Just as Maxi was going to tell Jessie that while she appreciated the sentiment, the truth was, this client did define her, the door swung open before she got the chance.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we have a code red.” Jessie’s assistant, Martin, swept into the room with dramatic flair. “Colby Saint just got detained at customs. Apparently he decided it was a good idea to bring back pot in his suitcase. He’s on line two making about as much sense as a waterproof towel.”
Jessie gave a quick nod as she picked up the phone on her desk.
Maxi and Billy both followed Martin out of the office, before they made it to the door Martin turned to them and mimicked smoking weed.
She found herself smiling for the first time that day. Martin had a way of always making her smile. He never let whatever stressful situation was happening—which in their line of work, there were always fires to be put out—affect his mood. He brought sunshine and light into the world. He was her emotional safe place.
Billy was a safe place, too. Which scared her even more than her car being broken into, a package containing dead birds, naked photos being taken of her and distributed, or her apartment being broken into.
Billy was the kind of safe that was all kinds of dangerous. Not physically dangerous…emotionally dangerous. The scariest kind of dangerous.
Chapter 4
As soon as the door to the office shut, Martin stopped and turned on his designer shoes effectively blocking the hallway.
Tilting his head to the side he let out a prolonged sigh. “Ricco has called five times.”
“Wait. What?” She lifted her phone and it didn’t show any missed calls.
“You had me forward everything when you went in to give your statement.” Martin spoke slowly.
“Oh, right.” Maxi shook her head as she remembered that she’d been afraid that Ricco or his manager might try to contact her, and she didn’t get service in the police station. “What did you tell him?”
“That you were dealing with real life problems and you’d get to his prima donna ass when you were done.”
“You didn’t.” Maxi was sure that he was kidding, but she still felt her stomach drop.
This was Martin after all. He surprised her. A lot.
“No, but I should have. I don’t know how you and Jessie deal with these drama queens.”
Maxi couldn’t help the smile that pulled at her lips. That was the epitome of the pot calling the kettle black, which she was sure was intentional on Martin’s part. He loved his drama queen reputation.
The phone attached to his hip buzzed and he looked down. “Duty calls. Do you want me to keep fielding calls from the diva?”
“No, you can send them to my phone.”
Before he headed back down the hall towards his office he stepped up to Billy. She’d spent enough time around alpha men to recognize the showdown for what it was. Martin was sizing Billy up. Silently. She didn’t have a doubt in her mind that whatever criteria Billy Marshall was held up to, he wouldn’t just meet it, he would exceed it.
Well, unless that criteria involved a committed relationship. Then he would fail miserably. His longest relationship had lasted three weeks. And she was pretty sure that had only happened because the woman was a Brazilian model who was here on holiday.
Part of her thought she should tell Martin that he didn’t need to do…whatever he was doing. That she’d known Billy for half her life and he would never let anyone hurt her, especially not Billy himself. At least, not intentionally.
But she didn’t. If Billy didn’t want Martin sizing him up, he’d put a stop to it. If she’d learned anything growing up around all that testosterone, it was that it was best to let situations like these play themselves out.
As she watched the staring contest, she couldn’t help but note how interesting it was to see the two of them toe to toe. They were around the same height, about six two. But that’s where there similarities ended. Martin had a slim and athletic frame, dark hair and dark eyes. He was manicured to perfection. Billy had light brown hair, golden eyes, a square jaw, and full lips. His shoulders were wide and rounded with muscle. His chest was broad. His arms where thick with hard-earned strength. His hands were…well, as was a common trait of boxers, his hands were large.
Whatever Martin had been looking for, apparently he got his answer. “Good,” he said with a single nod of approval before brushing past them.
“Okayyyy,” she whispered as she watched him go.
“Are you?” Billy asked as he turned and looked down at her, the intensity in his stare caused her breath to hitch.
The second their eyes met, the air that surrounded them felt like it had been sucked out of the atmosphere. The walls on either side of them felt like they were closing in. Like the entire world was shrinking down to the two them.
“What?” Her voice came out as a small whisper. Almost inaudible.
“Are you okay?” His gaze turned even darker and her legs started doing their best noodle impression once again.
“I’m fine.” It was the standard answer that she’d been giving to everyone today, but this was the first time it really felt like a lie.
His jaw tightened at her answer and she was pretty sure that she knew what he was going to say.
“Sorry.” The apology fell from her lips. She wasn’t even exactly sure what she was apologizing for. For not telling him what had been going on with her. For him finding out from his boss. For her arguing about him being on her security detail. For all of the above.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” His deep voice rolled over her in a soothing wave as he took a step closer to her.
They were maybe an inch apart. She had to tilt her neck to meet his gaze. Heat radiated off his body and the air was filled with the soap and musk scent that was uniquely his. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting herself luxuriate in the moment that felt suspended in time.
It was cut short when her phone chimed. She looked down and saw that it was Ricco’s manager, the legendary Alan Turner.
Clearing her throat, she tried to get her head in the game before answering the call. After a deep breath she swiped the screen, “Alan, I’m so happy to hea—”
“What the hell is going on?” Before she could even get her entire greeting out he cut her off. “You weren’t at the airport this morning. You didn’t’ show up at the listening party. We’re about to get back on the plane and Ricco is starting to wonder if he’s a priority at all.”
“Of course he is. I can be at the airport in less than thirty minutes to assure him that—”
“Don’t bother. We’ll be in the air by then. I’ve smoothed everything over this time, which is ridiculous. It’s not my job to spin things, it yours. If you pull this shit next week, you’re on your own. This is the last time I bail your ass out.”
With that promise he disconnected the call. When the line went dead, Maxi’s heart sank. Dropping her head, she let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Billy reached up and brushed his hand down her arm. She was sure that he’d meant the gesture to be comforting but it felt much closer to seduction.
“He’s just one client,” he repeated what Jessie had said.
No. He’s not.
There were only a handful of game-changing clients, and he was one of them. The fact that their firm wasn’t based out of New York or Los Angeles already worked against them when it came to getting A-list clientele. Ricco wasn’t just on the A list, he sat at the top. Representing him was going to shine a very bright spotlight on the firm, and she’d blown it on the first event.
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. He’s not worth it.”
“Yes.” Maxi nodded. “Ricco Kingsley is.”
His voice and expression were unimpressed. “He’s not.”
“You don’t understand, he’s bigger than the Beatles in the sixties.”
“I know. I saw his fans up close and personal.�
�
“Really?” Maxi crossed her arms. “Was your last flavor of the week part of Ricco-Nation?”
“No.”
“I mean, I know you like ’em young, but—”
“I saw them camped out when I landed this morning, smartass.”
“When you landed? Where were you?”
A small grin tilted his lips and Maxi wanted to do a happy dance.
Since Billy had arrived, he’d looked like a caged animal. He may have appeared composed to someone who didn’t know him as well as she did. But to her, his energy was like a hungry lion pacing back and forth behind bars, waiting for the second he was free so he could hunt his prey and kill it.
She’d recognized the savage look in his eye from every time she’d seen him climb between the ropes. Billy Marshall outside of the ring was a laid back, charmer. Inside the ring he was a killer. That was part of the reason that he’d been nicknamed “The Big Bad Wolf”—he was disarming until it was time to go in for the kill.
“D.C. On another job.”
“But you were at a fundraiser at Senator Robbins’ last night.” The event had been covered by local news and Maxi had immediately spotted Billy. Her body had actually registered that it was him before her eyes were able to send the information to her brain. The second the camera had scanned past him her stomach had flipped at his large frame and alpha stance.
She’d never thought anything could come close to hitting the same numbers he reached on the sexiness scale when he was training or fighting. Watching him in those environments was like witnessing a gladiator from the Roman Empire. The ultimate male specimen. Every muscle in his body was highlighted by a sheen of sweat that glistened off his perfect form.
But seeing him last night on the news, in a suit with the same intense stare as when he was facing an opponent, well, that did actually come pretty close after all. The dichotomy of the formal clothes and the barbaric expression was hot. Really, really hot.
“Keepin’ tabs on me, huh?” He smiled wide enough to activate his panty-dropper one-two punch—the deep dimples that appeared on his right and left cheek. “You know, if you miss me that bad, you can always sext me.”
“In your dreams.”
“How did you know?” He winked, and the combination of that and the bad boy grin had her eyes tearing up and her body tingling down.
“I have to go get tickets from my office before we go.” She spun around, hoping that he didn’t catch her misty eyes and started down the hall.
Billy had always flirted with her. Her and every other female in the Tri-State area. She’d always played off his affections as either an annoyance or something that didn’t have any effect on her, even though it did. Unlike random men on the street, she loved when he flirted with and teased her. Secretly, she sometimes lingered at her dad’s gym if she knew he was showing up, just for the chance to see him and be on the receiving end of his flirtation. But today… Today, it didn’t feel like their banter was feeding a schoolgirl crush; today it felt like safety. Like security. It felt like home.
Chapter 5
“How many did you find?” Billy’s shoulders tensed as his fingers gripped his iPhone tighter.
“Three.” Seth answered. “One in the front room. One in the bedroom and one in the bathroom.”
Lowering the device from his ear Billy fisted his opposite hand as he inhaled through his nose. His heart was racing with the rage-inspired adrenaline that he hadn’t felt since the last time he’d been in the ring. He stared at the wall in front of him and fought the urge to put his fist through it even though he knew it wasn’t the plaster’s fault that whoever had broken in had put up cameras. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that the last thing Maxi needed was holes in her walls.
As much as he was trying to stay detached, to treat this like any other job, he couldn’t.
Returning the phone to his ear, he heard himself ask a question that he already knew the answer to, “Are you sure you got them all?”
The line was silent for a moment before Seth responded, “Are you sure you can handle this?”
No. He wasn’t. He wanted this over. He wanted to stop feeling like someone was kicking his balls and punching him in his gut simultaneously over and over again. And that was only going to happen when they caught whoever was harassing Maxi. Until that happened, he wanted to keep her safely locked up in her room.
This was killing him, and as tough and independent as Maxi was, he saw it was killing her too. She was scared. When they’d first arrived at her apartment, she’d tried to hide how upset she was. But he saw it. He saw it in the way she held her back a little straighter. He saw it in the way she’d made light of the situation even though her voice was tight with stress. He’d seen it in the way her hands trembled when she’d picked up a photo that had fallen over of her and her dad that Billy himself had taken two Christmases ago.
“Marshall?”
“I’m here.”
“The condo is secure and we have twenty-four hour surveillance set up. We have eyes on every entry point. As of now, there are no leads. You need to get some rest. Pace yourself. You’re no good to anyone if you don’t sleep. Eat.”
“I know.”
“Call if you need any anything.”
“Will do,” he assured his boss before disconnecting the call.
Seth was right. He was going to need to sleep and eat. He reminded himself that as long as Maxi was here, she was safe. Even though she’d jokingly said Seth had made her condo as secure as Fort Knox, the truth was, he had. She was safe. So, once she was ready for bed, Billy would try to relax enough to get a few hours of shuteye.
“Who was on the phone?” Her soft voice drifted into the room and cut through his turmoil-filled inner thoughts.
When his eyes lifted and he saw her, his heart caught in his throat. Maxi was wearing a body hugging red dress with a neckline that left little to the imagination. The lipstick that highlighted her perfectly-plump mouth was the exact shade of her dress. Her blue eyes looked even brighter thanks to the dark liner she’d used. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders in waves. And the black heels she wore made her curvy legs look a mile long.
He stood there in shock. He’d expected to see her in sweats, or better yet pajamas. This was the opposite of sweats.
“What are you wearing?” The question came out much harsher than he’d intended.
“It’s called a dress.” Her brow raised as she answered in a sarcastically pleasant tone before she spun and asked, “Do you like it?”
Hell. Yes.
In all the years that Billy had known Maxi she’d never played games. Unlike his mom, she didn’t manipulate situations for her benefit. She was one of, if not the most, straightforward people he knew. She didn’t fish for compliments, or even appreciate them when they were offered. She didn’t flaunt her pin-up-worthy curves around the guys that were training. Not that they didn’t notice them anyway, under whatever material that was covering them. Every time she walked into the gym, they all drooled like the animals they were. But she never put them on display, or used them to tease and titillate.
Knowing that, he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe that her actions weren’t meant to torture him. But if that was her intent, it damn sure was working. He tried to ignore the caveman instincts the dress inspired. The urge to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and show her just how much he liked it was stronger than almost any other desire he’d ever felt. His mouth watered and his dick twitched to life in his pants.
Damn. If that was all it took to get him excited, it really had been too long.
“Why are you wearing it?” he corrected, ignoring her question as he assumed it had to be rhetorical. What red-blooded man wouldn’t love that dress so much he’d want to tear it off of her?
The small glimmer of light that had been in her eyes before as she spun extinguished. “I have a date.”
“Cancel it,” he managed to grit out b
etween clenched teeth.
The last thing he needed was to have her out in public wearing that dress. It would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Except in this scenario she was wearing the flag, and the bull was a crazy stalker.
Lifting her chin higher, her shoulders dropped back. The stance pushed her cleavage against the taut crimson fabric, causing the twitch to turn to a throb. “No.” She sidestepped him and walked her fine ass into her kitchen with purposeful strides.
He knew that posture. Knew that tone. Knew that look in her eye. Just like there was no way anyone was going to stop him from being here, there was no way he was going to stop her from going.
“Even if I wanted to,” she began as she opened the fridge and leaned down, “Detective Grover said that I needed to go through my daily routines like everything is normal. So I am.”
Now, instead of wanting to punch the wall, he wanted to punch Grover. But as mad as it made him, he knew Grover was right. In fact, the detective had specifically instructed him to pose as a friend staying with her, not a bodyguard. To act natural in public, not hovering over her. If this creeper went into hiding, they may never find him.
The sooner this was over, the better. Patience had never been a virtue he’d possessed. If he wanted something, he went after it. And most of the time, he got what he wanted. With one exception…and she was standing in front of him wearing a dress that would tempt a monk to sin.
Which, apparently, was how she dressed on dates…not that he would know. He didn’t know anything about her private life. Where she went. Who she went with.
That thought transformed into a revelation. He’d never seen any of the guys she’d dated. And there was no one to ask because none of the guys at the gym had either, including her own father. This was a rare opportunity to do exactly that. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. He would get to meet one of her mystery men. See her in her dating habitat and not leave her side. She would be safe. No one would lay a hand on her, including her date.
All He Wants Page 4
