Her Protector Billionaire Groom

by Taylor Hart

He put his hands together and bowed his head. When she didn’t do anything, he said, “Your house, you pray.” That was how he and his brothers always called it.

  She looked perplexed. “I … don’t pray.”

  This took him aback. In high school, she’d gone to church every Sunday with her father. He hesitated, then said, “Thank you, Lord, for this food. Thank you for keeping Ari safe. Amen.”

  “Amen.”

  He opened his eyes, and she just stared at him.

  “I stopped praying when I lost Dad,” she explained.

  He could understand that, even if he didn’t agree. He picked up his fork and stabbed at some eggs. “Losing people makes me want to pray harder.”

  Their eyes held.

  He took her hand. “God is still there if you need to talk.”

  She frowned. “Really? Why wasn’t he there before my father was killed?”

  Parker didn’t know how to answer her. “The best explanation I’ve got is that somehow there’s a greater plan than we know and we have to trust it.”

  She frowned. “I know. Your dad. But …”

  He brushed a hand through the air. “Let’s talk about more pleasant things, like me watching you and the thug making out this week.”

  She gave him a curious look. “Are you jealous?”

  Parker grunted.

  She frowned. “Isn’t this what you just got through telling me I had to do?” She put a dainty forkful of eggs in her mouth. “Get information.”

  He shoved his food around the plate, getting hungrier the more he ate. He hadn’t eaten since that morning, and it was almost midnight now. “Hmph.”

  She closed her eyes for a second. “These eggs are so good. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He wanted to be proud that she liked his food, but the image of her and Jose kissing was burned into his brain. Get a grip, he told himself. She wasn’t his girl anymore. In fact, he didn’t know her anymore. Not really.

  “What?” she asked.

  He picked up a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. “Nothing. So I just spoke to my buddy who is the FBI’s point person for us and he’ll be bringing over a whole kit for communications so you can be recorded when you go in with Jose.” The thought didn’t sit well with him, but Ari wasn’t going to stop until he was put away, and they needed information in order to get to Carlos. Parker chugged back his water and ate a couple more strawberries, trying not to meet her eyes.

  “I guess my fun brother is gone for the night?”

  The question surprised him. Did she like fun Parker? “It’s a cover.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “It was … nice.”

  It was a backhanded compliment, but he took the hit. She didn’t know him anymore, either. “Hey, I’m a lot of fun.”

  Her lips turned up slightly at the edges.

  “I am. You have no idea. When I’m in my bike shop, singing ‘Hotel California,’ I’m like the life of the beachside party.”

  “Right, so the broody guy who’s always running and fighting isn’t you?”

  “That’s right.” He picked up his glass and laughed to cover his nerves. “I guess you know about all of … that.” He meant the fighting. “You’ve been watching me for six months. Do you know that I thought I was losing my mind? I just told JJ that I was going crazy, always thinking about you, always seeing you around. I thought I’d seen you …”

  “At your father’s funeral. You mentioned that.” She leaned back, taking a sip of water. “I am sorry about your father.”

  Just thinking about his dad made his chest hurt. Well, it did right now, when he saw the sympathy in her eyes. “Thank you. I’m sorry about yours.”

  Again, they had this intense moment between them.

  She reached across the table and took his hand. “I know how much you loved your father, and how much you fought with him, too.”

  How many hours had she listened to him kick against his dad and all of those demands when he was younger? He scoffed. “I was an idiot back then.” Another memory crossed his mind: making out with her in the barn after a particularly bad fight with his dad. He’d been working on his bike, and she’d come over. It was when they’d kissed for the first time.

  He flinched, then stood. No. He couldn’t be dwelling on those things. Focus. Focus. Focus. He picked up his dishes, then walked into the kitchen.

  “No, I can do the dishes since you cooked.” She followed him, taking the dishes back.

  “No, you’re tired. Go to bed.”

  “You can’t just boss me around.”

  Her frankness took him aback. It also made him smile. “Oh, I’ll boss you, little Ari.” She’d hated that nickname.

  She hesitated, then offered another smile. “Please, let me do the dishes. Thank you for cooking.”

  “Okay.” He had to get some distance anyway. Crap. He wandered into her living room, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  “Oh, you need to tell your tech guy to add to your cover profile that you were living in Vegas before you came here.” She called out.

  “What do you mean?” He walked back into the kitchen.

  She ran the pan through the running water. “I told Jose you had been in Vegas and that you’d hooked up with an old girlfriend that you’d loved a long time ago, and then she broke up with you. That’s why you’re here and you’re too fragile to be left on your own.”

  Talk about hitting close to home. He grunted. “Great.”

  “I told him you would be falling apart soon, watching a million action movies and eating pizza.”

  “Awesome.” He could already see how things would play out at the hotel. Since he was thinking about it, he texted Chuck that his background needed to reflect that he’d just lived in Las Vegas.

  She walked by him, running a rag across the counter and then picking up the rest of the dishes on the table. Her presence unnerved him. He hadn’t properly freaked about having her back in his life yet; he hadn’t had time.

  As she walked past, she held his gaze and slowed. “What?”

  He didn’t want to tell her what he was thinking, but what the heck? They would be together a lot this week. “You look so different and still the same.”

  She glanced up at his hair. “I could say the same about you.”

  He pushed his hand over his head and then laughed. “I dyed it in a hurry. Did I miss any spots?”

  “Looks good.”

  He watched as she finished up the dishes. The jumble of questions in his mind kept coming back to what he’d been wondering all night. Did she somehow have feelings for Jose?

  She’d been planning on killing Carlos. She’d been deep undercover. He understood. He’d had lots of assignments like that. There was a year in Philadelphia when he’d been assigned to the daughter of one of the biggest drug lords in the area. Maria. He could still remember what it felt like to kiss her. But when the mission ended, so did the feelings.

  It all ended. He wasn’t naïve.

  Ari put everything else away, then moved past him, giving him a wide berth. “I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow.”

  “Ari.”

  “You shouldn’t call me that.” She reached out as if she wanted to touch him, but her hand dropped.

  He nodded. “You’re right. We need to let the past stay in the past and focus on getting Jose and Carlos.”

  She glared at him. “Oh, don’t worry about my focus.”

  His heart rate kicked up a notch. This was a mission. And when the mission was over … well, he didn’t know yet. “Good.”

  She looked confused for a second; then she shook her head and walked to her bedroom, shutting the door.

  Parker clenched his fists. Why had he acted that way? He needed a good long run, but he didn’t want to leave Ari at this time of night. Not with everything so up in the air. He forced himself to stay.

  Chapter 15

  Ari walked into the JW Marriot the next afternoon with Parker, her “brother”, at he
r side.

  She’d actually slept well last night—better than she had in a long, long time. She and Parker had spent the two-hour drive to Santa Monica perfecting their cover story and discussing the mission. She’d caught Parker up on the basics of her recent past. She and her father had moved only three times since Colorado; first they’d gone to a small town called Winnemucca, Nevada, then they’d lived in Susanville, California. Their last place, Portland, Oregon, was where she’d actually felt the safest. It’d been after the trial, and things seemed to be finally settling down.

  Until she’d come home to find her father dead. Even now, as she told Parker about it in a perfunctory, businesslike manner, it hurt like hell.

  They strolled to the check-in counter where the attendant at the desk gave her room keys and then turned to Parker. “Mr. Sanchez requested you have a room, too. Because you are visiting your sister.”

  Parker shook his head, waving off a second set of keys. “Oh, I’m staying with sis.”

  Ari jerked to face him. She hadn’t realized this. “Parker, if Mr. Sanchez is allowing you to have your own room, then maybe you should take it.”

  Parker let out a loud laugh, and she realized he was back in “brother cover.” “Sis, you know I need you.” He put his arm around her and looked at the attendant. “I just got dumped hard by my girlfriend. You need your family when that happens, right?”

  The attendant nodded sympathetically.

  “And now we can have girl talk and you can paint my nails.” He turned to the attendant. “Tell the senator we really appreciate the offer, but Sabrina and I will just bunk together.”

  They walked away from the desk, Parker’s arm around Ari’s shoulders. He was pretty tall, almost six-four. He was this tall in high school, of course, but then, he’d been leaner, less muscular, and less confident.

  As they strolled to the elevator, her nerves kicked up. She had been fine when he was regular Parker, so careful he almost didn’t touch her. Now he was all over her.

  Although, he had kissed her twice last night. She hadn’t even had time to process that.

  They rode to the top floor, where all the suites were. Parker dropped his arm as they strolled down the hallway toward their room. They got to the door adjacent to the big suite, and Parker opened the door and held it for her. It unnerved her that he could be so casual, then bam! He was back to the tight, controlled operative.

  Their suite consisted of a sitting room, two bedrooms, and a small kitchen, complete with a table that looked out over the ocean. The sitting room contained a large, comfortable couch, a television mounted on the wall, and a Christmas tree decorated with little shells and turtles that were pink and blue and beachy. Ari walked over to it, delighted, but her smile faded when she thought of how she wouldn’t be with her father for Christmas this year. She picked up one of the ornaments.

  Parker moved next to her. “That’s cute, but I like homemade ones better.” He brushed his fingers through the ornaments as well, sending a few tinkling together.

  She remembered that he no longer had parents, either. “Me, too.”

  “Well,” he said. His eyes met hers and he quickly averted them, pointing to the huge master bedroom. “Guess you take the big room and I’ll take the smaller one.”

  “You can have the big room.”

  He grunted, moving to the couch while staring at his phone. “Nope, not how I roll.”

  Irritation coursed through her as she looked at him. Feeling awkward, she moved toward her huge suite with an attached bathroom. She closed her door behind her, wanting some privacy.

  The room had pale blue curtains and pillow shams. The rest of the furnishing were stark white. She moved to her sitting room window, which overlooked the beautiful waves. She loved the ocean, but in the short time she’d been living in California, she hadn’t had much time to do anything except work. And stalk Parker Kelly.

  She felt another twinge of unease. The man she’d thought about for so long was right here—in the room next to her. After thirteen years of not talking to him, she’d longed to just have a conversation, but now she had no idea what to say.

  After checking to make sure the door was shut tight, she extracted her gun and knife from her bag. She also brought her father’s small Glock. She hid the weapons in various places, attaching the Glock to the back of her toilet with duct tape. If she’d learned anything as the daughter of a man trying to take down a mafia crime boss, it was to be prepared and to always keep protection close by.

  Her phone buzzed with a text from Jose. How are you, mi amor? Are you available for dinner at seven? I left my credit card on your bedside table. Go buy anything you’ll need this week—dining wear, swimwear, and anything to help you enjoy your stay. All expenses charged on the room will go to me. He finished the text with a heart and a picture of a salsa dancing girl.

  Despite herself, Ari laughed.

  There was a knock at the door. “Ari?”

  “Come in,” she called out.

  Parker walked in, and she was surprised to see that he’d changed into swim shorts and a white button-down shirt that was halfway open.

  “Nice.” She grinned at him.

  A small smile tugged at the edge of his lip. “Well, we gotta play the part of enjoying the resort, and I am the couch-surfing brother.”

  She could tell that he didn’t really like the role. “Fits you so well, but you’re fragile, remember?”

  He moved to her side, staring out at the ocean. “Maybe this time the breakup didn’t bother me like you thought it would.”

  Butterflies thrummed through her lower stomach. The man was gorgeous, and it didn’t escape her how well cut he was. But she already knew that too, from hours of watching him surf in the ocean. She’d longed to be in there with him, enjoying it all. “I guess I could tell Jose that you recovered quickly.”

  “I always imagined I’d go somewhere like this on my honeymoon, ya know?”

  Not expecting this change of subject, she stayed behind him, silent. It was stupid, because none of this was even real, but she had so many questions about him.

  He leaned over the window, putting both hands out wide and then peering down. “It’s gorgeous.” Glancing back at her, he asked, “What about you?”

  She had no idea what he was talking about. “What?”

  He faced her fully. “I know you came to Oceanside so you could get close to Carlos and everything, but did you ever think about where you wanted to honeymoon?”

  They had talked about getting married when they were younger, but they hadn’t talked about the honeymoon. Thinking about Parker standing right here, so close to her, she got nervous. “Not really. Getting married has always been off the table for me.”

  He turned back to the window. “I guess it would have been.”

  What was she supposed to do? Spill her guts about her years of pining away for him, when he’d made it clear last night that the past was in the past? He’d said this was just a mission. “But I always imagined going to the beach before I moved to Oceanside. I wanted to learn to surf.”

  “You never went to the beach before six months ago?” He gave her a curious look.

  She played with her necklace. Her father had given it to her. “You always talked about Oceanside.” She hesitated. “You talked about the Surf and Soup. But … nope.” She shrugged.

  Something unrecognizable passed across Parker’s face. He threw up his hands and laughed. “Well, we’re at the beach now. Want to learn to surf?”

  The awkwardness that loomed over them dissipated a bit.

  She smiled at him, then thought of the message from Jose. She held out her phone. “I just got this.”

  Parker took her phone, reading it quickly. “Well, if Papa’s paying, we might as well live it up. Think he’d mind buying me some virgin piña coladas, too?”

  She laughed, thinking about how much he loved those. “Your parents made those every Friday night.”

  “They were alw
ays a hit.”

  “I liked them.”

  He shook his head, then moved out of her room. “Get ready, sis. Let’s get some beach time, and I’ll teach you to surf before you ring up a giant bill on the credit card.” He closed the door behind him.

  It was nice that Parker appeared to be in such a great mood. She decided she didn’t care that she had no idea what to do next for her mission to take down Carlos Fuentes. She wouldn’t overanalyze everything right now.

  Right now, she would learn to surf.

  Chapter 16

  Parker stood on the beach with Ari—strike that, Sabrina. He had to make sure he didn’t break cover, and dang, did the woman look hot in her red halter top swim shirt.

  Focus. This was just a mission. That’s all.

  Would he be lying if he wasn’t a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was teaching her to surf? He raked a hand through his hair. This was so many dreams come true for him.

  “Are we going to surf or stand here all day?” Her lips curved up. She bounced on the balls of her feet, and she ran her hands over the surfboards they’d rented.

  He went into teacher mode. “If you learn to balance on land, then when you get in the water, it will be easier.”

  She nodded, still smiling at him in that doubtful, flirty way. “Kinda burning in the sun right now.”

  “Wait. You’re right; you need sunscreen.”

  “I’m fine.” She motioned to the boards impatiently.

  “No, you’re not.”

  She pointed at him and laughed. “I only got so burned that day because I was kayaking on the lake and I was at a weird angle to the sun.”

  The memory hit him with full force, and he burst out laughing as he thought about the blisters she’d had on the tops of her feet. He whooped and smacked his leg. It felt so good to laugh like this. “Girl, your feet were like baby lobsters. They swelled like crazy.”

  “They were so bad. Your sweet mom made me put them on her lap and rubbed ice cubes on them, remember?”

  His mother. Another memory threatened to overwhelm him, and he blinked it back. No, he couldn’t think about her. Now was the time to focus. He walked to the swim bag she’d brought and tugged out her sunscreen. “Come here. We’re getting you all greased up so history doesn’t repeat itself.”