Secret Protector

“We’ll handle this. You don’t worry.” Ash gave her a quick hug and headed for the door.

To her studio …

“Ash, wait. Can I talk to you?” She had to prepare him for what he would find.

He turned around and paused, as if he expected her to start talking right there in front of her aunt and uncle.

“In the study?” She tried not to notice the slightly hurt expression from her aunt.

Ash motioned for her to lead the way. Once he shut the door behind them, he turned to her with a spill-it-all look he’d mastered long before he’d become a cop.

Natalie’s throat felt dry as sawdust. “The paintings in my studio … I just wanted to warn you …” She tried to swallow.

“Your nightmares?”

She nodded.

“I should have known they’d come back after all that’s happened the past two months. You should have told me.”

“It’s not so bad. Not as long as I paint them, to get them out of my head.” She hadn’t told him to elicit his concern. God knew, she had plenty of that. “The paintings were slashed. I wasn’t in the house long, but I didn’t notice anything else damaged.”

“Just those paintings …”

“Do you think it means anything?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll take a look around.”

He hadn’t answered her question, but that was as good as an answer with Ash. If he could have told her this had nothing to do with their parents’ murders, he would have.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now. Go upstairs. I’m sure Aunt Angela has your old room ready for you. Get some sleep and we’ll get to the bottom of this. It will be all over before you know it, and the situation will be back to normal.”

She pressed her lips together. Not a smile but as close as she could get. Even though she knew he was right, that she was safe, she couldn’t help feeling this mess wasn’t over.

No, she suspected it was just beginning.

“SO NEEDLESS TO SAY, I didn’t sleep much.”

Gray leaned his elbows on the too-small café table and tried his best to seem shocked by Natalie’s story. Of course, he’d followed her to the cottage from the bridal shop last night just as he followed her home every night. He’d been just about to go home himself and get some sleep when he’d seen her bolt from her cottage and dash to the main house where her aunt and uncle lived. It hadn’t taken long for Devin to call him on his cell and demand answers Gray didn’t have. Minutes after that, Natalie’s cop brother, Ash, had squealed into the drive, eventually followed by a squad car and Devin himself.

It had been a long night for all of them.

“I’m sorry for laying this on you.”

“What do you mean? I had to drag it out of you.” He had. And he felt bad about it. But since he knew the events of the night before, he was afraid he’d slip up unless he convinced her to tell him herself. This way, he didn’t have to keep as many details straight. And he had a seemingly legitimate reason to worry about her and insist he stay close.

The waitress swooped in on their table, deposited the check and two cups of coffee and removed the remnants of their lunch, panang chicken for her, pad see ew for him. It had been a stellar lunch, great Thai food and even better company. The time had gone far too fast. Gray could see making lunch with Natalie a daily ritual. The only thing that could make it better would be not having to worry about keeping his cover story intact. “Did you stay the night at your parents’ house?”

“Aunt and uncle. Although they raised us. Especially me.”

Of course, he already knew her family history, and he felt guilty at once for causing her pain, especially in service of his subterfuge. “That’s right. Your parents … they’ve been in the news lately. I’m sorry.”

She waved his apology away, but a sadness touched her eyes that suggested she couldn’t so easily dismiss the memories of her parents’ murders.

Not surprising. Who could?

She sipped her coffee, then leaned back in her chair, playing with a spoon still on the table. “You know, it’s funny.”

“Funny?”

She shrugged a shoulder as if trying to convince herself as well as him that what she was about to say was no big deal. “Funny that I’ve never felt comfortable talking about this.”

“I’m sorry.” Another dose of guilt. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We can talk about something else.”

“No, that’s the funny part.”

He shook his head. “I’m not following.”

“I don’t feel uncomfortable. Not when I’m talking to you. Is that weird?”

“I don’t know if it’s weird. I think it’s kind of nice.” He reached across the table and took her hand before he thought to stop himself.

She accepted his touch, curling her fingers around his. “Me, too. My family likes to hover. Sometimes they act as if I’m six years old all over again.”

Six was a young age to lose one’s parents. He gave her hand a squeeze he hoped she’d read as understanding and not hovering. “It probably helps that I didn’t know you when you were six. You don’t seem to need hovering now.”

A smile curved over her lips and sparkled into her eyes.

Suddenly hovering was at the bottom of his list. Tasting those lips, watching her eyes sparkle with passion when he kissed her … he took a sip of black coffee and focused on a colorful painting on the wall behind her. “Did the police find anything last night?”

“A mess.” She shook her head. “My brother Ash is a detective. He, Devin and a couple other officers were out there half the night, but …”

“Nothing?”

“I can’t figure it out. Why would someone want to destroy my paintings? I mean, these aren’t great works of art. I don’t show them or sell them or anything. It’s just my pastime, you know?”

He knew more than she could guess. And one of the things he knew was she was more than a hobby artist. She might head up Kendall’s PR department now, but she’d been a serious artist in college. When it came to looking for someone who would want to shred her paintings, maybe that was a place to start. “You’ve never had offers to show your work? Never had art lovers looking to buy?”

She tilted her head to the side. “A few. But that’s when I was doing more commercial stuff. These paintings were just for me.”

“Just for you, huh? So you don’t show them to anyone?”

“No. No one would be interested anyway.”

“I have trouble believing you haven’t had interest.”

“One dealer who liked some of my previous work has asked. But I told him no.”

Interesting. “Who was that?”

“It’s not important. I’m not going to show them to him, let alone sell them.”

He would have to find out who this dealer was, although he wasn’t sure how to go about that at the moment. He sensed if he badgered her about a name, she’d get suspicious. He didn’t want to ruin the easy rapport that had bloomed between them. But there was another thing he was curious about. “So I can talk you into letting me have a peek?”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. “What, are you a secret art collector?”

“No. But I have a certain interest in the artist. I’ve heard looking at an artist’s work is the best way to get to know her.” He knew it sounded like he was playing her, but he wasn’t. Not really. The truth was, he really was interested in seeing Natalie’s paintings. He was interested in learning everything about her. At least everything he hadn’t already seen by following her around for the past month or so.

Maybe that was his fascination. Nothing had happened in the past weeks. Natalie shopping. Natalie going to and from work. Maybe his thirst for a bit more adventure than this was fueling his need to get closer to her. Or maybe he’d spent so much time watching her, he was developing a bit of a crush. Either way, this was the most alive he’d allowed himself to feel in a long time. “What do you say? Will you show me?”

“That’s a pretty intimate request for a first date.”

“Did I cross a line?”

She gave him a little smile. “No harm in asking.”

“I could think of a more intimate request.” He didn’t even hope she would grant him what was in his imagination right now, but he didn’t try to hide the interest in his voice.

“Can you? And what would that be?” She looked at him straight on, a mischievous glint in her green eyes.

He almost shook his head. “Man, I love a woman who ups the ante.”

She arched her brows. “Well?”

He was tempted to tell her exactly where his thoughts were leading, but he sensed that might be pushing things too far. He couldn’t afford to come on too strong and risk scaring her off.

Or even worse, she might take him up on the offer. He could just imagine what her brother’s reaction to that would be. “No harm in asking.”

She laughed, the sound drawing him in as it had in the parking garage. If this was a real date, he’d lean over and kiss her. He could imagine how she’d taste. Sweet and light and spiced with Thai curry and a touch of coffee.

Instead of giving in to the urge, he grabbed the check folder off the table. “I would like you to let me buy.”

“That’s your intimate request?”

“Not intimate enough?”

She canted her head to the side. “I have an expense account here. And no, letting you buy lunch is not all that intimate.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” He slipped cash into the folder and handed it to a passing server. Then he looked into Natalie’s cool, green eyes. “Okay, if you want something more intimate, may I escort you home after work tonight?”

“To see my paintings?”

“To make sure you get there safe and no one is waiting inside.”

“Really?”

“After last night? Yeah, really. I’m worried about you.”

“You hardly know me.”

“True. But what I know, I really like. I want you to stay safe so I can get to know more.”

She picked up her coffee cup and gave him a smile over the rim, as if he’d said precisely the right thing.

THE ENTIRE WALK BACK to Kendall Communications, Natalie mentally pinched herself. Since the moment she’d opened her studio door and found the room in shambles, she’d felt so violated, so vulnerable, she didn’t think she’d ever feel strong and happy again. All night she’d been convinced someone was watching her from the darkness outside, even though the estate had been swarming with police. She could have sworn someone was trailing behind her on this morning’s commute to work. She’d even felt the hair on the back of her neck rise while she was waiting for the parking ramp’s garage door to open. So how was it possible that she felt so carefree and radiant after a simple chat over lunch?

Love was an incredible thing.

She turned away from Gray for a moment and smiled to herself. She wasn’t in love, of course. She knew she was getting ahead of herself. Way ahead. But it was nice just to entertain the fantasy for a moment. To have found someone who made her feel giddy and warm and safe and sexy all at once. To have a future before her filled with love and family and happiness like Devin and Ash did. To plan her own wedding and know her husband would be there to share coffee with her in the evening and hold her warm and safe all night.

An old dream. Maybe an impossible one. But a good one all the same.

Jolie’s warning flitted through her mind. She’d promised her friend she would call off today’s lunch with Gray. But when it came down to telling him she had to cancel, she’d changed her mind. She was glad she had, despite having now lied to her best friend. Sure, Jolie was probably right. Sure, Natalie didn’t really know Gray. Sure, her fantasies could come crashing down at any moment. But at least the dream would last over the lunch hour. After last night’s trauma, she needed to hold on to this great feeling as long as she could. “So, we’ve talked a lot about me during lunch. Tell me about yourself.”

Gray chuckled. “Believe me, you’re a lot more interesting.”

“I can’t help liking that you think so, but beyond the trauma of last night, I’m afraid my life is pretty dull.”

“There is nothing about you that’s dull.”

She let out a laugh. “You flatter,” she said dryly.

He shot her a smile.

They reached the end of the block, and Gray held out his hand, preventing her from stepping into the street without him checking it out first. Natalie had to admit that if one of her brothers had made that move, she probably would have felt he was hovering. From Gray, it made her feel nothing but special. “I have to admit, compared to having my cottage broken into, dull is looking pretty appealing.”

“I’m with you there. I’m just relieved you weren’t hurt.”

Footsteps shuffled behind them. Natalie resisted the urge to spin around and look. She shouldn’t have brought up last night’s break-in. Just a single mention and she was back to hearing things and feeling threats where none existed. She was walking down a public street, for crying out loud. Not only that, but anyone would be a fool to mess with the strapping man beside her, at least in a violent sort of way. Now, in a sexual way …

“What’s so funny?”

Oh, God, she’d been grinning at her own joke. “Nothing.”

“You sure about that? It looked a lot more interesting than nothing. And not dull at all.”

She let out a giggle despite herself. She sounded like a teen with a crush. Hell, she felt like one, too. And she had to admit, it was kind of divine.

“Beautiful,” Gray said under his breath.

Now it was her turn to be confused. She shot him a look. “What’s beautiful?”

“The sound of your laugh. I like it. I want to hear more of it.”

She laughed again. “You’re just being sweet.”

He gave her a playful wink. “On you? Maybe a little.”

She wanted to hold on to his words. To run them through her mind and focus on the warm feeling spreading through her chest.

Man, she wished she’d met Gray years ago. Or at least a couple of months ago, back when her life felt more normal. This lunch hour would be perfect if not for the anxiety humming along her nerves like the buzz of a mosquito she couldn’t swat.

She could still sense the person behind her, still there, still walking too close. Turning her head to the side, she caught a reflection in a store window. A powder-blue sweatshirt, large and slumpy enough to land whoever was wrapped in it a spot on What Not to Wear.

Natalie shook her head and directed her attention to the busy intersection ahead. The chrome exterior of the Kendall building rose over the surrounding cityscape, nearly blinding in the bright sun. Only one more block and her lunch with Gray would be over. There must be something wrong with her. A riveting man by her side dishing out compliments, and all she could focus on was paranoia and some woman’s bad fashion choices.

They reached the end of the block and stopped at the crosswalk.

“What is it?” Gray glanced around.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

He gave her a relaxed smile, scanning the cityscape. “You sure?”

His muscles were tense, alert, but Natalie sensed a strange calm coming from him that belied her jumpy nerves. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just being paranoid.”

“In light of what happened to you last night, I don’t think you can call it paranoia.”

“That’s nice of you to say.”

“I mean it. You feel scared, whether you think it’s real or not, you just let me know. Okay? I’m here for you.”

A flutter lodged under her rib cage. He really was too good to be true. Something she’d have to keep in mind. She gave him a smile. “Thanks.”

“Being here for you is not a problem. Trust me.” He looked straight into her eyes.

A flush of heat started to pool in her cheeks. The mix of brown and green of his irises mesmerized her. The sincerity in his expression made her ache to step into his arms. She looked at the cars streaming past, not wanting him to see her melt. The curb under her toes felt like a cliff, one step and she’d be head over heels. And despite the fact that she didn’t know Gray well, despite Jolie’s warnings, despite all the disappointments she’d weathered in the past, Natalie was tempted to look back into his eyes and let herself fall.

Something hit her hard in the back and shoved her forward, into the street. She hit the pavement hard, the force jarring her knees and shuddering up through the heels of her hands.

All around her tires screeched and cars swerved.

Chapter Five

Gray didn’t think, he didn’t breathe, he just moved. He dashed into the street. Reaching Natalie, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted.

Drivers hit the brakes. Cars and trucks swerved as if skating on ice.

Gray backpedaled, half pulling, half carrying Natalie with him. His heel hit the curb and he fell backward onto the sidewalk. He hit the concrete on his back, rounding his spine and rolling up to his shoulders to absorb the impact and prevent his skull from hitting the hard surface. Natalie landed on his stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs.

For a second, he just held her, just struggled to breathe. He couldn’t begin to process what had happened. One second they were talking, the next Natalie was flying into the street, traffic bearing down.

“Oh … oh …”

He could feel the sounds she made more than he could hear them. He loosened his grip and struggled to a sit. “Are you all right?”

Her skin was pale, her green eyes wide with shock. She stared at him, mouth open, but no words came.

“Natalie?”

“You saved me.”

“It’s my job.”

“What?”

He shook his head. He needed to think before he talked. After following her for weeks, he hadn’t really believed she was in danger. He’d allowed himself to grow complacent, paying more attention to how Natalie looked and what she was wearing than his surroundings. He was lucky he’d been walking so close beside her. If he’d still been merely watching her from a distance, she’d now be lying battered and bloody on the pavement. “I said I’d watch out for you. I meant it.”

She let out a little puff of air.

Lips parted like that, adrenaline blasting through his body, he had a nearly overwhelming urge to kiss her.

Talk about inappropriate. “Let’s get you off the street.”

She looked around her, as if just remembering where she was, what had just happened. “She pushed me.”

“Pushed you?” That would explain a lot. He looked around. An older couple strolled arm in arm about a half block away. Three executive types argued with waving arms as they stepped out of a nearby restaurant. A handful of pedestrians were scattered on the opposite side of the street. No one was anywhere near them, certainly not close enough to give Natalie a shove. “Who did it?”

“A woman. She was following right behind us. It had to be her.”

“A light blue sweatshirt?”

Natalie nodded. “I saw her reflection in the store window.”

“Did you recognize her?”

“I didn’t see her face. Only the baggy sweatshirt. I didn’t really get much of a look at her at all.”

“Me, either.” Some bodyguard he was. All these weeks of no activity had lulled him. He’d been so distracted by Natalie’s laugh, by flirting with her, by his own damn fantasies that he hadn’t paid blue-sweatshirt woman much attention at all. It had been his job to notice any threats to Natalie, and she’d gotten as good a look as he had.

His arms were still around Natalie, and he could feel her body begin to shake.

“Come on.” He could beat himself up for his self-centeredness later. Right now, he wanted Natalie behind friendly walls. Preferably concrete ones.

Hurrying beside him, Natalie fished in her bag and pulled out her BlackBerry. “I’ll call Ash.”

“What are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know. She could walk up to me right now, and I wouldn’t recognize her.” She started to move the handheld back toward her purse.

“No, make the call. Please. Even if we can’t tell him what she looked like, he needs to know what’s going on.” Gray would also have to fill Devin in on the situation. He doubted either brother would be surprised at the attack. They’d been worried about it, bracing for it. It had been him who was caught flat-footed.

Natalie finished leaving a message on Ash’s voice mail by the time they reached the front entrance of Kendall Communications and ducked inside. A little late for lunch hour, the building felt still. The airy atrium smelled of delicious food and floor wax. Only a few diners remained in the café, probably shoppers enjoying a quiet afternoon in the public restaurant. He glanced up at the twenty-foot trees overhead. The place felt like a quiet garden cove, not the busy building it was, most employees in their offices organizing for their afternoon schedules, he supposed. They made it through the lobby and to the elevator bank. Almost the moment they arrived, a door opened.

The elevator car was empty. At least that worked out in their favor. He preferred alone, especially since he didn’t know where any danger might be coming from. He ushered her inside and took what seemed like his first deep breath since he’d seen her flying into the street.

Soft music drifted in the air. Natalie hit the button that would take them to her sixteenth-floor office and looked up at him. Her face was still pale, but she had pulled herself together remarkably well for a civilian untrained in dealing with life-and-death stress. “It’s amazing how you handled that.”

“Amazing? Not really.” She held out her scraped palms. Her fingers trembled visibly.

He reached out his own hands and gently folded hers in his. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice that woman. I should have.”

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