Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3)

by L. L. Collins

  “Well, try harder, El. I mean, she may not be as hot as Rachel…”

  Ellis threw a stack of post-it notes at Devin’s head, and he ducked. Both laughing, they turned to walk out of the office together.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Devin clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re not only a kick ass SWAT member; it’s nice to have your goofy ass around again. And, it would work out perfectly if you decided that Jessica was the one for you—seeing as how all of them are friends.”

  “Well, by all means,” Ellis joked, feeling the pressure of his words even though he knew he didn’t mean it that way. “Let me date someone because it’s easier for you.” Devin laughed loudly, shaking his head at his friend.

  Walking out into the bright Florida sunshine, Ellis slipped on his sunglasses. He had only lived here a few months, but he felt more at home that he had felt in a long time. He had no one left in this world but these people that he called friends. Rachel’s friends had easily accepted him, and he felt he actually had a nice group now with Devin, Ben, and Trevor. He had always been a friendly guy, easy to get along with. But he never felt that he could quite let down his guard.

  “Tell Rachel I said hi,” Ellis called, reaching his new sports car and unlocking the doors. He was glad he got to give up driving a police car every day, because this was way more his speed. With his move and raise, he had bought the car he had his eye on for a long time, a brand new black Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 with grey stripes. He didn’t buy it because it was a chick magnet, but it sure as hell was. Swinging out of the parking lot, he looked at the time on the dash and realized he had time to stop at Jessica’s work to say hi. Keeping his mind off what he was missing today was his top priority right now.

  Ellis pulled into In Loving Hands Therapy Center’s parking lot a few minutes before five o’clock. He knew Jessica would be cleaning up, and figured he could help her. Parking in the back next to her car, he popped a piece of gum in his mouth as he made his way to the back door. The therapists were used to him and didn’t care that he came in the employee entrance. Jessica was only going to be here for another week, though. She was going to work for Ben and Kayley at the therapy center, Kidz Zone, they had opened next to Ben’s pediatrician’s office. That was perfect timing because Rachel was going to be out for an indefinite time after having her babies.

  The door swung open before he had a chance to touch the knob, and he stepped back as his eyes met Jessica’s.

  “Ellis!” she put a hand on his strong chest and laughed. “You scared me to death! What are you doing here?”

  He wrapped his arm around her waist, the sight of her igniting that attraction he felt for her immediately. He had been unofficially seeing her ever since Rachel’s graduation a few months ago, but they had never had a conversation about their relationship, and Jessica didn’t seem to be worried about it. He also hadn’t slept with her, but then again, he was usually very careful whom he shared that with, having only given himself like that to a few women over all his years.

  “You’re done already? I was coming to help!” He pushed his glasses on top of his head and looked into her sparkling blue eyes. She was quite a bit shorter than him, so her head was tipped back to look him in the eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she had on her regular work polo and khaki’s, but she couldn’t hide the curves she had in the right places or the beauty that radiated from within.

  “My last patient was finished a half hour ago, so yes. That was so sweet of you to come here to help me, though! How was work today?” She turned and linked her arm with his, walking back to the parking lot.

  “It was good. We got a phone call today from some big shot singer’s manager that she’s coming into town for a concert and he wants to hire some extra security for her. I might consider doing it. I could use the extra money, especially since I decided to buy a new car.”

  Jessica stopped next to his car. “Who is it, did they say? And I’ve heard Dev say that private security is good money! Why did they call your agency and not the police department?”

  “Her head of security is friends with my boss Andrew. I guess this girl just recently became famous after winning one of those big singing contests. She just started her first ever tour, and she has some freak that’s stalking her, sending her weird messages and presents, even when he shouldn’t know how to get to her.”

  Jessica’s mouth dropped open. “You… you aren’t talking about Sam Kerrigan, are you?”

  “Yes, that’s her name.” Ellis leaned against his car, linking his fingers with hers.

  “Oh, my god. She won Country Star three months ago, and she’s going out on her first tour. She’s coming here? And you could get a job with her?” Jessica’s voice was getting higher and higher. He guessed that this was something exciting. He couldn’t help but smile at the childlike exuberance rolling off her in waves.

  “I guess she’s also doing a video here on the beach,” Ellis repeated the information he was given earlier.

  Jessica hopped up and down, still holding his hand. “You have to take the job, Ellis! Then I can meet her! She’s so amazing! Her voice is so amazing…”

  He laughed. “I thought it would be good money for me, but I hate country music. I’m a rock and roll guy.”

  Jessica narrowed her eyes at him. “You haven’t heard her sing, Ellis Warner. She blew America away on that show. You seriously have never heard of her? She’s been called America’s New Sweetheart, been on every talk show and magazine…”

  Ellis shook his head, reaching up a hand and smoothing back pieces of hair that had come out from Jessica’s ponytail. “Nope, never heard of her. I’ll have to look her up now, I guess. See if I could stand being security for a country gal.” He winked at Jessica. “Want to grab some dinner?”

  She stood up on her tip toes and pressed her lips briefly to his, and he pulled her flush with his body. As her lips parted and their tongues connected, Ellis felt the stirring inside him, the pain that never quite left. She was an amazing woman. She would make a great wife and mother. Hell, he was twenty-nine years old with no family. That should make him want to commit to her.

  He caressed her back as they continued to kiss, trying hard to shut his panicking brain off. His body was reacting, knowing what it wanted. But it had been a long time since he allowed that part of him to be shared, and he definitely wasn’t going to give into it in a parking lot.

  Pulling away, he cupped her cheek with his hand, and she smiled. That’s what he loved about their relationship if you wanted to call it that. She never pushed. She only accepted what he could give her, as if she just knew that was all he had to give. “Ready? Let’s take my car and we can come back to get yours after dinner.”

  He opened the door for her, and she slid into the charcoal leather seats. He could feel her watching him as he walked around the car, chastising himself. He vowed to let her in at dinner, to force his steel trap of a heart to open its rusty doors and see what could happen with them. He had said that to himself countless times over the last few months, but thought that maybe at some point, it would work.

  Ellis tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and put his leftovers in the refrigerator. Dinner was nice with Jessica, but then again, everything they did together was that way. She was a phenomenal person, and he loved just talking with her. She was one of the smartest, most level-headed women he had ever known.

  Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, he opened his sliding glass door and walked out to the porch. The humid air hit him in the face like a wall, and he sighed as he sat down. This day was always mentally draining, and he knew that part of his problem getting close to anyone, his friends included, was this secret that loomed over him. Leaning his head back on the chair, he tried to think about something else, and he started thinking about the extra security job. Did he want to be security for a singer? He knew he wanted the money, and he was intrigued by the possibility. He remembered he was going to look her up so he co
uld see what she was all about, and he walked back to the kitchen to grab his laptop.

  Settling it on the table in front of him, his mind wandered while he waited for it to boot up. When his mind wandered, it always went back there. Thirteen years. Seemed like a lifetime ago. The worst year of his life, for more than one reason. He wondered where they were, what they were doing. If they ever thought of him.

  The screen loaded, shaking him out of his thoughts. Forcing them back where they belonged, he typed in Samantha’s name in the search engine, then sat back while he watched the hourglass think about the results. When the screen loaded, his eyes widened at the image of her at the top of the page. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her long chocolate brown hair was curled and hung down her back. Her dark eyes, framed by the longest, thickest eyelashes he had ever seen, seemed like they laughed at the camera. Her wide smile, showcasing perfectly straight, white teeth, lit up her face, and a small dimple made her look innocent. Her body hugging jeans and sequined tank top almost made his eyes go crossed. She was wearing the hottest bright pink cowboy boots. Wait. Had he just thought that cowboy boots were hot? Or was it just her in the cowboy boots that was hot?

  He had no idea how long he stared at that picture of her. This was Samantha Kerrigan? Why hadn’t he ever paid attention to her before? Shaking himself out of the trance that image had put him in, he clicked on a YouTube link of her singing. He knew nothing about country music at all. He had never listened to it except for maybe at a bar or something.

  The screen opened up, and she was sitting on a stool, gripping the microphone as the opening chords of a song started playing. He watched as she closed her eyes, swaying to the music. The spotlight showcased only her, but even if it wouldn’t have, she had that kind of enigma that just made you want to stare at only her. She opened her eyes, and stood up, sliding the stool back with her boot.

  Her silky voice started singing, the camera zooming in on her face as she belted out lyrics about him not wanting her anymore, leaving her crying and feeling like a fool. Every word she sang infiltrated every spot in his soul, making him want to close his eyes against the sensation. But he couldn’t. He had to watch her.

  As she moved around the stage, the audience was enraptured with the passion in her voice, the pitch which she sang the words, and the sight that was Samantha Kerrigan. When they panned to the audience, he could see signs everywhere with her name on them. ‘America’s next Country Star- Sam!’ most of them read. This must’ve been her final performance on the show.

  The camera panned back to her as she hit a high note. Her voice then became raspy and sexy, and as she ended the song, the camera did an up close of her eyes. He swore she was looking right through him, and found that he was holding his breath.

  He stared at the screen long after the video was over. It reset back to the opening image of her sitting on a stool. This was Sam Kerrigan, newly hatched superstar. He could see why. Forcing himself away from the video, he went back to the search engine and clicked on a few articles about her. She was from Nashville, the only daughter to wealthy business owner parents Samuel and Ella Kerrigan. Sam was twenty-three and had been signing her entire life in the Nashville area. She had been a regular at many local bars and restaurants for a long time. It wasn’t until her parents encouraged her to try out for Country Star that she thought maybe she could really live her dream.

  Ellis had no idea how long he sat there and read everything he could about Sam. He told himself it was because he had to decide if this was the best thing for him to do, take this extra job as her security. But if he was honest with himself, he knew that wasn’t it at all. There was something about her. A young innocence, a passion that surrounded her. He knew he should say no. He hadn’t even met her yet and his heart was pounding.

  It’s a job, just a job, he reminded himself. She needs help, and you are good at what you do. So what she’s hot and seems like a genuine person. You aren’t good enough for someone like her.

  His brow furrowed as he clicked on a story that one of the news stations had picked up about a possible stalker on new country music star Sam Kerrigan. Videos of her being ushered into vehicles by her security team, her walking out on stage, and fans screaming outside for her showed just how popular she really was. Apparently she had not only received many letters from this ‘stalker’, but he/she had been able to get past her security more than once and put stuffed animals, flowers, and jewelry in her dressing room and limo. No wonder they wanted more security. Someone in her team was slacking, or was allowing it to happen. The reason they were so concerned, other than this person getting too close to her, was that they were getting brave, starting to say scary things like ‘I’m going to have you’, ‘You are mine’, ‘We are meant to be’, etc. The whole thing left a pit in his stomach. He had seen cases like this before. Not with big superstars, of course, but with regular people and wacko’s that became obsessed with them. He could only imagine how difficult it would be to protect someone who was in the public eye constantly.

  Exiting the articles, he went back to the music video one more time. He picked up his phone and hit Andrew’s name before he could lose nerve. “Andrew? Hey man, it’s Ellis. I’ll take the security job if no one else has claimed it yet.”

  Sam sat at the booth in her new tour bus, looking out the window at the road disappearing under the tires. She was headed out on her first tour, and she was terrified. She was used to singing in Nashville. She knew most of the people that would come see her sing there. They were her supporters. This was new territory for her. Then again, everything she had done in the last few months was new for her.

  As petrified as she was, she was also so excited she couldn’t believe it. When she won Country Star, she had no idea that was only the beginning of what was a crazy but amazing ride. She had thought that being on live television and singing in front of a panel of country music’s top stars was nerve-wracking enough, but she had had no idea what she was in for next.

  After winning, she had thankfully gotten to stay in Nashville to record her debut album, Love Hurts, which included her winning song from Country Star that she had written, Wasted Tears. It was still her favorite on the album, and had hit #1 on the country charts right after she won the contest. It had even been picked up by the pop stations and hit number one there, as well. Now she had a few more songs from her album ranked in the top ten, and her album was in the top five consistently.

  Closing her eyes, she allowed the vibration of the bus to relax her. She remembered when she was sixteen and wrote a story for her English class about becoming a famous country star. She remembered her classmates giggling at her when she read it to the class. When you grow up in Nashville, everyone wants to be a star. People are constantly moving to the Country Music Capital to try to make their dreams come true. So, it wasn’t unusual for kids in school to say they were going to make it big. But her best friend Lacey and her high school boyfriend, Gage, had believed in her, and so had her parents.

  Gage. Her heart still clutched when she thought about him. She hadn’t talked to him in years. Not since the ‘incident’, as her parents liked to call it. They had dated all through high school, until she had been forced to cut him out of her life when she was eighteen. She knew from the grapevine that he had moved away for college in Chicago, and was probably still there. She never looked him up on Facebook or tried to contact him, because it scared her. She knew he had to know that she had made her dreams come true. She was just glad that he hadn’t decided to get some fame himself by coming out that they used to be an item, or what had happened with them. She knew already that the tabloids and paparazzi were relentless with their pursuit of the past. The only reason that it hadn’t been uncovered thus far was because her father was a meticulous business man, and left nothing to chance. Including Gage. She probably didn’t want to know what he had done to keep him quiet. Then again, Gage would never want to hurt her that way.

  She loved her parents, she did. They could
n’t help it that she had been their only surviving child. They had lost Sam’s little sister, Chrissy, to leukemia when she was only two. Sam had only been three and she really only remembered little bits about her sister. When Sam hit it big, she decided to donate part of her proceeds to help fund leukemia research, and she would be doing a whole benefit concert for them in October, Leukemia Awareness Month. She never wanted anyone to suffer the way her parents did.

  When Chrissy died, Sam knew that a part of her parents died with her, and she could sympathize with that. Her dad, Samuel Kerrigan, threw himself into being the best businessman he could be, buying up struggling companies in Tennessee and using his management skills to turn them around. He was a millionaire before he was thirty. Sam’s mom, Ella, never worked; having stayed home with the girls when they were small. Once Sam was in school, she started doing charity work around Nashville, and quickly became known as a kind hearted, dedicated part of the elite society.

  Her dad was now the manager for her career, and her mom was there for moral support. What they didn’t seem to realize, however, was just how controlling they were. Sam had little choice over what she did. At twenty-three, she knew she had a lot to learn, but she would like to be part of at least a few decisions that affect her.

  Like this new security thing. They were headed to Florida after she did a few shows in Georgia, and her dad was determined they were adding someone else to the team. One of her guys, Brian, who was lifelong friends with her dad, was friends with a guy in Florida that could hook them up while she was there. She wasn’t allowed to question his decisions. She was glad he wanted to protect her, because this stalker thing was freaking her out. Never had she thought that someone would want to stalk her. She hadn’t been worried about it at all until she or he started getting into her dressing room, leaving flowers and notes. She just assumed it was a he, based on the letters, but Brian had said they couldn’t be sure about that. Whoever it was, they were determined to get to her in person, and if this person really had a few screws loose, no one could let that happen.