“You almost lost the key?”
“The key was in my pocket until you decided to do some exploration.”
Trevor rubbed his now free arm and stood. Erica scooted away to busy herself with removing the homemade alarm she wired to the window.
“I know you want to wait for us to talk, but things are progressing whether we want them to or not.”
“Things are not progressing. In fact, there’re no more things to progress.” Erica put some distance between the two of them and packed the alarm back in her bag. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she should’ve left him chained to the bed. He insisted on getting underfoot while she buzzed around the bedroom trying to keep space between them.
At last, Trevor gave up following her. He caught her in his arms and held her still. “What’s wrong with you this morning? You’re jumpy.”
Erica refused to meet his eyes even though she could think of nothing better to do than drink her fill of his gorgeous eyes. “I’m not jumpy. There’s a lot to do that’s all.”
Trevor looked at Lucy’s Minnie Mouse clock. “It’s barely ten thirty. We have plenty of time to get on the road.”
“What do you want me to say, Trevor? I just sexually assaulted you and you want to pretend that everything is hunky dory?” She tried to pull away from him, but he held her still.
“What are you talking about? You didn’t just—”
“Then what was that? That …” She gestured toward the bed. “I’m supposed to be protecting you. Who’s going to protect you from me?”
Trevor laughed and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “You were asleep. Did you mean to assault me?”
“You know I didn’t.”
“And sexual assault has the connotation behind it that the advance was unwanted. You know much better than that, don’t you?” He closed the distance between their bodies.
“You don’t know what you want. I mean we’ve been cooped up together for almost six weeks. That’s a long time to ask you to be celibate. Of course you’d respond to any stimulation.” Erica broke free of his hold and walked away from him. His next words stopped her in her tracks.
“I’ve been celibate a lot longer than that, Erica.” Surely he was kidding. He was always surrounded by women. How had he managed to … was he that controlled? And why did he relinquish that control around her?
“It’s just … I see a lot doing what I do. I got desensitized. And it got old.”
He gave her a crooked smile. One that in no way resembled his rock star one and just served to endear him to her all the more. Erica longed to tell him how much she loved him. But she couldn’t get past him being her boss.
“Then you came along and it seems that I’ve turned into a horny teenager.”
“I’m really sorry for breaking your streak, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.” Erica withdrew her hand and paced to the window to put some space between them. If she didn’t, she’d do something she knew she’d regret.
“It’s you, Erica. There’s no sooner or later about that.”
Trevor watched the emotions playing out over her face while he approached her. He didn’t want to push, but he wanted her too much not to. And not just in a physical way. He’d realized at last why she was different. He’d fallen madly in love with her. Fallen? That implied time on the way down. He’d hit bottom the moment she’d tumbled into his life. Everything they’d gone through just made him love her all the more. She was a long haul kind of girl. His long haul kind of girl.
The thing about show business was that it was too easy to accumulate fake friends and hangers on. It was much harder to come by folk who looked out for you and weren’t afraid to tell you when you were being a jackass. It was certainly a plus that she was gorgeous, but that wasn’t all he wanted in a wife. He smiled in wonder. Erica Cole. That had a fantastic ring to it. Now he just had to convince her.
Yesterday, it seemed he’d made some progress, but today? She just stood there and stared at him with naked emotion in her eyes. Trevor stopped a hairs breadth away and waited for her to decide. Just when he could see in her eyes that he was going to like her decision, a phone rang.
All of a sudden, the look was gone and so was she. He turned to see her root through her bag with a look of near panic on her face. She found the phone and shoved it to her ear.
“Kellogg.” Or maybe Kellogg-Cole, Trevor considered. This latest distraction was just that. A distraction. He wasn’t about to give up. Not if it meant letting the woman of his dreams slip through his grasp.
After listening for a moment, Erica stabbed a button to disconnect the call. She looked at Trevor and said, “We’ve gotta go.” She noted the frown that crossed his face and the question in his eyes. “Now!”
She shoved everything back in her bag with reckless abandon then started to do the same with Trevor’s. Everything he’d pulled out, she stuffed back in.
“We’re going like this?”
Erica nodded. She didn’t like it any more than he did especially considering that her bras were all in her bag and her breasts were pretty much just flopping in the breeze, but Jason told her that they’d lost the suspect not long after a celebrity Web site reported that Trevor was visiting his parents. While Jason and crew scrambled to find the guy, it was Erica’s job to get Trevor back to town and into a safe house. Since Trecam didn’t have its own tactical team, they relied on local law enforcement. At home they knew the locals would offer more protection than if they had to drag out credentials and explanations for cops they didn’t know. As for his family, they would keep a watch on the ranch, but also issue a press release leaking Trevor’s departure.
Trevor surprised Erica when he opened the door and picked up both of their bags. At her questioning look, he said, “You need your hands free, right?”
Erica nodded and led the way downstairs. Like she’d expected from the wonderful smells wafting through the house, Abigail was in the kitchen cooking. Jordan was sitting at the island watching his mother work. It appeared they’d interrupted their conversation when she and Trevor burst in. Abigail took one look at their bags and shook her head.
“Not on an empty stomach you don’t.”
Trevor put the bags down and gave his mom a big hug.
“Sorry Abby, we just got word of an emergency. We have to go,” Erica tried to explain.
Abigail eyed them suspiciously. “You’re not running off to elope are you? If so, I’ll be ready in two shakes.” She tried to break from Trevor who chuckled.
“Elope? I wouldn’t do that to you, Ma.”
“Then what’s the rush?”
Trevor looked at Erica who was inching for the door. “A problem at the next venue. At this rate, the whole tour’ll be cancelled. I need to go work it out.”
Jordan eyed them throughout their production in silence. Finally, he stood up and gave Erica a hug. “Should I stick around?” he whispered in her ear. Erica nodded and stepped back. They exchanged an understanding look before he pulled Trevor into a big hug. When the men parted, Jordan gave Erica a warning look.
“Take care of my little brother.”
“You know I will.” Jordan nodded and wrapped an arm around Abigail’s shoulders so they could get away.
Trevor called over his shoulder, “Tell Dad we’ll see him later.”
“Go tend your business,” Jordan growled in response.
Erica and Trevor hustled outside and threw their bags in the car. A few moments later, Erica had them barreling down the bumpy driveway while Abigail and Jordan waved from the porch.
Once on the highway, Erica pushed the car as fast as she safely could. She glanced at Trevor and was glad to note he didn’t object to the speed. “Could you program the GPS?” she asked.
“Sure.” She gave him the address while she searched for her Bluetooth in her bag in the back. He looked at her and stopped programming.
“Bluetooth?” Erica nodded and Trevor grabbed the bag to hand the
headset to her before resuming his assigned task.
“Thanks.” She slipped it on her ear.
He finished with the GPS and looked at her when she said nothing further. “So I take it we’re not heading back for the tour.”
She shook her head. “We need you to be in a location we can control.”
“We?” He asked seeming puzzled.
Erica spared him a look. “C’mon, Trevor. We both know I’m not some one woman operation.”
“We both know what?” He tried to continue the charade for a moment. Seeing she wasn’t buying it, he shrugged. “So how’d you find out?”
“Jordan thinks I should ask you for a reference when this is over. He’s fairly sure I’d get the job since you’re one of the partners.” Erica couldn’t prevent the anger from bubbling up in her voice.
Trevor glared at her. “So what’s wrong with that?” He frowned while a thought crossed his mind. “Wait. You’re angry because … I never lied to you, Erica.”
“Yeah, well you never came out and said ‘I’m your boss’ either!” Erica gritted her teeth. “Do you know how much better I could’ve done my job if I didn’t have to keep hiding Trecam from you?”
“Ha!” Trevor shook his finger in the air. “So you admit that you’re the one who did all the lying. So why are you mad at me? I should be mad at you.”
“I was under orders to not tell you. What’s your excuse?” Erica took her eyes off the road long enough to scowl at him. “Oh wait, you were too busy trying to seduce me. Me knowing that you are my boss woulda put a big ole crimp in your plans called ‘sexual harassment!’”
“You are not serious,” Trevor said once he could pry his jaw from his chest. He narrowed his eyes at her. “As I seem to recall, you were the one doing the sexual assaulting. Just this very morning in fact!”
Erica cringed then mustered up a bold smirk. “Where’s your proof?”
“Oh. I’ll have proof. I may have to manufacture it, but I’ll have proof.” He met her gaze and tried to keep the smile from surfacing on his lips while he heard what he’d just said.
He could see that Erica caught the expression and he sensed her own anger dissipating.
“I’ll spin the most compelling tale of poor little me who just wanted to sing for people. Then along comes the big, bad bodyguard.” He paused for dramatic effect and looked her over. “She’s at least one hundred pounds lighter than me and a whole bunch shorter. She used her top secret bodyguard training on me and forced me to have relations with her. All night.”
Erica laughed.
Trevor couldn’t fight his smile anymore. “No, no. All week.” He glanced at his wrist that was still raw. “She chained me up and made me do all kinds of wicked things. Totally against my will. It was horrible.”
Camaraderie restored, they drove on. On the way to his parents’, Erica made sure they’d arrived on a full tank of gas. Her caution had paid off since they’d been able to put quite a few miles between them and the ranch without needing to stop. The high speed guzzled the gas faster than normal so Erica had to pull off the highway, almost an hour from their destination according to the GPS.
When she stopped at the pump, Trevor reached for the handle to climb from the car without a second thought. She put a hand on his arm, stopping him. “I got it.”
And he did, too. She didn’t want him out in the open. Instead of arguing, he nodded and laid back in his seat.
While Erica pumped the gas, the cool air seemed to flow right through her thin shirt. What a difference a few hundred miles north made! Without a bra, she knew her nipples were on display for all and sundry. Her suspicions were confirmed when a truck driver gave her a toothy grin and honked his horn. Thank God for pay at the pump.
She hunched her shoulders forward, but it didn’t do much good in the form-fitting shirt. At last, she gave up. Pretended to be as brazen as all get out. She ignored the next few honks and climbed back in the car.
Trevor looked at her with a frown. “What’s with all the racket? Oh.” He grinned and stared with blatant interest at her chest.
Erica socked him with the back of her hand and started the car. “Eyes front.”
“I kinda like them where they are.”
Under his admiring stare, Erica had no hope of getting them to relax. She held her seatbelt away from her chest to prevent any further stimulation.
“Want me to get that for you?” Trevor’s offer sounded innocent enough. One glance at his hot gaze told her otherwise.
“There’s a burger joint over there. You hungry.” She decided a diversion might be in order. Besides, the sight of the fast food place had her stomach growling.
Trevor never took his eyes off her. “I could eat.”
Erica wisely didn’t ask, “eat what?” She wheeled them into the drive thru. Less than fifteen minutes later, they were on their way again. Erica smiled to herself when she noted how Trevor seemed to forget all about her erect nipples once she’d thrust a hamburger in his hand. Guys were so easy.
He nodded to her chest. “I’ll look forward to a repeat performance later.”
Erica bit into her burger. Hard.
All too soon, Erica turned into the neighborhood that was their destination. She called Jason on speed dial and he opened the garage door for them remotely. When Erica eased the car to stop inside the garage she turned to look at Trevor. “Welcome to your new home.” She climbed from the car. He followed a bit slower.
He addressed her over the top roof of the car. “How long am I supposed to stay in my … . new home?”
Erica pulled her bag from the car and headed for the door that led to the house. “A day. Two, tops.”
Trevor looked at her skeptically. He could do a day. He had to get back to his tour. He grabbed his bag and followed her into the single story brick house.
The day, two tops had stretched into a week and now Erica was frowning at him. She studied him and frowned the whole time he whipped up his world famous omelets for dinner. She’d frowned at him all day in stark contrast to the cheery country interior he’d grown thoroughly sick of seeing. He placed their plates on the kitchen island and sat on the stool across from her which had become their custom at meal times. He said grace, she added her scripture and he dug in. She kept staring. Unable to take anymore, he laid his fork down and met her look.
“What is it?”
“You’re different.”
Trevor laughed. “That’s ridiculous,” he lied. He’d never been better. After being cooped up for so long, he’d gone a bit stir crazy. He wanted to blame it on the gingham patterns he couldn’t escape anywhere in the house, but he knew it was because they’d bonded on a whole new level giving
Trevor a glimpse of what life would be like married to her. And he liked what he saw. Respecting her enough to do things the old fashioned way, he’d put the brakes on trying to seduce her and went for making her fall in love with him. Sometimes he could see his success in her eyes which just made staying away from her physically that much harder. Seeing she had the same struggle made the task almost impossible.
To make matters worse, Erica had continued his swim lessons. The combination of seeing the pride in her eyes at his progress and her lack of dress made the attraction even more difficult to bear. So he’d done the one thing he could think to do. After she’d gone to sleep the night before, he snuck out of the house for a brisk run around the neighborhood. The run had worked so well, he couldn’t wait for her to go to bed that night so he could slip out again. Since she’d flat out refused to let him go anywhere, he was keeping his nightly treks to himself.
“You’ve done something. What’d you do, Trevor?”
“You’ve been right here with me all day. Have you seen me do anything?”
Erica mulled over his words and gave in.
Erica jerked awake, but lay still. She had no idea what pulled her so abruptly from slumber. Not that it had been all that peaceful. Her dreams had been filled with ways things
could go wrong. She wasn’t sure why. She and Trevor were safe stashed away while Trecam’s top investigative team was working around the clock to locate Worthingham. Nothing would go wrong.
That was the last thought she had before a hand slammed down over her nose and mouth. She caught the sweet antiseptic odor of chloroform and held her breath. She’d be in trouble if the smell turned rotten. Knowing she couldn’t last very long, Erica forced her body to go limp. Apparently satisfied that she was knocked out her attacker dragged her off the bed.
Feet free of the bed covers, Erica launched her attack. The man was caught off guard when she brought her foot up over her head to kick him in the face. Immediately, he released her. She had to get to Trevor. Erica sprung to her feet and headed for the hall. Her attacker snared one of her ankles and brought her crashing to the floor.
She kicked at him with the other foot. After landing two solid blows, he released her. She sprinted for Trevor’s bedroom again. Surprise stopped her cold when she opened the door and noted the empty room. That was all the advantage her attacker needed. Erica felt something shatter against her skull then vaguely remembered hearing the thud her body made when it crumpled to the floor when everything went black.
Chapter Fifteen
Not long after he’d gotten outside, Trevor realized that the illicitness of his little escapes had worn off leaving behind nothing but guilt. Deciding to cut his second and last run short, he turned to head back to the safe house. When he rounded the corner, he knew in an instant that he was in deep trouble. Every light in the place was blazing. Erica had figured him out.
Feeling like he was heading toward the guillotine, Trevor forced himself onward. He practiced excuse after excuse in his head. He was almost at the door before he’d decided on one he liked that might have a snowball’s chance in hell of working on her. Trevor pushed the door open, excuse all ready on his lips, and he froze in horror at the sight that greeted him.
Erica was sitting, more propped, on a chair in the middle of the living room. Her head rested in an awkward position on her shoulder and blood had just begun to dry on her shirt. Panic shot through him.
Secret Bodyguard Page 17
