Protecting What's Mine: A Security Romance Collection

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Protecting What's Mine: A Security Romance Collection Page 63

by Apryl Baker


  “Well…maybe next time you’ll have better luck.” She gives me a quick hug.

  We sit on the front steps while the men follow behind Charlie as she rolls down the sidewalk. “I don’t know. We’ll see. I wanted to get back out there, but I just haven’t had any luck so far. Fifty’s the only man I need in my life…or this little cutie pie right here.” I kiss Jackson’s chubby cheek, and then blow a raspberry on it until he squeals.

  We’re both quiet for a moment, and then Delilah surprises me. “What do you think of my dad?”

  I freeze. Does she know? “Umm…what do you mean?”

  She looks at me closely, and flashes me a smile. “I see the way he looks at you. I’ve seen the way you try to avoid looking at him. It’s funny; when my dad called earlier and I told him you were out on a coffee date, he came right over, and he’s been out front looking at your house every couple of minutes.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know what you think you’ve seen, but he doesn’t like me. Most of the time he acts like he can’t wait to be rid of me.”

  Delilah grabs my wrist and leans in. “My mother did a number on him. I honestly haven’t seen him date since I’ve been in Chicago.”

  “Aren’t daughters supposed to hate the women who come into their father’s lives?”

  She laughs softly. “Nah…I just want him to be happy, maybe give me some brothers or sisters, and have the love of a good woman. I think that woman could be you.”

  I know my mouth is hanging open right now. It even opens and closes, but nothing comes out. “How do you know it’s me?”

  “Just a feeling I get, especially when you’re near each other. I think you might be just what each other needs. Plus we love you, our kids love you.” She holds her hands up. “No pressure and I know he can be a grump, but just think about what I said.”

  Luckily she drops it. She and I decide to take Jackson and Jinx for a walk. I grab the stroller out of the garage. While she goes into the house to get the dog, I get Jackson all strapped in. Delilah comes out with Jinx on his leash, then we walk.

  ***

  I grab my salad and carry it into the living room, and turn on the TV. I pull up True Blood on my Amazon Fire Stick: my latest binge-watching treat. I’ve seen it before, but it’s been a while. I’ve thought about writing a paranormal romance because I love to read them. The rest of the year is pretty booked up, but that’s on the agenda for next year.

  I grab Fifty and snuggle up with him on the couch. I feed him plain pieces of lettuce while I eat my salad. I finish eating and place my bowl on the coffee table, curling up on my side absently stroking Fifty’s soft fur.

  My phone pings and I grab it off of the table. I have another match on that dating website. With a sigh, I toss my phone back on the table. I’m not in the mood to look—Delilah’s words run through my mind.

  She can’t possibly want me with her dad, but she’s under the wrong impression that he likes me. I won’t lie, as much as I don’t want to—I have a crush on the man. My doorbell rings, pulling me from my thoughts. I stand up and look out the window—it’s a UPS driver.

  I smile when I open the door. “Here you go, ma’am, sign right here.” He holds out the little device for me to sign.

  I take the package from him and close the door. “Fifty, what is this?” Sometimes I forget when I order swag or paperback books. I look at the return address and it’s a P.O. Box. I take the box into the kitchen, grab a knife, and open it.

  It’s some shredded paper. “That’s weird.” I dig through the box, and it’s empty. That’s when I notice a sliver of paper looks like it has color on it.

  It takes a few seconds to realize it’s one of my books—actually, it appears to be several books. I dig through the scraps, looking for a card, a note…something, but come up with nothing. I bury both hands in the box, grabbing wads of shredded paper, and begin to cry.

  All of my hard work, and someone just destroyed it. God, that hurts so much. I let the papers in my hand go and pick up the box. I don’t even care that I have tears running down my face as I step outside and walk down to the curb where my garbage bin sits.

  I flip the lid open and tip the box inside until all of the paper is emptied out. I wipe angrily at the tears as I march back up to my front door. “Harley?” Shit, I really don’t need his crap right now.

  I keep my back to him. “Hey, Jack.” I quickly step inside, but I feel him step in behind me. I close my eyes to get myself straight, then turn to look at the man. “What’s up?” Trying to act casual, I give him a smile.

  “Why were you crying? What was in the box?”

  “It’s really none of your business. Go away.” I turn from him and feel him follow me into the kitchen.

  “Whatever it was upset you. Tell me what was in the box.” He crowds me until I’m against my refrigerator. “What. Was. It?”

  I try to shove him away, but he’s like a freaking rock. “It was one or more of my books, and the asshole completely shredded them.”

  “Did they leave a note?” I shake my head. “What about the return address?” Jack’s voice is softer, gentler, than he’s ever used with me before.

  “It was a P.O. Box.” I look down and realize my hands are still on his chest. I go to move them, but he puts his hands over mine, holding them there. “If you’re wondering why I was crying, it’s because they took my hard work and destroyed it like it was nothing, and I was pissed.”

  Before I can react, he palms the back of my head and pulls me toward him. My arms automatically wrap around his waist. I begin to cry again as he comforts me. “I could j-just scream I-I’m so mad.”

  “Has something like this happened before?”

  I start to shake my head, but then I remember the emails. “A woman named Martha, she emails me sometimes. She tells me I’m a sinner. I should repent…yada yada yada. It’s harmless.”

  “If she sent the books, she knows your address. Darlin’, is your real name and address listed anywhere that a reader could get ahold of?”

  “I don’t think so. No one knows me by my real name. You guys are the only ones who know that I’m Eva.”

  “Do you have the emails?”

  I shake my head. “I didn’t see a reason to keep them.”

  He pulls back and looks down at me. My fingers itch to stroke his square jaw that’s covered in just enough scruff. “Promise me if you get emailed again you keep it and let me take a look. People are crazy and not everyone can be trusted.”

  I nervously lick my lips, and I don’t miss the way his eyes land on my mouth, watching my tongue wetting them. I nod. “I promise.”

  “Good,” he whispers just before his lips are on mine. It’s a surprisingly soft kiss that makes my toes curl, and my pussy clench. I let him set the tone, and he doesn’t disappoint. He increases the pressure and coaxes my mouth open. Our tongues dance together, and I moan against his lips.

  I grip his t-shirt at his sides as I tip my head to allow him deeper. A warm feeling spreads through me, and I want to be as close as I can to him. Jack must be able to read my thoughts because he wraps an arm around my waist, hugging me to him. I don’t miss his erection that’s pressed against my belly.

  All too soon Jack ends the kiss. He cups my chin and strokes his thumb back and forth across my lower lip. “Fuck me, you’re pretty,” he whispers, and then leans down to kiss my lips again before pulling back. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  “Okay, I’d like that.” I’m trying to remain cool when all I want to do is jump up and down screaming, but he’s been so hot and cold with me.

  “I’ll be here at seven.” He leans down until his breath tickles my lips. “I’d really love it if you wore that black dress.”

  I nod, and he grabs my hand and then walks me toward my front door. He kisses me one more time, and then he’s gone—just like that.

  I can’t help but wonder if I made a mistake saying yes to him. Is this going to be one of those times wh
ere he acts like he’s into me but then pushes me away? Only time will tell.

  Chapter Six

  Jack

  I pull my Expedition into my garage, kill the engine, and hop out. I’ve got an hour to get ready for my date. Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I went on a date. Hell, I think it was shortly after Becky and I got divorced. I was too fucked up to really give myself to someone.

  I swore I was over it, but when everything happened with Delilah and Charlie, it brought it all back to the forefront. I swore I was planning on staying away from Harley. She’s made me think about things I never planned on thinking about ever again, but the moment I saw her crying in her front yard I knew I couldn’t stay away from her any longer.

  My daughter has been hounding me since last night asking questions. Earlier today she came into my office and tried to pump me for information. She’s definitely my daughter, and she’d make a hell of an interrogator, but I told her nothing.

  I know she’s been worried about me, and I’ve tried to convince her I’m fine, but my daughter is living on her happy cloud, which makes me glad. Her life wasn’t always the best, and as much as I know it’s not my fault, a part of me will always feel like it is, or it was. But now that Delilah is on her happy cloud, she wants everyone else on it with her.

  I can’t believe I have three grandbabies…well, two and one on the way. Their house is chaos, but they don’t care. As her father I made so many mistakes, but seeing what a wonderful mother she is makes me feel like I’m not such a failure.

  Shaking off those thoughts, I hop in the shower, and when I’m done I wrap a towel around my waist. I grab my shaving cream and proceed to shave my face. I slap on some aftershave my daughter convinced me to buy. I grab the jar of hair shit and run my fingers through my hair.

  In my bedroom I throw on a pair of my dark jeans, a fitted black t-shirt, and my black motorcycle boots. A thought hits me: I can’t really pick her up—I don’t want Delilah to get the wrong idea. This thing with Harley could go really wrong, and I’d hate for my daughter to lose her friend, and it seems that Harley doesn’t have a lot of people in her life, either.

  I’m an asshole, I know this, and there’s a huge possibility that I’ll hurt Harley—not intentionally, but it could happen. I don’t want to destroy their friendship because I’m a dick. No, I can’t not go pick her up—now that would be a dick move.

  I shove my wallet in my back pocket and grab my keys before I head out.

  Pulling into Harley’s driveway, I don’t miss the curtains move in my daughter’s living room. I want to shake my head and laugh, but instead I pretend that I don’t see her or Charlie peeking out the window. God, I love my girls.

  When I reach Harley’s door I hit the doorbell and wait for her to answer. Always watchful, I look up and down the street, but I don’t know what I expect to find. Harley doesn’t know I took the box out of her trash. I have a buddy on the police force that’s going to check it for fingerprints and then run them in the system.

  The front door opens, and I turn to look. Harley is standing there, in front of me, and I feel my dick twitch in my pants. She’s fucking stunning. Her auburn hair is pinned back, my guess at the base of her skull, and her makeup is soft except for the red gloss on her lips.

  She’s wearing the little black dress and black strappy wedges. Harley pushes open the screen door. “Hi, Jack.”

  I step through the door, and her sweet, floral scent wraps around me. I watch her walk toward the kitchen, my eyes immediately going to her perfect ass. I would give my left nut to have her cheeks in my hands.

  I follow behind her like some lovesick fool. She fills up a water bottle and then I watch her bend over as she sticks it in her damn bunny’s cage. That thing…I’ll admit it’s cute, and my granddaughter loves it, but what does a bunny do? It can’t protect you. What purpose does it serve, except to be snuggled?

  When she stands up I place my hands on her hips and fit my front to her back. At first she holds herself stiff, but then she relaxes against me. I lean down and put my lips to her ear. “You are fucking gorgeous.”

  “T-Thank you.” She turns in my arms. “You look handsome.”

  I reach behind her and quickly pull the pins out of her hair until it tumbles around her shoulders. “I like it better down,” I tell her as I sift my fingers through the soft strands. The scent of coconut hits my nose, and I know it’s her shampoo. “We better go or we’re never going to leave.” She looks at me with confusion, but then she must realize what I’m talking about because her eyes widen, and she begins to nod.

  I let her go, and grab her hand before leading her outside. We’re silent on the way out to my SUV. I open the door for her and help her inside, and again I feel eyes on us. “Don’t look now, but we have an audience.”

  Her eyes immediately go to my daughter’s house and she laughs softly. “If they’re trying to be sneaky, they’re really bad at it.”

  I close her door and walk around to my side, giving my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter a wave. Shaking my head, I climb in and we head out, and out of the corner of my eye I watch Harley wave to my family as they watch us from the window.

  “Where are we going?” she asks.

  “Do you like Chinese? There’s a great restaurant that’s kind of a hole in the wall, but their food is fantastic.”

  “I love Chinese food.”

  I park half a block down from Ying’s. I discovered this place while I was doing surveillance and became addicted to it. It’s a little family-run business, they have no sign and do no marketing, but the place is always packed.

  I climb out, moving around the front to help Harley down. I lace my fingers with hers as we head down the street to the red door. As soon as we step inside, the smells hit me and make my mouth water.

  “Oh my God, is it wrong that I want to lick the air?” she says, looking up at me with a smile that takes my breath away.

  I can only laugh, and it feels fucking good. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and hug her into my side. The matriarch of the Ying family, Li Liu, comes over smiling. “Hello, Mr. Mackenzie. I see you brought a pretty lady tonight.” She grabs two menus and leads us to a table in the corner. “Enjoy.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Liu.” She nods and then disappears. I pull out Harley’s chair and then take the seat across from her. Ms. Liu returns with a pot of tea, and then leaves us.

  I pour myself a cup of tea and lift the pot in her direction and she nods. “This is obviously a frequent haunt. It’s busy, but you managed to get a seat right away.”

  “I was doing surveillance nearby when I discovered, and became addicted, to this place. They had a break-in a year and a half ago, and my crew installed a security system and more secure doors for them. I charged them for materials only, and at a discount. They’re a busy restaurant and I’m sure they make good money, but they send a lot of it home to their family in China.” What in the hell is wrong with me? Why am I nervous? I’m babbling about shit she probably doesn’t care about.

  The Yings’ granddaughter comes to takes our order, and then disappears to grab us waters. “Tell me about your family?” I turn back to Harley and ask.

  “Ummm…there’s not much to tell. I don’t really have one anymore.”

  That answer has me curious, but before I can ask what that means, our waitress brings our drinks out. When she leaves us, I open my mouth to ask Harley about her family, but she asks me about my grandkids. Everyone who knows me knows those kids are my everything.

  “The kids are good. You’ve seen them in action. They wear Delilah and Reece out, but they’re both always smiling.” They bring our food out, and conversation is stalled while we eat, but Harley’s appreciative moans are making it hard for me to concentrate.

  “You’re right. This is the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten.” She smiles at me and takes a big bite of her rice and vegetables. “Thank you for asking me to dinner. I was beginning to think that you didn’t reall
y like me much.”

  I set my chopsticks down and reach across the table to grab her hands. They’re soft, and I drag my thumb across the top of her knuckles. “I’m the first to admit I’m a dick. I was attracted to you, and to be honest I didn’t want to be.” I shrug. “It was easier to be an asshole than admit that I wanted to get to know you better.”

  “Thank you for telling me that, and even though you were a dick, I still had a crush on you.” Her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink, and she lowers her head.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. I like that you’re into me.”

  Harley shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Oh brother, you’re too much.”

  We’re both quiet as we finish eating. After we finish, I pay the check and we head out. I’m not ready to call it a night yet, and I hope she isn’t, either. “Do you want to grab a drink?”

  “Sure, I’ve got beer at my place if you want to come over.” I’m frozen; I don’t know what to say, but I’ve obviously stood here for too long because suddenly Harley’s walking toward the exit.

  “Harley, wait up?” I follow her out to the street. “I’m sorry, I was just surprised that you were inviting me back to your place.”

  “Okay, sorry.” She surprises me and pokes me in the stomach. “If you weren’t so hot and cold with me, I wouldn’t be so sensitive.”

  I really like that she’s honest, telling me exactly how I made her feel. “See…I told you I was a dick.”

  “Well, stop being one.” She smiles up at me.

  I grab Harley around the waist and bring her flush against me. “Come home with me?” I sweep her hair out of her face. “I’ve got a really nice back deck.”

  “Okay, sure. I’d like that.”

  I lean down and kiss her forehead. “Let’s go.” I grab her hand, leading her to my SUV.

  We make our way toward my place. Before the grandkids I lived in an apartment in the city, but after, I wanted a place closer to my daughter. My house had been kind of a dump when I bought it, and the in-ground pool had been a mess.

 

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