Guarding Antonia

by Nicole Flockton

  She went to jab his chest again, but his big hand closed over hers, pinning it to him. “I thought about it and decided that you shouldn’t do this alone. So here I am.”

  She rolled her eyes. Did he really expect her to believe him? He’d made up his mind before he left her apartment that he would be with her when she made her statement. “Do you think I came down in the last rain shower? You had this planned.”

  He shrugged his shoulders and she gritted her teeth in frustration. God, he was so annoying. And why couldn’t the man look ugly? Dressed in black pants and an ice-blue shirt that only highlighted his eyes more, he could be posing for GQ magazine, not waiting to enter a police station with her.

  As much as she wanted to fight him for being a presumptions dick, deep down she was glad he was here. Brave as she thought she was, the thought of giving her statement was tying her up in knots. Having him by her side would give her the strength she needed to get through it all.

  But there was no way in hell she was ever going to let him know that. It was a little secret between her and her mind.

  “Fine.” The word erupted out of her. It was becoming her favorite word when responding to anything he said. “Let’s go.”

  She turned and walked to the front door, her heels clicking out an impatient tattoo. Before she could get her hand on the handle, Robot’s was there, opening the heavy glass door for her. Damn the man, and his gentlemanly ways. Why did he have to be so appealing? How many women would like to have a big sexy SEAL by their side? A lot.

  The thought of seeing him at any of the team’s get-togethers with another woman spiked a flash of jealousy so hot inside of her she was surprised steam didn’t come out of her.

  Their lives were so complicated now. Had become that way the second she stepped into his backyard all those months ago. She’d been going to meet Joker, but the moment she spied Robot, standing tall and looking all powerfully delicious, all thoughts of hooking up with Joker had flown out the window. As it turned out, they were never meant to be anyway because Joker was meant for Suzie, and she was still married to the man walking beside her.

  “When this is done, we need to sort out filing the papers to annul this joke of a marriage.” She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to him, hands on hips. “And speaking of our marriage, I can’t believe you blurted it out to the rest of the team that we were married. Why would you do that?”

  “Now is not the time, nor the place, to discuss it.” She opened her mouth to protest but he held up his hand, stopping any response from her. “I’m not saying we don’t need to discuss it, because we do. All I could think about was getting to you and making sure you were okay that when the cops asked me why I was there, it just popped out.”

  Popped out, my ass.

  But he was right, the middle of the police station wasn’t the place to air their dirty laundry. “I suppose you’re right, but we will talk about this. I can’t believe it’s been complete radio silence from the girls. I’ve got a bad feeling about that.”

  “I asked Italy not to say anything to Erin.”

  “What? Why?” Shocked that he would do that.

  “Because I figured it would be better coming from you than him.”

  Again, with the consideration to her feelings. The man was confusing. Or rather, he was confusing her.

  “Well thank you, I appreciate it.”

  He nodded and they continued on their way to an officer at the front desk who directed them to the row of hard plastic seats lining the wall.

  “I really don’t want to be here,” she muttered as a sudden chill swept over her.

  Robot’s arm landed around her shoulder, pulling her into him. “It’s okay, I’ve got your six. You’re not alone.”

  A sigh shuddered out of her and she placed her hand on his hard thigh. She needed him more than she ever thought she would.

  The sun was low in the sky when they walked out of the building a few hours later. Her eyes hurt from looking at page after page of mugshots. After a while, all the faces seemed to meld together until they all looked alike.

  “Well, that was a waste of an afternoon,” she muttered as she they walked down the stairs.

  “Not really, you gave them a good statement with some good descriptions.”

  She scoffed at Robot’s words. “Good description? I couldn’t give them anything. Now this woman is dead, and her killer is running loose.” A shiver wracked her body at the thought and Robot put his arm around her bringing her close to him.

  She’d never been more grateful for Robot’s presence in her life than she was at this moment. He hadn’t said much at all while she’d given her statement or looked at the pictures. He seemed to be able to anticipate her every need. A drink would turn up beside her when she needed it. Or a hand would rub soothing circles on her back whenever she got overwhelmed.

  Antonia paused at the bottom of the steps and turned so she could look at him directly, dislodging the arm that held her to him.

  “Everything, okay?” he asked quietly, reaching out to take both her hands.

  “I couldn’t have got through this without you, Robot. Thank you for being here for me.”

  “T, there was never any other place I’d be today other than by your side. It was no hardship.”

  Antonia believed every word. “God, I wish I had stayed in bed this morning then I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

  Robot pulled her tight against him and, as his arms enclosed her in his warm embrace, she rested her head against his chest and clung to him. The last thing she wanted was to go back to her empty apartment, but she was also too afraid to ask if she could go to Robot’s place, which was utterly ridiculous because it wasn’t like the guy would say no.

  Maybe she could go to Erin’s.

  No. She squashed that thought quickly. Erin had a new baby and didn’t need a stressed out friend hanging around. Not to mention she could potentially lead a murderer to her best friend’s house.

  “Oh shit,” she said as she remembered what she’d promised her best friend this morning.

  Robot went rigid beneath her fingers. His muscles tightening, ready to spring into action. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “I was supposed to look after my godson today so Erin could get a massage. I was talking to her and making arrangements when it all happened. She sounded so tired and I wanted to help. Some friend I am.”

  He chuckled, and the sound rumbled through her warming her insides. “I’m pretty sure she’s okay with you letting her down. Besides, I think Italy was taking half the day off so he could look after the baby and she could go pamper herself.”

  Antonia wasn’t sure if that was true or not, considering Erin hadn’t mentioned it that morning, but maybe Carlos had been planning to surprise his fiancée. “Still, I probably should call her, I haven’t spoken to her since this morning. And,” she sighed heavily. “I guess I need to tell her about us.”

  How much had her life changed in the last twenty-four hours. Was it just yesterday they’d been standing in a room in Brielle’s dad’s house? It seemed so much longer.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked pulling away a little so she had to look up at him. The intense sincerity in his blue eyes was almost too much to take, yet utterly perfect at the same time.

  Would having him by her side be easier to break the news to her friend or would it be a hindrance?

  What she did know was, she didn’t want to be alone and he was offering to be with her for a little longer.

  “Yeah, I think I would.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I’ll call Italy and give him a heads up. Where are you parked?”

  “In the lot across the street. What about you?”

  He’d pulled his phone out and was holding it up to his ear. “I got an Uber here. Hey, Italy.”

  Antonia stared at him, sure her mouth was hanging open. He Ubered to the police station? Had his plan all along been t
o go home with her? So what if it was? It was what she wanted. She may not have known it when she arrived at the station, but she sure as shit knew it now.

  She tuned out Robot’s conversation. He’d told her he’d asked the guys not to mention anything and with the brotherhood between them on the team, she believed Carlos hadn’t said anything to Erin about her marriage.

  Antonia jumped when Robot’s hand landed on the small of her back. “You ready to go, T?”

  She opened her purse to dig her keys out. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  “Can I have the keys please?” His question was asked in the softest of tones, as if he was afraid she was going to shatter into a million pieces.

  “Why?”

  “I’m driving.” His tone brooked no argument. She may be tired, but she could most definitely drive her own car.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve seen the way you drive. I’d like to get to Erin’s place in one piece.”

  “Be reasonable, Antonia. You’ve had a traumatic day. You’re tired. Let me drive. I promise I’ll drive carefully.”

  She snorted at that. “Right, you don’t even know how to drive carefully. You guys are all the same, zipping in and out of traffic, stopping so close to the car in front it’s amazing you’re not kissing bumpers.”

  He laughed. “And you drive so slow it’s amazing there aren’t cobwebs on your car by the time you get to your destination.”

  “Oh, ha ha ha. Just because I don’t go ten miles over the speed limit like you do, doesn’t mean I drive slow. I’ll have you know that I drive five miles over the limit.”

  He closed the small gap between them, his fingers closing over hers which were clutching her keys. She looked up and her breath caught. His eyes were ablaze with humor, something she’d never seen him in before. It was a heady look she could definitely get drunk on.

  The outside noise seemed to disappear and all her focus zeroed in on the man standing in front of her. The humor in his eyes faded and was replaced by desire, their color going a darker blue. She was trapped, and she didn’t want to escape. The attraction between them was as hot and as intense as it had been that night in Vegas, and then again, a year ago, at his house.

  His free hand came up and framed her face. Her nipples peaked against her bra and heat suffused her body.

  “Antonia,” he breathed before he closed the gap between them. She helped him by going up on her tiptoe and their lips melded together. His mouth was gentle on hers, so different from the first ravishing kisses they’d shared the night they’d met. Then, all they wanted was to consume each other.

  She wound her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer to his. He was hard to her soft.

  Before she was ready for it to end, Robot pulled away from her and rested his forehead against hers. “We should go. When I talked to Italy he said he wants us to come over. Erin’s worried about you. She’s left you a ton of messages, apparently.”

  Antonia pulled herself out of the trance she’d fallen into with Robot’s kiss and took a couple of steps away from him. Her fingers touched her swollen lips. She’d always lost her track of time when they kissed. The last two kisses they’d shared seemed different—more meaningful than any of the other ones they’d shared.

  She pushed aside the fanciful thoughts. Her emotions were all over place, which meant it was the worst time to even think about what feelings she was experiencing by being with Robot again.

  Taking a calming breath, she reached into her purse and extracted her phone from the side pocket. The second the screen lit up, it was full of notifications. She smiled ruefully and held it up for Robot to see. “I put my phone on silent when I got into the car to come to the police station. Guess I should’ve thought about checking it earlier.”

  He stooped to pick up her keys. She hadn’t known she’d dropped them, but the second Robot’s lips had landed on hers, her mind had focused only on him. “You can read and answer while I drive us.”

  The thought of arguing with him flashed across her mind before she immediately dismissed it. If she was being truthful, she didn’t want to deal with rush hour traffic. “Fine, you win this time. But I’ll be driving myself home.”

  He gave a non-committal grunt and she rolled her eyes. Now this was the Robot she was very familiar with.

  Chapter 4

  “Are you ready for this?” Robot asked as he turned the engine off and they sat in Erin and Italy’s driveway.

  Antonia had been quiet the whole drive from the police station to their house. Not surprising considering the afternoon she’d had, plus she’d been busy dealing with her text messages.

  At least she had a little more color in her face now. When they’d walked out of the police station, she’d been pale and her normally fiery brown eyes were dull and murky like the mud flats they’d spent hours in during BUD/s training.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She unhooked her seatbelt and faced him. “It’s not like we have any choice. We can’t quietly dissolve our marriage now seeing as you blurted it out to your entire team.”

  The last thing he wanted to do was get into an argument with Antonia in Italy’s driveway. She may think she was feeling better after everything she’d been through, but she’d forgotten he’d held her while she cried out her shock. He’d been by her side while she recounted everything she’d seen for the police. Hearing her describe the way the man had repeatedly stabbed that woman made his blood run cold.

  The missions he’d been on over his career as a SEAL hadn’t been pleasant and he’d seen many atrocities against women. He’d divined great pleasure in shooting the balls off many guys who’d raped innocent women and children. He’d gladly shoot this murdering bastard in the balls, if he ever found him, just for scaring his woman.

  “Robot, are you okay?”

  Antonia’s voice pulled him from the dark thoughts he’d fallen into. He didn’t often think about all he’d seen. Over the years he’d perfected the art of compartmentalizing his job from his personal life. Normally they never intertwined. Today they overlapped. “Yeah, I’m fine. Look, I’m not going to apologize for what I said. Regardless of what we thought, we are married and today you needed your husband. I would do it all over again if I had to.” And he’d keep doing it. For some reason, they’d been given a second chance and he planned to make the most of it. “Come on, let’s go in before Italy comes out and asks us why we’re sitting in his driveway.”

  He got out and slammed the car door shut, then strode around the front of the car and grabbed Antonia’s door as she opened it. He held out his hand and breathed out when she placed her hand in his. A small show of trust, but he’d take any he could get. He gave it a gentle squeeze before closing her door and pressing the lock button on her key fob.

  They’d taken two steps before the front door of the house opened and a whirling dervish disguised as Erin rushed out and grabbed hold of Antonia pulling her into a tight hug, dislodging their joined hands.

  “Oh Toni, I’ve been so scared all day. If Carlos hadn’t come home, poor Kieran would’ve spent the day starving and in a dirty diaper. Why didn’t you call me back? I’ve been an absolute mess.” The fear in Erin’s voice was plain and he mentally kicked himself for not thinking of sending a message after they’d finished everything, to let the guys know Antonia was all right.

  Robot stood back, letting the friends comfort each other in a silent hug. Over the top of their heads, he spied Italy in the doorway arms crossed. He lifted his chin and received one in response.

  “How about we go inside,” he suggested to the two women.

  Erin kept her friend close and Antonia sent him a small smile and mouthed thank you. What did she think he’d do? Yank her back in his arms. He wasn’t that much of a douche not to know that Erin needed reassurance that nothing was wrong with her friend.

  The two women walked inside and as he was about to cross the threshold when Italy stilled his movement.

  “You need something?” he a
sked.

  “Truthfully, how is she? She looks fine, but outside appearances can be deceiving.”

  Robot sighed. “She’s holding up really well. But yeah, the shock hit her not long after you guys left and I’m betting it’s going to be the same later on. You know how it is.”

  Normally he pounded the pavement in an attempt to outrun the demons after returning from a mission. Then he’d find himself talking to his commander or one of the shrinks they had on base. He wasn’t ashamed to seek help when he needed it and encouraged the other guys on the team to do the same. When they were in the middle of a shit storm the last thing any one of them needed was one of the team losing himself in his head and putting them all in danger. Even though they groused about it all the time, the guys on the team followed orders and talked to professionals when the need arose. That alone was one of the reasons their team was so effective.

  “You plan on staying with her tonight?” Italy asked.

  “Yep.” Robot had a fair idea that when he presented that fact to Antonia she was going to try and fight him, but on this, he wasn’t going to budge.

  “Good.” Italy nodded and then lowered his voice. “Has she forgiven you for blurting out about you guys being—you know.” He pointed to his ring finger on his left hand.

  “For the moment. I think her mind is full of what she’s been through. I’m guessing she’ll drag my ass over the coals soon enough.”

  Italy slapped him on the back, laughing. “That I’d like to see. There’s a bit to this story about you guys being married, isn’t there?”

  “Yep.” He didn’t want to get into with Italy in the hallway of his house. “Come on, let’s see what the girls are doing.”

  He turned his back on his friend and headed for the living room, the likely place where Antonia and Erin would’ve headed.

  They should’ve discussed how they were going to broach the subject of their marriage to Erin. He had no idea how she’d react to the news. From the time Erin turned up with Antonia in his backyard over a year ago, he would’ve had to been blind not to see the closeness of the relationship between the two women. They’d been best friends since high school and probably shared everything. They could have even made some sort of wedding pact like two women associated with Ghost and Truck of the Delta team they’d worked with recently had made.