Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  I was starting to get worried about what was taking him so long.

  I guess I can’t blame him for worrying all the time...

  I picked up my phone and called him.

  “Hey, Ells, I’m so sorry I haven’t called. I just realized how late it is,” he answered.

  “That’s alright, is everything okay?”

  “Not really.” He sighed. “It’s a shit storm down here. I fired the project manager this morning and I’ve spent the rest of this time trying to sort out his mess.”

  Oh hell. He was pissed.

  “Shit. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Thanks, pretty girl, but I’ve got it handled. I’m hoping to have a new project manager organized for Monday, but the bad news is I’m going to be stuck here until about four.”

  “That’s fine. Quinn drove in this morning too so we can both just go back to our apartment, get what we need and I’ll bring her with me to your house and meet you there around five.”

  “I’ll have Brody go with you.”

  Brody! That is the Hulk’s name.

  “We’ll be fine, cowboy. I’ll have Reeve meet us in the parking garage and come up with us.”

  He paused for a minute, and I could tell he was deciding whether or not it was safe enough. “Okay. But I want you to let me know that Reeve can be there, otherwise you’re taking Brody. Deal?”

  I twisted a strand of hair around my finger. “Deal.” I could hear people yelling in the background. It was pretty obvious he had his hands full. “I’ll let you go. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. See you soon, baby.”

  I called Q and Reeve next and they were both fine with the plan.

  I sent Law a quick message so he wouldn’t worry.

  “Reeve is meeting us at the apartment x.”

  I called Weston into my office and we spent the last few hours of the day working through the mountain of paperwork on my desk. It was an extremely productive afternoon. I had to give credit to the Hulk for not distracting me from my work even once.

  Maybe having a bodyguard wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  I text Quinn to let her know I was heading down to my Jeep. Brody walked me down, saw me into the vehicle and then stood against the wall waiting for me to drive out.

  A message came through from Quinn.

  “Running 5 mins late, meet you at home.”

  I turned on the Jeep and waved to the Hulk as I drove out. He didn’t wave back.

  ***

  I had been driving for about five minutes when I came into some traffic. I turned up the radio and started to sing along. I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw a black BMW sedan with heavy tints right behind me. Behind that was a long line of traffic.

  I hate traffic.

  I decided to try my luck with getting across a couple lanes and going the long way home. The distance was further, but it would be faster if the roads were clear. I made it across and mentally high-fived myself. It was nowhere near as busy this way. I pulled up to a set of lights and text Quinn, instructing her which way to go to avoid the chaos. I glanced in my mirror again and was surprised to see the same BMW still behind me.

  Guess I’m not the only one with that plan.

  I moved through another two sets of lights and turned the corner. I couldn’t help myself from checking my mirrors again. My naturally suspicious instincts got the better of me.

  My heart jumped as I saw the dark car was still behind me. I reached for my phone to call Lawson, but stopped myself. There was no point in stressing him out for nothing. He had enough on his plate.

  I made a last-minute turn back towards a small suburb.

  The car followed.

  I spotted a complex set of lights and indicated to turn left, but at the last minute decided to go right.

  The car followed.

  Shit! Shit! Shit!

  It was pretty clear I was being tailed. I took a deep breath and told myself not to freak the hell out. One part of my brain was screaming at me to get to the apartment, but the other, slightly more rational part knew I couldn’t lead this guy to where I lived.

  I changed lanes and made a right turn, instead of the left that would lead me back toward our building. It took me to a more populated area, there were people walking down the footpaths – it gave me a feeling of security.

  I looked around the small suburb and spotted a busy coffee shop. The BMW was a few cars back from me now. I pulled to a stop outside the shop and locked my door. I was shaking so badly it took me three tries before my phone finally started to ring out to Lawson.

  “Hey, baby.”

  “Lawson, I’m in trouble,” I said in a rush.

  “What happened? Where are you?” I could hear him breathing heavily. He was already running.

  “I’m in the Jeep, he’s following me. I... I don’t know exactly where I am.” I looked around. “Outside ‘The Coffee Cup’.”

  “Shit!”

  “What do I do?” My voice was barely more than a whisper.

  “What the hell are you doing all the way over there?” Lawson was furious. I heard a car door slam and him rev the engine of his truck.

  Lawson’s coming.

  “I got stuck in traffic, so I took the long way. Then I turned away, I didn’t want to lead him home.” My voice was shaky and tears were streaming down my face.

  “Where is he? Describe the car to me, baby.”

  I swung around and spotted the car parked a short way down the road. “He’s still watching me. It’s a few cars down. A BMW sedan, black with dark tints.”

  “You did good, baby. I’m coming, okay?”

  I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me.

  “Listen to me, El, I have to hang up, okay? I need to call Mark. As soon as you get off with me, I want you to get the best picture you can of that car. If you can get the license plate too, then even better. Then I need you to call Reeve and stay on the line with him until Mark or I get to you. Do not open the door for anyone other than the two of us. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. Okay. I can do it.”

  “I love you, I’m coming, El.”

  The line went dead and a loud sob tore from my throat.

  Get it together, El.

  I had a job to do. A photo might get us one step closer to finding this guy. I turned and snapped a few pictures. Half of the license plate was covered by another car.

  I dialed Reeve.

  “Hey, El.”

  “I’m being followed,” I blurted out.

  “What?”

  “Lawson said I had to call you and stay on the line until he gets here.”

  “He’s on his way?” he demanded.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Take a deep breath, El.”

  I tried to do what he said.

  “You’ll be okay. Lawson won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  I nodded and tried to remember to breathe.

  “Tell me about the car.”

  I took another deep breath. “It’s a black BMW sedan. It’s got heavy tints, I can’t even make out a figure in there. It’s parked about half a dozen cars back,” I whispered.

  “Where did it follow you from?”

  “I’m not sure. I noticed it about five minutes after I left work, so I guess it was from there.”

  “This shit is getting out of hand.”

  I could hear him pacing the room, he was probably in his apartment. “Shit, I forgot about Quinn. Can you text her and make sure she’s okay?”

  “Yeah, okay, hang on.” I heard him tapping out a message. She must have replied instantly. “She’s just pulled into the garage, I’ll head down to get her.”

  Thank god.

  “Thank you, Reeve.”

  “Shit,” he muttered. “This is bullshit.” I heard him get into the elevator and I was surprised the connection didn’t drop.

  I was watching the BMW through my side mirror when it indicated to pull out into traffic. �
�Reeve, he’s moving.”

  “Towards you or away?”

  “Towards,” I squeaked.

  “Okay, El, I want you to look away from the road, I want you to laugh and look as though you don’t have a care in the world. Don’t let this creep know he’s spooked you. Can you do that, honey?”

  I dropped my eyes from the mirror and tried my best to laugh convincingly.

  I heard Reeve talking to Quinn in the background. He passed her the phone.

  “El?”

  My laughter stopped. “Q,” I sniveled.

  “Is he gone?” she asked quietly.

  I peeked up and saw the car turning the corner. “He’s gone,” I whispered.

  “He’s gone,” I heard her tell Reeve in the background.

  A loud knock on my passenger window had me just about jumping out of my skin.

  I sighed in relief when I saw Mark standing on the sidewalk. “I have to go, Q. Mark’s here.” I hung up and lowered the window.

  “Where is he?” His voice was all business.

  I pointed down the road. “He turned left no more than a minute ago. Black BMW.”

  Mark lifted his phone and barked orders at whoever was on the other end. His eyes softened as he looked back at me. “Are you okay, Ellerslie?”

  I nodded. I’d been better – but I was safe. “I’m okay. Do you know how far away Lawson is?”

  Mark looked around and pointed down the street. I swung around and saw him running towards me. I was expecting him to head to Mark, but instead he came to the driver’s side, swung the door open with so much force I was concerned it was going to come off its hinges, and tugged me roughly into his arms.

  The minute our skin met, I was okay. His touch calmed me, even though I could tell he was anything but calm himself.

  “Thank god you’re okay, baby. Fuck, I was going crazy.”

  “I’m okay, it was just a scare. You’re here now.”

  “I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he growled. Cars started honking. Between my car door and Lawson’s giant frame, we were blocking half the road. “Scoot over, Ells.” He unbuckled my belt and I shimmied into the passenger seat. Lawson climbed in the driver’s seat.

  “Mark, can you get in?”

  Mark nodded and climbed into the back seat of the Jeep. “My man got the license plate, but couldn’t get through traffic to follow him. We lost him at a light change,” he told us.

  “I want more men on this. I don’t care about the cost.”

  Mark nodded. “Consider it done.”

  He looked at me. “Ellerslie?” His voice was soft. “Did you get any photos?”

  I nodded and handed him my phone. “They’re not great. And the tints were too dark to make out who was driving anyway.”

  “Can you email these through to me? You never know what we might be able to pull from them.”

  I took the phone back and sent them straight through. “Done.”

  “Hopefully the license plate will turn up a clue.” Lawson looked at Mark. “What do you think?”

  Mark sighed. “I can hope, but considering there was no effort made to conceal it, I can only assume it won’t be overly helpful.”

  Lawson ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

  I reached out and took his hand in mine. “Can we go home? Everyone will be arriving soon.”

  “Yeah, that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day, pretty girl.”

  We finished up with Mark and Lawson drove me back to my apartment. He assured me that he’d sort out getting his truck back, and sure enough, when Quinn, Lawson and I arrived back to his house, it was there waiting.

  Lawson hadn’t let me out of his sight the entire time I packed and talked to Reeve. My brother hadn’t been much better, he was spinning out. He and Lisa weren’t coming to Lawson’s place until tomorrow and I could see he was having a hard time letting me go.

  It was comical really, Lawson was constantly within arm’s reach of me, but yet Reeve was still worried. The two of them were going to go prematurely gray if they didn’t calm the hell down.

  I plopped down on Lawson’s couch and called Zef in. Having him near me made me feel safe. I’d booked him into some classes for next week and I was excited to start training him alongside Lawson.

  I hoped that getting Zef trained properly might help Lawson relax a bit too. I’d have my own four-legged bodyguard. Lawson sat down next to me and rubbed Zefer’s head.

  “I booked him some classes for next week,” I told Lawson.

  “Oh really? Thanks, baby.”

  “No problem. I’m looking forward to it.”

  He looked at me in confusion. “You want to come?”

  My heart sank. “I don’t have to... I thought it would be fun, but that’s okay.”

  His face spread into a megawatt grin. “I’d love you to come, I just didn’t realize you’d want to.”

  I smacked him lightly on the arm. “You know I love this dog.” Zef bumped my hand with his head and I gave his ears a scratch.

  “You love me more though, right?” Lawson asked.

  I laughed as I got up off the couch in search of a shower.

  “Ells? I’m serious,” he called out after me.

  I just laughed louder.

  62. Lawson

  I got out of the shower and could already feel the lack of testosterone in my house.

  The girls are here.

  I could hear the laughing and squealing coming from downstairs. Even Zef had come up to my bedroom to hide out. I chuckled at his face as I wrapped a towel around my waist and went to find some sweat pants.

  I was hoping to God that no one wanted to go out tonight – I wasn’t sure I could handle it after El being followed today.

  Shit.

  I couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to let her drive around alone like that. At the very least I should have made sure Quinn was with her. It was a mistake I wouldn’t be making again.

  I heard El squeal from downstairs and Zef and I both took off towards the noise. I burst into the living room and was met with five sets of eyes staring at me.

  “I told you to shut up.” Quinn pointed at El.

  El grimaced and skipped over to me. “Sorry, cowboy,” she whispered.

  Zef nudged her legs until she rubbed his head.

  “I was just freaking out; Jem got married in Vegas.” She jumped up and down in excitement.

  I chuckled and looped my arm around her waist.

  Brooke stepped out and smiled at me. “Good to see you again, Lawson. I’d hug you, but you forgot a shirt.”

  I looked down.

  Shit.

  El giggled. “I’m not complaining.”

  I kissed her on the head. “Give me two minutes.”

  “I’m not complaining either,” I heard one of the girls call as I left the room and I smirked.

  Trouble.

  I raced up the stairs and threw on the first t-shirt I could find. When I got back down the girls were all swarmed around who I assumed was Jemma – rapid firing questions at her.

  “Sorry, Brooke. How have you been?” I gave her a light hug. Brooke was a pretty girl, she had dark skin, hair and eyes. She was about the same height as Quinn and was slim like her too.

  “I’ve been good. Thanks for offering to have us, especially you know, after last time.”

  I chuckled at her guilty face. “Yeah, I’d say you owe me one.”

  El cocked her head with an amused expression on her face.

  “My sister and her friend here got me into some trouble the last time I saw them together. Just about got my ass kicked,” I explained to her.

  “That doesn’t sound like them at all,” she replied dryly.

  Quinn stuck her tongue out at El.

  “Lawson, this is Jem.” She led the blonde girl towards me.

  I hugged her and congratulated her on her marriage. She was shorter than El and Q and had dark eyes.

  “And this is Stacey
.” Stacey was short with light brown hair and blue eyes.

  “Girls, this is my boyfriend, Lawson.” I loved hearing those words come from her mouth. I caught her eyes and they were shining. She liked it as much as I did.

  I gave Stacey a hug too and made small talk with them all for a few minutes.

  “Does anyone want a drink?” I asked them. I got a chorus of yeses so I snuck off to the kitchen.

  “Holy shit, El,” I heard Stacey say. “That man is banging. Where do I find one of them?”

  I chuckled. There was going to be trouble when Josh arrived. He was the pretty-boy of the group – all the girls went crazy for him.

  I poured five wines, and after opening myself a beer, I sent Logan a text.

  “Can you bastards hurry up, I’m knee-deep in females over here.”

  I grinned as I read the reply.

  “I’ll be something else deep inside a female by the end of the night. Be there in five.”

  That had to be Rome. Logan must have been driving. I put my phone on the kitchen counter and took the girls their wines.

  “The guys will be here pretty soon,” I told El.

  My girl was so beautiful. Her cheeks were filled with color from talking excitedly with her friends – actually, I wasn’t sure they were talking to one another, they seemed to be all talking over each other. They sure as shit were excited.

  “I can’t wait to meet them.” El beamed.

  Stacey let out a loud shriek and I winced.

  El giggled. “Sorry, but I did warn you, cowboy.”

  “You did. And yet somehow I was not prepared,” I teased.

  She snuggled into my side and I kissed the top of her head.

  Quinn caught my eye and smiled. She looked as happy as El did.

  I heard a loud knock on the door at the same time as my phone rang loudly from the kitchen.

  “I’ll get the door, you get the phone,” El called as she walked in the direction of the front door.

  63. Ellerslie

  I laughed at Lawson’s face as I went in the direction of the door, it was as if I was walking into the lion’s den.

  Hell, maybe I was.

  I could handle these boys. I ran a company for God’s sake. Three men weren’t going to scare me.