by Amy Reece
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
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Safe Guard
By Amy Reece
Safe Guard
Copyright © 2017 by Amy Reece.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: August 2017
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-199-9
ISBN-10: 1-64034-199-4
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This is for the women who do it all: marriage, career, and family. Keep kickin’ ass and takin’ names, ladies! We rock!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
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Chapter One
Hugh
October
I’m going to kill my sister. It was his first thought as Chrissy walked up the aisle toward Finn and his groomsmen. His second was more along the lines of: I am in so much trouble. He’d done a decent job of denying his attraction for his brother’s partner for the past few months, but how could he ignore the vision gliding toward him? He was used to seeing her in her work clothes and that was fine by him. It was easier to think of her as only a friend when she was wearing her usual jeans and blazer, although those tight jeans had fueled quite a few uncomfortably sexy dreams lately. God, he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight!
He knew one of his sisters, probably both, were responsible for choosing the bridesmaids’ dresses. Mel may have had some voice in her own wedding, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Cara and Izzy were to blame for the midnight blue strapless creation all three of them were wearing. He caught a glimpse of both of his sisters advancing up the aisle behind Chrissy, but they couldn’t hold his attention. His eyes were glued to her golden tan, sculpted shoulders, and arms. He’d known, could tell, she was incredibly fit and strong, but seeing her in the flesh—God, so much flesh!—was another thing entirely. The bodice of the dress lovingly encased two firm, perfectly sized breasts, which he knew would haunt his dreams for months. The skirt was short, of course, highlighting her endless slender legs. She must be nearly six feet tall. He’d stood next to her often enough to know she was just a few inches shorter than his own six foot three inches. He dragged his gaze back to her gorgeous face. She’d done something different, fancier with her short blonde hair. It was slicked back behind her ears with a sparkly clip on one side. He’d always preferred women with long hair, but the short, sexy cut suited her.
She reached the front of the aisle and glanced at him briefly, flashing him a quick, hesitant smile before she moved to her place. Mel had asked her to be a bridesmaid to fill out her side since Finn had three brothers and wanted them all to stand up with him. Izzy and Cara were her other bridesmaids, and the four women had become close over the past two months since Finn and Mel had announced their engagement. Because he was Finn’s best man, he’d spent quite a bit of time with her as well as they planned the various wedding-related activities. It was heaven. It was torture.
Cara, the maid of honor, finally reached the front and took her place right before the music changed and Mel appeared at the end of the aisle. Oh, wow. She was achingly beautiful and only had eyes for his brother. Hugh glanced at his brother and was struck by the expression of utter love and contentment on his face. What would it be like to feel that way about a woman? I’m starting to think I’ll never know. He was thirty-four and hadn’t managed to find the right one yet. He’d thought the last one was the one, but no. Definitely not.
He fumbled a bit when it came time to hand the ring over to Finn. He’d been staring at Chrissy, of course. He couldn’t begin to remember what the homily had been about or if there even was one. Surely there had been. He barely remembered taking communion. “Here. Sorry.”
Finn gave him a quick glance and frown, but turned back to his bride without comment. Within a very few minutes, Father Ortega was declaring Finn and Mel man and wife and his brother was kissing his bride. He was happy for them; they both deserved nothing but happiness after what they’d been through in the past few months. First, Finn had been hit by a car while out running, nearly killing him. Hugh still got a pang in his gut when he remembered Finn lying in a hospital bed in ICU, hooked up to more machines than he could count. Finn had finally gotten rid of his walking boot two weeks before. He’d attacked his physical therapy with steely determination; he vowed he would be walking, unaided, for his wedding. He made it, but still had a noticeable limp.
Mel had been stalked for several months, nearly losing her life when her house was set ablaze. Hugh had recently finished the reconstruction that added a second floor above the new two-car garage as well as a gorgeous gourmet kitchen. Mel loved to cook and it hadn’t taken much to talk her into it. He’d given her a great price, of course, basically doing all the work for the cost of the materials. He’d paid for the labor for his crew out of his own pocket, quietly telling Finn to consider it a wedding present. He hadn’t wanted to make a profit from his future sister-in-law. She and Finn had decided to sell his house and move into hers, a wise decision as far as Hugh was concerned.
He watched the newly married couple kiss, smiling as it went on longer than usual. He heard Seamus and Tony whistle and whoop and saw Finn and Mel exchange a private grin as they finally broke apart. Then they were recessing and Hugh took Cara’s arm to lead her to the limousine, which would take them back to his parents’ house, where the reception was to be held. They had a lengthy stop for photographs to endure first, however. They finally arrived at his parents’ house and had more wedding ritual to observe before they were finally allowed to eat. He then proceeded to pretend not to watch Chrissy during the delicious sit down dinner his mother had had catered. Mel had wanted a small backyard wedding and allowed Finn’s mother, Moira, to have her way if it stayed within the limits Finn had set: twenty-five guests in addition to their immediate family. Hugh looked around and narrowed his eyes as he realized his mother’s math was somewhat questionable. If there were fewer than a hundred people here, he’d be surprised. Mel had graciously accepted the need for the cere
mony to be in the church, as the DeLucas were devout Catholics.
“Holy shit! Did you have any idea Chris had all that going on?” Tony flipped a rented white chair around and straddled it. He’d removed his midnight blue bow tie hours before, along with his jacket, and looked much more casual now with his sleeves rolled up and shirt untucked.
Hugh tamped down the instant ire he felt when his brother mentioned her. He raised his beer and took a long swig to give himself time to respond evenly. “Hadn’t noticed.” He feared saying anything else, knowing his brother would gleefully use it against him. He’d worked too hard to hide his latent attraction for Chrissy over the past few months to give it up so easily to his younger brother.
“Well, look at her! She’s hot! How old do you think she is? She seems older, don’t you think?”
“She’s thirty-two. Too old for you.” He winced, wishing he could take the words back. They’d slipped out before he’d even thought about it.
Tony paused, beer mid-way to his lips, an unholy grin spreading across his handsome face. He glanced at his brother before taking a long pull from the beer and setting it on the table. “Well, I’ll let her be the judge of that. She’s one of the few women here I’m not related to, so I’m going to ask her to dance. We’ll see where it goes from there. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky. She might be into younger men.”
Hugh gripped his bottle hard and gritted his teeth, determined not to strangle his brother in the middle of Finn’s wedding reception. “Yeah, well, good luck with that.” He shrugged as if it meant nothing to him that his little brother was going to hit on the gorgeous woman he’d been trying not to obsess about for months. He couldn’t afford to get involved with another woman who valued her career over and above everything else in her life. His heart simply couldn’t take it.
Tony grinned again—damn him—and stood. “Don’t wait up, Hugh.”
Hugh watched through narrowed eyes as he crossed the yard and approached Chrissy. He’d hoped to see her smile and shake her head, but although she smiled, it was more radiant than apologetic. Then she placed her hand in Tony’s and allowed him to lead her to the crowded dance floor. Hugh swallowed the bile rising in his throat and realized his beer was empty. He went to get another from the bar, although he didn’t want it; anything was better than watching his brother dance with her. But once he had a fresh beer he couldn’t keep his eyes from straying to the dance floor. She was a good dancer. Tony was enthusiastic, and it was making Chrissy laugh. Hugh had never seen her so carefree and found himself enchanted; at the same time, he was dying inside. The music changed to a slower song and Tony held his arms out. Step away, Chrissy. Shake your pretty head at him and walk the hell away. She smiled and stepped into his arms. He watched as Tony slid an arm around her waist, then let it drift lower. Shit. Enough is enough! He set his beer on the table rather abruptly and crossed the yard, coming to a halt next to them.
“Get lost, Tony. This dance is mine.” He knew he sounded like an ass, but it was better than punching his brother in the face.
***
Chris
How dare he? He waits all night to ask me to dance, then butts in like a goddamn Neanderthal? Tony was no help. He laughed and handed her over to Hugh as if she were some helpless female, as if she had no choice in the matter. Well, she’d show them! She opened her mouth, prepared to deliver a blistering set-down to both brothers, but Hugh took her hand at that moment. They’d never touched before. All words—in fact, the power of speech itself—abandoned her. His hand was rough and warm, sending a physical jolt up her arm to blitz her brain into stupidity and compliance. He slid his other arm around her waist and pulled her in close. She raised her other hand and set it on his broad shoulder and let him lead her into the slow dance. God, he smells so good. It should be illegal to smell this amazing. She’d noticed before, but she’d never had such an intimate dose. She had no idea what aftershave he used, but the way it mixed with his detergent and his own particular scent was heady. She stumbled slightly and he pulled her even closer.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered against her hair.
She swallowed, sudden tears unaccountably close to the surface. What the hell? Why does this man affect me so? She’d just recently managed to learn to control her clumsiness around him. When they’d first met, she couldn’t be around him without tripping over something—often her own two feet—or dropping whatever she happened to be holding. It was ridiculous and embarrassing. She was no inexperienced ingénue, after all. She’d built a successful career in a male-dominated field, making detective before her thirtieth birthday, a record in her precinct—male or female—until Finn came along and bumped up against it. But whenever she found herself near Hugh DeLuca, she lost her freaking mind. He seemed completely oblivious and uninterested in her, however, as evidenced by the way he had refused to ask her to dance all evening. She knew it would be better for her fragile self-esteem if she stayed away. Maybe later. Right now, it felt too good to be held against his warm, solid body. It had been so long since anyone had held her. He was tall enough to make her feel less like the Amazon she resembled and she decided to enjoy it for the brief dance. What harm could it do?
Tony had been fun to dance with, but she felt no attraction to him, although he was certainly good-looking—all the DeLuca boys were—and a lot of fun. She’d danced with Seamus and Finn earlier, but Hugh hadn’t asked her. He’d watched her—she couldn’t miss his brooding glare—but he never asked her to dance. She’d even danced with his father, for heaven’s sake! She’d been tempted to march across the yard and demand to know what the hell was wrong with him, but hadn’t wanted to cause a scene at Finn’s wedding.
“Why?” She hadn’t meant to say the word aloud.
“Why what?” His words vibrated against her body.
She lifted her head and considered his achingly handsome face. “Why did it take you so long to ask me to dance? Every single one of your male relatives asked me, but it took you until 10:30 to ask me, or barge in, rather.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, Chrissy. I don’t have a good excuse.”
She’d been itching for a fight, but he took the wind out of her sails with his apology. She narrowed her eyes at him, then simply nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. He pulled her even closer.
“You look beautiful tonight. I wish I’d told you earlier.”
So did she; she’d felt conspicuous and too exposed all evening. She’d cringed when Cara and Izzy had insisted on the strapless dresses for Mel’s wedding. They both looked amazing, of course, with their dark hair and perfect, petite bodies. She’d never worn anything so revealing. There was so much more of her to hang out of this dress—yards of arms and legs, it felt like. She’d always struggled to feel confident in her own body—all five foot eleven inches of it—and had been mostly successful, working hard to keep toned and fit. But a tight, strapless dress was another matter entirely. Hugh’s compliment felt nice, even if it was a bit late.
She knew why she was so nervous around him, of course. It wasn’t as if it was any big mystery. Her ridiculous crush on him had come on so suddenly. Six months ago, she’d rushed to the hospital as soon as she heard about Finn’s accident, and Hugh was the first member of his family she met. She’d been caught unaware by his rugged good looks. He’d introduced himself and she’d responded by blurting her name—she hadn’t gone by Chrissy since college. She’d been strictly Chris since her police academy days. But Hugh had called her Chrissy ever since. She privately loved it, hugging it to herself like a sweet secret. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She felt his thumb absently caressing the skin of her back and swallowed hard. It felt incredible.
Their bodies swayed together for another minute or two until the music ended. Did he press a kiss against her hair? No, of course not. Why on earth would he do that? Wishful thinking, girl!
“Thanks for the dance, Chrissy.”
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into buying me a beer,
could I?” Where had those words come from? She’d intended to tell him he was welcome and leave him standing on the dance floor, hopefully feeling awkward.
He said nothing, but smiled and ushered her off the floor toward the bar.
Two beers later—it was an open bar so she didn’t feel too bad—she was feeling the effects of the liquid courage and could enjoy laughing with him, sharing anecdotes from their respective jobs. He made construction work sound interesting. Or maybe it was simply that she loved anything he said with his deep voice. God, she was pathetic.
“So, you’re staying at the house while they’re on their honeymoon?” Hugh gestured to the newlyweds as he took a sip of his beer and set it on the table.
“Yeah. It will be better for CJ and Fluff to stay in their own house rather than be boarded. That’s always hard on pets.”
“That’s really nice of you. Finn said you refused to let them pay you for housesitting.”
“He’s my partner and Mel’s my friend. You don’t take money from friends. Besides, I don’t have any pets or plants, so it’s no problem.” It wasn’t a burden to give up her crappy little apartment for two weeks to stay in Mel and Finn’s beautiful home while they were in Hawaii.
“If you need anything while you’re there, give me a call. Okay? You have my number, right?”
She nodded. She wouldn’t need anything, of course. She was perfectly capable of dealing with anything that might come up. She carried a gun, after all. She wished she had the nerve to tell him to stop by if he had a free moment, but she’d used up all her courage when she’d basically forced him to buy her a beer. He’d have to make the next move if there was going to be a next move. Did she want that? Stupid question. Of course she wanted that. She’d been crushing on him like a high school girl for months, stopping short of doodling his name in her notebook. It wasn’t like her. Or maybe it was. She’d never been very good at letting men know she was interested, and since she and her long-time boyfriend, Greg, had called it quits two years ago, there had been nothing but the most casual of dates.