by Dena Christy
By the time he got to Kevin’s apartment building, he was shaking his fist at the cars honking behind him. If he was going too slow for them, they were free to pass. He carefully maneuvered the car into a parking spot in front of the building. The car behind him went screaming by with a blare of a horn and profanity pouring out the driver’s side window.
Andor got out of the car and straightened up until he was his full, intimidating height. He rolled his shoulders back and tucked the keys to the car in the pocket of his jacket. It was still early in the morning, and if luck was with him, Kevin was in his apartment. He had to know that the police were looking for him, so he would be on the look out for a police car. He would not be on the look out for Andor.
Andor strode toward the building like he belonged there, and went into through the front door. There was another door inside the vestibule, and for a moment he feared that this would be as far as he could go. If the door was locked, could he look harmless enough for someone to let him in?
He gave the door a tug, and to his relief it opened. He walked in and drew in a deep breath. There were many smells lingering in the building, and none of them belonged to Kevin. He crumpled the paper in his hand and shoved it his pocket. The lack of scent did not mean that Kevin did not live here, but it did mean that he had not used this door for a while, since the scents of the other people in residence drowned his out.
Andor walked over to the bottom of the stairs, to an area where the scents thinned. He drew in his breath again, and it was there. The faint smell of Kevin. He went up the stairs, taking them two at a time, following the scent until it brought him to the corridor. There were two places where Kevin’s scent was the strongest. Which one to choose?
He did not want to risk pounding on the wrong door, and alerting Kevin to his presence too soon. A quick glance around the quiet hall showed that no one was around to observe him. He went to one door and sniffed the knob. He felt ridiculous doing so, but he reasoned that if there was an apartment here that Kevin only visited his scent would not not be as strong on the knob than it would on the door to his home. After careful examination he found the door that belonged to Kevin.
He raised his fist and pounded on the door, and he could hear it echoing in the apartment on the other side and throughout the hall.
There was no answer coming from inside the apartment. He raised his fist again, and pounded harder. He would keep pounding until Kevin came out of his hole. Lyssa’s safety depended on Kevin being dealt with and the sooner the better.
A door opened behind him, and he heard someone step out into the hall. He did not turn around and pounded on Kevin’s door once more.
“Can I help you friend?” A menacing growl sounded behind him, and Andor lowered his fist. He assumed that the voice belonged to the man living in the apartment that also carried Kevin’s scent. He turned slowly to see who spoke to him.
The man had a shaved head and tattoos covering his bare arms and chest. He was clad only in jeans, and there was a menacing snarl on his face as his eyes swept Andor. He was certain the man thought he was intimidating, but he did not realize that he was facing a dragon who was in full protection mode.
“I need no help. And I am not your friend.” Andor turned away, dismissing the man as if he was nothing more than a troublesome fly. He pounded on Kevin’s door again, and the man behind him had the nerve to grab hold of him and attempt to turn him around.
“I was talking to you.” The man tugged, and Andor remained welded to his spot. It would take more than this man’s gym induced strength to move him. He stayed facing Kevin’s door until the man got the message that he would not be turned unless it was what he wanted. “What are you doing here? It obvious whoever you’re looking for isn’t home so why don’t you move along.”
Andor moved to face the man fully. The smell of Kevin was all over this man’s apartment and he sounded a little too sure that Kevin wasn’t home.
“Where is he?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Just because I live across the hall doesn’t mean I know the guy.” The man snarled at him, as if to distract Andor and cover up the error he made.
“How did you know I was looking for a man? If you know so little about your neighbor, I could be looking for a woman inside the apartment.”
“Just because I don’t know him, doesn’t mean I haven’t seem him coming and going around here. Now since he isn’t here, there isn’t any reason for you to be hanging around so why don’t you just go away.” The man took a menacing step toward Andor, as if his size and bulk were enough to convince Andor to leave. He suspected that Kevin was likely hiding away in this man’s apartment, but short of bursting in and ransacking the place, he could not prove it. He could use him to get a message to Kevin, however. “Listen asshole, just go.”
The man was daring enough to grab him by the arm as if to forcibly remove him from the building and something inside Andor snapped. He lost all patience with this man’s feeble attempts at intimidation, and a fire lit through his body as he wrapped his hand around the man’s throat and slammed him against the wall. The man struggled to find purchase on the floor with his booted feet as he clawed at Andor’s hand.
“I want you to give Kevin a message. Tell him that Lyssa is off-limits. If he comes near her or bothers her in any way, I will end him. I am Lyssa’s man now and I protect what is mine. Is that clear?”
The man’s eyes widened as the color leached out of his face. He stared into Andor’s eyes as if he was shocked by what he was seeing.
“Your eyes.” The man’s voice rasped out, and Andor tightened his hand so that he could no longer speak as he fought to breathe.
“Is the message for Kevin clear?” Andor was sure that his true nature was showing through his eyes, but he doubted this scum would realize what he was seeing. His mind would chalk it up to a hallucination brought about by near strangulation. “Is it clear?”
The man nodded and Andor let go of his throat. The man dropped to the floor, clutching his neck as his breath rasped in and out of him. He made no move to get up from where he lay crumpled on the floor, and Andor knew that he would trouble him no further.
“Make sure Kevin gets my message. If he bothers Lyssa again I will know exactly where to start my search.”
Andor turned on his heel and walked down the corridor toward the stairs. He was under no illusions that his warning would magically make Kevin see the error of his ways and make him repent what he had done, but hopefully it would give him cause to think twice about going near Lyssa again. Surely he would realize his life depended on staying away.
Andor took on last look at the building before climbing in his car. He would have to be on his guard Saturday night in the even Kevin was stupid enough to disregard his warning. He meant what he said to the thug in the hall. He was Lyssa’s man and he protected what was his.
10
Lyssa put the finishing touches on her make up, and took one final look in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked good. She put a hand up to her mouth to stifle the nervous laugh that wanted to burst out of her.
She turned to the left and then the right, turned around and checked herself out from the back. The red silk dress that Andor had given her skimmed her full figure in a way that was more flattering than anything she’d ever owned. Red was not a color she would normally pick for herself, it was too flashy and drew too much attention but she had to admit that he’d known what he was doing when he’d said it would look good on her.
She turned away from the mirror and grabbed the tiny black leather clutch she would take with her. Nerves pressed in on the edges of her stomach, and she pushed a hand against it as she paused on the other side of her bedroom door.
She’d been to enough of these galas to know that the evening out was not the cause of her dancing stomach. She and Andor had never gone out to dinner when he’d asked her on the night of Kevin’s break in, so tonight could almost be viewed as a first date.<
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The smile on her face faltered for a moment. It was a first date that her ex boyfriend was in danger of crashing. She had to remember that this was an exercise in catching Kevin, not the night of her dreams. She blew out a breath and straightened her shoulders.
It didn’t matter what the reason for tonight, she was not going to let Kevin ruin it. She was wearing a beautiful dress, given to her generously by a gorgeous man who appeared to want to be with her, despite the baggage she brought along. She was going to enjoy herself, because chances were she was going back to her home and normal life tomorrow. The more she thought about it, the more she was certain that Kevin would not be able to resist the chance that tonight presented. He would see it as a perfect opportunity to prove to her once and for all that he could get to her any time he wanted, and that the restraining order she had against him wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.
She pulled open her bedroom door and walked toward the stairs with her head held high. Kevin had done enough damage already, he wasn’t going to do any more. If he came to the gala he would bring about his own misery, not hers. Tonight he would be going to jail, and she would move on.
She paused at the top of the stairs and looked down. Andor stood at the bottom of the steps, and her heart gave a flutter at the sight of him in his tuxedo. He wore it like he was born to it, and as he looked up and his eyes melded with hers, she had to stiffen her legs to keep from dissolving into a puddle. All thoughts of Kevin flew from her head and were replaced by the man who stood waiting for her in the foyer. She calmly walked down the stairs, and he kept his eyes on her. No man had ever looked at her with the intensity that Andor did. It was like no other woman existed when his gaze was upon her.
“How do I look?” She came to stand in front of him, and craned her neck up to look at him. He said nothing as his eyes devoured the sight of her, and after a moment she wondered if perhaps something was wrong. She smoothed a nervous hand over her hip and shifted in her high-heeled shoes. “Andor?”
“You look more beautiful than I have ever seen a woman look, but something is missing.” Andor reached into the inside breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket, and pulled out the flat jewelry case that lay inside. It rested on his palm as he held it out to her. “You only need one final touch.”
Lyssa’s eyes widened when she saw the case. She gave a small shake of her head. He’d already given her so much, helped her when she’d needed someone. He’d offered his home and protection to her when she’d had no one, and he’d done it without making a single demand on her in return. He didn’t need to give her gifts on top of all he’d already given her. Surely he knew she was here because she liked him.
“I don’t need any gifts. You’ve done so much for me already. You don’t need to buy things for me.”
“I know.” Andor opened the case, and inside was a thin gold chain with a dragon pendant made of tiny rubies. Her breath caught as the dragon sparkled in the light. “Kevin destroyed your dragon collection, and I thought you would like to start another one. This can be your first piece.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She swallowed hard as she looked from the pendant to him. The pendant reminded her of the dragon he’d bought for her when they’d first met, the one that she refused to take. The small pendant would not replace all that Kevin had destroyed, but it could the be start of a new collection. It could be a reminder of the beautiful man who had given it to her.
“Turn around and let me put it on you.” Andor smiled at her as he drew the necklace out of the box. Lyssa let out a breathy laugh as she turned. He was not going to take no for an answer, and if she was honest with herself, she didn’t want to refuse such a beautiful gift.
He brought the necklace around her neck and fastened it. She lifted it up and looked at it. The rubies shone in the light, and it was surprisingly heavy when she let it go to rest against her skin.
“It’s beautiful.” It was all the words she could manage to say and hardly did the pendant justice. “Thank you.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” He slipped his arm around her so that his hand rested on her belly, and she felt his warm breath tickle her skin. His lips pressed against the crook of her neck, and she relaxed back against him. Her nipples tightened underneath the silk of the dress and the bra she wore. A shiver skated along her skin under the light caress of his lips.
“The car’s ready.” Rickman’s voice came from the doorway, and Lyssa jumped. The spell Andor wove over her was broken by the return of reality. She stepped away on shaky feet and gave a small laugh. From the moment his lips came in contact with her skin, she’d forgotten that they were supposed to go out. If Rickman had not called to them would she have remembered? Or would she have turned in his arms and pleaded with him to take her back upstairs and make love to her?
A blush burned hot on her cheeks as she suspect that the latter option would have been the likely outcome if he had continued to kiss her neck uninterrupted. Tonight was too important to miss, but for a fleeting moment she wished that it was just like any other night. She would have like to have spent her evening with Andor’s lips on her skin.
He offered her his arm, and she slipped her hand around the curve of his bicep. They walked out of the house, and into the car.
As the car pulled away, thoughts swirled in her head. What if Kevin didn’t show up? What if he did and caused a scene? She resisted the urge to bite her lip. She’d promised herself that she wasn’t going to let him ruin her evening, and already he was crowding into her head.
Andor took her hand and brought it to his lips as she looked over at him.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I just want this mess with Kevin to be over. What if he doesn’t come?” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and he reached over to gently remove it from her teeth, stroking his thumb over it.
“If he does not come then we will think of something else. We have no control over what he chooses to do. I would like him to be in custody too, so that you do not have to worry over him any longer. Put Kevin from your mind and concentrate on enjoying our evening. If he comes, he will be dealt with.”
She wished it was that easy to push Kevin away from her thoughts, and maybe it was. She was going to an art show that she’d put a lot of time and effort into, in the company of the most gorgeous man she’d ever been with. She needed to focus on that instead of what Kevin might or might not do. He was right. They had no control over Kevin, and if he wasn’t caught tonight it only meant that she would have to stay at Andor’s home a little longer. That was hardly a hardship.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him as she took his hand and squeezed it. His body was solid and reassuring. He would be at her side for the duration of the evening, and she’d never felt safer than when she was with him. Tonight would be no different. “I’m not going to think about him again tonight. He’s occupied too many of my thoughts already, and I’m not going to give him any more of my time.”
“Whenever your thoughts stray to him, just remember that I am with you. I will not let anything happen to you. If you find yourself forgetting it, just touch your tiny dragon and know that I am by your side.”
Her hand went up to the necklace, and she stroked the dragon with her finger. This was one dragon she owned that Kevin would not have the opportunity to destroy. Andor put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled against him as the car carried them toward the city and the gala at the gallery. His huge presence beside her assured her that everything would be fine and that Kevin couldn’t touch her. And she knew that if Andor had anything to do with it, he would make sure that Kevin would not get the opportunity to harm her again.
Andor kept Lyssa’s hand in his as they walked up the sidewalk to the gallery. A police car cruised by, and he was glad to see that police had kept their promise to have some sort of police presence on the street in front of the gallery. They could not provide an officer inside the gallery, but at least they would drive by periodi
cally through out the evening to ensure that Kevin did not do too much damage. This was assuming that Kevin had not heeded the warning Andor had given his friend. With what little he knew about Lyssa’s ex-boyfriend, that was a distinct possibility.
He glanced at Lyssa from the corner of his eye. She was breathtaking in the dress he had given her, and she could not know how much it pleased him to see her in his color. The pendant around her neck sparkled in the street light, and it had been his way of claiming her. He’d wanted to shower her with jewels, but for now the tiny ruby dragon would have to be enough. She may not be aware of it yet, but the pendant around her neck proclaimed her as his, in his mind at least.
He put his hand on the small of her back as he led her inside the gallery. The event was in full swing when they walked in. People milled about, studying the art while drinking champagne and laughing. The gazes of some of the men in the room was not lost on him, and his jaw tightened for a moment.
Their eyes roved over Lyssa, and he had to fight the urge to pulled her close to his side and hide her away from their eyes. To turn her around and take her back home, where no one would look upon her but him. It was his natural instinct to want to guard his treasures, and Lyssa was more precious to him than any gem. She was also a person, not an object to be hidden away from the world. He had to remind himself that he lived in a different world now, one where he had to relax the hold of his own jealousy. If he hid Lyssa away in his home, guarding her from anyone who would even look upon her, than he was no better than her last boyfriend.
“Lyssa, you made it.” An older woman came up to them and grasped Lyssa’s hands. It was the same woman who had been here when he had come earlier in the week to ask Lyssa to dinner, and she introduced herself as Joyce. “I know it’s a little early to tell, but you know I have a nose for this sort of thing. I think tonight is going to be a resounding success.”
