by Desiree Holt
For a moment, neither of them moved. Finally, with a supreme effort of will, she managed to sidestep slightly around him and head back toward her office. She hurried to her place behind her desk, determined to put some space between them.
“So what’s our next move, Mr. Vanetta?” She lowered herself into her chair.
“You know, it would be a lot easier if you called me Nick.” His mouth turned up in a lethally sexy grin. “And don’t be offended if I call you Lindsey.”
“That’s not a problem.” She gave him a weak smile. “My friends do.”
“We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, so let’s drop the formality, if you can live with that.”
“Of course.” Oh, God. Trouble.”
He smiled back at her. “Good. I hope we’ll be friends. It makes spending so much time together a lot easier.”
Spending time together. Right. Maybe he’d turn out to have some really bad habits that drove her crazy.
Nick pulled out his cell phone and hit a number on speed dial, speaking so softly she could barely hear his words. Finally, he disconnected the call.
“A crew will be here shortly to start on the alarm system,” he told her. “I’d like—”
He was interrupted by the buzz of the intercom on her desk.
Lindsey picked up her phone. “I’m here.”
“I have the list of estimates you wanted on the Randolph changes. I know you’re tied up, but you said you wanted these ASAP. What should I do with them?”
“Just bring the folder in and leave it with me. I’ll get to it shortly.”
“You go ahead with your work,” Nick told her. “I have some calls to make while I wait for the crew to get here. Which should be very soon.”
Brianna came in, gave Nick a hot onceover, and handed a folder to Lindsey. Then she headed back to her desk, but she left the office door open.
Lindsey frowned. What was that all about? The woman knew to keep the door closed when she had someone in here. She’d have to ask her about it later.
Nick sat on the couch, making phone calls and speaking in very low tones, while she went to work on the estimates. It took all her efforts at concentration to focus on her work and not him.
She was partway through the documents when the corridor door opened and two men came in. Five-ten, muscular but not intimidatingly so, dark hair clipped short, they could have been clones of each other. They carried identical aluminum cases.
“Mr. Vanetta’s expecting us,” one of them said to Bri.
Nick rose from the couch and went to meet them.
“Come on in here, guys. I’ll show you where to get started.”
Lindsey tried to ignore them and focus again on the list Bri had given her. But after she’d gone over the same item several times, she finally gave up and slid it back into the folder. She tried studying some sketches but that didn’t work, either. Somehow, even when he wasn’t in the same room, Nick distracted her. He walked the two men through the office and apartment, talking to them as he went. That same low, quiet voice, deep and thick like warm honey sliding over a plate was like an undertone humming in her brain.
She looked up when he walked back into her office.
“The guys will go ahead and get started.” Nick stood in front of her desk. “One more thing. I’m changing the locks on all your doors so they can only be accessed with key cards. Just you, Brianna, Mark, and I will have them. And Guardian will have a master key card.”
“The building management frowns on not having access to all the offices,” she told him. “In case of emergency.”
“I’ll take care of the management. That’s part of what you’re paying me for. Chuck and Allen here will be working around you. Just ignore them. I have to run back to the office. While I’m gone, try to keep working as if this is a normal day. I’ll be back in about an hour with a contract for you to sign, and we’ll go to lunch.”
“Lunch?” She stared at him. “I usually have a sandwich sent in or grab something from the apartment.”
“I need to go over the contract with you,” he explained, “and I don’t want anything going on here to distract you.”
“Oh.”
The expression in his eyes was serious, even though there was still heat simmering there. Or did she just imagine it?
“Lindsey.” His voice was low and patient. “Right now there’s someone out there who thinks he or she is running your life. When I said we were going to change that, I meant we were going to pass that control to me. I know what to do. You don’t. You’re going to pay a hefty price for my services, and I want to be sure you understand how thoroughly we’re going to protect you.”
She wasn’t sure at the moment who was making her more insecure—the stalker or the bodyguard.
“All right, then. I’d better get to work”
“Good.” He flashed a brief but still lethal smile. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
As soon as he left, she collapsed back into her chair. There were so many feelings boiling inside her she wasn’t sure she knew what to do with them. After her last disaster, she had sworn off men, but of course, she hadn’t expected someone like Nick Vanetta to walk into her life. She didn’t know whether to thank Quinn or kill him.
She was still sitting in her chair, immobilized by her thoughts, when Brianna buzzed her. “What’s with the hunk? Is he for real from a security agency?” She lowered her voice. “He can guard my body any time.”
Lindsey sighed. She hoped she didn’t have to give Brianna the lecture about professional behavior. “Come on in, and I’ll explain in more detail.”
Brianna’s eyes were snapping with curiosity when she pulled up a chair. “Okay, give.”
“You told me I needed protection,” Lindsey said in a careful voice, “so I’m getting some. I ran all this by a very close friend who used to be a prosecutor, and he set up this appointment. The owners of Guardian Security are friends of his and top notch in their field.”
Bri frowned. “Do you really think you need to go to such extremes?”
Lindsey studied the other woman. “Didn’t you tell me I needed to take this seriously?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“But what? I’m doing it.”
“Doing it how? Don’t you think I should know?”
Quinn had cautioned her about sharing too many details with her staff. Just to be on the safe side. But Lindsey had no doubts about either Brianna or Mark.
“For one thing, I’m putting in a security system. After the episodes with the photos and the way they were left here, I agreed it would be a good idea. Mr. Vanetta will make other suggestions as he assesses the situation. His primary focus will be my safety.”
“Uh-huh.” Brianna grinned. “That’s why he looks at you like he’d like to devour you, right?”
“Bri, that’s absurd.” She made her voice as firm as possible, even as her pulse ratcheted up at every pulse point. “He does no such thing. And the fact that he’s good-looking has no effect on the arrangement at all. Would you rather I look for someone who’s ugly? I just want whoever will do the best job.”
“Uh-huh,” Bri repeated. “We’ll see.
Too bad she was a great assistant and totally dependable, or Lindsey might have told her to mind her own business. But over the time they’d worked together, the formality of the arrangement had become blurred so she held her tongue. What made it worse was the way the whole situation irritated her. Why in hell had someone picked her to torment this way?
“This is business, Brianna, just like I said. Nothing more. So don’t read something into it that isn’t there.” She sighed. “I’ll go over the Randolph papers again and get them back to you.”
The moment Brianna walked back to her own desk, Lindsey began furiously scribbling notes on a yellow pad. Damn Quinn anyway. Why couldn’t he have sent her someone middle-aged and fat?
Chapter Five
Nick pulled out of the underground garage and headed toward the Interstat
e. If Quinn had been sitting next to him, he would have punched Nick’s lights out for the thoughts running around in his head. Certainly he had to know he was sending Nick into a lion’s den to tangle with a woman feisty as well as beautiful.
In person, Lindsey Ferrell far surpassed any photograph. No picture could do justice to the silken texture of her dark hair and the way it glinted in the light like warm brandy. Or the thick lashes framing those incredible, liquid hazel eyes made all the more interesting by the dark-framed glasses she wore. He’d never seen a woman look that sexy in glasses.
Her figure, though petite, was lushly full, and his hands almost itched to touch those curves, gently explore them. Even with her anger barely held in check, the fire that radiated from her intrigued him.
But her beauty was the least of it. She was sharp, talented, a woman with real substance. Lindsey Ferrell was an enigma and a paradox. And after only two hours, she was driving him crazy.
And damn it to hell. What was with the jolt of electricity that speared through him the minute they made contact? He’d been attracted to women before, but the heat that surged through him when he touched her hand eclipsed any prior feelings he’d had for any female.
This is crazy. She’s a client. And a friend of a friend. Quinn will kill me if I so much as look at her sideways.
And why the hell do I even care? She’s nothing like any of the women I date.
Maybe that was the root of problem. If he was smart, he’d turn this case over to one of his agents and keep out of it.
If he was smart.
He was still mumbling to himself when he stormed into his office.
“Bad client day?” a familiar voice asked. “Or bad woman day.”
Nick looked up to see his partner, Reno Sullivan, lounging in the doorway. They’d been together for a long time now, building a company they started on a shoestring. Their efforts had not only garnered them a top notch reputation, but also made them both very rich. Now they had more business than they could handle, so what was he doing back playing bodyguard?
He didn’t want to admit that, not only was their client beautiful, she was smart and more complex than she looked. Something he couldn’t say about the women he usually played with.
“Remind me the next time Quinn asks me for a favor to tell him I’m fresh out, will you?” Nick grumped.
“And that is because…”
Briefly, Nick related the situation to him, sketching in the bare details.
“You’re doing the bodyguard thing yourself?” Reno couldn’t hide his surprise. “You haven’t done that for more than five years.”
“So what? You don’t think I can do it anymore?”
Reno threw up his hands. “I think you can do whatever you want to do. Besides, I’ve been waiting to see how long you could take riding a desk. You’ve always wanted to be where the action is.”
“Are you objecting?” Nick studied his partner.
“No. Far from it. As far as I’m concerned, you need to be where you do the best work, and that’s in the field. We both know it.”
“This could turn out be a nasty case, anyway.” Nick was irritated that he felt he had to justify himself. “Besides, Quinn came to me personally. I don’t feel comfortable just handing it off to one of the guys.”
“Okay. I get where you’re coming from. I’d do the same thing.” Reno straightened up. “I’ll let you do whatever you came in for. Just make sure we know where to get hold of you at all times.”
“Don’t worry. I still know the drill.”
Instead of having his secretary fill in the contract for Lindsey Ferrell, Nick booted up his computer and began to complete the form himself. He knew exactly what he wanted in it, and he didn’t want to have to answer anyone’s questions. Thirty minutes later, he ripped the completed form out of the printer. He emailed Janet a copy for the file, attaching a summary of his tentative agenda. If she needed him, she could always call his cell.
His watch showed almost one hour later on the dot when he walked back into Lindsey’s office, nodding at Brianna on his way through. Lindsey sat at her worktable, and for a moment, his breath caught at the sight of the sun shining on her glossy hair where it swept her shoulders, head bent, even white teeth denting her lower lip. Jesus. What was happening to him?
Mentally he shook himself out of his trance. “Ready for lunch?”
She jerked and almost dropped her pencil, so engrossed in her work she hadn’t heard him come in. “My God, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” She pushed her hair back behind her ears, a nervous gesture he’d noticed earlier. “Listen, Nick, I don’t think I can go to lunch. I have to get these first sketches done for a new client. Really.”
“Really you have to eat lunch,” he told her. “Besides, I want to go over this contract with you and iron out the details, and this way we can do both things at once. Come on.”
He picked up her purse from her desk, moved her off the chair at the drafting table, and handed her the purse in one smooth motion. When he cupped her elbow with a hand, he almost singed his palm on the heat that flared between them.
What the fuck?
“She’ll be back after lunch,” he told Brianna, towing Lindsey out the door.
Brianna just grinned.
“I have appointments,” Lindsey protested as they moved down the hall to the elevator. “I have people to see and things to do.”
“I checked your calendar earlier. You don’t have an appointment until four o’clock. Who are the Romeros, anyway, and why does your secretary have a frown next to their name?”
“God, tell me she doesn’t.” Lindsey sighed. The elevator door slid open, and they stepped inside. “We designed a home for them, and they want me to meet with their builder. I know it’s because they want nine million changes, and they don’t want to pay for them. They think I can talk to him and see if we can alter the design to accommodate them. They are, um, somewhat difficult people.”
“No kidding.” He chuckled. “I hope you don’t have too many frowns in your date book.”
“I’ll have to say something to Bri. If the clients see that, they’ll be very offended.”
They were out on the sidewalk now. Nick had a long stride, and even though he had hold of her arm again, she almost had to jog to keep up with him. She barely paid attention to where they were going until they had covered several blocks, and he finally stopped and opened a door for her.
“We’re going in here?” she asked in amazement.
“Something wrong with this place?” The Grille, a new restaurant on the Riverwalk, had developed a reputation for its excellent food and its astronomical prices. “They have very good food. And quick service.”
“I just thought we’d grab a sandwich or something. I really need to get back to the office.”
“You really need to go over this contract with me, so you’ll know exactly what your security options are. Come on. We’ll eat fast.”
She was about to protest again, but before she could say anything else, they were seated at a table and menus had been placed in front of them. They’d been given a window table with a view overlooking the narrow winding San Antonio River and the Riverwalk that bordered it. Tourists and locals combined to form a colorful pedestrian parade past the window.
“This is a great view,” she told him, unfolding the napkin.
“I love the view.” He looked out the window at the crowds hurrying by, people going to and from work, people lunching, tourists eating and shopping. There was always something so festive about the Riverwalk. He’d hoped bringing Lindsey here would get her to relax, but she was still wound up tighter than a drum. He had an insane desire to take her home with him, remove all those clothes from her very tempting body, and kiss every inch of her to get her to relax. Too bad his thoughts didn’t make him relax. Or his cock, which was pressing against his fly, demanding its freedom.
Lindsey shook her head at the offer of a glass of wine. “I never drink anyt
hing when I’m working. It clouds my brain.”
“Good.” He grinned. “I rarely drink at all so we should make a great couple.”
“You rarely drink?” Her eyes widened.
He nodded. “The business I’m in, if I’m not alert every minute it might mean someone’s life. I made my choice a long time ago. I like a glass of wine now and then, but liquor doesn’t actually appeal to me.” He opened his menu. “What appeals to you?”
Yes, Lindsey, tell me what you like so I can make sure to give it to you in a way you’ll never forget.
What the fuck? This was not him at all. He wanted to bang his head against the table.
She ordered a salad for lunch, and Nick asked for a small steak, rare. While they ate, he kept the conversation as light as possible in an obvious effort to get her to relax. He talked about himself, his degrees from the University of Texas, his family—four brothers and two sisters, all scattered around Texas.
“My parents live in Austin,” he told her. “In the house where we grew up.”
“They sound like a big, warm, noisy family.” She almost but not quite hid the wistfulness and envy obvious in her voice and on her face. “I loved my parents a lot, but I’d give anything to have that kind of family.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “No relatives at all?”
She shrugged. “None that I’ve ever been told about. I kept asking my mother, but somehow she always dodged the questions.”
“You think there’s some deep, dark family secret?” He was only half teasing. Was there something in her past she didn’t know about that had suddenly, for no apparent reason, popped up in her life? Another avenue he’d have to look into. They had people at the agency who could find a relative from the Stone Age.
When the waiter set their coffee in front of them and discreetly moved away, Nick pulled an envelope from his pocket, took out the contract he’d prepared, and began to go over it with her.
The first two pages were standard, and she just nodded at the wording. But on page three she got to a clause and stopped, staring over the table at him. “You’re going to be with me all the time?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s correct.” Every. Single. Minute. How the hell he was going to survive that he didn’t know at the moment.
