by Nina Quinn
Her Shield
A Curvy Girl Romance
Book 1
By Nina Quinn
Copyright ©2020 by Nina Quinn
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Chapter One
Lisa
Damn, I was running late again. I wasn’t sure when my life had reached the tipping point and turned from precise and orderly to utter chaos. There was a client due in my office in fifteen minutes and if traffic ran smoothly, I might manage to be there in twenty.
The strap on my computer bag had managed to slide off my shoulder and hang off my forearm. I jostled the files in my arms and tried to fix it as I double-timed it to my car. It was futile. The laptop bag won. Again. I really needed to get the garage door fixed so I could leave half this crap in my car overnight.
I managed to dig the key fob out of my purse, which had also fallen off my shoulder and hung next to its BFF on my forearm, and unlocked my car. I tossed everything into the passenger side and headed for the driver’s seat.
That’s when I noticed it. The same pretty pink envelope as the last one, tucked under my windshield wiper. I was tempted to ignore the damn thing and let it blow off my car when I hit 70 mph on the highway. But of course, I couldn’t. I retrieved it and slid into the driver’s seat.
I dug in my purse, grabbed my cell phone, and dialed.
Efficient as always, Mike picked up on the first ring. “Good Morning, Lisa. You on your way in? Mrs. Garcia is already here.”
Of course, she was early. “Yes, I’m just leaving. Do you think you can charm her for twenty minutes?”
“Already on it. You sound out of sorts, is everything okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. I found another love letter on my car windshield this morning.” I put Mike on speakerphone and pulled out of my driveway.
“What did this one say?” Mike asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t have time to read it or deal with this right now.”
“You shouldn’t just ignore it, Lisa.” Mike sounded annoyed with me.
“I’m only ignoring it until after my meeting with Mrs. Garcia.” I turned onto I-40 and headed for downtown Albuquerque. It looked like most of the eight o’clockers had cleared off the highway already. Good, maybe I could make it in fifteen.
“Look, Lisa, it sounds like this might be escalating. Maybe I should pick you up on my way into the office from now on. I stay at the office until you leave anyway, so I can see you safely home,” Mike said.
Mike had been working as my legal assistant for three months now. He was a great guy. Tall, good looking, smart. I couldn’t have asked for a better assistant. But sometimes, he went overboard on things and this was definitely one of those times.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I meet clients all over town, and I’m not going to be Ubering all over the place.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line. Had I snapped at him? Probably.
I tried to make nice. “It’s sweet of you to offer to be my chauffeur, but it’s not necessary. This isn’t the first time I’ve had someone make threats against me. I’ve had a stalker in the past. It resolved itself, this will too.”
Mike sighed at the other end of the phone line. “All right. I’ll go check on Mrs. Garcia. I’ll see you when you get here.” He hung up without saying goodbye. That was a first. Apparently I’d have to try apologizing again, because it didn’t sound like he’d forgiven me for dismissing his offer.
I had to admit, having another stalker was a bit disconcerting. The one I’d had in college had turned out to be harmless. Relatively speaking. He’d been a shy, geeky guy, with no social skills to speak of. He hadn’t been able to walk up to me and ask me out, so he left me notes here and there. I’d finally left a return note for him on my car windshield, where he usually left me mine. After a few of those, he’d finally stopped. No harm, no foul really. I mean if a girl had to choose her stalker, my first one was pretty tame.
But the note I’d gotten two days ago was different. This guy, whoever he was, didn’t want to date me. He wanted to tie me up and spank me for wearing my skirts too short. That was a matter of opinion. My opinion was the one that mattered, but for the record, I wore my skirts so they just skimmed my knees. I might have a crap-ton of curves and thick thighs, but I had killer calves, and I didn’t mind who saw them.
###
Jack
Thursday night was poker night at my house, which was mostly an excuse to hang out with my business partners and drink beer. Or whiskey, depending on how the week had gone.
I’d grown up in Albuquerque, and convinced Archer and Maverick it would be a great place for us to start the business we’d talked about for the last three years of active duty. They’d agreed. As of two months ago, we were officially retired Army Rangers. And, we were now each one-third owners of Shield Protective Services, Inc.
Archer, Maverick, and the pizza guy all arrived at six o’clock. I could hear Maverick a mile away on that ratty sounding KTM motorcycle. The guy had no class.
“Hey, Maverick? When are you going to trade that sissy bike in for a Harley?” I asked.
“Never. That sissy bike landed me a gorgeous blonde on the back of it last week. Which is more than you can say about your Hog, isn’t it?” Maverick had never had any trouble landing a woman. He just couldn’t hang onto one for more than two nights.
I paid the pizza guy and followed the guys into the kitchen.
“Jesus, Jack. Why the hell do you always get fucking pineapple on the pizza? You do it just to piss me off, don’t you? Archer asked.
Of the three of us, Archer was the biggest and baddest. And he hated pineapple. “No. I do it to try and keep you healthy. In the ten years that I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you eat a piece of fruit. It’s an entire food group you’re ignoring.” Archer carefully picked off each yellow chunk and set them aside, glaring at me..
We’d just polished off the pizza and I was reaching for my second beer when my phone chirped. “Shield Protection Services. This is Jack.”
“Oh. I didn’t expect someone to answer. I thought I’d be leaving a message. My name is Lisa Cartwell,” she said. Her voice sounded silky and sweet in my ear.
“What can I do for yo
u, Miss Cartwell?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t correct my use of the word Miss.
“Honestly, I’m probably overreacting, but I’ve been getting threatening notes left on my car, and I just got home from work and found another one taped to my front door. I’ve already filed a police report, but honestly, I don’t think there’s much they can do for me,” she said. The more she spoke, the more her voice quivered. I didn’t like that one bit. She was more freaked out than she was trying to let on. But I’d been at this a long time and could read every inflection in a voice.
“I’m your guy, Miss Cartwell.. Text me your address. I’ll take a look at those notes, and we’ll come up with a plan.” Lisa’s sigh at the other end of the line told me she felt relieved already.
“Thanks, Jack. I’ll see you soon.”
Archer polished off his beer and didn’t bother to excuse himself when he belched. “Do we have a new client?”
“Looks that way. Sounds like a stalker. I’ll handle this one. Lock up when you’re done drinking all my beer.” Lisa’s voice did something to me. I wanted this case for myself.
I slipped on my leather jacket and helmet and swung a leg over my Harley. I checked my phone for Lisa’s address. She lived in the High Desert subdivision. Nice. It was in the foothills of the Sandia’s and only about ten minutes from my place. The sun would be down in another thirty minutes. I headed east toward the mountains.
I’d been hard-pressed to find sunsets as beautiful as they were here in my own hometown. Sandia means watermelon in Spanish. The setting sun splashing pink light over the rocky, 10,600-foot peaks left no doubt how those peaks had earned their name.
Lisa’s home appeared modest for the neighborhood, at least from the outside. The single-story home had neighbors on either side, but the rear of the home backed up to the open space of the foothills. Nothing but acres and acres of open land used for hiking, biking, and dog walking. And fucking snakes. I shivered just thinking about those damn things.
I left my helmet on the seat of my bike and headed for the front door. Lisa opened the door without me having to knock or ring the doorbell. Not good.
“How do you know I’m not your stalker, Lisa?” I asked her as I mounted the front steps. I wasn’t happy she’d just assumed she knew who I was. No sooner were the words out of my mouth before she slammed the door in my face.
Which was good. Miss Lisa Cartwell was going to be a quick study.
And the closed door would give me a moment to recover from my first sight of the gorgeous, curvy brunette. My second in command, below my belt, reacted as you might expect at seeing a beautiful woman. He stood at full attention.
“Do you have identification?” she asked from the other side of her front door.
“Good girl,” I said, and pulled my wallet out of my back pocket then held my ID up to the peephole.
Chapter Two
Lisa
The man standing at my door, Jack Shield, was the poster child for tall, dark, and handsome. His hair was military short, his beard was neatly trimmed, and his eyes were the color of dark chocolate truffles. I knew the exact shade because I’d just helped myself to three of those yummy bites mere minutes ago.
Stress eating. It was my thing, and I had the curves to prove it.
“Please, come on in, Jack.” I stepped aside so he had room for those broad shoulders to fit through my front door. I caught a whiff of his cologne as he walked past me. It wasn’t one I recognized, which wasn’t a surprise. My social life had been pretty anemic the past few years. The only man I had regular contact with was Mike, my assistant. Mike didn’t smell like leather and earth and blue sky all rolled into one.
Jack held his hand out, and I took it in mine for a handshake. His hand was large and completely engulfed mine and his touch sent a shockwave through my entire body.
I shivered.
Jack’s dark eyes held mine before they dropped for a slow perusal up and down my curves.
Had any other man pulled that stunt, they’d have gotten an earful on my view of chauvinistic men. I bit my tongue because once his eyes made their way back to mine, they burned with heat.
Wow. Jack sure knew how to make a good first impression. He must have clients lining up at his door. Especially the female variety. “Thank you for coming out after business hours. I really appreciate it,” I said. I motioned for him to proceed me into the living room. Good choice on my part, because the man looked almost as good from the rear as he did from the front.
Stop acting like an idiot, Lisa.
“Please, have a seat.” Jack chose to sit on the sofa. I sat down next to him and handed him the three pink envelopes containing the nasty threats I’d received in the last few days. “The last two I received today.”
“Both of them?” he asked. I nodded.
Jack took a minute to read through them, refolded them neatly, and returned them to their envelopes. “You did the right thing by calling, Lisa.” He dug a small notebook and pen out of his jacket pocket and asked me a series of questions. The kind of questions you’d expect. Any fallings-out lately, anyone with a grudge, any recent breakups?
No. No. And hell no. Recent breakup? Impossible, when I hadn’t had a date in over a year. Honestly, I just wasn’t interested. Why? Because men seemed to think I’d be perfect if I’d just lose a few pounds. Or thirty. Newsflash, I eat right, I exercise, and I’m perfectly happy in my size sixteen body. Oh, and I love dessert. Life’s too short to give up dessert. In fact, I like to eat dessert before I eat my meal. That’s what life is all about.
“How about at work? Anybody new in the office? You get a promotion someone else wanted, that sort of thing?” Jack asked.
“I’m a divorce attorney,” I said. Jack dropped his head in his hands.
“So, for every client you represent, there’s a soon-to-be-ex-spouse that might have an ax to grind with you?”
I nodded. He swore.
“Any of them stand out in recent months as having more than the usual amount of motivation?” he asked.
“I never got the sense any of them wanted to tie me up and spank me, so no,” I said.
“All right. Well, if we’re going to find your stalker, I’ll need to be your shadow twenty-four-seven. With the notes coming as frequently as they are, it shouldn’t take long to find our guy,” Jack said.
“Twenty-four-seven? Really?” I asked. Jack nodded, those eyes dead serious.. “Okay then, let me get my checkbook. When do we start?” I headed for the kitchen to grab my purse. I felt Jack’s eyes on me as I walked away.
“We start right now,” he said.
“Wow. Okay, so what, you camp out on your Harley in my driveway or what?” It was all happening so fast, it threw me a little off balance.
“No. I’ll be camping out on your sofa. I’ll have one of my partners posted down the street. The other I’ll have watching your office building. I’ll need that address.”
“My sofa?” Holy crap.
“Yes, your sofa.” Jack stood and walked from window to window in my living room. It was an open space floor plan so my living room, dining room, and kitchen werereally just one giant room. “I can’t believe you don’t have a security system.”
“Well, I---”
“I’ll have one installed tomorrow. You need a security system, Lisa. It’s non-negotiable.” Jack’s gaze locked on mine and gooseflesh raced up my arms. The man was intense and apparently used to barking orders and having them carried out.. So far, I was okay with that. I felt safe with him standing in the middle of my living room.
I felt protected.
And I felt an attraction for Jack I hadn’t felt for anyone.
Ever.
Jack pulled a cell phone out of his jacket and made a call. I busied myself in the kitchen by making myself some tea. After all, that piece of Tiramisu in the fridge wasn’t going to eat itself. And to be honest, my nerves were strung a little tight. I didn’t think that by calling Shield Protection Services that I’d be la
nding myself a houseguest. A sexier than sin houseguest. At that very moment, I almost wanted to thank my stalker.
I stood at the counter with my snack and watched Jack pace my living room floor. He moved with grace, which I found odd for such a large man. His thighs were huge. Heavy with muscles that rippled with every step. This was not a man who sat behind a desk for a living.
He shed his leather jacket, and draped it on my leather recliner. I choked on my dessert. He glanced my way and I held up a hand to indicate I was fine. I wasn’t sure if it was the gun holstered at his waist or his impossibly wide shoulders that had caused the Tiramisu to travel down the wrong pipe.
Jack got off the phone and approached me. “You mind if I park the bike in your garage? I don’t want it to appear that anyone is here with you.”
“Actually, the garage door is broken,” I said.
“No problem. I got it.” Jack walked past me, through the laundry room, and into my garage. I was pretty pleased with myself that I actually had a toolbox in the garage. My dad had gotten it for me when I purchased my first house. I peeked through the laundry room and watched as Jack spotted it right away. He opened a couple of the drawers and smiled.
I was pretty sure he liked my tools. I went back to the kitchen and my Tiramisu and let him tinker with my garage door.
I walked from window to window, much like Jack had done earlier. He was right. I would feel safer with an alarm system. I’d thought about it once or twice since I’d moved in, but it always got pushed to the back burner. I noticed a big black SUV of some sort parked down the street in front of the Johnson’s house. It definitely didn’t belong to the Johnson’s. They were a two Prius family.
I was about to tell Jack about it when I heard the garage door open. I watched as Jack walked down my driveway and then down the sidewalk to the SUV I’d noticed. Truthfully, it was more of a prowl than a walk. He was all grace and easy fluid movement.
The blacked out driver’s side window zipped down, and Jack talked to the driver. It started to look like I had a team of protectors. I still felt like maybe I had overreacted. But then Jack didn’t seem to think so. And, let’s face it, he was the expert.
