by Ella Goode
“I have a whole team?”
“Yeah. There are four of us. We work in shifts. Two during the day and two at night. Gabe and I are part of the night crew. We’ll be with you until six in the morning. Hydro—his real name is Harry—and Apple will be your day crew. You’ll meet them in the morning. I’ll be inside with you and Gabe will be outside. During the day, Hydro and Apple will divvy up the roles, but someone will be with you at all times.”
“Except for the bathroom, right?” Catriona catches us exchanging glances. “Right?”
“Well…” Laura wants me to explain.
“Everywhere.” I stop in front of the car and open the rear passenger door.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“If there are no windows in the bathroom, we’ll go in and do a check and then you can have your privacy,” Laura says.
This isn’t appeasing Catriona. “What’s next? You’re going to sleep in my bed with me?”
“If I have to. Now get into the car.”
Catriona jumps about a foot in the air when I growl, but my terse words do the trick, and she dives into the backseat.
“Really, Gabe, sleep with her?” Laura rolls her eyes. “You know that’s not part of the protocol.”
Screw protocol. I want to be in Catriona’s bed because my body burns with the need, not because there’s some lunatic out there ready to steal her research, but Laura doesn’t need to know this. She wouldn’t approve because sleeping with, lusting after, dating our clients is banned. It’d ruin Cord’s business and my reputation. All I’d probably be able to protect after sleeping with a client is a drug lord, and everyone knows those jobs last about six months before someone else with more fire power guns you down.
The most important reason that you don’t get involved with a client is because it mars your judgment. You’re slow and too easily swayed by emotion, so if you care about someone, you either stop or you get someone else to do the protection. Neither is a viable option. I’m the best in the business.
So I have to bury my desire somewhere deep inside. I take a bracing breath, order my dick to deflate, and climb into the driver’s seat. Laura gets in, and I lock the doors.
In the rearview mirror, Catriona’s pretty mouth is turned down on the corners and fuck if that doesn’t twist me up inside. I’m making her unhappy.
The cursed situation turns my tone harsh. “Buckle up,” I bark.
Catriona’s frown deepens as she fumbles with the seatbelt.
“Do you have something against scientists?” she asks.
“No.”
“You sure one of them didn’t kill your mother in a bad lab experiment? Because you act like this is a big imposition.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“That’s just Gabe. He doesn’t talk much or smile often, but he’s really good at his job. His mom is alive,” Laura volunteers. “She sometimes makes chili for the crew.”
“Great.” Catriona doesn’t sound enthused. “I don’t mean to be unwelcoming, but how long will I have you as guests?”
“You won’t.”
“What does that mean?”
Laura slides a guilty glance in my direction before she clears her throat. “We will be hosting you.”
“What?”
I guess the good thing about not being able to get involved with a client is that it doesn’t hurt that much when they end up hating you.
Chapter 4 Catriona
“Keys.” Gabe holds his giant hand out. I notice the rough texture of it. I run my finger across his palm before I realize what I’m doing. He sucks in a breath and pulls his hand back like I burned him. I feel myself start to blush. I duck my head to hide my pink cheeks, looking for the keys in my bag. It’s then I realize he’s bossing me around again, and I’m jumping to do what he orders.
“I’m not a dog.” I look up from digging in my bag to see a clear look of disapproval on his handsome face. “Though I wouldn’t mind biting you right now.” There’s a tic in his hard jaw and his nostrils flare. I suck in a breath when I realize what I said could mean more than one thing.
“Keys.” It’s the only word he utters again before stretching that big hand of his out toward me. I stare up at him, shifting to take in the hard angles of his jaw and cheekbone. Two faint white scars mar his perfect face.
The rougher of the two is up higher on his jaw by his ear. If I had to guess I’d say barbed wire was the culprit from the smaller white line that escapes out of one side of it.
You would think they would take away from his attractiveness, but they do the exact opposite. My eyes trail off to his nose that is slightly crooked and has a bump.
“Do you want a picture?” I bite the inside of my cheek, so I don’t smile.
“Did you just make a joke?” I ask.
“I think he did.” Laura lets out a low whistle. Gabe’s eyes never leave my face. Always staring.
“Four times. Is that how many times you broke your nose?” I don’t know why I ask. Heck, I don’t know why I ask a lot of things I do sometimes. Carrie says I think out loud most of the time. Some might deem it as a bad habit but I’m curious. It’s great if you’re working next to me. Not so great on a date, I’ve learned. A few men have gotten up and left right in the middle of dinner.
“The fuck?” I hear Laura mutter. I can’t see her with Gabe filling up all the space around me. The man feels as though he’s my own protective wall. He’s never more than a few inches from me. “It was an accident!”
“Give me your keys and I’ll tell you.” I hold them up. I knew I wasn’t going to win this round, but at least I’ll get the answer to one of the many questions that keep running through my mind when it comes to Gabe. He grabs them, but I don’t let go. He could easily pull them from my fingers, but he doesn’t. He is more than twice my size. He might even be three times it. His thumb slides across my wrist, his touch warmer than it should be—or maybe it’s me.
“Four.” I release my hold on the keys to step back from him needing some distance.
“I only broke it once in case you were wondering.” Laura’s head pops around the side of the narrow hallway so I can see her face. The hallway that never felt narrow before I was standing in it with Gabe. “You told me not to hold back,'' she reminds him. He grunts a response.
“What?” Laura stands up straighter, her eyes scanning back down the hallways to the elevator we exited minutes ago. Her stick straight ponytail bouncing with the moment. I find her almost as interesting as Carrie. Almost.
“Step back,” he orders, but his hand is already on my stomach pushing me behind him. Again his touch shocks me, and I let him move me easily. Laura looks down to where Gabe is touching me, and I see her eyebrows lift before she masks her expression, turning it completely blank. This must be something you learn in bodyguard school.
Gabe slips the key into my door, opening it. My alarm starts to go off as he slips inside, motioning for us to stay put as the door falls closed behind him.
“He doesn't know my code,” I whisper. I don’t know why I’m whispering. We were all talking moments ago in regular voices, but it feels like I should whisper now. She just shakes her head at me with a faint smile on her lips as if I’ve said something funny. I watch as she taps on her watch, looking at it before again putting her eyes on the hallway. It’s only a few seconds later that the alarm stops sounding.
“All clear.” Gabe fills the entryway to my place. He steps back, holding the door open for me. I walk past him, and he shifts farther away from me like I have the plague.
Laura does another one of her whistles as she follows me in.
“Keep your feet off the couch here, Gabe. This place is swanky.” I flip on a few more lights, looking around my place. I scrunch my nose.
“Is it? Someone decorated it for me. All I told them was that I liked white.” I didn’t love what they’d done to the place, but it worked. Laura nods, but I want her to say more. “White is supposed to be clean, spacious, quiet.” I bite the in
side of my lip, suddenly feeling insecure. “I grew up on a farm. Living in the city has taken time to get used to. When I make a space feel more open it feels like…”
“You can breathe.” I turn to look over at Gabe, who is standing behind me again. I nod.
“No, I dig it. I wish I could be this clean. I think he’s the cleanest out of all of us.” She points her thumb at Gabe. “Some of those service years stick with them.”
“I guess I should feed you?” I say, not actually sure what to do next. I’m not used to having people over or cooking.
“You don’t have to do that,” Gabe says. That’s a lot of words in one sentence for him.
“I’ll order something. It's fine really. I might have something here too. Lola was here yesterday and she usually stocks things up for me. I’m not the best cook. Well, unless you consider baking cooking. But when it comes to actual food there’s a lot for me to learn. Not that I haven’t eaten a chocolate cake for dinner a few times.” Oh God, why am I rambling? Gabe is staring at me, not saying anything. If anything I bet he is also wondering why the heck I’m rambling too.
“I’m down for a cake dinner.” Laura is quickly growing on me.
“You need more than cake for dinner.” Laura rolls her eyes. “We’re hosting. That means we’ll feed you.” Laura spins around to face Gabe, who is standing awfully close to me. It almost feels like it’s us against him. “You sayin’ you’re cooking?”
Gabe grunts. From the look on Laura’s face I get the impression that he can actually cook.
Not going to lie. I want to see him in my kitchen. My phone starts to ring from inside my purse. Gabe beats me to it. I smile, knowing that he won't be able to answer my phone because of the extra level of security I had added to it. Yet I watch as he taps the screen before bringing the phone to his ear. My mouth hangs open in shock until I remember that he had turned off my security alarm only minutes ago without me providing the code.
His dark eyes are on me. “Lose her fucking number.”
“What are you doing?” I try and grab the phone from him, but it’s useless. Not that it stops me from trying.
“Who am I? I’m the man in her life now,” he says before ending the call. I stare up at him in shock. He did not just say that. I glare up at him. He of course looks unfazed.
“Do you two need a minute?” Laura asks. I turn my head to look at her. Her eyes bounce between Gabe and me. I gasp, jumping back as I realize I had plastered myself against him in my efforts to retrieve my phone.
“I’m going to change. Eat whatever you like.” I wave towards the kitchen. Gabe’s eyes darken at my words. What is wrong with me? I turn, rushing towards my bedroom, keeping my mouth sealed this time. I hope I left some candy in my nightstand. I don’t think I’ll be able to leave my room for the rest of the night.
Chapter 4
Gabe
I swipe a thumb across my lower lip, imagining what Catriona tastes like. Sweet and tart, I’d guess, like a summer fruit pie. My mouth begins to water. I take a step toward the bedroom door when Laura’s voice pulls me short.
“You do remember why we’re here, right?” my partner asks. “To protect the body, not screw the body.”
Irritation surfaces at the cavalier way Laura refers to Catriona, but she’s right. My job is to ensure the safety of my client at all times, which means my eyes should not be on Catriona’s fine rack or her curvy ass but on the windows and doors and all other possible avenues of entry. I give my partner a curt nod and step back.
“Check out the bedroom space while she packs. I’ll watch the front door.”
Laura knocks once before going into the bedroom, and I catch a glimpse of another monochromatic room. Catriona doesn’t look like a woman who belongs in a museum space. She’s beautiful enough to inspire art, but it would be colorful works. Like those paintings where it was splashes of color or lots of flowers. It wouldn’t be the grays and whites and blacks that are in this antiseptic apartment. There’s almost nothing personal here. I wonder what her lab looks like. Probably bare there too. Well, she’s either going to love the safe house we set up or she’s going to hate it.
Situated about thirty minutes out of town, there’s nothing there but trees and wildlife. We use that place because of its natural defense system. It sits on top of a hill so we can see all incoming traffic. There’s only one way in and one way out unless someone is dropping in via air, and we’d detect that immediately.
I don’t know much about science, but her work must be important for her boss to pay our fees. From the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, I inspect the building across the way. There’s no flickers of light or reflections that would indicate there’s a scope trained on this apartment. I don’t see any vans or utility vehicles on the road within listening distance.
“We’re ready,” Laura announces.
I turn to see Laura with a duffel bag over her shoulder. Behind her, Catriona wheels a giant suitcase. The damn thing is almost bigger than her. I walk over and pull it away.
“Hey, I had that.”
“And now I do. Everything is clear,” I tell Laura with a chin nod.
“I can handle my own things.”
I ignore that and give a chin nod toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Laura starts right off, her hand at her side right above her piece.
“Is this how it’s going to be the whole time? I say things and you ignore them and do whatever you want?”
“Yes,” Laura answers for me. “Gabe is exactly like that.”
“I’m not a fan,” Catriona declares.
I gently nudge her out the door and lock it behind us.
“Not many people are, which is why he’s single.”
“Are you single?” Catriona asks Laura. “Not to be nosy, but is this a job you can do if you’re in a relationship?”
“Sure. I’m not doing overnight detail all the time and it’s not a twenty-four seven thing. You can’t do it all day long or you lose focus.”
“Oh, right. You said you work in shifts.”
“Yup.” Laura summons the elevator cab while I keep an eye on the stairway exits. “In the morning, you’ll get Harry and Fred. They’re nice guys. I bet Harry even brings you coffee and donuts.”
“That’d be nice,” Catriona says.
I frown. If Catriona wants donuts and coffee, I’ll be supplying those along with anything else she needs.
“I’ll buy them,” I say.
“What?”
“I said, I’ll buy them.”
“Buy what?”
They’re both looking at me like I’ve got horns sprouting out of the top of my head. “The donuts. Coffee. I’ll get them.”
“I’m not hungry,” Catriona says.
“Not now. Tomorrow. In the morning.”
“Why would you buy them if Harry’s bringing breakfast? Seems like a waste.” The elevator cab arrives. Stifling a laugh, Laura pushes Catriona behind her while I wait for the doors to open.
“Do you think someone is inside?” Catriona says in a loud whisper.
“You can never be too safe,” Laura replies.
The cab is empty. I motion for the two of them to get on. Laura guides Catriona to the rear of the car and I stand against the side with the suitcase in the center. If someone is going to drop from above, they’ll have to navigate the luggage and while they’re doing that, I’ll shoot them between the eyes.
“Are there really that many dangers in the elevator?” Catriona says. “I know in the movies people drop down from above and the one guy ate the face off of the police officer, but that’s the movies, right?”
This time even Laura doesn’t respond so as not to burst Catriona’s bubble.
“Right,” Laura answers finally. We hit the ground floor, and I lead the way with Catriona sandwiched between us.
“Wow, you have a gun on you,” Catriona whispers again very loudly, eying the outline of my shoulder holster through my jacket.
A couple of heads turn in our direction. I scowl and they go back to minding their own business.
“I didn’t really take the threats seriously, but now I’m slightly worried.” She takes a breath and I can hear the quaver.
“No need to worry. You have us.” I push through the lobby of the apartment building and out onto the street. It’s most dangerous here in the open space, which is why our SUV is parked illegally in the front of the building. We have diplomat tags on it so that the vehicle doesn’t get towed or ticketed. I slide open the rear doors and hand Catriona inside. There’s an anxious expression on her face that twists my gut up. I remind myself that caring for my clients is bad for business. I need to keep a cool head, but seeing her fear makes me angry and mad. She’s too good and decent to be in this position. Whoever put that look on her face is going to pay. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not now. Not ever.”
Chapter 5
Catriona
I gasp, jerking awake, my heart pounding in my chest. I bite the inside of my cheek trying not to whimper. What the hell was that? I close my eyes, taking a deep, long breath trying to calm myself down. I never dream. Well, everyone dreams, but I hardly ever remember mine. I press my thighs together, feeling the wetness from the orgasm I had in my dream. I’m not going to be forgetting that one for a while.
I roll over to look at the time. I could go back to sleep for a few more hours, but I know that isn’t going to happen. I’m pretty sure I just orgasmed in my sleep. That’s something I’ve never done before, but still my body is on edge, wanting another. It somehow wasn't enough. That dream was all too real. I sit up on the side of the bed knowing it’s going to be a long day. Sleep did not come easy to begin with. Everything has changed in the blink of an eye.
My mind was filled with too many other thoughts when I laid my head on the pillow. I’m used to it racing with work things or details about whatever project I’m working on. But knowing that someone is out to get me sent it into overdrive. That hadn’t been the only thing keeping me awake. I couldn’t stop thinking about my handsome new bodyguard. My eyes flick toward the door, wondering what he might be doing right now. There is going to be a shift change soon.
