Authors: Anne Rainey
Her soft voice and the sincerity in her bright green eyes went straight to his gut. “I’m not Superman.” Although in that moment she made him feel as strong as ten men. “I break just as easily as the next guy. Just ask Jonas. He and I have had to play nursemaid to each other more times than either of us care to admit.”
“Jonas. He’s your partner, right?”
“Yeah, you’l meet him tomorrow.” He removed his hand from her chin and gave in to the need to touch her red hair. Gracie had hair of silk.
Pretty red silk. “I asked him to stop by and take a look at those e-mails.”
She closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I’m not used to this, Wade.”
“What?” He couldn’t seem to stay focused when he touched her. He removed his hand and reminded himself, once again, that she wasn’t in top fighting form.
“Having people around. In my home. Messing with my things. I didn’t realize how much I’d gotten used to being alone. I’m not sure that’s a good thing either.”
“Listen to me, honey.” Once her gaze was on him, he said, “Everything’s going to work out. We’re going to catch this guy, and you’re going to be back on your feet in no time. Right now al I want you to do is rest.” She nodded, and he stood. “I’m going to get you another pain pil and order some pizza. What do you want on your half?”
“Mmm, pizza, now that sounds like heaven. That hospital food was crap. Pepperoni and green peppers on mine.”
She smiled. Wade couldn’t help but feel as if he could climb Mount Everest. What was it about the woman that made him want to be her hero? Christ, he needed to get a handle on his feelings toward her, whatever they were. “It’s wrong to ruin a perfectly good pizza with green peppers, but your wish is my command.”
“Through the doorway is the kitchen; the hal way wil take you to the bedroom, office, and bathroom.”
He winked. “Got it. I’l be right back.”
He started out of the room, but her voice stopped him. “Bring the phone back with you. I need to cal my neighbor and see if she’s free to help out.”
He laughed. “Getting tired of me already?”
She shook her head and looked down at her lap. “I . . . I like having you here. It’s nice.”
“You might not feel that way later when I start back on my campaign to buy you a new security alarm.”
Her head shot up, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Wade didn’t stick around to hear whatever biting remark she might have for him this time. She would be safe. With or without her compliance. That’s al that mattered to him.
“You can’t possibly be ful already. You only ate one slice.”
She would’ve laughed at the incredulous look on Wade’s face if she hadn’t been so aware of how good he looked sitting on the floor across from the coffee table, licking pizza sauce off his index finger. She had the insane urge to lean forward and do the licking for him. “I’m stuffed, trust me. I feel like I could bust.”
“I ate half the pizza, and you’re ful off one slice?” His eyes narrowed. “Is this one of those girly things where a woman is too embarrassed to pig out in front of a man?”
She dabbed her lips with the napkin and sat back, a feeling of contentment washing over her. It’d been eons since she’d been able to relax.
Real y relax. It felt good. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’d never choose a man over pizza; that’s just wrong.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”
“Don’t take it personal y. Pizza and chocolate top the list of favorite indulgences for most women.”
“And where do men rate?”
“Not very high, sorry.”
He licked his finger again, this time more slowly, as if he knew the effect it was having on her libido. “I feel chal enged to reach the top of your list, Gracie.”
She had to clear the lump out of her throat before she could reply. “You could try.”
He sat up straighter and murmured, “I don’t try, I succeed.”
“I—” The doorbel rang, interrupting her next teasing remark. Wade shot to his feet, then leaned down. When he straightened there was a smal gun in his hand. Where in the world had he been hiding that? “That’s probably Mrs. Swinson.”
“Probably, but it pays to be careful.” He went to the door and looked through the peephole, then chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“She’s a little . . . flamboyant.”
The doorbel chimed again, and Wade flipped the locks and opened the door. “Mrs. Swinson?”
“Wel , of course it is! Who else would I be?”
“Indeed,” he said and stepped back to let the smal whirlwind through.
Gracie contained a laugh. Barely. “The purple works for you, Jean.” The woman was forever changing her hair color. Last week it’d been a neon shade of green. This time it was a little less blinding, thank God.
“Yeah, the green made me look sickly.” She looked Gracie over and made a tsking sound. “You look like you’ve been hit by a truck, young lady.” She plopped a large duffel bag on the floor and hobbled over to the couch. She sat next to Gracie and patted her thigh. “You may as wel tel me everything. I know there must be a reason for that big hunk answering the door wielding a gun.”
Gracie pointedly eyed Wade’s weapon. He merely shrugged and tucked it into a hidden holster against his ankle. And why did that seem so sexy? “Uh, it’s a long story, Jean.”
She hopped up. “I’l get the coffee started then.” She looked at Wade and pointed to the pizza and napkins strewn about. “You, make yourself useful and clean up this mess.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? Cal me that again, and I’l flatten you. It’s Jean.”
“Right, sorry. Wade Harrison.”
She grinned and nodded. “You’re trainable; I like that in a man.” She was already heading for the kitchen and missed the frown Wade tossed her way.
“She’s interesting.”
“She grows on you.”
He grunted and started cleaning up their dinner. She felt guilty sitting there while everyone else worked. She started to stand, but Wade was too quick. In a heartbeat, he was in front of her, pressing on her shoulders. “Don’t piss me off by trying to get up. I wil paddle your ass, Gracie.”
“That’s supposed to sound threatening, but right now it just sounds sort of fun.”
He frowned as he crouched in front of her. “You feeling okay, honey?”
Actual y, she did feel a little . . . off. “Loopy. Why do I feel loopy, Wade?”
“The meds. We should cal your doctor and see about getting the dose adjusted.”
“Good idea. I’l do it tomorrow. I won’t need another one tonight anyway.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stood. She watched, fascinated by his every move as he picked up the box and several used napkins. “Can I trust you to sit stil while I throw the pizza out?”
She gritted her teeth against the need to do something, anything. “Yes.”
“Good, I’l be right back.”
Gracie slumped against the couch. “I’m not going anywhere, clearly.”
6
“I
should wring your neck for not tel ing me about al this, Gracie.”
As if she hadn’t heard those words before. “Get in line,” Gracie muttered.
“Wel , what’s done is done.” Jean turned her attention to Wade. “So, you’re going to catch this guy, is that it?”
“Yes, I am.” Wade stood at the front of the room, staring out her window, his entire demeanor on alert. Was he looking for her stalker? It gave her the wil ies to think he could be out there right now, watching, waiting.
“Good. What can I do?”
Wade kept his face averted as he replied, “Your only job is to help Gracie.”
“It won’t be the first time I’ve helped someone with a cast. My youngest, Brian, broke his arm when he was in the fifth grade. Jumped off a barn roof. Crazy kid. It nearly drove him crazy until it healed.”
“How’s he doing these days?”
Jean quirked a brow. “You mean since you dumped him?”
“I did not dump him! We had one date; that’s it.”
Wade slowly turned around, his brows scrunched together. “How long ago was this?”
“Last year, and it real y wasn’t anything. Brian is a nice guy, but the chemistry wasn’t there.”
Jean waved her hand in the air. “He said the same thing, but I had hopes. Four kids and not one of them have seen fit to give me grandkids yet.”
Good Lord, if she’d known the woman had plans of babies and happily ever after, Gracie never would have gone out with her son in the first place. “Uh, anyway, the doctor said it’s a fracture. He didn’t seem to think it was too bad.”
“Don’t you worry; you’l get the hang of using one hand pretty quick. Just be glad it wasn’t your dominant hand.”
“I don’t want Gracie pushing herself, though. That wrist and those bruises need time to heal.”
Jean snorted. “Gracie isn’t some delicate blossom, Wade. And she’s not about to let a broken wrist and some bruises keep her down. You might want to coddle her, but if she doesn’t want to be coddled, then nothing you say or do wil change that. She’s got a mind of her own.”
“Don’t I know it.” Wade groaned as he moved away from the window and sat in the easy chair adjacent to Gracie. “I need to know your schedule, Gracie.”
She hadn’t even thought of how tired he must be. The only sleep he’d gotten was in that horrible chair at the hospital. “You need to go home and get some rest, Wade.”
He put his elbows on his thighs and leaned closer. “Weren’t you paying attention when I said I was going to be your shadow?”
She blinked. “Wel , yes, but—”
“But nothing.” Wade said, as if he were somehow lord and master. “I’m going to be here day and night until this guy is caught.”
Gracie tucked her hair behind her ear, annoyed and too tired to fight him anymore. “You want to sleep here?”
“Where’d you think I was going to sleep?”
“At your own home, of course.”
“The bad guys don’t stop being bad just because the sun goes down. You need protection from this asshole, and since you won’t stay at my place, I have no choice but to stay here.”
She sighed. “You can be real y infuriating.”
“I’ve been told.”
She shifted her arm in an attempt to al eviate the stiffness. It didn’t work. “You can sleep on the couch.”
Jean laughed and pointed to Wade. “If it were me, no way would you be sleeping on the couch, sugar.”
Gracie’s mouth dropped open. “Jean!”
Color stained Wade’s cheeks as he stood. “Uh, I need to get a few things out of the trunk. Maybe Jean can help you get ready for bed before she leaves.”
Once Wade was gone, Jean turned toward her, al signs of joking gone. “You’re lucky to be alive, young lady.”
“Yeah, I agree.” Gracie couldn’t even focus on the accident, not with the thought of Wade sleeping in her home rattling inside her head. He’d be a few feet away, al night long. An image of him al sprawled out on her couch, his shirt gone, jeans unbuttoned and riding low sprang to mind. She had to remind herself to breathe.
“You like him, huh?”
Jean’s question tore her out of her little fantasy. “It’s complicated.” She didn’t know what she wanted from Wade, but she had a feeling it wasn’t just a quick tumble. She stood and waited for Jean to do the same. Together they walked to her bedroom.
When she entered, Jean flipped on the light, and Gracie grabbed a nightgown from the dresser drawer. She held it up, wondering what Wade would think of the plain garment. The white cotton, knee-length gown was soft and comfortable, and sleeveless, making it easier to put on over her cast. Stil , it was horribly plain. She looked up and saw her reflection in the dresser mirror. Crap, coupled with the bruises al over her face she’d be lucky if he didn’t run screaming.
“You know what I see?”
Gracie wasn’t sure she wanted to hear Jean’s next words, but she shook her head and said, “No. What?”
“I see two people dancing around each other. He’s not here because you’re his pal. He’s here because you belong to him, and he’s not about to let some freak hurt you.”
“I haven’t even agreed to go on a date yet! How could I possibly belong to him?”
Jean shrugged. “It’s in the way he looks at you, possessive, hot. He’s teetering on the edge of control, if you ask me. You could have him eating out of your hand, sweetie. So, what’s the holdup?”
She threw the gown on the bed. “My life is a mess! My dad showed up at the hospital drunk. His only child is in a car accident, and he shows up drunk and starts cussing everyone out. I have a creepy stalker intent on making me his ‘love.’ I have to work two jobs just to keep my head above water because Dad’s always drinking away his rent money. I’m just not up for more drama in my life. I need to straighten some things out before I can even think of having a relationship with a man as dominating and tense as Wade.”
Jean picked up the gown and started to smooth out the wrinkles. “Take it from me, life wil always be ful of drama. There wil always be something more pressing, always be stress. But a man like the one out there”—she pointed toward the living room—“vowing to protect you at al costs, wel , they don’t come around every day. Keep pushing him away, and he may just take the hint.”
The idea made her heart speed up. To never know Wade’s touch, his kisses, to never feel him buried deep inside her where she so badly needed him the most, sent a shot of panic through her bloodstream. “I-I don’t want to push him away.”
Jean smiled. “I thought not. So, maybe tonight when you two are alone, you can show that boy what ‘protect and serve’ real y means.”
For the first time in days, Gracie laughed, so hard her bruised body protested. “I think you might just be onto something, Jean.”
Wade paced the length of the living room. He should have known he wouldn’t be able to sleep. Al he could think about was how sweet and al uring Gracie had looked in her nightgown earlier. The oversized cotton
sheet
shouldn’t have been sexy. In fact, he’d been secretly grateful she’d picked something so concealing to sleep in. He didn’t need any more provocation where Gracie was concerned. Then she’d moved toward the couch and placed a sheet and a pil ow on the coffee table for him, and she’d inadvertently put her body on display for him as the light from the table lamp turned the gown al but transparent. She’d turned around and smiled at him. The soft curves of her body, so close, yet so far out of his reach, had been a temptation he nearly hadn’t been able to ignore. Hel , he’d had to leave the room just to keep from jumping her.