Secret Protector

“Let me see you to your car.”

She flicked her eyes back to his, her expression carrying a hint of question but not the suspicion that had been there earlier. “That’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is. I need to know you’re safe. I couldn’t live with myself if I just walked away and something happened to you.”

She raised her chin as if she’d figured him out. “Because I’m the new boss’s sister and an executive at Kendall?”

“No. I suppose that’s a good reason, but it’s not my primary one.” Of course, technically, protecting the boss’s sister was his reason for being there, but the words felt good on his tongue.

She tilted her head to the side and arched her eyebrows as if waiting for him to come clean.

“Let’s just say I’ll be thinking about you all night. I don’t want those thoughts to be laced with worry.” It sounded like a line, and as soon as he’d said it he’d wanted it back. The ironic thing was, it was one of the first honest things he’d said to her.

About the Author

Ever since she was a little girl making her own books out of construction paper, ANN VOSS PETERSON wanted to write. So when it came time to choose a major at the University of Wisconsin, creative writing was her only choice. Of course, writing wasn’t a practical choice—one needs to earn a living. So Ann found jobs, including proofreading legal transcripts, working with quarter horses and washing windows. But no matter how she earned her paycheck, she continued to write the type of stories that captured her heart and imagination: romantic suspense. Ann lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, her two young sons, her border collie and her quarter horse mare. Ann loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at [e-mail] or visit her website at www.annvosspeterson.com.

Secret Protector

Ann Voss Peterson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To those who put others before themselves.

The definition of a hero.

Chapter One

If Natalie didn’t need an infusion of caffeine so badly she could barely see straight, she’d walk out of the coffee shop right now, despite already having paid for her latte.

She checked her watch and tried to resist the urge to tap the toe of her pump on the tile floor. She could feel the man next to her give her a once-over. Dressed in jeans, with shirttails hanging out and shoes that looked more like slippers than street wear, he was probably thinking she was uptight.

He was probably right.

Six foot, thin build, he was also kind of cute, at least in an ordinary sort of way.

What the heck? She was usually drawn to the good-looking ones. Maybe it was past time to shake things up. Taking a deep breath and curving her lips into a smile, she gave him a glance.

He looked away.

Figures. Natalie’s luck with men was right up there with her talent for finding short lines.

She peered at the darkness outside the coffee shop’s glass doors. Jolie would be finished trying on bridesmaids’ dresses before Natalie even reached the bridal shop. And Rachel would surely be finished with the fitting for her wedding dress. Natalie wouldn’t even get a glimpse. She was on schedule to let down both her future sisters-in-law and disappoint herself, and for what?

Caffeine was a horrible addiction.

“Double shot, low-fat latte?” The barista raised a pierced brow and plunked the cup on the counter.

Natalie flashed her best imitation of a grateful smile, picked up the coffee. She dodged her fellow addicts and pushed out the door, chimes jingling in her ear.

A chill wind hit her face. November in St. Louis was unpredictable, but one bit of weather that she could count on was that winter would eventually arrive. Apparently it had sometime in the past half hour. Using her free hand to wrap her trench more tightly around her, she made a mental note to dig out her wool coat before work tomorrow.

Her heels clacked hollow on the sidewalk. Dark windows stared down at her from all angles. City noises drifted on the breeze, sounding as if they were coming from the riverfront, blocks away. The temperature wasn’t the only thing to have changed in the time she’d been stuck in the coffee shop. Since she’d last walked the three blocks from the office, the business district seemed to have vacated for the night.

The bell on the coffee shop’s door jingled, as someone followed her into the cold.

She crossed the side street midblock and headed back toward Kendall Communications and the executive parking garage. The drive to the bridal shop wouldn’t take long. And Jolie would try her dress on again, if need be. The night was looking up.

The sound of footsteps shuffled behind her.

She glanced back. The silhouette of a man strode along the sidewalk. Tall, thin, shirttails flapping in the breeze. Must be the guy from the coffee shop, although on second glance, his hands were empty. Shouldn’t he be carrying a cup?

She quickened her pace.

She was being silly. She knew it. But there was something about the dark and the quiet and the cold that set her nerves on edge. She just needed to get to the Kendall building. There she could duck into the parking garage and the guy behind her would continue down the sidewalk to wherever it was he was headed.

She turned the corner, half expecting her follower to walk right past.

He made the turn, as well.

She forced herself to breathe slowly, in and out, countering the patter of her heartbeat. People walked down the same streets all the time. She was being silly. Here she hadn’t even had a sip of coffee and every nerve in her body felt like it was buzzing. Maybe she didn’t need the extra jolt of caffeine after all. Maybe tonight she was twitchy enough without it.

The darkened tower of her family business loomed ahead. She walked a little faster in spite of herself. With any luck, the parking attendant would still be at his post. He would smile his usual friendly smile, and she would chuckle to herself about how paranoid she was being. She didn’t know why she felt so afraid of a guy that just a moment ago she’d thought was kind of cute. Sure, when it came to choosing men, she was a horrible failure. But that didn’t mean just because she glanced this guy’s way he would turn out to be a mugger.

She passed the stairwell leading to the parking garage’s lower level and made for the car entrance and the attendant. She turned the corner and looked to the booth.

It was empty.

Natalie’s mouth went dry. She spun around, certain the man would be behind her, a gun in his fist or maybe a knife, his lips pulling back in a sinister smile.

The sidewalk was empty, as well.

She waited. Ten seconds. Twenty. No one appeared.

He must have turned off. He must not have been following her after all.

She was obviously losing her mind. Understandable, she supposed. Ever since Rick Campbell had been exonerated in her parents’ murders two months ago and then was killed himself, the entire Kendall clan had been on edge. Murder did that. If any family knew that, it was theirs.

On top of that, two of her three brothers, Ash and Devin, had lived through horrors of their own in the past two months. Horrors they’d thankfully overcome. Both now engaged to women they loved, her two oldest brothers had been blessed as well as challenged. But the deaths of their parents continued to hang over the entire Kendall family like a shroud.

She shook her head to dislodge shadowy thoughts she’d been trying to banish for twenty years. As if a mere shake of the head would do that. The only thing that worked was painting. Turning her childhood fears and guilt into images. Getting them out of her head, onto canvas and shutting them away in her studio where no one could see them.

She ripped open the flap on her coffee and took a long sip. Already her heartbeat was slowing. Already she was starting to feel normal again. But despite her earlier promise to herself, she didn’t feel much like laughing. All she felt was grateful no one else had witnessed her ridiculousness.

Replacing the coffee flap in order to keep her latte hot, she continued down the ramp to the garage’s lower level. A lowered garage door and smaller human-size door nestled side by side at the bottom of the ramp. The executive parking filled the whole lower level. Besides being security locked, this part of the garage also had the advantage of being heated in the winter. And it had both a street entrance and an elevator that led directly to the offices on the upper floors.

Balancing her coffee in one hand, she groped in her bag for her keys.

The door behind her clicked open.

She whirled around.

Emerging from the stairwell was the man with the untucked shirt. The door slammed with a loud clang.

The sound shuddered up Natalie’s spine and echoed off the concrete. For a moment, she couldn’t focus. She couldn’t move. All she could do was think about how alone the two of them were—no other cars, no one to come to her aid. Even if she screamed, would anyone hear?

Her phone. Instead of grabbing her keys, she pulled out her cell. She stared at the screen. Underground garage. Surrounded by concrete.

No service.

She held the phone to her ear anyway. If he thought she was calling someone, he would leave her alone. Wouldn’t he? The shuffling sound of those god-awful loafers moved toward her.

A high whistle of panic rose in her ears. Oil and concrete and old exhaust clogged her throat.

“No reception down here, I bet,” he said in a quiet voice.

He wasn’t fooled by the phone. All she could do was make a run for it. Get through the door and slam it before he could follow. She dropped the useless phone back in her bag and groped for her keys. Her fingers hit steel. She pulled the key chain out, jingling in shaking fingers. She tried to fit her key into the lock.

“Need help with that?”

His voice was right behind her shoulder. The faint mint scent of mouthwash fanned her neck.

She turned her head to look at him.

He stared at her with sharp brown eyes. His dark blond hair was mussed, blown by the wind. He looked like a regular guy. Perfectly ordinary.

Then why was she so frightened?

She turned back to the door. He hadn’t hurt her yet. Hadn’t even touched her. All he’d done was ask if he could help. That had to mean something. Right? Maybe she was doing all this panicking for nothing. Maybe she really was going crazy after all. “No, thanks. I can get it.”

“You seem … scared.”

She didn’t know what to say. Admit she was frightened out of her mind? Or just play it cool. “I was just startled.”

“Startled? That’s not what I had in mind.”

His voice sounded low, calm. Everything Natalie wasn’t. Everything she didn’t think a mugger should be, either. “I’m … I’m okay now.” She fibbed, feeling far less than okay.

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you know who I am?”

“Know you?” She turned to face him. He stood so close she took a step back, hitting the door. “You were in the coffee shop.”

“Yes. I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a long time.” He smiled. Cool. Casual. But his eyes … something about them seemed hard. Something about his smile felt less than friendly.

Was she imagining it?

“Excuse me. Hate to interrupt.” The voice came from behind the man. Someone else.

She peered past one of the skinny shoulders. Another man stood in the doorway to the stairwell, his tall, well-muscled frame filling the space. Everything about him—the expression on his face, the way he held his body, the look in his eyes—exuded calm and control. And even though she didn’t know anything more about this man than she did the guy who’d followed her from the coffee shop, she let a relieved breath escape from her lungs and sagged back against the door. “No interruption. Really.”

The man staring at her turned to face the interloper. “Who in the hell are you?”

“I’d like to ask you the same question.”

“Too bad I asked it first.”

He walked from the stairwell. His steps came slow and steady but Natalie could feel something coiled underneath. Power. Readiness. He stopped a few feet away. His eyes focused on the smaller man, hazel slits. “I’m a friend of Ms. Kendall’s. You?”

The man closest to her looked away to the door. His shoulders seemed to grow even more slight. He shuffled away from her, one step, two. “I’m … This is a misunderstanding.”

She wasn’t sure what was misunderstood. He hadn’t said or done anything. Not really. Looking at him, Natalie couldn’t quite remember why she’d felt so threatened. He seemed anything but threatening now.

“I think we understand each other just fine,” said the second man. He ran a hand over his cropped, brown hair. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like a word with Ms. Kendall. Alone.”

The thin man nodded and made for the ramp Natalie had followed into the garage, shoulders hunched. He didn’t look back.

As soon as he climbed out of sight, Natalie focused on the man in front of her. Of the two of them, he was definitely the strongest, physically the more threatening. He even knew her name, although she’d never seen him before. She was sure she hadn’t. She’d remember. But despite the fact that she was alone and defenseless in the same position as she’d been with the other man moments ago, this time she felt inexplicably safe.

But, of course, taking her history with men into account, that was probably a bad sign. “So who are you? And how do you know my name?”

Chapter Two

As soon as Gray stepped from the stairwell, he knew this question would be coming. He also knew he didn’t have an answer for it. Not one Ms. Natalie Kendall would like, anyway. If he wanted to follow his client’s directions, he was going to have to lie. Or at least tweak the truth a little. He just hoped Natalie’s brother was ready to cover his tracks. “Grayson Scott. Call me Gray.”

She stared as if waiting for the rest.

“I work at your company.”

A tiny crease dug between her eyebrows. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember ever having met you.”

“I just talked to Mr. Kendall about the job today.”

The crease didn’t fade. Her mouth dipped in a frown and she glanced off to the side, as if she knew what he was saying wasn’t exactly the truth and she was conjuring a way to trip him up. “Which Mr. Kendall did you talk to?”

“The CEO, Devin Kendall.” At least that answer was the truth. “He’s your brother, correct?”

“Devin isn’t looking to fill any vacancies. Not that he told me about.”

He gave a shrug. “Kendall isn’t a tiny company. Do you usually know about all vacancies?”

“Usually, yes.”

He held her gaze, hoping he appeared to have nothing to hide. That was the problem with off-the-cuff lies. It was impossible to make sure your cover story held water. And stacking one lie on top of another tended to multiply the potential for leaks.

“What division?” she asked.

Best to stick as close to the truth as he could. “Security.”

“That’s convenient.”

He didn’t react. Part of selling a lie was resisting the urge to explain.

She pushed strands of her straight, blond hair back over her shoulder. “I happen to know we just hired a bunch of extra security people over the past couple of months. We don’t need more.”

“You’ll have to ask your brother about that.” And he had to talk to Devin before she could.

“I will.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not a bodyguard of some kind, are you?”

He’d been hoping she wouldn’t ask that precise question. The woman seemed to have pretty good lie radar. He sure hoped the acting skills he’d honed in his one-and-only grade school play performance would be enough to see him through.

He gave her an aw-shucks grin. “Nothing so glamorous, I’m afraid. I work with locks and alarm systems.”

“Really?” She looked at him harder, if that was possible.

If she didn’t blink soon, he was going to start to sweat. “You don’t like locks and alarm systems?” he tossed off, hoping a little levity would help his case.

“I thought that was Glenn Johnston’s area.”

He’d figured a company like Kendall would already have locks and alarms covered, so he was ready with a twist. “I have a meeting with Glenn tomorrow. Your brother said he’d set it up. He wants to update to the newest technology. That’s where I come in.”

She crooked one eyebrow. “And Glenn is going along with this idea?”

“I haven’t met him yet, so I have no clue.”

Her face seemed to relax, one corner of her lips turning up slightly with amusement. “Good luck with that meeting.”

“Don’t tell me, Glenn’s a technophobe.” He gave her what he hoped was a worried expression. Hell, he was worried. He seemed to have chosen just the wrong cover story. He hoped it wouldn’t be too tough for Devin to back up.

“He’s a little resistant to new things, that’s all. As long as Devin paves the way for you, it should be fine.” She nodded, her mood shifting from suspicious to encouraging.

“Thanks for the heads-up on Glenn Johnston. It helps to know I should tread softly.” So far, so good. Now to angle the conversation toward the subject he really wanted to address. “In the meantime, who was that guy you were talking to?”

She glanced at the ramp leading out of the garage, as if half expecting him to be waiting in the shadows. “I don’t know.”

“You’ve never seen him before?”

“Not before tonight. He was in the coffee shop I just left.” She held up a large to-go cup with the logo of a nearby coffee shop emblazoned on the side. “He followed me.”

“Why?”

She shook her head, looking a little lost. “I have no idea.”

She really seemed at a loss. He fought the urge to reach out and rub his hand up and down her arm. Somehow he doubted she’d see the move as supportive coming from a guy she’d just met. “Did he say anything to you?”

“Not much. He asked if I knew him.”

“Knew him?”

She gave a little shrug. “From the coffee shop, I guess.”

“And you’re sure you’ve never seen him before tonight?”

“I don’t remember him. But he might have been there before. It’s the closest coffee shop. I go there all the time. I like their lattes.” She held up her cup again as if showing him proof. “Thank you, by the way. He really didn’t do anything, and I’m not sure I actually needed saving, but I appreciate it anyway.”

“Not a problem. I am joining the security crew tomorrow. Might as well get an early start on the job. Just glad I didn’t have to install an alarm right on the guy’s nose.” He feigned giving the air an awkward punch.

She laughed, the sound tinkling off the concrete around them, frothy and fun and yet something deeper underneath.

He’d been following her for a while now, but he’d never been face-to-face like this and he’d never before heard her laugh. He’d like to hear more of it.

“Well, thank you. I really do appreciate you stepping in to help. There aren’t a lot of Good Samaritans around these days.” She started to angle her body away from him, suggesting it was time to go.

He nodded and smiled. Of course, he wasn’t a Good Samaritan, although that was what he’d wanted her to believe. He was paid to stick his neck out. Even though this case hadn’t required much stretching so far. “Let me see you to your car.”

She flicked her eyes back to his, her expression carrying a hint of question but not the suspicion that had been there earlier. “That’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is. I need to know you’re safe. I couldn’t live with myself if I just walked away and something happened to you.”

She raised her chin as if she’d figured him out. “Because I’m the new boss’s sister and an executive at Kendall?”

“No. I suppose that’s a good reason, but it’s not my primary one.” Of course, technically protecting the boss’s sister was his reason for being here, but the words felt good on his tongue.

She tilted her head to the side and arched her eyebrows as if waiting for him to come clean.

“Let’s just say I’ll be thinking about you all night. I don’t want those thoughts to be laced with worry.” It sounded like a line, and as soon as he’d said it he’d wanted it back. The ironic thing was it was one of the first honest things he’d said to her.

She smiled.

Despite the greenish flicker of the parking structure’s fluorescent lights, he picked up a little more color in the apples of her cheeks. Encouraging. “So will you let me see you to your car?”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” She looked down at the keys in her hand then returned her gaze to his. “But I’m having trouble with my keys. You’re a Kendall employee. Security, even. Do you have yours?”

He could feel his grin from the inside out. “Testing me, huh?”

“Does that seem paranoid?”

“It seems smart.” And luckily Devin had given him keys to the parking garage weeks ago. He pulled them out and made a show of unlocking the door. He held it open for her to pass through.

She shot him the kind of smile that had him thinking all sorts of things, none particularly protective. “Thank you.” If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a flirty lilt to her tone.

This job was getting a whole lot more interesting.

They walked side by side through the structure, the wide-open space feeling more intimate than it had a right to. He found himself thinking about leaning close, trying to detect a whisper of her scent over the odor of concrete and old exhaust. Of all the lies he’d told her tonight, the fact that he was attracted to her wasn’t one. Ever since he’d started following her, he hadn’t been able to help thinking of her—day and night—and not in a typical bodyguard sort of way. But none of those thoughts compared with being face-to-face.

Of course, he’d never intended to actually meet her. And now that he had, he found himself with a problem. For weeks he’d kept an eye on her without her noticing he was there. But after tonight, he had the feeling she’d notice, no matter how good his surveillance skills were. If he wanted to continue to perform as her bodyguard without her knowledge, he had to find some kind of reason to hang around.

And it seemed one had just landed in his lap. He just had to play it right.

A cherry-red sports car sat at the far end of the structure. Natalie pointed her remote at the car and the driver’s door opened with a chirp. Hand on the door handle, she offered him a smile. “Thank you.”

“Like I said, it’s not a problem.”

“Still, I appreciate your concern.”

“Do you appreciate it enough …” He looked away. “No. Sorry. I think I’m flirting with overstepping my bounds.”

“What were you going to say?” She looked straight at him with clear green eyes, as if she really wanted to know.

Just the response he was after. “You won’t hold it against me?”

“After you saved me from the notorious coffee shop mugger? How could I?”

“Okay, I was just going to ask if you’d like to meet for lunch tomorrow.”

Her smile grew to a full-fledged grin. “I think I could fit it in.”

“OH, JOLIE, YOU’RE NOT going to wear that, are you?” Natalie tried to sound serious, but the look on Jolie’s face made her bubbly good mood even better. She let loose with a smile, despite best intentions.

Jolie shot her a dry look. “It looks fabulous, doesn’t it?”