Match (Coronado Series Book 5)

by Hart, Lea

  “Now you have me, and I will not let anything happen to you.” Staring at her light green eyes that were an exact match to his, he knew that he would do everything in his power to make sure that she was safe. And naked. But safe, first.

  Waving her hand in dismissal, she said, “It’s happened before. I don’t usually put too much stock in them, but it feels different this time. I had someone show up at my house last month, and that freaked me out a little. I’ve had people show up at my office before, but never at my home.” Watching his face assume a serious expression, she wondered if he was going to give her a hard time for not doing something about it sooner. “I don’t know how serious all of this is, and maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

  “I will be putting stock into all threats. And I will be your guard dog until all threats have been neutralized. No one is getting to you unless they step over my dead cold body. And even then they’re going to have a hell of a time, because I will have called in backup.”

  “Oh.”

  “Exactly.” People started to come back into the courtroom, and he stepped back. “I’ll be sitting right behind you and assessing the situation. “Don’t worry, Gracie. I’ve got you.”

  “All right. But I think that you might be overreacting.”

  “I’m not a man who overreacts. I assess and then act.”

  Giving him a faint smile, she thought to herself, Overreactor. “Thank you for coming down. I look forward to speaking with you after we’re done today.” Having him sitting behind her, exactly as he promised, gave her a strange sense of security. He was a big gruff guy with a brusque manner. Except when their eyes met. When that happened, it was as though they had connected on a sub-atomic level. Nothing separated them in that moment. Or she was delusional. Probably, definitely delusional.

  Clearing her throat, she restacked her notes and stared ahead as she tried to focus on the next step of the trial. Why was he so big with bulgy muscles? Why did she like it so much? Shaking her head, she refocused on the pages in front of her and pulled herself quickly back into lawyer mode. Bulgy muscles, how ridiculous. Her client sat down in his chair, and she gave him a faint smile. They still had several long months ahead of them as they made their way through the process. Fortitude, that’s what they needed. And maybe the man sitting behind her with his big bulgy-ness.

  ********

  If it hadn’t been for Gracie, Derick probably would have pulled his hair out. Sitting through an afternoon of a civil trial was painful. Every time they were getting somewhere, one of the attorneys asked to approach the bench, and there was a recess called. It was like watching paint dry. Being a man of action made the experience particularly painful. Except that he got to be near Gracie; that wasn’t painful at all.

  The man that he had spotted earlier was sitting to his right, closest to the aisle, and Derick kept an eye on him. He noticed how anxious the man appeared and how he kept patting his pockets. He wanted to frisk him, but knew it would be impossible, given the situation. His hands were tied. There was nothing worse than having to wait until something happened to act. So many bad things could be avoided if he could just do his job. The judge reentered the courtroom, and the trial resumed. It was getting close to four, and he hoped that the judge was going to call it a day fairly quickly.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man put his hand in his pocket and he turned his head in time to see him pull something shiny out of his pocket. Everything slowed down as his instincts and training kicked in. Launching himself up and over the low wall, he tackled Gracie from her chair and rolled her under him as a gun shot rang loudly in the room. He knew that son of a bitch was up to something and cursed himself for not taking action.

  An explosion of movement stunned her as something hit her hard. It sent her plummeting to the ground. The mass rolled, and she rolled with it. A whoosh of air escaped her lungs as a shot rang out loudly in the room. Mind spinning, her heart pounded as she felt herself beneath a heavy weight. She opened her eyes and stared into Derick’s face and concerned expression. The powerhouse that had hit her, rolled with her, and protected her had been him. Mr. Bulgy muscle, sexy man.

  As soon as the thought crossed her brain, she realized how inappropriate it was. Shots were being fired. Mayhem ensued. People were in danger, and she was thinking about his heavy weight on top of her and the feel of his muscles. In a flash, the vision of the two of them, like this, conjoined, rocketed through her. Clearly, she needed to make more of an effort with her social life, because she was losing her mind. Watching him speak quietly into his phone, relaying vital information, was turning her on. Again…another inappropriate thought. Jeez, she was going to hell in a handbasket.

  Visually quartering the room, he saw Gracie’s client being covered by his body guard. His security man was speaking into a small mic and had his gun out. Derick was pissed that he was in this situation unarmed. He could’ve gotten clearance to come in armed, but hadn’t ever taken the time. They didn’t have many clients that brought them to the courthouse. It was definitely something he was going to take care of ASAP. There was no way that he was coming into this building again without his gun. The doors to the courtroom creaked open, and he saw the man with the gun turn toward the sound of the opening door. The bailiff silently moved away from his desk and pulled his stun gun out, heading toward the assailant.

  Gracie shifted underneath him, and he adjusted his weight. He wasn’t the biggest man, but at two hundred pounds, he was probably squishing her. Whispering into her ear, he asked, “Are you all right?”

  The low rumble of his voice grated on her control as she felt him lift himself slightly off. Grieving the absence of his warm weight made her feel ridiculous. Yes, it was official. She had lost her mind. She might be in a life-threatening situation, and all she could focus on was the delicious weight of a man that she’d met only two hours before. Definitely need to get out more and go on some dates. It was just bad form to be salivating over the first man who tried to save one’s life. Something like that should be reserved for say the third or fourth man who came to her rescue. “I’m okay. Or as okay as one can be when a crazy person has a gun and is shooting up a room.”

  Staring down into her face, he gave her a small smile. “He let off two shots and the bailiff is doing a good job distracting him. They have backup coming through the doors any minute.”

  “How do you know that?” Looking at his hand, he pointed to the phone. “Oh…you’re getting updates from someone. Very clever.” Before she could ask him further questions, she heard a scream as someone fell to the ground and hit the divider. Being the coward that she was, she buried her face into Derick’s chest and hoped it was the shooter that went down. God, he smells good.

  Derick turned his head and caught sight of the bailiff as he hit the man with his Taser gun. The perp went down, and his gun clattered to the ground. The thunderous sound of feet pounding, signaled that the sheriffs had come in. A loud round of cheers went up in the room, as Derick lifted himself off of Gracie. Standing, he watched the officers cuff the guy and collect the gun. “Let me help you up.” As she put her hand into his, she felt that she’d finally been given the opportunity to have everything she wanted. Feeling a little shaky, she held onto Derick for a moment as she pulled herself together. When his arm circled her waist, she almost swooned. No one swooned anymore. How embarrassing. “Thank you.” Her client stood with his body guard in front of him and brushed off his suit. A river of irritation flowed down her spine. The man was an arrogant, self-entitled, scum-sucking son of a bitch, and she was tired of pretending like she wasn’t aware of it. Shaking the thought, she pulled on her mask of professionalism and pasted a fake smile on her face. “Looks like our day is done. I will follow up with you on Monday after I request a continuance. Let me determine how this is going to affect the jury and come up with a strategy.”

  “Thanks, Gracie. I’ll wait to hear from you and hope the trial will go smoothly after this.”

&
nbsp; “From your mouth to God’s ears.” Turning to Derick, she introduced the two men. “Garret, this is Derick Granger, and he has a security firm. I’ve contacted him regarding the threats, and it seems like it was a good idea. I’ll have him coordinate with your team to make sure that we both make it through the trial in one piece.”

  Waving his hand, he nodded. “Do whatever you think is necessary. The company will cover all the costs. Just let my assistant know, and I’ll go along with whatever recommendations are made.” Shaking Derick’s hand, he thanked him, and then moved toward the table to gather his briefcase. He walked out of the courtroom surrounded by his men.

  “Is his driver a trained bodyguard as well?”

  “Yes, I think so. How did you know?”

  “He doesn’t seem like a man who would take a chance with his own safety.”

  “That’s true.” The courtroom was being cleared by the sheriff. They were taking everyone into a conference room, so the detectives could interview people individually. She spoke with the bailiff and made sure that he passed on all of her contact information. She was going to have to meet with the police after they were done with the investigation, so she could determine what to do. Once she received an update, she would be better able to come up with a plan.

  Walking over to the table, she collected her notes and folders. As she stuffed everything into her bag, she felt Derick standing behind her. A small shiver of anticipation ran down her spine as his scent enveloped her. Turning her head, she stared into his light green eyes and grinned. “I think I owe you a drink.”

  “Let me take you to dinner. It seems that we have a lot to talk about.”

  “Perfect.” She picked up her briefcase and was about to sling it over her shoulder when he took it out of her hands.

  “Allow me.” He took the bag in one hand and placed his other on the small of her back as he led her out of the courtroom.

  I will allow you a lot more than just carrying my bags. “Thank you,” she sighed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  They sat in the Three Rivers restaurant, and each had a drink in front of them. Gracie had been on her phone getting updates, and he’d been communicating with his office. He turned off his phone, sipped his scotch, and stared at her legs. This lawyering business wasn’t easy and the fact that someone had actually gotten into a courtroom with a gun made him think differently about the ongoing trial. Her hand covered his, and he glanced up into her silver green eyes and felt an overwhelming feeling of familiarity. As though they had known each other before and were just now getting reacquainted. “So, is this is how a civil trial usually goes?”

  “No. This is the first time that I’ve been threatened on a civil case. It happened a lot when I was defending criminals, though.”

  Looking down at their entwined hands, he realized that he was going to have to confess his attraction to her. There was no way that he could play off his behavior as typical, and he didn’t want to waste the energy in even trying. “Gracie, I think that we may have a problem.” Watching her expression change, he realized that he had said the wrong thing. “What I meant to say is that we have a challenge. I’m really attracted to you, and I’m not going to be able to remain level-headed, so I’m going to have to call in back-up for your protection plan.”

  “Do you like me?”

  “Yes, Gracie. I like you.”

  “Enough to want to kiss me?”

  “Um…yes. Definitely.”

  “That was weird what I just said…I know that. And inappropriate. God, what the hell is wrong with me?” Color rose on her cheeks, and she realized what a spectacular blunder she’d just made. “I blame it on the way you smell. It’s got me crazy. Maybe I need to have my chakras realigned. Or maybe I need some serious energy work. I’m clearly out of balance, and I’ve been working too hard.” Taking a healthy sip of her scotch, she tried to act like a normal person who hadn’t just asked a stranger if he wanted to kiss her. “Hell in a handbasket, that’s what’s happening.”

  “I don’t think wanting to kiss me is hell in a handbasket. And I wouldn’t call it weird that you said it. Maybe unexpected.”

  “You are being way too nice to the crazy lady. I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary. Maybe we should eat and pretend like this conversation never happened.” Finishing off her drink, she tried to smile. “I promise not to accost you during dinner. It’s just been a long couple of months, and it might be catching up to me.”

  “You can’t take what you said back.”

  “Are you sure? Because I feel like I can.”

  “I don’t want you to. I saw you, and it was like being hit with a bullet. And trust me, I know what that’s like. It’s happened more than once, and it’s not something that you can forget.”

  Trying to figure out if what he was saying was a good thing or a bad thing, she shrugged and gave up. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Leaning forward in the crowded, noisy restaurant, he pressed his lips to hers and a wave of happiness washed over her. This moment was better than when she had passed the bar exam.

  “So…we’ll be doing that a lot,” he said against her mouth.

  Then he did it again, only better. Way better. Yes, she was fifteen and the cutest boy in the world was kissing her in front of God and everyone. Her eyes fluttered opened, and she stared into his handsome face. “I’ve never kissed a man with a beard before.” Running her hand through the coarse hair on his face, she sighed. “I had no idea what I was missing.”

  “Now you know.” Tilting in her direction, he kissed her quickly. “I guess we should try and get some dinner.”

  “Probably a good idea.” Sitting back, she adjusted her jacket. “Would you mind coming over to my house and we could order a pizza? I would love to change and get out of my high heels.”

  Gazing down the length of her legs, he admired the tan heels that she wore. They did amazing things for her legs, but they looked really uncomfortable. “Sounds good to me.” He signaled to the waitress for the check and then put his hand over Gracie’s as she tried to pull out her wallet. “Honey, I will never let you pay for anything.”

  Laughing, she lifted his hand and opened her wallet. “I always pay my own way.”

  “I don’t know what kind of men you’ve been hanging out with, but that will never happen with me. Ever.” The waitress dropped the bill, and Derick handed her his card as he stared at Gracie. Watching her formulate an argument was entertaining, and he couldn’t wait to see what she came up with.

  “Is this because we kissed?”

  “No. I was raised to be a gentleman, and that is never going to change. It may be considered old-fashioned, but I don’t care. That’s the way I am. I will hold the door for you, help you out of a car, walk on the side closest to cars, carry anything heavy, and let you order first.”

  “Do you expect me to be a traditional woman? If you do, then you are going to be very disappointed. I can’t really cook, and I don’t like doing laundry. So if you want someone to take care of you, that’s not me. I can bake, though, and I do like to vacuum. I’m also very tidy.”

  “I can cook, and I don’t mind laundry, but I hate to fold. I’ll do the bathrooms if you agree to dust.” Watching her tap her fingers on the table as she considered his offer was pretty funny. He could see her mind weighing all of the possibilities.

  “Yes to the folding and dusting. But we go to the market together, and we both put away the groceries.”

  Putting out his hand, he agreed. “Deal.”

  “Deal.” She laughed and put her wallet back in her bag. “I’ve never negotiated how to live with someone before I slept with them…or had a date. If things don’t work out for us in the bedroom, we might have just done all of that for nothing.”

  The waitress dropped off his card and receipt, and he signed the slip. Taking her hand, he lifted it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her skin. “Things are going to work out. I’m absolutely certain.”

  “
Do you think it’s strange to be so instantly attracted to someone? I met you this afternoon, and I don’t know a thing about you except that you want to protect me, kiss me, pay for my drinks, and cook for me.” Shaking her head, she laughed. “All of that makes you sound perfect, though.”

  “All I know about you is that you need me to protect you, you don’t want my money, you want to kiss me, you will bake for me, and you want to go to the grocery store together. Also, you are willing to fold the laundry. If I’m being honest, that alone would make me fall for you.”

  “So, all you really want is for someone to fold your boxers and T-shirts?”

  “No. What I really want is to kiss you some more.” Standing, he held out his hand. “Let’s get you home so you can change. We still have to come up with a plan to protect you during the trial. I think the man who shot up the courtroom may only be the tip of the iceberg.”

  “Unfortunately, I think you may be right,” Gracie agreed.

  ********

  Derick sat on the couch and worked on his tablet. He was trying to come up with a way to make sure that Gracie was protected and that he could still get some of his work done. It looked like he was going to have to ask a couple of the guys from the LA office to come down and cover some of the work load. He heard Gracie walk in and glanced up. She had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and her hair was up in a ponytail. “I had no idea that you were so short.” Watching her frown, he realized he’d stuck his foot in his mouth.

  “Gee, thanks.” Sitting on the other end of the couch, she crossed her legs and her arms. “I’m over five feet tall. I just seem small to you because you are a giant.”

  “I’m not a giant, Gracie. I’m only five-ten. The size of the average American male.”