by Box Set
“I’m not your baby, Cochrane.” She twisted her arm, but his grip tightened. “Let. Go. Of. Me. Now.”
That was enough for Derek. He stepped from behind the clothing racks, slipped into Katie’s booth as if he’d done it a million times, and set his palm between her shoulder blades. She jolted, her head whipping around to look at him, but he focused on the ex. Derek’s gaze went from Katie’s caged arm to Nick’s face. His gaze drilled into the other man’s. He dropped his voice to a silky tone that only a moron would mistake for anything other than a threat. “My girlfriend made it clear she’d like you to leave.”
That finally got Nick’s attention. He released her. “Girlfriend.”
“Yeah.” Derek arched his eyebrows. “You didn’t think a woman like her was going to stay single long, did you? Any guy in his right mind would want her.” His look told the other man exactly how half-witted he considered him for throwing her away. Not only that, but Nick had cheated on Katie. Derek wanted to punch him for that alone.
“Right.” Nick snorted. “Did she pay you to play her boyfriend or something?”
The muscles in her back went rigid under Derek’s hand. “I would never—”
“Need to pay a man for what he’d give his left nut to do for free,” he broke in, flicking his fingers dismissively. “You’re a waste of air and space, douchebag. Go away.”
Nick’s mouth opened and closed, but Derek decided this was a good opportunity to demonstrate just how serious his faux-relationship with Katie was. Hell, who was he kidding? He’d been dying for an excuse to get his hands on her for months. He should thank DoucheNick for this.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he turned her toward him. She blinked up at him, her big brown eyes showing her confusion for just a moment before they went wide. His mouth came down on hers before she could say anything.
Her breath caught as his lips touched hers, and her hands rose to clutch his shoulders. He tilted his head to change the angle of the kiss, sipping at her lips. Her fingers moved to cup the back of his neck, and that was all the invitation he needed. He tightened his hold on her, and her generous breasts pillowed against his chest. She made a needy little sound and arched into him, her lips parting under his, and he swept his tongue into her mouth.
Ah, God. She tasted even sweeter than he’d imagined. And he’d imagined it more often than he’d ever admit.
He let himself savor the experience, twining his tongue with hers. She matched him move for move, surprisingly bold. She pressed herself closer, and he insinuated his leg between hers. Feeling the heat of her through their clothes was enough to make him groan. He coasted his hands down her hips and gripped her backside, subtly rubbing himself against her. Her nails scored his skin, but she didn’t pull back. The kiss went wild, their breathing grew ragged, and it was all he could do not to drag her to the ground and mount her then and there.
That thought was enough to slap him back to reality. He broke away, letting his head fall back as he sucked in oxygen.
When he lifted his head, Nick was gone and Derek had no idea when the other man had left. For someone who had a reputation for noticing nuances, that was a pretty big oversight, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. They also had a small crowd of gawkers grinning at them, so Derek removed his hands from Katie’s ass.
“Well, that was effective. Nick’s gone.” Katie let out a shaky breath, regrouping faster than Derek. She made a little shooing motion and their gawkers moved along. “I want to tell you I could have taken care of him on my own, but he can be annoyingly persistent. He tries to rekindle our engagement whenever he’s between women and his ego needs fluffing.”
“Tell me you never took him back.” His voice was gruffer than he’d intended, but she just gave him an impatient look.
“He cheated on me. Maybe some women could forgive that, but I couldn’t.” She made a face. “It didn’t help that he only half-apologized, somehow made it sound like my fault, and seemed more upset he’d been caught than anything else. Which makes me wonder if it was his first time at the cheating rodeo. Let’s just say I had every STD test known to man to make sure he hadn’t passed anything from his other lover or lovers on to me.”
He winced. “Want me to kill him?”
Tilting her head, she seemed to consider it. “If he comes back, I might take you up on that offer.”
If her ex was annoyingly persistent, Derek figured he’d be stupid enough to come back. DoucheNick seemed the type to need a beating with the clue stick.
Chapter Three
Rob waylaid Derek the moment he slipped away from Katie’s booth. The older man appeared out of the nowhere and matched Derek’s pace, folding his hands behind his back. “What was that you said about not making a move on your good girl neighbor?”
“That wasn’t a move.” Derek cast him an annoyed glance. “I was helping her get her ex to back off. Plus, it solidifies my cover if I’m seen interacting with actual convention-goers.”
Rob chortled. “You forget I know you, man. I’ve seen you pretend to kiss a woman while keeping tabs on your surroundings. That kiss? All your focus was on her. Your only thought was, ‘I want to mount her.’ Tell me I’m wrong.”
Since that exact thought had crossed his mind, Derek couldn’t deny it and didn’t bother trying. Instead he went on the offensive. “Don’t be crude.”
“Crude, yes. Wrong, no. Any thief could have taken every jewel in her booth, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”
It stung that his friend spoke truth. He hadn’t realized when DoucheNick bailed, which meant he probably wouldn’t have noticed someone else approaching. “Damn it.”
“Hey, it’s cool. I had your back.” Rob leered. “I was watching everything.”
Derek growled, “Stop talking now, voyeur.”
“Married guys need a few extra thrills some times. Janice is going to want all the juicy details of you dry humping one of my vendors in the middle of the exhibitor’s hall.” Rob barked a laugh. “Maybe exhibition hall is more appropriate though.”
“You have a sense of humor a middle schooler would envy.”
He sighed, sobering. “What do you want me to say? That the only woman who’s ever made me act like that in public is the one I married? That you could do a lot worse than pursuing something with Katie Jones, and you’re an idiot for marking her as off-limits?”
“She’s not my type.” But that hadn’t mattered much when Derek had had his tongue down her throat, had it?
“What’s your type these days? Barflies and bimbos? When’s the last time you went on a real date with a woman you actually liked? No, no.” Rob waved his hands through the air. “Let’s not even set the bar that high. When’s the last time you went out with a woman where you knew her last name?”
Not since before he’d left the Navy. That thought made Derek’s gut clench, made him remember why he should steer clear of Katie. “I have work to do.”
“Then I’ll let you get to it.” Rob pitched his voice low enough so no one else could hear, but loud enough that Derek couldn’t escape his words. “And you should still ask her out.”
Nope. Bad idea. He sped up his pace, leaving Rob in his wake. Katie was sweet, kind to their elderly neighbors, nice to everyone he’d ever seen her interact with except Nick. She had even been nice to one very loud and very inebriated lady friend he’d brought home. He cringed a bit thinking about that incident. He hadn’t done anything more than let her sleep it off in his guest bedroom, but Katie didn’t know he hadn’t taken advantage of a vulnerable woman.
Then again, he’d done a hell of a lot worse in his life.
Including sit back and watch his best friend die. Pete Dawes. His swim buddy. The man who’d kept him sane in the madness of Hell Week, who’d had his back in a hundred firefights, who’d walked into danger in Derek’s place. And died because of it.
The agony of loss wasn’t as intense as it had been a year ago, even less than six months ago, and that just mad
e the guilt burn more ferociously. Intellectually, he knew there’d been nothing he could do to change what had happened. He even knew Pete wouldn’t have blamed him. But it didn’t keep the remorse from eating him up inside. His best friend had been blown to pieces and there’d been nothing he could do to change what had happened.
He made a beeline for the men’s room and locked himself in a stall, dragging in deep breaths until he could push the memories of that night down into the deepest, darkest part of his soul. Violence and death weren’t foreign concepts to him, but it was different when it was the person you were closest to in the world.
There were times when being a survivor sucked harder than losing someone you loved.
He pressed his palms to the sides of the stall, the cold metal grounding him in the here and now. Sweat beaded on his forehead and stuck his shirt to his back. The discomfort was a welcome distraction. Then again, just about any distraction had been welcome after Pete died. Things had gotten better, but those first few months? He’d come home and buried himself in any and every willing woman he could find. Almost a year and a half later, he didn’t even remember their names, if he’d ever known them. Rob was right about that.
Derek had figured casual sex was slightly healthier than the bottom of a bottle and more legal than drugs. Orgasm had always been his favorite high anyway. He wasn’t proud of sleeping his way across Sacramento, but at the time, it was the only thing that got him out of his own head for a while. The distraction had kept him sane while he’d dealt with grief so crippling it had almost been more than he could bear.
He couldn’t even say he’d really dealt with the grief so much as he’d learned to function under the weight of it. Straightening, he let a long, slow breath out. It was time to get back to functioning for the day. He had about three more hours before he was off-duty, and he had a feeling he was going to need a cold beer at the end of his shift. Maybe a cold shower too, since the taste of Katie still lingered on his lips.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t even tell himself to stay away from her. In his current position, she was under his protection, and he wasn’t going to stand back and let her ex hassle her.
This job blew.
He let a few of the uniformed guards know about Nick Cochrane and asked them to take a stroll down Katie’s aisle a little more often than usual. Exactly as he would do for anyone he’d found being harassed. Then he continued pretending to be a regular attendee, waiting in lines, watching science fiction panels. He made a mental note of a few new shows to watch on Netflix, but other than that, he didn’t see anything else out of place.
Basically, it was a bust of a day. He followed a stream of people to the main floor, noting nothing out of place. He slipped down a hallway to Rob’s office to report in and then headed for the exit nearest the parking garage. Pausing in the shadows just outside the door, he watched as the last of the vendors straggled out. The exhibitor’s hall was closed and locked until morning.
Katie walked by without noticing him, a trench coat covering her costume. Her jewelry fit into a set of locking boxes that stacked onto one of those fold-out dollies, and she seemed focused on crossing the street to get to the garage. Which meant she also missed the fact that DoucheNick exited just after her and paused to watch which direction she went. Yeah, that one was definitely going to be a problem.
“Good night, Nick.” Derek stepped out of the shadows and the shorter man jolted, whipping around.
“Why aren’t you with Katie, boyfriend?” The last word dripped with derision.
“Why are you following my girlfriend?” he countered without missing a beat. “She’s no longer your concern.”
“You’re not really dating. That makes her fair game.”
Derek let a slow smile curve his lips. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
A flush mottled the other man’s pale skin, making him look a lot less pretty. “That kiss was so staged, it was pathetic.”
Derek just laughed and walked away, cutting swiftly across the street and into the parking garage to catch up with Katie. She was just loading the folded dolly on top of her boxes. He made his footsteps deliberately loud, so he wouldn’t startle her. She glanced over her shoulder and blinked. “Derek.”
He nodded a greeting. “I’ll follow you home.”
“You don’t need to.” Her brow puckered.
“I watched your ex leave the building just behind you, and he was definitely watching to see where you went.” He slid his hands into his coat pockets. “I’ll follow you home and make sure he doesn’t decide to meet you there.”
She blanched. “Okay. I’d appreciate the escort, then. He’s never showed up at my place uninvited, but as far as I know, he’s never tailed me out of a building before either.”
“I’d like you to be careful, Katie.”
“I’ll have Larry or Michelle walk me out next time. They usually do if it’s after dark, but Michelle accidentally took a bite of shellfish. It made her break out in hives so she’s sucking down Benadryl. She’ll be fine by morning, but her night is going to stink.” She shrugged, her lips twisting. “Nick can be a jerk, and he likes to get handsy, but he’s never gone beyond that. It’s just a shame he likes to come to these sort of cons. It’s where I met him, actually.”
“An escort is a good idea. If your friends aren’t available, ask one of the security personnel to do it. That’s part of their job.” Stepping closer, he decided to trust her with information they hadn’t shared publically. “Nick’s not the only reason I want you to be careful. There’s always the chance for theft at conventions, and one this big draws in some unsavory folks. Make sure you keep your valuables safe, especially your purse. Wallets filled with money, credit cards, and ID would be pretty tempting to thieves for many reasons.”
Her hand went to the bag slung across her shoulder and she gripped the strap tight. “I’ll be careful.”
“A science fiction convention on the east coast got hit by a ring of identity thieves, and I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen at this one. I’m hoping we don’t get anything worse than the average pickpocket looking to swipe easy cash, but security has been stepped up in ways that aren’t necessarily visible to attendees. Like security staff in costumes.” He gestured down at himself. “There are quite a few of us, actually. Not just me. Though I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention that detail to anyone.” He held her gaze, letting her see how serious he was. Rob would skin him alive if there were panicky vendors and attendees now, but Derek thought Katie would keep her mouth shut. “The security chief would like to keep a lid on the security increase and why he felt it necessary.”
Her lips compressed into a line. “I’ll remind my friends to be safer with their belongings, but I won’t tell them why. Vendors are typically cautious, though. It’s our livelihoods on the line. Plus, we’ve all been at an event or three where people got robbed.”
“At the convention I mentioned, vendors and guests were targeted.” Or so he’d been told during his briefing that morning. He ducked his head to meet her eyes. “Attendees might be the most obvious and easy victims, but not the only ones. Keep your guard up.”
“Understood.” Her chin bobbed in a quick nod. “Where are you parked?”
“The next level up.” He waved her into her car. “You can drive me.”
She dimpled. “Maybe we’ll pass Nick on the way. You can blow him a kiss.”
A laugh escaped him. He liked the sparks of sass that escaped her occasionally. They showed a bit of tartness under the sweet exterior. Not that she was at all saccharine, but the contrast was nice. And that was something he really shouldn’t be thinking, but his body didn’t give a damn about logic. His body craved her with a need that didn’t quit, and kissing her today hadn’t helped that situation.
He sighed. “Let’s get going.”
Derek rode her bumper the entire way back to their condo complex. Katie never lost sight of his headlights in her rearview mirror. It was far mo
re comforting than it should have been. Not that Nick had been anything other than his normal irritating self, but add potential identity thieves to the equation, and she didn’t mind having a big, strong dude with special ops training make sure she got home safely.
Plus, she didn’t mind attention from Derek. It was rare that a man like him would look at her twice. Sure, it was a security thing, but she’d definitely enjoyed the kiss. Hey, there was nothing wrong with taking advantage of the fact that he went above and beyond the call of duty to get her ex to buzz off. She hadn’t made him lock lips with her, but dang…the man could kiss. A little shiver passed through her as she pulled into her carport.
Derek’s Jeep parked beside her, since their designated spaces were also next to each other. She popped her trunk, slipped out of the car, and walked around to get her inventory out. She’d leave the display cases in the car overnight, but the jewelry needed to be brought inside.
Glancing over as he approached, she asked, “Is the coast clear?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t ask if he was sure. She knew he was. If anyone had tried to follow her home, he’d have spotted them.
“I’ll walk you to your door.”
That was probably overkill, considering they had a well-lit parking lot and a short walk through an equally well-lit and populated courtyard. If she screamed, one of their neighbors would come running. But she didn’t feel like arguing. It had been a long day and she was ready to strip out of this costume. As much as she loved the look, it was basically like wearing a bathing suit with a corset for twelve hours straight. “I need to make two trips to my car.”
He took the locked cases from her hands. “Then I’ll help you carry stuff and save us both the extra trip.”
“Sure.” She hefted the last of her inventory from her trunk, and he shut the lid. Pressing a button on her key fob, she locked her car and then led the way to her condo.
Once inside, she set her boxes on the coffee table and he did the same. He seemed to fill up the space in her living room. His gaze swept the room, and she was pretty sure he cataloged everything and could describe it in detail, if needed. That kind of intensity was a little intimidating and a lot fascinating.
