Hidden Hearts

She was scowling at him as she slung her bag over her shoulder. He would have offered to carry it for her, but he needed to keep his hands free. “We’re at our most vulnerable point as we leave your apartment. Stay close.”

He drew his gun from his holster and placed the weapon in his pocket. Alexandra lagged behind. He turned to see her gazing wistfully at the phone. “Come on. I’ve a cell phone in my car parked two blocks away.” While a normal cell phone was easy to eavesdrop on, his had special modifications. “You can use mine.”

She should have been grateful. Instead, the scowl lines on her forehead deepened. He wondered why he longed to rub the scowl lines away. Or to assure her he would keep her safe. He should never have taken a job to protect a woman. Since Sydney’s death, he’d roamed the world taking random assignments, rescuing a kidnapped businessman in Colombia, protecting an Arab sheik in Qatar, helping a Jewish family emigrate from Russia. But he’d never guarded a woman. Especially one who reminded him of Sydney.

In looks they were nothing alike. Sydney had had blond hair, hazel eyes and lush curves on her five-foot-two frame. Alexandra was taller, slimmer, delicate despite her height, which he guessed was about five-foot-eight. While she had the most amazing almond-colored eyes with droplets of gold fire, it was her spirit that reminded him of Sydney. Both women cared passionately about their work.

While Sydney had wanted to make the world a better place to live in, Alexandra dreamed of building better places for people to work in. Every time she glanced at her blueprints, her eyes softened and took on a dreamy warmth. He wondered how he’d feel if she ever looked at him like that.

Instead she preferred to give him frowns and scowls of disbelief. If she thought his offer to let her use his cell phone was simply a ruse to get her into his car, she’d find out differently. He hadn’t resorted to violence when she’d kicked his shin. He hadn’t barged in on her shower. He intended to keep his word to her. Eventually she would learn that he was a man of honor.

He reached out, took her wrist and tugged her beside him. “When I say close, I mean close.”

“Okay. O-kay.”

He dropped her wrist before she yanked back, giving her a moment to make up her own mind. Not that she had a choice, and he supposed she knew that and didn’t like it, but she adjusted to his demand. Under no circumstances would he compromise her safety.

He hesitated by her front door. While he wanted her to trust him, he knew better. He looked into those magnificent eyes and knew no explanation would suffice. She was as stubborn as two mules. So he resorted to what had worked before—a threat. “When it comes to your safety, I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you alive—even if that means tying your hands behind your back, gagging you, tossing you over my shoulder and carrying you out of here.”

Her eyes flashed yellow darts of fire. “You’re a Neanderthal!”

“When I say cooperate, it’s not to hear myself talk.” He made his voice soothing to take away the sting of his words. Peering back down the empty hallway, he hoped she might accept his explanation now that he’d knocked away her complacence. He needed her wary—but not of him. “If someone starts shooting, I want you close enough so I can protect you with my body. Understand?”

Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Her fingers tightly clutched the strap of her bag, but for once, she didn’t argue.

They walked out of her apartment into the hot, humid air, and his every nerve cell fired on alert. The apartment faced a busy two-lane highway, but after exiting her place, they took a side egress that led to a smaller street and a subdivision of modest houses. He scanned ahead, from side to side, looking for the slightest movement, a shadow that didn’t belong, a glint of metal reflecting off a weapon.

“It looks good,” he murmured softly as they stepped onto a brick sidewalk outside her complex. “Just another two blocks—”

An ice-cream truck drove by, and Roarke stepped behind a giant magnolia and pulled her with him. Mixing with the scent of magnolia blossoms, he took in the scent of her vanilla shampoo and a floral deodorant. She smelled good. Too good. And he realized that if anyone was hunting them from downwind, they’d smell her in the dark at twenty yards.

He’d have to educate her. He reminded himself once again that she knew nothing about surveillance, terrorism and counterterrorism. She lived in a world where people locked their doors and believed they were safe from prying eyes. She lived in a world where people didn’t sleep with a gun under their pillow, another under the mattress and a knife on the nightstand. She lived in a world where she could go to sleep knowing she’d awaken safe in the morning.

Except someone believed she had something valuable in her possession. And they might be willing to kill to get it.

Danger came from an unexpected direction. Not a van of terrorists across the street, but an SUV driven by a harried-looking mother.

As the woman, her SUV filled with noisy kids and groceries, pulled up to the curb, she waved to Alexandra. And Alexandra’s face wore a too-wide smile.

It was the first time he’d seen her grin. A grin that lit up her sparkling topaz eyes and brightened her oval face. He automatically knew she was up to no good.

Damn it! She didn’t trust him, and she was about to engage her neighbor in a conversation. Didn’t she realize that whoever was after her would return? Ask questions? Just by talking to the woman, Alexandra could be putting her neighbor and her kids in danger.

Without hesitating, Roarke did the first thing he could think of to keep her from calling out a hello. He swung her around, took her into his arms and kissed her full on the mouth.

Her lips parted under his. In surprise?

He meant to pull away as soon as the neighbor drove on by. He meant to pull back and explain why he had to stop her from talking to her neighbor. He meant the kiss to distract her from verbally calling out attention to either of them. But his resolution flew by the wayside the moment his lips touched hers.

She was amazing.

Alexandra fitted against him as if she were made for him. Without awkwardness, without a jostling of hips, noses or elbows. She fitted exactly right. Seemingly of their own accord, his arms drew her closer.

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