When the movie ended, they put their sunglasses back on and went out to enjoy the afternoon. Garrett was game for doing silly stuff like playing pinball machines, browsing in a bookstore, and even sitting on a bench, talking about mundane subjects.
Marlene managed to escape her life for one day, and had such a good time. She was glad that Garrett could be her friend, even if that was all he could be. When it began to get dark, they ducked into a local pub. It was crowded enough to get lost in, yet small enough to be off the radar. They sat near the back, with Marlene facing the wall, out of anyone’s direct line of vision.
Garrett ordered his usual club soda, and Marlene had a glass of wine. The fare was very average, but the ribs and coleslaw tasted delicious. She wiped at her face with a napkin. It occurred to her that she didn’t go out without makeup on, or she hadn’t before. Yet she hadn’t given it a thought all day. Now she probably had barbecue sauce on her face, as well.
“I must look a fright. I’m surprised you aren’t embarrassed to be out with me,” Marlene said. “Maybe that’s why we’re dressed like this, so no one will see you with me.” She laughed.
Garrett looked at her, making her heart skip a beat. “You look beautiful.” He stared at her. “You are beautiful…inside and out.” As if regretting that he’d voiced his thoughts, he glanced down at his plate. “We should go back, before it gets too late.”
“I want you to know what today meant to me.” Marlene looked into his blue eyes, wanting to touch his handsome face. “I had a really great time.”
Garrett hesitated. “I did too.” Then he pulled out his phone and told Samuel where to pick them up. They waited inside until the limo pulled up out front. Then Marlene slid into the back seat, with Garrett right behind her.
On the way back, Marlene rested her hand on Garrett’s thigh, and he didn’t object. She needed the closeness, dreading being alone again, knowing the magic would end once the car pulled into the garage. She didn’t look over at Garrett, just enjoyed the moment of intimacy.
When they were inside, Marlene shed the gardening jacket and kicked off the hiking boots. She’d left the hat in the car. Garrett tossed the ball cap on a table, then walked over to her. They stood in front of the fireplace, where a fire burned low. The flickering light was romantic.
Marlene tried to brush aside her feelings, and suppress her craving to be in Garrett’s arms. It wasn’t really fair. She couldn’t be expected to spend an entire day with him and keep her distance. Passion surged inside her, and she barely held back from wrapping her arms around his neck.
Then Garrett reached out and plucked the clip from her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders, making her feel naked, while still fully clothed. He brushed a strand of her hair away from her cheek, and she tingled all over. Marlene looked into his eyes, filled with longing. She trembled like a schoolgirl, and knew in that instant that she couldn’t be responsible for her next actions.
Garrett cupped her face in his hand and gazed into her eyes. He whispered, “You are so beautiful.” Marlene’s pulse raced, and she thought her heart might pound right out of her chest.
In the stillness of the room, Garrett bent toward her and touched his soft lips to hers. She heard a low moan, and realized it was her own voice. When she parted her lips, Garrett dipped his tongue inside her mouth, and deepened the kiss as if he wanted to devour her.
Marlene trembled and her knees gave way. Just in time, Garrett wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. He kissed her long and hard, barely taking a breath, and she dug her hands into his hair. All she wanted to do was feel him, touch him all over, have him. To kiss without end.
Garrett tasted so good, sexy and male. He smelled of cologne mingled with sunshine and buttered popcorn. He stroked her back and dug his other hand into her hair, holding her close. He could kiss like no man she’d known. He kissed sweetly yet with such ferocious need. Marlene folded into him, wanting more.
She gasped when Garrett pulled back from the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her silently. Marlene could feel the beat of his heart, and the heat of his arousal pressed against her. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment, afraid of what was next.
Then Garrett pulled back. He took her hands, and her heart sank. “Marlene…”
What could she say? What possible reason could she offer for giving in, for encouraging Garrett?
Garrett traced his thumb over her lips, then along her jaw. Marlene shuddered with pleasure. “I shouldn’t have…” The blue of his eyes was dark, like a turbulent ocean. “You are an amazing woman, and I won’t deny that I want you. But you come first…your safety…your future.” He looked torn up about it.
Marlene wished she’d met him at a different time, under other circumstances. She knew it was against the rules to have a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. But she really didn’t care. Yet Garrett did matter to her, and such an act might put him in a bad light.
“I can’t protect you if I let emotion get in the way.” Garrett put a little more distance between them. “It’s my duty to see that you’re safe, and I won’t let my own needs or desire interfere.” He looked at her again, as if she might say something to make it otherwise. “I’m your bodyguard…I can’t be more than that.”
Garrett turned and left the room, leaving Marlene alone. Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She should have known better. It wouldn’t work out; she had known that from the start. It had all been playacting. The escape to normality had been merely pretend. And now it was over.
Chapter 10
Garrett was a liar. He hadn’t given Marlene the real reason he’d left her standing by the fireplace, the truth about why he couldn’t allow intimacy between them. He went to his room and locked the door. Then he stripped off his clothes and took a long, cold shower.
The icy spray pricked his skin like tiny needles, until Garrett was freezing. The discomfort was less than he deserved. If only he’d been able to save her brother, but he hadn’t. There was no way to wipe away what had been done. Even though he would have given his life to save Andrew’s, he hadn’t had that option.
His attraction to Marlene was pushing him to the limit. Garrett wanted her, lusted to hold her in his arms and caress her. He’d been smitten long before the day he’d met her. He knew more about her than she was aware of. Andrew had spoken of her, sharing his short lifetime of memories of family, many of his younger sister.
Garrett had felt close to Marlene before she’d known he existed. He’d gone to Hollywood to see her. His purpose had been to make sure she was okay, as he was all too aware of her personal loss. But maybe all along he’d wanted to get to know her better. He just hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Then fate interceded and thrust them together. Garrett didn’t regret that for a moment, although he wished the circumstances were different. Marlene depended on him now, and he wasn’t about to let her down.
Garrett thought of the day they’d spent together, a day he would long cherish. Marlene had been more herself than before. She hadn’t needed to put on an act, had shed any role other than the authentic one. During the hours they’d spent together, Garrett had seen the real woman.
And he liked what he saw. Away from all the pressure, safe in a brief window of time, Marlene had experienced joy. Garrett had seen it in her eyes, and he’d felt it. He preferred seeing her happy, and vowed to do all he could to ensure her future happiness.
But that didn’t include him as part of her life. It didn’t matter that he craved her more than the air he breathed. Nor did it matter that she’d been so willing, that she’d opened her arms to him. There was the matter of Garrett as her hired protector, and the fact that getting emotionally involved was off-limits. But that hadn’t been his strongest motivation for calling it off.
Garrett turned the water off, quickly dried, then wrapped a towel around his waist. He stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The vivid memory of Andrew dying in
his arms, of the message he’d trusted Garrett to relay, darkened his thoughts. Guilt riddled him.
The sweet thrill of kissing Marlene promised so much more. Warmth spread through his body, and his arousal surged. But it was not to be. As luscious as she was, and as much as Garrett dreamed of feeling her pressed against him, it wasn’t possible.
Any intimacy between them was doomed. And it was Garrett’s fault. That very evening, Marlene had melted against him, wanting him as much as he wanted her. She was all Garrett could hope for, everything he wanted in a woman. But she would find out about his failure.
And he was obligated to tell her at the first opportunity. Then Marlene would be repulsed. Her hot kisses would turn ice cold. She wouldn’t want anything to do with him. She wouldn’t want him near her, and even more certainly, she wouldn’t want him as her lover. She’d lost Andrew, and when she learned of Garrett’s role, it would be over between them.
It was worse than Garrett had anticipated. In the days that he’d been with Marlene, he’d fallen in love with her—or maybe he had been for a long time, and being close had just confirmed it. Destiny could be cruel. After putting duty first for so long, sacrificing with no regrets, Garrett had expected to live out his days without the happiness that a woman of his own could bring.
Then, in an impossible situation, Marlene had appeared. But Garrett couldn’t have her. When she discovered his secret, it would be over. So he’d best not let her hope that there could be more between them. It would only break her heart, as it would surely break his.
*****
After a torturous night, Garrett rose before dawn and went to the fitness room for a hard workout. He managed to get showered and dressed before breakfast. More than likely he’d upset Marlene by his actions, and he needed to be in the dining room to reassure her.
Garrett couldn’t allow emotion to destroy the trust he’d built. Marlene needed to know she could rely on him, that the kiss hadn’t changed his commitment to her. He had no clear idea about how to convey that, but hoped his presence would be enough.
He’d reconciled his own feelings, and intended to resume his professional role in her life. Until the crisis ended, his duty to Marlene was paramount. When the situation was over, and she was safe, Garrett would leave. But until then, he couldn’t release her from his care.
Marlene came to breakfast in white jeans and a cream sweater, looking good enough to eat. If she’d had trouble sleeping, it wasn’t apparent. She wore makeup, and had her hair tied back in a velvet ribbon. Garrett’s resolve to keep his distance nearly evaporated the instant he saw her.
Garrett tried to read her expression. But he was unable to tell if she was annoyed with him, hurt, or just pissed. The woman was exasperating. She played so many different roles that it was next to impossible to see through them. How was he supposed to tell if she was acting a certain way for effect, or if what he perceived was her honest emotion?
“Good morning,” Marlene said, and sat across from him. She held a stack of envelopes in her hand. “I didn’t look through the mail yesterday.” She put the pile beside her plate.
“About last night…” Garrett had started talking before he had a clue what to say to make things okay.
Marlene looked into his eyes. He didn’t sense any anger, although she had every right to be upset with him. Nor did he see any aloofness. If she planned to give him the cold shoulder, it wasn’t obvious. “Before you say anything…I understand.” She took a breath. “You were right. We got carried away.”
Garrett was silent.
“It was a wonderful day, and I want to remember it that way.” Marlene paused. “Can we do that?”
“Yes. We can.”
Then Marlene turned to the pile of letters and began to flip through them. Garrett was relieved. She could have made things much more difficult. But then, he should have known. That wasn’t Marlene’s style. She wasn’t like that.
The letters skidded over the glass tabletop as she thumbed through them. Then Marlene froze.
Garrett glanced at her mail to see what had her attention. A plain white envelope had a return address written in script. It was the initial B, with no further designation. Marlene’s hand trembled when she picked it up.
“Let me.” Garrett put the cloth napkin over his fingers and reached for the letter. He didn’t think the sender would have left fingerprints, but just in case. He slit the top open with a knife and dumped the contents onto the table.
Marlene gasped. Several photographs tumbled out together, all of a similar nature. Each was a picture of her bed, the one she’d just slept in. But the images were horrifying. With the napkin, Garrett shuffled through them. They were different views of her bed, after it had been violently slashed with a knife, the satin comforter ripped apart with stuffing strewn across the sheets.
The worst part was the blood. Bright red blood was smeared over her pillow and pooled on her sheets, images of horror. Marlene gripped the edge of the table, and stared at the pictures. “That’s my bedroom.”
“Pictures of it, anyway,” Garrett said. “The guy couldn’t possibly get into your bedroom. Not a chance. As real as they look, they’re absolutely fake.”
“It’s…terrifying.”
“It’s meant to be.” Garrett turned the pictures over. She didn’t need to stare at them.
Marlene looked at him with wide eyes. “Why would he do that?”
“I’m no psychiatrist,” Garrett said, “but choosing the bed has to be significant. It’s sexual, in the most horrifying, gory way.”
“It’s disgusting. All the blood. It’s a message. He intends to kill me.”
Rage reared its head, but Garrett kept his cool. He’d deal with this guy, and make sure the creep regretted his actions. But he didn’t want to alarm Marlene any more than she was. “My question is how he got the photos of your bed.”
Marlene rubbed her temple. “Those look like pictures that were taken last year. It was for an article about the rich and famous. There were photos of the homes of celebrities, you know, to see how they live. A photographer took hundreds of pictures here.”
“That has to be it. He just scanned them off the magazine pages. Then added his own personal touches.” Garrett noticed a folded note that had been under the pictures. He opened it and turned it so Marlene could read it too. It said: It’s time to break up your little romance - B
“Another threat,” Marlene said, and looked at Garrett. “He wants you out of the way.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Garrett pushed back from the table, then scooped the note and photos into the linen napkin. “We’ll get these to the police.”
“I’m glad it’s Sunday. I don’t think I could face going to the studio after seeing those pictures.” Marlene shuddered. “It’s creepy. This guy is freaking me out.”
“He has to resort to cowardly tactics,” Garrett said, royally pissed at a guy who would terrorize a woman in such a fashion. “The guy can’t get to you. He has to go through me, and he knows it. If he thinks he can scare me off, he’s wrong.”
“Well, he’s scaring me.” Marlene clasped her hands in her lap. “Jesus, what next?”
Garrett managed to get her calmed down, and convinced her to eat breakfast. “We can’t let him get to us. That’s what he wants. If we react to his displays of insanity, we’ll play right into his hand.”
The staff had the day off, so Garrett bused the dishes into the kitchen, while Marlene finished her coffee. He had to give her credit: she was holding up pretty well.
He’d just set the plates on the counter when his phone vibrated. It was a text from Rip: I know who your shooter is. Come to my office. And bring Marlene. She’ll want to hear this too.
Garrett relayed the message to Marlene. “I’ll get my coat,” she said. “Samuel is off today. I didn’t know I’d be going anywhere.”
“I’ll have one of the team drive us. That’s a good idea anyway, in case we run into trouble.”
&n
bsp; It didn’t take long to get to Stealth, since it was Sunday morning and traffic was lighter than normal. From the underground garage, Garrett used his key card to take the elevator up to the company’s floor. Marlene was unusually quiet.
When they entered, the place was silent. It was a day off, so only Rip was there. Garrett guided Marlene down the hallway to his office. His teammate looked about the same: ponytail, scruff on the jaw, silver chain around his neck. But he’d changed shirts. This time it was a white t-shirt.
“Don’t you ever go home?” Garrett said.
Rip looked up. “You should be glad I don’t.”
“Marlene, this is Ripley McConnel, the team’s security analyst…and superhero.”
Rip chuckled, then stood up and shook hands with Marlene. “Good to meet you. Just call me Rip. Only Garrett gets away with using my given name.
“It’s nice to meet you, Rip.” Marlene sat in the chair next to Garrett. “I understand that you know who’s after me?”
Rip’s expression was serious. He straightened a stack of folders on his desk, as if deciding where to start.
“How did you find him?” Garrett said.
“I know who he is,” Rip said. “I didn’t say I found him.”
Garrett was disappointed, but any information about the attacker would be useful.
“One of Stealth’s specialties is cyber threats. And we have real-time monitoring.”
Garrett knew that Rip was prefacing with that for Marlene’s benefit.
“You’ll have to translate all that into layman’s terms,” Marlene said. “I’m afraid that technology isn’t my thing.”
Rip leaned back in his chair and swiveled side to side. “Let’s just say that we hacked the hacker.” He looked smug, and it sounded like he had reason to be.
Cold Peril_Military Romantic Suspense Page 10