Chapter Seven

 

 

 

“Hey! Would you stop?” Sara whispered.

Will held in a groan at the strength of Sara’s struggles. He tightened his arm around her waist. Immediately, she quieted. The footsteps on the porch had stopped, but he could sense someone was there seconds before a man’s shadow was outlined through the sheer curtain. Sara dug her elbow in his stomach with a frustrated growl. He caught her arms to her middle. “Ease up with those sharp elbows. I’m not going to hurt you. Quiet. Someone else is here.”

That had her freezing in place. He did, as well, but only because the warmth of her finally in his arms—even if she was scared to death—was better than he’d ever imaged. The subtle scent of woman filled his senses like a breath of fresh air after years of being overseas in the shitholes of the world.

She wore a fragrance he’d noticed in Wyoming—something warm and floral—but not overpowering, enough of a scent to have him wanting more. He had to fight the urge to sink his face against her neck and trace the delicate aroma along her pulse points. It was tempting beyond anything he’d ever experienced. She was an enticement he hadn’t prepared himself for.

Even seeing Sara dressed in sloppy, paint-splattered sweats, Will wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman who went all out for him in slinky lingerie. Hell, if she wore anything like that, he’d probably pass out. He knew she owned such clothes, had worn them to dance on stage. Would she dance for him? A sexy, teasing strip that blew every fantasy he’d ever had out of the water? At one time, he bet she would have. Now, he wasn’t so certain what the fragile woman in his arms could or couldn’t do.

A knock at the front door echoed through the house. The music was still on in the background, but it was a low murmur compared to his heartbeat. “Are you expecting someone?”

“No.”

“So you don’t know who it is?”

“No, but maybe if you got off me I could check.” There was enough sarcasm to her words he smiled. She would be better in no time. Maybe a strip-tease wasn’t that far off in his future.

“Right, so you go check out who’s calling, and I’ll check that you’re safe.”

“You’re joking.”

He tipped her head and made sure she saw he wasn’t. “Answer the door and I’ll protect you.”

“On the way to the front door?” Hers eyes were the lightest of blue, maybe some people would call them gray, but she had such a dark ring of color around the irises that they were blue to him. All he knew for sure was they were the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen.

“Yeah, on your way to the front door.”

She tightened her lips, drawing his attention from her wide set eyes to the plush fullness of her mouth. The upper lip had one of those little dips in it, but so puffy he wanted to set hours aside merely to kiss her. He bet she had pink nipples to match her lips, too. He also bet on both being ultra-sensitive.

A knock sounded again. Instantly, he snapped his attention off the mystery of what would drive Sara crazy and back where it belonged. On protecting her—where his focus should have remained.

“Hey, could you let me out of the corner now? If I’m going to answer that.” She gave him a quick two-second glance before she ducked her head and tugged her sweatshirt up on her shoulder. He thought she stiffened her spine, too.

She had the posture of a ballet dancer. His stepmom had dragged him to the Nutcracker for years before he’d put his foot down on that kind of thing. He still remembered how pretty the girls had been, skinny but pretty. Thankfully, Sara wasn’t stick thin like those women, but her posture was right off the playbill. It made sense. She had danced, just not ballet.

He moved away, settling near the kitchen stove and sink, only then realizing he’d been holding her too long because he felt cold without her in his arms. His stomach clenched. He liked how he had been able to tuck her under his chin, but didn’t like how his attention was scattered.

“Go see who it is. I’m a step behind you.”

She clearly swallowed, but tilted her chin and nodded ever so slightly. Not speaking, she walked to the door, moved the curtain aside like she had last night, and the tension eased from her tight shoulders. “Mailman.”

She was smart. She’d survived this long, too, so she was strong. He holstered his gun and joined her, reminding himself they were supposed to be a couple.

“Okay. We answer it together. Go along with my lead.” He opened the door a second before she could and greeted the man in blue with a big grin. He also lowered one arm over her shoulders.

“Hey, man, a package?”

She stiffened, but stayed quiet.

“Missed you guys yesterday so thought I’d try again. Can you sign here?” A clipboard was thrust out and she took it, signed it quickly, and handed it back. She took the small box and thanked the old guy. All the while, she didn’t protest the closeness of their bodies, but he doubted she enjoyed it. Not with the stiffness in her frame.

The carrier was off the porch in less than thirty seconds. A tad longer than it took her to explode on him.

“What was that?” She threw his arm off and spun to face him with some cute fury in her eyes. Her cheeks were pink. Clearly, she was ready to go on so he stopped her by taking the package.

“Did you order this?” He examined the printed addresses.

Again, she hesitated until he focused on her. Her face had paled and she twisted her fingers in the front of her sweatshirt.

“No.”

“You didn’t order something online?”

She shook her head, watching the package with a singlemindedness that spoke of a lot of fear. He set the box down on the counter and walked over. Not giving her time to back away, he took her hands from the tight hold she had on her shirt.

“Hey, it’s a package. Maybe from a friend, but you have to trust that I’ll find out, okay? No going to the worst-case scenario before we know we should. Let’s actually make this a policy, okay? No losing your shit until you know you should. Check with me first, if you have to, but don’t assume every shadow hides a monster.”

“Why are you here?” she asked in a whisper.

“I told you. To protect you.”

“Do I need protection?”

“You tell me. Do you?”

Her delicate brow furrowed. “Tell me why you’re here.”

“I came to check on you.” He paused as her trembling increased. “You met someone in Wyoming. At the hotel near the compound. That someone is a threat to your safety.”

She winced painfully and tears shimmered in her eyes. “How do you know that?”

“I know because when I got here last night, I met with some buddies who are watching you, trying to ensure that man doesn’t reach you.”

She stumbled, and he caught her, stunned to feel the tremor along her arms. She clenched her fingers on his shirt and shook her head trying to pull away. He pulled her in closer and kept her there, hoping to ease her with his body heat. She was so cold his skin pebbled where she gripped his shirt.

“It’s okay. Trust me.” He rubbed her back as gently as he could. Nothing seemed to help. Like last night, she seemed to fall apart, even as she fought not to. Feeling helpless, he cradled her closer.

Her fear hit him hard. So did her tears.

She’d stunned him in Wyoming when she’d first emerged from her car. Her smile had been so bright, he’d felt a deep slash of jealousy that such a beautiful, sweet woman was turning that happy glow on some other man. He never went for women who were dating other men. It wasn’t his style. There were plenty of single women out there.

At least he’d thought that way, until he’d met her.

“It’s okay. I swear to God, it’s okay. Do you think I’d let anyone hurt you? Come on, now, you’ve done a good job here, let’s go sit and relax a bit, okay?” He recalled her living room was out of the question only when he coaxed her around and saw the covered furniture. He considered the kitchen table and ladder back chairs then the bedrooms down the hall. The bedrooms were off limits, at least for now. “Uh, well, how about we go sit in the kitchen?” He got her to a chair and settled next to her so he could still hold her close. She had her hands up covering her face, but leaned her head on his chest. He knew by the sound of her ragged breathing she was trying to fight the tears.

“It’s going to be okay.” He smoothed his hand up and down her back. She calmed down until she was taking steady breaths, but he could still feel the tension in her slender body.

“There’s a team right outside. I can’t swear that we will catch this guy, but we can keep him from touching you.”

“Can you? Can you really?”

“We can. I can.”

She wiped roughly at her cheeks and finally lifted her head to meet his eyes. The pain he’d experienced when she’d fallen apart last night returned, making him want to hit someone. Her cheeks were flushed, but it was her eyes, the disbelief that anyone would help her that hit him hard.

“Why?”

Her question baffled him. “Why what?”

“Why you? Why are you here?”

That was an answer filled with landmines he wasn’t even certain he knew how to navigate through—at least with any kind of intelligent cohesion. But it was also a question that was layered with suspicion, maybe caused by the same inability to forget him as much as he couldn’t forget her. The thought caused his heart to take off at a faster pace. Paris thought this woman—liked him. That had to mean something.

“You know you can trust me.” It was a partial answer, and felt like he was lying to her, especially when she stared at him so expectantly. But even he didn’t fully understand why keeping her safe was so vital.

How can I explain something I can’t understand other than her life is essential? Like oxygen.

“How do you know he is watching me?”

“We don’t. We believe he is.”

She glanced away then met his eyes and stiffened her posture to ballerina.

“Who…is he?”