Protecting What's Mine: A Security Romance Collection

by Apryl Baker

  My heart races as I reach the bathroom, but after what I saw earlier, it’s time. Aedan helped design a new floor plan for the area, so it wouldn’t look anything like its state prior to the break-in. I take a deep breath as I feel for the light switch, and I exhale as the unfamiliar space greets me.

  “Jesse,” Reese calls from out in the hallway.

  “I’m in the bathroom,” I reply, close the door, and quickly freshen up before she comes in.

  “Okay, I’m just checking on you. I know you haven’t been back here…since that day.”

  I open the door and give her a smile. “This bathroom is gorgeous, though.”

  “I love it. Thank you for letting me…us…stay here. I couldn’t stand to spend another day living with Chantelle.”

  “You’re welcome. Stay as long as you want. Between you and me, I don’t see myself moving back in anytime soon.”

  “Are things between you and Aedan that serious?” She looks at me with wide eyes.

  “I think so. I mean, even though we haven’t officially been together that long, it seems like we’ve been together longer. And he’s good to me. Plus, Dad likes him.”

  “Dad is really who you have to worry about. He about had a heart attack when you married Chet.”

  My heart sinks as the memories of Chet come flooding into my mind. He nearly broke me, but he made me better in the end. Made me fight for what I wanted. “I didn’t know if Dad would talk to me again after Chet. He made it clear that he wouldn’t help me clean up my mess after the divorce.”

  “Tough love, I guess. You’ve always been Dad’s favorite.”

  “No, he loves us all the same. I know that. I just liked the family business. You and Tierney have been taken care of, so you will receive what I received when I got the company. Dad made sure that everything is equal.”

  “But I have to work for it.”

  “We all do, and no one will be able to say Pearse McCoy’s children mooched off him. I run the company, you will be a doctor, and Tierney is traveling the world dancing his ass off.”

  “Did I hear my name?” my brother sasses from the hallway.

  “Maybe.”

  “You know I shake this fine ass. It drives the women and men crazy.” He pirouettes and shakes his booty before going into another dance move. “I didn’t come up here to show you my moves. I wanted to let you know dinner is here.” He smirks.

  “Good, I’m starving.” Reese fake-gags at Tier’s dancing.

  “Me too,” I say. “Hey, if I don’t tell you both this enough, I love you and I’m so proud you.” I wrap my arms around their necks and hug them.

  “Love you too, butthead.” He licks my cheek.

  “Way to end the sentimental moment, dork.” I stick my tongue out at him.

  “I think I’m the most mature out of all if us,” Reese says as she looks down at her nails.

  “Says the one who called me a ‘poo poo meanie head’ earlier,” Tierney bellows, laughing.

  “You were being mean to me. Telling me the zit on my forehead wasn’t a zit. Instead, it was a second head growing. And you were trying to pop it. Who does that?” she asks, and he tries to pop it again.

  “I’ve missed you two…this…way too much. Let’s eat before it gets too cold.”

  We walk down the stairs, and Reese and Tierney still pick on each other as we make it to the dining room. Before we sit down, Laney comes in from the garage door and rushes straight to me, hugging me like my life was in danger.

  “I talked to Sam. He said it was a horrible scene, but they are thinking it’s staged.”

  “I’m not sure what’s going on at the condo. I haven’t talked to Aedan since I left.” I need to call him and apologize for my rudeness.

  “Don’t worry about it. The guys and gal have everyone in this house protected.”

  “I don’t doubt that at bit. You made it in time for dinner.”

  “Good. I hurried here as fast I could.”

  We all sit down, grabbing the containers of food after Reese grabs a bottle of wine from the wine fridge and glass from the cabinet, and Tierney grabs a few beers for him and Dad. We haven’t been together since the day after the shooting, and even though a lot has happened, I’m glad we are here together. Mom would be proud of us, and everything we’ve accomplished.

  Tierney’s traveling the world. In a few years, Reese will be a doctor. Maybe she can be my Doctor Monroe? Then, there’s me. I was finally able to reach my goal of becoming the owner of McCoy.

  I can feel her presence as we enjoy the company of each other, and it’s her way of telling me that we will be okay. She will make sure of it. We just need to be strong, just like she was when she passed away. I couldn’t ask for a better mother. I just wish I could hug her one more time.

  Once the early dinner is eaten, we sit around talking for a bit, and clean up our mess before we all do our own things. Dad’s ready to get out of Denver, and I want a shower and to get into comfy clothes. The doorbell rings, and Kevin answers it before anyone can get to it. In walks Sam and before a word can be said, Laney jumps up on him, kissing him. She’s a goner.

  Sam gets control of her and is able to talk. “Jesse, I’m here to take you home when you are ready. Lyndsay is staying here, and Kevin is going with Pearse.”

  “That works for me. I’m ready now.” I hug everyone, and make sure my dad knows that I love him. I gather my things from the SUV we came in and get into Sam’s car.

  “Doing okay?” he asks as he looks in the rearview mirror.

  “I think so. I need a shower, I think that will help.”

  “I’m sure it will. I’ll be in the house until Aedan gets home, so don’t be afraid to do whatever you need to. You’ll be safe.”

  “Thank you, Sam. I appreciate all you do.”

  “You’re welcome, Jesse.” He smiles and drives the last few miles to the house.

  The gated entrance opens with a few button pushes, the garage door opens once we are close enough. Sam gets out of the car after he shuts it off and opens the door to let me out. I walk into the house and I can tell Sam checked the house before he came to pick me up, because the smell of his cologne lingers in the air, and I leave my purse and briefcase on the kitchen bar. I’ll deal with it later. I head upstairs straight to the shower, stripping my clothes as soon as I enter the bedroom. I can’t wait for the hot water to wash my body of the lingering smell of blood.

  ***

  Aedan

  I saw Pearse off to Vegas and now it’s time for Jesse and me to relax. As long as she’s not in Denver, I’m not too worried about her safety. I speed down the interstate, rushing to get home. It’s almost four p.m. and our flight leaves in a little over two hours. The driveway to the house appears and I press the gate opener when I’m close, drive up to the house, and pull into the garage after the door opens.

  I hurry and get out, walking quickly through the door, and I notice Sam is in the ammo room off the garage. It’s a safe room where I keep my arsenal and can only be accessed by him and me.

  “Hey. Thanks for bringing Jesse home.”

  “No problem. I needed to come over anyway. I wanted to test out these new nylon caps verses what we have.” He holds up a bullet with a blue tip instead of a brass one.

  “Nice.”

  “They are lighter, but I don’t know the accuracy.”

  “Got ya. As far as I know, we’re good to go for takeoff. We’ll be out of here as soon as I can get her packed.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll work and stay here, if that’s okay. That way I can be close to Tierney and Reese.”

  “And Laney.”

  “Yes, and her too.”

  “That’s fine. You know the codes for everything.”

  He nods.

  “I’ll catch you later.

  “Have fun, bro.”

  I walk into the hallway and hear the TV on in the living room, and I go in that direction.

  “Pack your suitcase,” I command when
I walk through family room into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I need to take a shower, but I’ll take one when we get to Big Bear. A change of clothes will have to do for now.

  “Are you out of your mind?” She looks up at me from the couch.

  Jesse has showered and put on yoga pants and a t-shirt. I want to rip that t-shirt from her body and make love to her, but I don’t have the time. I’ll make it up this weekend.

  “Don’t argue with me. It’s not the time, Ms. McCoy. Pack a suitcase, please.” I’m blunt because we don’t have time to mess around.

  “Where are we going?” she asks, shocked at my tone.

  “Somewhere not here.”

  “I need to know so I know what kind of clothes to pack.” She almost whines, which is unusual. I cut back on my tone.

  “Comfortable outdoorsy clothes. Like shorts, tank tops, and flip-flops.” I hope she picks those blue jean shorts with the holes in the front. When she bends over…hmm, her ass peeks out from the bottom. I clear my throat to think of something else beside her firm ass.

  “Okay. Water involved?” she asks, getting up from the couch.

  “Yes. Pack a dress or two as well.” I want to take her out, but not somewhere too private.

  “Okay,” she says calmly.

  “You have twenty minutes. The plane leaves in less than two hours.”

  “Seriously?” She nearly screeches, running past me and up the stairs.

  “Yes, hurry.” I smirk.

  I walk upstairs behind her, getting my own suitcase and packing what I need. If we need anything else, we can buy it. I go to the bathroom, grab my toiletries, and throw them in a small bag and pack it in my suitcase. I’m ready and she still hasn’t packed anything.

  “You have ten minutes.” Her eyes widen. “Throw one of everything and if we need anything, we can buy it there.” I grab a comfortable change of clothes, get dressed, and hang my suit up to be sent to the drycleaner when we get back.

  “Okay. This is torture,” she says, exasperated.

  “It’s fun.”

  She sticks her tongue out at me as she runs into the bathroom and returns with three bags in her hands. Damn, no wonder her suitcase is so heavy. She puts on a pair of a flip-flops and grabs one of my sweatshirts from the closet.

  “I’m ready. And I’m going like this.” She shrugs, and it’s almost eighty degrees outside.

  “That’s fine.” I grab our suitcases and take them downstairs.

  “Oh, your mom came by earlier and dropped off a box for you. I left it on the kitchen counter.”

  “Okay. The box is actually for you. Grab it, you can take it with us,” I say as I stop outside of the kitchen entrance. She opens the box and smiles when she sees the contents.

  “Thank you, I was craving these this morning, but we are out.”

  “I noticed, so I called Mom to see if she could make some and bring them over. Luckily, she had them in the shop today.”

  “Awesome. I’ll text her later,” she says as she picks up the box.

  “She’d like that.” I pick up our bags and head out to the garage to put them in the truck. “Do you have everything?”

  “Yes. I’m as ready as I can be since I have no idea where you’re taking me after the day we’ve had.”

  “I’m taking you somewhere you can escape all of this. Only my mom and a few other people know where we’re going.”

  “You know I don’t like surprises,” she groans.

  “This is a thoroughly thought out surprise. It will be just me and you, unless you want to be around people.”

  “I trust you.” She looks down and grabs her cellphone from her purse. This means she’s done talking about it, and I shut the door, hoping I made the right decision about this trip.

  The drive to the airport is quick. I’m glad that we have the planes at a private airport. It’s easier to get last minute flight plans. McCoy has several private and company planes. Pearse has one of the smaller planes, so we have to take a smaller jet. I hate that it’s only us, but I’m glad it’s just us. It will be nice to get alone time with Jesse without any interruptions of family or work.

  I park my car in our parking spaces outside the hanger. I help Jesse out and grab our bags as we walk toward the plane. Ian’s assistant takes our bags and puts them on the plane before we board ourselves.

  The assistant makes sure we don’t need anything, and he goes off to help Ian prepare for the flight. I hope the weather cooperates with us while we are in Big Bear or it’s going to be a long weekend. From what I saw on the forecast, sunny days all weekend through the week. A vacation sounds nice as I relax in my chair beside Jesse. I’m so ready to be there.

  Chapter Eight

  Jesse

  Once we are on the plane, the pilot tells us where we are headed, and I’m glad to be away from Denver and the drama for now. Big Bear is relaxing and fun, and I’m ready to step away being Jesse McCoy, owner of McCoy Investments, for the weekend. As much as I would like to be hidden away in Aedan’s house, spending the weekend at Big Bear is exactly what I need, what we need. I haven’t been here in the summertime before now, and I can’t wait to explore with Aedan.

  We used to come skiing here when I was younger. This was one of my mother’s favorite places. The plane gets to a smooth cruising altitude, and I get comfy in my seat to fall asleep. A warmness comes over my body and I crack open my eyes enough to see Aedan placing a blanket over me.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, my gorgeous girl.”

  Nightmares take over my dreams and blood coats everything that I see. I feel like Carrie as the blood covers me, and I can’t get the smell out of my nose or off me. I wake up, gasping for air like I am drowning in blood.

  Aedan looks at me, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so. Just a bad dream.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “No, it’s nothing. I want to thank you, though.”

  “For?”

  “This. I need this, even though I didn’t realize it myself.”

  “You’ve been working a lot. It’s time for a break.”

  “So have you. When was the last time you took a vacation?”

  “My last spring break when I was at Indiana University.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, because I wanted to show your father I was serious about my career.”

  “You proved yourself. Not too bad in eight years moving up like you have.”

  “Thanks. I feel like I’ve been slacking the past few months, though, with what’s been happening,” he blurts out. Whoa.

  “Don’t. You can’t control everyone, especially when you have someone on the inside feeding information to someone who wants to take you down.”

  “I should have done a better job of hiring Wade.”

  “Not your fault. You were played. We all were played, Aedan. I have a proposition for you.”

  “Okay?”

  “No talking about work unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  “Deal.”

  “Good. Because there’s a lot about my boyfriend that I don’t know, and I think it’s time I learn more. You know all about me…” Everything.

  “You know the important things, but once we settle in at my friend’s, I’ll tell you more.” He looks down at his watch. “We should start our descent soon. We’ve been flying for almost two hours.”

  “I thought you said we were going to have alone time?”

  “My friend and his family are going out of town tomorrow, so we get to see them tonight and then the rest of the weekend the house is all ours.”

  “Nice. Will we have to drive to the lake?”

  “No, the house sits on the lake.”

  “I might not want to leave.”

  “We can stay until next weekend if you want.” He looks up at me like he is begging me to say yes.

  “We will see.” A full week away from home and work sounds perf
ect.

  “Please fasten your seatbelts. Preparations for our final descent are beginning,” the captain says over the intercom.

  “Hungry?”

  “A little.” My stomach rumbles.

  “Good. Maria is fixing dinner for us and there will be a lot of food. It will be like Thanksgiving.”

  “Oh, wow.”

  “I think you’ll like her. She’s kind of quiet at first, but if she likes you, she will talk your ear off.”

  “Nice. What does she do?”

  “She’s an accountant.”

  “Is she your friend?” I also want to know if she is one if his ex-girlfriends.

  “She’s my friend Alex’s wife. I met him at a boxing match in Vegas five years ago. Your dad was doing work with a boxing manager, and Alex was working out with the guy’s client. He was at the fight and we got talking. We’ve been friends ever since.”

  “I didn’t know about that client. How did I miss that?”

  “He passed away right before you came back to Denver.”

  “That’s sad.”

  “It was a freak accident…but that’s talking about work.”

  “You’re right. So you and Alex stayed in touch?”

  “Yes, I’ve been to his house a few times because your dad and Chan—never mind. I’ll just leave it at yes.”

  “You’re bringing me to a place you’ve brought my dad and Chantelle?” My eyes widen at the thought.

  “Nooo. I was at Big Bear with them, but not at my friend’s or anywhere I want to take you.”

  “Oh, I understand. That’s pretty awesome.”

  “Yeah, I think so. I’ve met a lot of interesting people.”

  I don’t want to talk about my dad or Chantelle…I’m just glad they weren’t at his friend’s house. That wouldn’t be special at all. The plane’s wheels hit the landing strip and the plane suddenly slows down. The drive around the tarmac is smooth and we stop a few minutes after landing.

  “Welcome to Big Bear City, enjoy your stay,” the captain says over the intercom.

  “Take your time. I’ll get the bags loaded into the vehicle.”