Guarding Aisha

by Zoë Normandie

  Suddenly Jake gave her a wicked side smile—a wide, perfect smile that vibrated her very core. She hadn’t seen him smile like that before, and she could only wonder if he was reading her thoughts in some sneaky way.

  “Don’t say it,” Aisha groaned, knowing what was coming.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Jake said seriously. She almost believed him.

  Despite the anxiety, she felt a little smile sneak across her lips. His confidence bred a sense of security in her, and she lapped it up. He always seemed to be right on top of her. He always seemed to be in control.

  She hated it, but she liked it.

  “Fine. I’ll relax.” She breathed out in surrender, wishing, for a fleeting moment, that she could sink into him.

  Wishing it wouldn’t be against all the rules.

  He reached over to pat her thigh in reassurance, but it ended up feeling like a sexual caress. Arousal shot through her core, and she wanted him to lean over and take her mouth then and there.

  Realizing he’d lingered too long, Jake quickly retracted his hand, and his brow darkened as he focused on the road. She immediately wanted to calculate just how much of his hand had been in contact with her thigh. She didn’t want to forget that feeling. The absence of his touch suddenly felt abnormal, and she desperately needed his assurance again. His leadership, confidence, control, command—it only made her melt closer to him instead of standing on her own two feet.

  What a shame.

  4

  Finally, after another half hour of driving in a bizarre zigzag pattern through treed parkways and side streets, they pulled up a winding hill in a densely forested area. Warmly lit log homes appeared along the dirt road, making the forest a little more inviting as a sleepy winter dusk fell upon them.

  “Incredible,” she breathed, finding the scene a welcome distraction from her thoughts. It was a magical forest full of dreams and wonder. Aisha settled into the fantasy she turned to for hope: the vision of what her new life would be. She imagined herself getting a pet and tending to flowers. She would make friends with neighbors and enjoy nature. The home would be completely hers, without anyone watching her at all times or telling her what to eat, wear, say, think.

  All she could do was hope.

  And fight for it.

  Jake turned onto a long road hidden by overgrown branches. “Aisha, I don’t know what to expect here.” His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “For you.”

  “That makes two of us,” she said, feeling the familiar pinch of anxiety in her lungs. A question came to her mind that she really, really wanted to ask him. But, faced with his intimidating form, she couldn’t get the words out.

  “I don’t like how unplanned this has been. You’ve put yourself at serious risk.”

  She saw the same concern in his eyes that she’d seen once before. But she looked away, unwilling to show him the deep vulnerability she felt. “I know that,” she said quietly. “I know what I’ve done.”

  “Do you know?” Fury rose in his voice. “Or did your Euro boyfriend give you unrealistic expectations?”

  Leo.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Aisha said defensively.

  Jake let out a sharp, unamused laugh.

  “That’s ridiculous,” she continued. “I don’t look at him like that.”

  “You should see how he looks at you,” Jake said seriously, and she caught the warning in his voice.

  The last expression she’d seen on Leo’s face flashed before her eyes. Jake’s words finally made clear something that had been gnawing at her for a long time: Leo was jealous. When he’d seen her in the car with Jake’s arm across her, he’d become territorial.

  “Don’t tell me you didn’t realize it,” Jake said in disbelief. “Come on.”

  Aisha let out a long, hurt breath. God, she could be so naïve sometimes. Jake was right.

  Jake saw things. He knew things.

  Her eyes flitted over to him again, and she finally asked the question burning on her tongue. “Are you leaving now?” she choked out, feeling exposed.

  He snapped his eyes to her quickly but paused before answering. “I don’t know.”

  A few hundred feet down the drive, several cars were parked in front of a quaint, rustic log house. It was an attractive cabin, made of real wood beams and lit warmly with amber lights. It was a place she’d happily call home if she ever got the opportunity.

  If she wasn’t captured by her father.

  Don’t leave me, Jake. The thought ran across her mind unbridled. To mask the hurt she felt, she closed her eyes for a minute as the car crept down the drive. It was alarming how attached she had grown to her driver. But she let out a deep breath, knowing she had to break that attachment and walk on her own two feet.

  The car came to a stop, and she opened her eyes. Kate and Charles lingered near the front door of the cabin, watching with narrowed eyes.

  Chills ran up Aisha’s spine, and she desperately looked to Jake. He wasn’t going to leave her with them, was he? A knife twisted in Aisha’s tummy as she wondered if that was going to be it for her time with Jake.

  “Jake, I—” Aisha began, but it was too late.

  He had already opened his door and emerged from the vehicle.

  He was done.

  Aisha buried her face in her hands. Jake had a gift for being detached. She had a gift for being emotional. He couldn’t get away from her fast enough.

  And then the passenger-side door opened.

  Her hulking driver was staring down at her with questioning eyes. “Getting out?” he asked calmly.

  Aisha looked over. She wasn’t surprised that Charles was walking down the driveway with Kate in tow.

  “Thank you.” She nodded, wishing she could find more impactful words. She had no time to explain her gratitude. “I just wanted to say—”

  She stepped from the car and found her face directly on his chest. With his dark eyes boring into hers, she shivered. But she did not step back.

  “Don’t mention it,” he said, before moving quickly out of the way.

  In the space he left behind, Aisha felt cold energy. Her own two feet no longer felt capable. And as Kate walked toward her, she felt only repulsion.

  She just wanted Jake.

  “Welcome!” Kate raised her arms.

  Aisha knew she should be relieved to see a familiar face. She’d first met Kate at the university in France. Kate had targeted and recruited her, seeking to make a deal in exchange for intelligence.

  But Aisha didn’t feel relieved at all. She just felt frightened.

  “Thank god. I didn’t think we’d make it,” Aisha said, keeping one eye on Jake’s whereabouts.

  He was at the edge of the woods, standing next to Charles with his arms crossed. A big grin flashed across his lips.

  “Is that so?” Kate said.

  Aisha’s face flushed. But she wasn’t sure why.

  Raising his eyebrow at her, Jake’s sexy grin continued to devastate her. Collecting herself, she turned to Kate and tried to tune him out. Whatever she felt for Jake couldn’t be betrayed—she was already vulnerable enough.

  “Okay.” Kate said, looking back and forth between Jake and Aisha. She curled her arm around Aisha’s shoulders and pulled her toward the cabin. “Look, we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  “Yes, we do.” Aisha’s tone was exasperated as they stepped out of earshot, and she was mortified to realize that her eyes were beginning to well. It was all too much. But didn’t want Kate to see it. Aisha needed to be taken seriously.

  “You’re still jet-lagged, and it’s been a big day,” Kate replied, the late winter wind catching her blonde, curly locks.

  Aisha couldn’t help but feel slightly patronized, and she decided to keep her complaining to a minimum.

  “We will try to get through this quickly. And this is only a temporary house before we move you stateside,” Kate explained, opening the creaky wooden door.

  In the entrancewa
y, Kate spun around and put her hand on Aisha’s shoulder. “From here on out, it’s just us.” She smiled.

  “But… Jake?” Aisha squeaked.

  Kate shook her head. “We don’t need him anymore. The smaller we keep the team, the safer you’ll be.”

  Kate tried to reassure her, but Aisha could see through the cracks. Kate was worried about something. She was trying to convince Aisha that all was well, but it wasn’t.

  A young man in a plaid jacket and cargo pants came into the foyer to greet Aisha.

  “Sheikha.” He bowed slightly, his long black hair falling over his forehead.

  Aisha raised her hand to the young CIA agent and shook her head. “I’m royalty no more. Please.”

  The young man introduced himself as Chris, and he then introduced Aisha to two young professional females waiting for her on the stairs to the second level. They all seemed bright and attentive, working quickly and quietly to move things along.

  “Is this… everyone?” Aisha asked politely, trying not to insinuate anything. It was a very small team.

  Kate nodded quickly. “This is all we need. They will help you get settled upstairs.”

  Accepting her fate, and powerless to do anything else, Aisha trudged up the stairs and caught a glimpse of Jake through the window as she went. With his arms crossed and his brows furrowed, deep in conversation with Charles, the hulking mass of male seemed deeply unimpressed. Aisha could only guess why.

  Before she could take another step, her heart skipped a beat, sharp and painful. Jake was jangling the keys to his mustang.

  Was he leaving?

  She looked back up the stairs to her two-person receiving committee. All the CIA agents seemed tense. Their unease passed through her too.

  Something felt wrong.

  But she had no choice. They headed upstairs with expectant faces, and she followed along. From there on out, she was truly on her own. Jake’s safety net was no more. And if the pain she felt was any indication, she couldn’t rely on him. She had to be there for herself. It was a matter of survival.

  The CIA agents brought her up to her room on the second level to refresh. She sat on the smooth quilt laid out on her cabin bed in the small bedroom. It was soft and comfortable. But there was no relief. Anxiety threatened to overwhelm her.

  She knew it was a bad idea to get attached to Jake, a man who was only ever going to be in her life for the short term. But she’d gone and allowed herself to lean on him, which only destabilized her more.

  Aisha gave up then and decided to just lie down. She curled up into a ball on the bed, and though she was hungry, thirsty and needed to go to the washroom, she just lay there. Unable to move. Unable to help herself. She was lost. She was alone.

  A low window framed in rustic cut logs beside her allowed her to gaze out over the lawn of cars and into the trees beyond. Tiny birds chirped at the window’s ledge, and the setting sun blazed through the pine branches. Of all the international visits she had been on with the royal family, Aisha had never seen such wild beauty. If her eyes hadn’t been so despondent, it would have filled her with joy.

  She wondered if she’d ever miss the desert: the hot sun, cold nights, and dry air. Would she miss her sister, her brother? Would she ever see them again? Would they hate her for what she had done? She closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think about home. Or anything.

  The March chill permeated the poorly sealed cabin window. A gentle kiss of snowflakes danced down from the sky, swaying back and forth through the air without a care in the world.

  And as she forced her mind away from the painful thoughts, her tightly clenched body fell into a state of numbness, and she drifted into a light sleep state.

  Her dream retraced the events of the day like a highlight reel: images of a flexed, tattooed forearm grasping a steering wheel, strong legs pushing up and down on the gas and clutch pedals, a hand reaching over and touching her gently.

  Her breath became rhythmic. Soothing.

  A man was running a big, meaty hand up and down her back. So gently. Warmly. Kindly. Lovingly. She purred and pressed against it. She was so lonely. So alone.

  The hand caressed down her arm and up to her neck. Finally, it took her hands and held them down firmly. She wanted him to hold her tight, so she couldn’t move. It made her feel safe. Secure. Tightly held.

  I can’t lean on him.

  A mouth came to her neck, masculine and hot, and kissed the length of her throat.

  He knew what he wanted. And he was willing to take it. He held her hands tighter as he kissed her throat rougher. Harder.

  She smelled leather and whiskey. Things she’d learned to love in university.

  I have to stand on my own two feet.

  The hot mouth made its way up to the edge of her mouth, teasing her open. Warm, wide lips pressed grimly against hers. A tongue slipped in between.

  He knew what she wanted.

  She never had to ask.

  Heat coiled through her abdomen and spiralled lower. When the mouth withdrew, she saw a face in front of her and felt hot, freshly minted breath.

  “Touch me,” he ordered her, releasing her hands from his grasp and moving them down his abdomen toward his hardness. “Here. I want to watch you.”

  He was commanding, and he wanted her. A thrill of excitement blazed up her thighs as she submitted to his every demand.

  The hazy dream continued and she allowed a face to take form. It was tanned from many days under the sun, and several days late on a clean shave. Dark lashes rimmed multi-colored eyes. Stunning cheekbones and such a square, strong, handsome jawline… And when all the beautifully put-together features came into greater focus, she recognized none other than her driver extraordinaire: the man who called himself Jake.

  5

  Jake, retired special warfare operator that he was, couldn’t shake some things that had taken hold deep in his core. He’d be the first to admit that somewhere along the line, on some fucked-up deployment in some crumbling city, suspicion and threat calculation had stopped being second nature and had become first nature.

  And that’s where he found himself now, assessing the situation from his tactical viewpoint in a dark corner outside of the solid wood cabin. Jake rubbed his evening shadow of facial hair. He didn’t fucking like what was happening, but he wasn’t sure he could do anything about it.

  As dusk rapidly pushed away the sun, menacing shadows took hold in the snowless forest before him. He’d already stalked the perimeter of the cabin’s property three times, covertly analyzing the scene for any signs they were being watched. He found none. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t happening, that it was all in his mind.

  A crunching noise on the cold, stony path that wound around the cabin betrayed the approach of his boisterous French associate.

  Charles paused in the darkness not far from Jake. “What are you thinking?”

  “You have no resources, no backup—nothing but a handful of rookies,” Jake retorted, feeling the frustration of each word. “What exactly is your plan?”

  “Don’t you trust me?” Charles lifted an eyebrow, and Jake observed a glint of something he didn’t like.

  Jake surveyed the trees again. “It’s a perfect spot for an ambush.”

  Charles looked over his shoulder and quickly scanned the windows, assuring himself they were well and truly alone.

  “So we have to keep moving her,” Charles uttered so quietly that Jake could barely hear it.

  Jake just frowned in the shadows, narrowing his eyes at the contractor he’d worked alongside for the past year. It all seemed surprisingly ham-fisted for a man Jake knew to be organized as hell.

  What the fuck is this guy up to?

  “This is real shit, buddy. You need real plans.” Jake was unable to hide the accusation in his tone.

  “We have a real plan.” Charles scoffed. Way too fucking nonchalant. “That ski hill a couple hours from here. There’s a private landing strip. Kate’s trying to get a
jet there.”

  “So you’ll just throw her in the trunk and hope that you don’t encounter enemies on the two-hour drive?” Jake ground his teeth. “And who exactly is going to execute that?” The rabbit hole kept getting deeper.

  Charles surprised him. He grinned and tipped his head to Jake. “I am.”

  The two men locked eyes. Jake felt something sick rise inside of him. Something screaming. Something that made him want to lash out in fury.

  “You?” he said through a tight jaw, hating the idea of that womanizer locking the vulnerable Aisha alone in a car with him. “You think you have the skills to do that?”

  Charles grinned and provided no answer. But Jake knew the answer: no. Of the two, Jake was the highly trained operative, and Charles was an old dog, a businessman too removed from his SAS days to be tactically tight.

  “Tell me,” Jake challenged. “How did you shake our tail?”

  “It’s none of your business,” Charles snapped. “I pay you. I don’t answer to you. Remember that.”

  A red-hot rage fueled Jake’s apprehension. It wasn’t just his imagination—something dangerous lurked. And that was the game they were playing. An unplanned defection by a princess. Damaging intel. A bloodthirsty father. Unrelenting hit men. He had no doubt they were out there.

  “I’ll take her there at the break of dawn,” Charles continued, like he’d gained the upper hand again. “You’ll be gone by then?”

  Maybe he wanted Jake gone.

  “Tomorrow? You can’t wait that long,” Jake pushed. “It will be too late.”

  In a tone too cavalier for Jake’s comfort, Charles let out a blunt snort. “I told you. We’re fine. I took care of the problem. The jet can’t be here until tomorrow anyway.”

  Jake shook his head in the dark night. He couldn’t believe all that had transpired. The day had gotten out of control, and he couldn’t deny the growing shadow in his mind. One thing was for damned sure, this was going to be his last fucking contract.

  He needed to get back to a place where he had command and could plan ops.