His To Protect
Bianca Wynters
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9781520571546
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my family. To my husband for always encouraging me to write if it makes me happy. To my kids who understand that when mom gets entranced into her writing, it may take a little effort to bring her back from her fantasy world.
This book is also dedicated to friends who I may not see often or even talk to every day, but when we do talk we can pick up just where we left off, you guys are the absolute best!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Raine, I could not have done this without you!! You are an inspiration. After everything that you have been through you are still going strong. I hope you know you are never alone; we are always here for you! I love and miss you every day!
Chapter 1
Lana
It has been a long and busy day, I have spent most of it packing up the last four years of my life. This is my last two weeks here in BFE Louisiana. As part of my scholarship program, I had to agree to work in a rural area for two years after graduation. However, I immediately fell in love with my co-workers and my patients, so I stayed even after my two years were up. As much as I love it here I have finally decided that I have put my Master's degree off as long as I can; so I applied to several programs and was accepted.
My first semester at Emory University starts in a few weeks. After living in the middle of nowhere, the move to Atlanta will be a big adjustment for me. Hell, I grew up in a small town; I have only lived in a city while I was in school and even then the city was small. All of these changes happening so fast is a little overwhelming, but nothing I can't handle if I put my mind to it.
I am lost in thought as I continue to pack when the phone rings. I glance at the clock. “Oh shit, I’m late,” I answer the phone knowing it will be Morgan on the line calling to let me know she is on her way to my house for our night out. I don’t even say hello; I simply say “I’m getting in the shower now, let yourself in. I’ll see you in a few.” I hear Morgan laugh and say she will be here in about ten minutes or so. She knew I would get caught up and lose track of time. I get out a bottle of Strawberry Moscato and a glass for her; I know she will make herself at home.
I take a quick shower, and when I get out, I can hear music coming from the living room, so I know Morgan made it safely. I quickly dress in a gray sweater, a pair of dark skinny jeans and a pair of black knee boots. It’s times like this when I am thankful that I wear only minimal makeup. I run some mascara over my lashes and add some pink gloss to my lips, and my makeup is done. I quickly run a straightener through my hair to smooth it out, and I am ready to go.
As I head to the living room, I can hear Morgan on the phone making plans. When I enter the room she is hanging up; when she turns to look at me, she has a mischievous look in her eyes that lets me know that she is up to something. I don’t even bother to ask; I know better. It would not do any good to argue with her anyway. When Morgan has decided something, it is best to just roll with it.
Once we are in the truck and on the highway, Morgan decides to tell me there has been a slight change in plans for tonight. This really does not surprise me since I figured she was up to something. She continues by saying that we are going to Natchitoches to see the lights and fireworks; oh and Chase and his friend Ash are going to meet us there. I’m ok with this change; it could have been worse
We make the hour and a half drive to Natchitoches without a problem. This place is packed; Christmas time always draws large crowds from all over. The Christmas Festival of Lights is one of the biggest and best light displays in the country. We finally find a place to park and start our several block walk to where we are supposed to meet Chase and Ash. When we round the corner and spot them, Morgan decides to tell me the rest of the story...I should have known it was too easy.
“Lana, did I mention that the guys are staying in town for the next couple of weeks? Chase is actually going home with me for the holidays, but he didn’t want Ash to be alone, so he suggested that he stay with you; I kind of told him it would be fine.”
This stops me in my tracks “Morgan what the fuck did you just say?” She stopped with me; “come on Lana please do this for me. I hate the idea of you being alone for the holidays. Ash is a good guy. It will be good for you both to have company. Plus, Chase and I really need this time together.” All I ca do is glare at her and tell her that she owes me for this. She squeals with delight “I knew I could count on you; what am I going to do when you leave? With that said I turn and start walking toward the guys again. I plaster a fake smile on my face as we approach them; I don’t want them to think I am upset about anything, after all, the goal tonight is to have some much-needed fun.
When we reach the guys, Chase sweeps Morgan up in a big bear hug causing her to laugh and giggle. When he sets her back down, he leans in and kisses my cheek then introduces me to Ash. I take Ash’s outstretched hand to shake; as soon as we touch it is like sparks from a fire. I look up and meet his eyes which tell me he feels the same thing. His smile makes me want to melt right there on the sidewalk.
Ash is one of those guys that you see in movies or in magazines that have been photo-shopped because there is no way they look that good in real life; only he really does look that good. He stands at about 6’5”. His body just exudes strength, yet he is not bulky. I am going to guess martial arts and endurance training because he is long and lean. He has choppy black hair that is just asking to have fingers run through it and green eyes that a girl could get lost in.
Chapter 2
Ash
It’s my first full night back in Louisiana; I haven’t been here since my junior year of high school. We moved to Atlanta after my mom lost her battle with cancer. I was miserable when we first moved. The move took me from open roads in a small town straight into the heart of the city; I hated it. Luckily, I adjusted fairly quickly and made some good friends while playing football. Although it was only high school ball, we played as if our lives depended on it. All of the hard work paid off though since we won the state championship; for us seniors, it was a hell of a way to go out. Thanks to the phenomenal season I was able to sign on to play football for Vanderbilt University.
Shortly after graduation, I moved to Nashville for school. It was hard leaving my dad and little sister. I feel just as responsible for Clara as if she were my own child. After the move to Atlanta, it seems like dad was always working so most days and nights it was up to me to make sure she had dinner and finished her homework. I helped her with all of her projects and even supervised slumber parties she wanted to have. I can tell you first hand it is not easy for an eighteen-year-old boy to contain a house full of eight-year-old girls. As crazy at it felt then I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.
That was ten years ago, Clara graduated high school this year; she got a full academic scholarship to Johns Hopkins University. She started this fall. We usually spend the holidays together, but this year it just has not worked out. Clara is participating in some research trials so she is staying in Baltimore and dad actually has a new girlfriend that he is taking on a cruise for the holidays. That leaves just me so when Chase called to see if I wanted to come down to Louisiana I said sure…leading to the here and now. Chase is my closest friend, we played football together our senior year in Georgia and then we both played at Vanderbilt. However, even he does not know that I am originally from Louisiana and actually not too far from where he lives now.
When I first made it to Chase’s we were planning on it being just us because his relationship with Morgan had hit
a rough spot and they were taking a break away from each other so they could figure out if it was worth fighting for. They seem to have figured things out, and now they have plans to spend the holidays with Morgan’s family. I am happy that they worked everything out; it is good to see him so happy.
I told Chase that since he will be going with Morgan that I will change my flight and head back home early. He was adamant about me staying. He said that he is only going to be gone for a few days and will be home in time to celebrate New Years. I tried to argue that I wasn’t going to stay at this house while he was gone that wouldn’t be right. This is when he decided to plant the idea of me staying with Morgan’s friend Lana. Chase told me that Lana will be alone for the holidays and that Morgan is worried about her being by herself. If I stay with her, it will also keep us both from spending the holidays alone. If I don’t agree to stay with her, and she is alone I will feel guilty if something were to happen to her; even if I do not know her personally. The next time Chase talked to Morgan she confirmed that everything was set up and that Lana was glad to have the company; the only stipulation is that I excuse the mess and all of the moving boxes that are scattered through Lana’s house. If she is ok with the company then who am I to say no and I really would like to celebrate New Years with Chase.
We make it downtown Natchitoches by Cane River so that we can meet up with the girls. I forgot how many lights the city puts up for the Christmas Festival. Growing up they only did fireworks on the first weekend lights were on. Apparently, over the years they now do fireworks over the river every Saturday.
As we wait for the girls, I find myself anxious, almost nervous to meet Lana. We are supposed to spend several days together after tonight. What happens if our personalities do not work well together and we do not get along? Sometimes when you first meet someone, you automatically know that you will not get along. I am hoping that it not the case with Lana.
Chase is mumbling about something, but I am not really listening, but I see the instant change in his demeanor. He smiles and says “there’s my girl.” I follow his line of sight, and I see two girls walking together arm in arm; both of them are laughing. I recognize Morgan from pictures that I have seen of her and Chase together. She is cute; she is short and slim, and you can see her bubbly personality from here. I see Morgan say something to Lana and it causes her to stop mid-stride pulling them both to an abrupt stop. Whatever Morgan said did not go over well; I hope like hell that it wasn’t about me. It only takes a minute, and they start walking toward us again.
I watch them approach us and damn if Lana doesn’t look better with every step that she takes. This girl is beautiful. No, that doesn’t do her justice. From a distance standing next to Morgan she looks tall, but when they are standing in front of us I can see that she is not tall at all, Morgan is just really short. Morgan stands at about 4’11, ” and Lana looks like she is about 5’4” or so. I stand a little over a foot taller than Lana.
Chase makes the introductions. I am staring at Lana as Chase talks, but I cannot help myself; she is perfect, but she also looks somewhat familiar. She has long brunette hair with golden highlights. Her eyes are the color of the sea and are surrounded by long thick lashes that most girls would kill for. Her lips are full and perfect for kissing among the other things I can imagine her doing with those lips. She has a smile that can light up an entire room. I shake myself mentally and tell myself to stop drooling. I reach my hand out to shake hers, and as soon as skin touches skin, it feels like a jolt of something familiar shoots through my body. I hold onto her hand a second longer than needed, but in all honesty, I do not want to let go at all.
Morgan breaks the moment by saying it is almost time for the fireworks so we should find a good place to watch them from. Chase throws his arm around Morgan, and they turn to walk toward the river. Lana looks up at me smiling and says “apparently, we are going that way.” She laughs as she nods at Morgan and Chase walking away. I laugh with her give her a little bow then hold out my elbow to her and say “shall we.” This gets another chuckle from her, but she reaches up and takes my arm. As soon as she touches me, I hear her take a deep breath, and we just look at each other for a second then turn together and follow Chase and Morgan. Lana sticks close to me as we make our way through the crowd, at times I find her cradled up against me. I have to admit that I really like the way she up against me.
We reach a pedestrian bridge that should provide a good view of the show, so we make our way to the front rail. I stand behind Lana as we watch the show I glance over to Chase and see Morgan leaning into him. After seeing how comfortable they are together, I find myself wishing for the same thing; at the very least I would like Lana to lean back into me so I could wrap my arms around her. I do not believe the thoughts that are running through my mind. I just met this girl, and I already know that I want to spend more time with her than we have planned. I want to get to know her; all of her, the good the bad and every skeleton she has buried in her closet.
When the fireworks are finished, we start to walk around so that we can see all the lights. It is amazing to see the different displays made from simple Christmas lights. Conversation flows easily as we walk around. We find a beer stand and stop for a drink. After a protest, I buy Lana a drink and Chase makes a toast to friends old and new. When we finish our drinks, we start walking toward the vehicles. It is easy to see that Morgan and Chase want to leave together. Lana surprises us all when she suggests that they should spend some quality alone time together while they can before they are surrounded with nosy family members. After she suggests it she says that she will either drive me back to Chase’s house or I can go to her house. She smiles and says since you are going to stay with me a few days anyway you might as well see where you will be stuck that way you will know if you want to run for the hills. We all laugh at her words, but the truth is that I am more than happy to go home with Lana. We work out the vehicle situation and make plans to meet up for lunch tomorrow. Lana and I end up driving Morgan’s truck back to Lana’s house. Surprisingly the hour and a half drive goes by quickly and again the conversation flows well. She asks questions but is not intrusive. I do manage to ask if she has a significant other that may have a problem with me staying at her place. She laughs a little and says no there is not anyone to worry about. As she finishes talking, I see her straighten her spine and grip the wheel a little tighter. Something in her last statement struck a nerve and made her tense up.
As we pull into the driveway Lana relaxes and says welcome home; please excuse the mess and packing boxes. It is a cute little house with a large front porch. I can easily picture her living here. We make our way to the front door, and she pauses as she starts to unlock it. I can tell something is off or out of place. She clicks her tongue and pushes the door open as if she is not sure what to expect. She turns the overhead lights on and glances around the room. Again, she visibly relaxes, moves over and tells me to come on in and make myself at home. I say “thanks” as I step into the room fully. She lets outs a deep sigh and says “I need a drink, you want one? I have beer, wine, whiskey and vodka; and of course water, juice, and coke. “I follow her into the kitchen and watch her take a bottle of vodka out of the freezer and take a shot. She offers me one then makes herself a cherry vodka sour. I opt for a beer; after she opens it and hands it to me, she finally meets my eyes.
“Are you going to tell me what upset you or are you going to try and drink it away?” She looks at me like I have lost my mind then she chuckles a little. “The front door was unlocked, and I thought I had locked it before we left. But I forgot that we walked out through the garage, but Morgan came in through the front door while I was in the shower so I probably just forgot to lock it back.” She laughs and shakes her head saying “it wouldn’t be the first time it happened.”
I know she is leaving out some crucial parts to that explanation, but I will let it go for now. She is relaxed again, so I won’t push, yet. What am I thinking; I am not a caveman
, and I have no right to push her, for anything. There is just something about this girl, rather about this woman that is making me feel protective and possessive as if she is already mine. I shake my head at my thoughts. She gives me a tour of the rest of the house and then asks if I want to watch a movie. I agree to the movie and silently hope that it is not a chick flick. She asks me to go to the kitchen and make some popcorn while she changes into more comfortable clothes. I head back to the kitchen to make the popcorn and find everything right where she says it will be. She walks into the kitchen just as I am taking the popcorn out of the microwave.
I glance up and see her walk in and oh! my! damn! I forget what I am doing and drop the bag of popcorn. She comes up next to me asking if I am ok and if I burned myself. I just kind of laugh at the whole thing. “Lana, next time you are going to come out dressed like that please warn a guy”… she stops and looks down at what she is wearing then looks back up at me with a confused look. She starts babbling saying “I’m sorry I can go change.” I grab her arm before she can turn fully. “Lana, there is nothing wrong with what you have on. I think you are sexy as hell; you just caught me off guard.” She laughs and tells me that I need my eyes checked if I think she is sexy especially when she is wearing yoga pants and a tank top. Does she not know how gorgeous she is? Before I can say anything, she pours the popcorn into a big bowl and grabs two drinks and says “come on let’s go watch the movie.”
I about fall out when she leads us to her bedroom. She explains that the other TVs are unhooked for the upcoming move; she pauses and looks up at me and asks if I am ok watching the movie in the bedroom. I smile and say it’s fine. She laughs again and says “don’t be scared, I don’t bite; unless provoked.” I follow her up onto the bed like a lost puppy. Once we are settled she starts the movie; then while the previews are playing, she asks if the movie choice is ok. Is she kidding, Expendables 3, hell yes it’s ok. I reassure her that the movie is a good choice. When the movie is over, she brings the empty bowl back to the kitchen. When she comes back, she has a set of clothes in her hand. She looks down at them then up at me.
His To Protect (Four Seasons Security Book 1) Page 1