as if making a path for Ginny to get off the elevator. Finn realized she was really putting herself between him and the other woman. Her right hand was at her side. She appeared relaxed and at ease. But he felt the tension pouring from Mia’s body, and instinctively moved closer.

  The fingers of her left hand curled around his wrist. She pushed him backward, he stumbled into the wall and she pinned him against it.

  Message received. She didn't need protecting. He did.

  Ginny stepped out of the elevator, and Mia went still. The other woman glanced at him one last time, then turned and walked down the hall. Ginny glanced into the now-empty meeting room, then opened a door farther down the hall, stepped inside and closed it softly.

  Finn began to step out from behind Mia, but she held out her arm to stop him. Mia stared at the door Ginny had opened, as if she had x-ray vision and could watch what was going on in the room. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds, she pulled him into the elevator and jabbed the ‘close door’ button. Twice.

  Mia took a deep breath as the slow freight elevator began to descend. Her fingers were still clamped around his wrist, as tight as a handcuff. She shifted her grip on his hand until it was more like a caress than a shackle, keeping her fingers over the pulse point. The feel of her soft but strong fingers made his heart rev, and he edged a little closer to her.

  She glanced at him, then down at her fingers circling his arm. She stepped away and let him go as if he were made of burning coals.

  "So." He moved to face her. Her pulse was booming in her throat and she was breathing too quickly. Was she worried about the woman who'd gotten off the elevator? Or was she thinking about the way she'd practically been holding his hand?

  He cleared his throat, banishing the images hand-holding had conjured. "Yummy?" he asked, lifting one eyebrow. Maybe he could unsettle her a little. Seemed fair, with the way she'd unsettled him.