Protect Me (The Donovan Family Book 6)

by Margaret Watson

  She was reaching for her pants when she heard footsteps in the hall. Shoving them onto her legs, she slapped her hip, then realized her gun was missing. Damn it!

  Someone knocked on the door. She and Finn stared at one another.

  "Finn?" a male voice called. "You in there."

  "Oh, God," Finn whispered, shoving buttons through the buttonholes in his shirt with shaking hands. "It's Doug. My godfather."

  Chapter 14

  His godfather? The superintendent? "What's he doing here?" she hissed.

  "I have no idea." He cleared his throat. "Be right there," he called.

  Mia's hands shook as she threaded her belt through the loops on her pants and attached her holster. Then she ran her fingers through her hair, which felt as if someone had taken a blender to it. She tried to calm it, but she knew she looked as if she'd just rolled out of bed.

  Finn shoved his shirt tails into his pants, smoothed his hair and glanced at her, his eyes wild. "Okay to open the door?"

  Mia took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to center herself. Which was hard when her body still vibrated with the aftereffects of the sex she'd had. On the floor. With the superintendent's godson.

  She unsnapped the flap of her holster and put her hand on the grip of her gun. Finn saw her and frowned. "It's my godfather."

  He reached for the door, and she knocked his hand away. "Look in the peephole, damn it. What did I tell you about that?"

  "I recognize his voice."

  "Look anyway."

  Finn pressed his face against the door. "It's him. He's alone."

  "Good. Now you can open the door."

  He smoothed his hair once more, which made it look more like bed head. Then he unlocked it and smiled. A muscle jumped in his jaw. "Doug. What are you doing here?"

  "Have some news for you." The superintendent walked into the room, scanning the suite with sharp, observant eyes. Mia spotted the empty condom packet on the floor and discreetly nudged it beneath the sofa with her toe.

  Mia had seen Doug Walsh a handful of times – when she'd graduated from the academy, at the ceremonies when her brothers were promoted to detective, once or twice on the news. He looked a lot more intimidating standing a few feet away from her.

  The superintendent was tall and lean, ramrod straight, his white hair cut short. Cleanly shaven, he wore casual clothes – a pair of jeans and a dark green polo shirt, with boat shoes on his feet. Authority still oozed from every pore.

  He finished his study of the suite, and his gaze turned to her. "Officer Donovan? I'm Doug Walsh. Good to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.

  Mia swallowed and took his hand. Shook it, then let go. His hand was warm and solid, and his grip was just right – not too tight, not dead-fish-limp. "Good to meet you too, sir."

  Doug's gaze narrowed as he studied her. Had she forgotten to tuck in her shirt? Was her hair a rat's nest? Could he see the red whisker burn on her face?

  Probably not. Her embarrassed flush would hide that.

  "Looks like you've had a…long day, Officer," he said.

  "Yes, sir," she answered. "It was Finn's first day of shooting."

  "Have any problems today?" he asked.

  "No, sir. Everything went smoothly."

  "What are you doing here, Doug?" Finn stepped between his godfather and Mia. "What's wrong?"

  The superintendent transferred his attention to his godson. Mia wanted to kiss Finn for distracting him.

  No. Not kiss him. Thank him. Yeah. She could do that. But no more kissing.

  "We got a partial print off the letter you got this morning," Doug said. He glanced at Mia over Finn's shoulder. "Nice work handling that, Officer."

  He stepped to the side so he could see both of them. "We didn't get any matches, but if there's anyone you suspect, try to get a print and we'll see if it matches."

  "Yes, sir. I'll do that," Mia said. He'd come here and scared ten years off her life to tell them that? He couldn't have phoned?

  As if they shared brainwaves, Finn said, "You could have called, Doug. You didn't have to come all the way over here to tell me that. You're too busy to run errands."

  Doug's eyebrows pulled together. "I wanted to see my godson." His gaze flickered to Mia. "Make sure the officer that Talbott sent over was up to the job."

  "She tells me I'm an idiot," Finn said. "But other than that, we get along great."

  "She sounds like a smart woman," the superintendent said. "She taking good care of you, then?"

  Mia sucked in a tiny breath and felt her face heat. But Finn said easily, "The best. Takes her job very seriously. Always ordering me around."

  Doug studied Mia for an uncomfortably long moment, then nodded. "I'm counting on you to keep him safe, Officer." His glance shifted from her to Finn and back to her. "Stick close to him until we catch his stalker." He tilted his head. "You going to have a problem with that? Finn behaving himself for you?"

  "Absolutely, sir. He's been very cooperative." He'd cooperated the hell out of her a few minutes ago. "And of course I'll stick close to him. That's my job."

  Finn glanced at her, his eyes twinkling. She wanted to kick him, but contented herself with narrowing her eyes at him. Signaling that he'd pay later.

  "Good. Glad to hear it." He looked from her to Finn, his lips twitching. "Marie would love to see you, Finny. Can you come over for dinner one evening?" He glanced at Mia. "With Officer Donovan, of course."

  No. God, no. She opened her mouth, but before she could think of what to say, Finn said, "I'd love to, Doug, but I've got a pretty tight schedule. Shooting every day to get my part done." He slapped his godfather on the back. "If I can squeeze it in, I'll give you a call."

  "Look forward to hearing from you." Doug reached out and embraced his godson, then held out his hand to Mia again. She swiped hers surreptitiously on her pants before returning his shake.

  "Hope to see you again, Officer," he said.

  "Yes, sir. Me, too, sir," Mia stuttered.

  Doug noticed the flowers on the table. "Nice flowers," he said. "They're starting to wilt, though. Make sure you water them."

  Finn snorted. "Yes, sir, Mr. Green Thumb. I'll take care of it."

  "Have a good night, you two," his godfather said, his eyes twinkling. Then he opened the door and left.

  She and Finn stared at one another, silent, until they heard the ding of the elevator arriving. Finn peered through the peephole for a long moment, then slumped against the door. "Elevator just closed. Doug's inside."

  "God!" Mia fell onto the couch and shoved her hands through her hair. "The superintendent almost caught us having sex."

  "But he didn't," Finn said, flopping down beside her. "I'm sure he didn't suspect a thing."

  She turned to look at him, then groaned. "Oh, yes he did. Your shirt. You buttoned it wrong. He knew."

  Finn looked at the mis-matched buttons. "Oops."

  "Yeah, big oops. Huge one. Not to mention my hair." Mia combed her fingers through it, wincing at the snarls. "Must look like I just got out of bed."

  "Hey, it wasn't that bad," he said.

  "Not for you. Except for this shirt." She tugged on his sleeve, aching to twine her fingers with his. She dropped the fabric and curled her fingers into her palm. "I have to say, you're a way better actor than anyone knows. That performance with the superintendent? Oscar-worthy. Except for the shirt, no one would have known we were sprawled in a post-coital haze a few minutes earlier."

  "'Post-coital haze?' Where do you come up with this stuff?" He smiled at her, that familiar sparkle back in his eyes. "I like the Oscar-worthy part, though."

  "Yeah, figures you'd latch onto that." She kept her eyes on his, drinking in happy, carefree Finn. "Instead of the fact that your godfather knows what we were doing.

  "God!" She slumped against the back of the couch and covered her eyes with her arm. "Goodbye, detective's star. I'm going to be busted down to traffic for the rest of my life."

  "Wha
t are you talking about? What detective's star?"

  She couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she? The mistakes just kept on coming tonight. She sighed. "I was studying to take the exam to become a detective when my captain asked if I wanted this job." She glanced at him from beneath her arm. "He said it would look good on my record if I caught the stalker."

  "So that’s why you're here?" Finn frowned. "To curry favor with my godfather?"

  "No!" She shot upright and glared down at Finn. "I'd never met him before tonight. And he doesn’t pick the detectives." She paced over to the window and stared at the lake. The moon was behind the clouds tonight, and the water was a smooth sheet of black. Dark. Impenetrable. Just like her future.

  "There's a written exam and an interview in front of a committee. And they look at your record." She sighed. "My captain implied that doing a good job protecting you would be a plus for me. That's all."

  "So you're riding my ass to a detective's job," Finn said, his eyes twinkling.

  "Not anymore, I'm not. Not after the superintendent caught me banging his godson. On the job."

  "We weren't banging, Mia," Finn said, his expression softening.

  "Really? Then I must have been in some alternate reality. Because it sure felt as if I had sex with you. The orgasms were especially vivid."

  He grabbed her hand and tugged her down until she was sitting in his lap. "That wasn't just hooking up, Mia. I care about you." He skimmed his fingers along her cheek and down her neck, lingered in the vee of her throat. "And I'm really glad you enjoyed yourself. Because I did, too."

  Her heart melted into a gooey mess at his words. "We've known each other for two days," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "Barely enough time to form an opinion about each other."

  "Oh, I've formed an opinion about you." He nuzzled her neck. "I like you, Mia. A lot. You matter to me." He slid his fingers between hers. "Sex with you was more than scratching an itch. Okay? That's all I meant."

  She stared at her lap, at her pale hand and his golden one twined together. "Okay."

  "Let's go to bed," he said. "It's been a long day. You're probably as tired as I am." He picked up her free hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "And we can spend the morning in bed," he added, his eyes gleaming. "We're shooting at night tomorrow, so we have the morning free."

  Spending the morning in bed with Finn was far too tempting. She closed her eyes and bit her tongue before she could weaken and agree.

  It was harder than she expected to untangle her hand from his. But she drew it away, then slid to her feet. "I'll see you in the morning."

  "Wait." He caught her hand as she walked away. "You're not going to sleep with me?"

  "No, Finn. I'm not. That would be doubling down on my mistake." She couldn't sleep in the same bed with him. It was too intimate. Too personal. If she was going to retain any smidgen of objectivity about Finn O'Rourke, she had to keep some distance between them.

  "What if I beg? Promise not to touch you?"

  She snorted. "Good one, Finn. I'd deserve to get busted down to traffic if I fell for that line." Truth was, she wasn't sure she'd be able to resist touching him. "I'll see you in the morning," she said as she headed toward her room.

  "If you change your mind, you know where to find me," he called as she stepped into the bedroom.

  "Not changing my mind," she said over her shoulder.

  She should close the door. Establish some separation between them after what had happened tonight. But she couldn't do it. She had to leave the door open.

  If she was honest with herself, she'd admit she wanted to leave it open, as well.

  Drawing a deep breath, she stepped into the bathroom and got ready for bed. Turned out the lights, then slid between the sheets.

  She closed her eyes, but found herself listening to Finn moving around in the other bedroom. When she heard the whisper of fabric as he undressed, she trailed her fingers down her abdomen, remembering the touch of his hands when he'd unbuttoned her shirt.

  The running water in his bathroom, the splash of it against his skin, made her imagine licking the droplets off his face. His chest.

  She waited for a drawer to open, signaling he was pulling on a tee and a pair of boxers, but the soft click of the drawer never came. The next sound she heard was the rustle of the bedspread being pulled back. The fantasy-inducing sound of skin sliding against the hotel's gazillion-count sheets.

  Mia closed her eyes. He was naked between the sheets. A handful of steps away. She shuddered with the memory of his hands on her. Of her hands on him. The way his muscles had trembled. The tiny catches in his breath when they'd kissed. The desperate grip of his hands on her body as they'd had…made love.

  She threw the covers back and slid out of bed. Padded to the door, then gripped the door frame to keep herself from going any farther into the darkened suite.

  She'd never wanted a man this intensely before. Never ached with the need to cross the room and slide into his bed.

  After a long moment, she slid back into bed. Rolled onto her side, her face away from the door. Away from temptation.

  She'd never slept with a guy after knowing him less than forty-eight hours, either. She'd never been less than completely objective and impersonal on the job.

  All kinds of firsts for her today. And she had almost three more weeks on this job. Three more weeks of living with Finn. Not doing what she so desperately wanted to do again.

  Unless she got yanked off the job tomorrow.

  She didn't want that to happen. The job she'd been reluctant to take had become important to her.

  Or maybe Finn had become important to her.

  She stared at the ceiling for a long time before she fell asleep.

  * * *

  Finn cracked open one eye and glanced out the window. The sky was just beginning to lighten, pink and purple streaks rising from the eastern horizon. The red numbers on the clock beside his bed read 4:37. He didn't need to be up for hours.

  After staring at the window for ten minutes, he threw back the blanket and sat on the edge of his bed. He'd run some lines, practice his blocking for the outdoor scenes they'd shoot tonight. Anything would be better than lying in bed for another five or six hours, thinking about Mia. Wishing she were sleeping beside him.

  He shuffled to the door. Mia's room was still dark. She, apparently, was sleeping like a baby.

  Sighing, he headed for the bathroom and the huge shower, which had plenty of room for two people. He wondered how Mia felt about shower sex.

  Not as if he was likely to find out. She'd made it clear they weren't going to have sex again. He could wear her down. It wouldn’t be hard – she'd wanted him as much as he'd wanted her.

  She was right. Doug had probably figured out what they'd been doing right before he arrived. Finn didn't want to jeopardize her job.

  But if push came to shove? Finn turned on the shower jets and stepped into the hot water. He wouldn't let his godfather fire Mia. She was exactly what Doug said he wanted. Conscientious. Smart. She paid attention to detail and took the threat more seriously than he did.

  Judging by the twinkle in Doug's eyes as he'd left tonight, Finn was pretty sure his godfather didn't have any intention of firing her. Which meant Mia would be with him for the whole three weeks he was in Chicago. And if she caught this stalker before then?

  They could still spend time together, without the threat hanging over his head. Without her job throwing up barricades. Win-win for both of them.

  She was the first woman he'd had sex with since the break-up with Gemma. The first woman he'd been interested in since he'd dumped the rocker. He would never have guessed that woman would be a remarkable Chicago cop.

  He'd clearly spent too much time living in the artificial bubble that was Hollywood, because he'd almost forgotten that women like Mia existed. She was real. Genuine. She said exactly what she thought and called him on his bullshit. No one had done that for a very long time.

 
Mia fascinated him. He wanted to know everything about her, and he wasn't going to waste a minute of the three weeks they had together.

  His hand clenched around the bar of soap, then he set it carefully into the holder on the wall of the shower. Mia would want that, too, wouldn't she?

  He'd never questioned that before. A smile, an invitation in his gaze, and women had fallen at his feet. Not Mia, though.

  The sex had been off the charts great. For her, too, he was pretty sure. He'd never connected with a woman so fast. So completely. But for the first time since he was a kid, he wasn't sure of his reception with a woman.

  She'd said it wouldn't happen again, but he'd change her mind. She wanted him already. He just had to convince her to act on it.

  Fifteen minutes later, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, Finn picked up the phone and called room service for coffee. He'd wait until Mia woke up before he ordered breakfast. After he reminded the operator that he'd requested Josh to deliver everything to his room, he wandered into the living area of the suite.

  He forced himself to ignore the open door of Mia's room. Leaning against the wall and watching her sleep would be creepy. Mia would throw something at him if she caught him.

  His mouth curled as he imagined the words that would come out of her mouth if she opened her eyes and found him staring at her.

  She must have heard him moving around, because she wandered into the living area a few minutes later, wearing one of the hotel's long white robes.

  "What are you doing up?" she croaked. "I thought you said we could sleep in this morning."

  "Couldn't sleep. Go back to bed."

  "Can't do that. You're up, I'm up."

  Her eyelids drooped as she stared out at the barely lightening sky. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "It's the butt crack of dawn. I need coffee."

  "On its way."

  "Thank God." She tried to shove her hand through her hair, but it caught on the snarls. A reel of technicolor images scrolled slowly through Finn's head, vivid pictures of her hair getting tangled the night before. "I'm going to take a shower. Don't open the door."

  His hands wanted to run through the silken strands of her hair again. Feel them slide through his fingers. Letting the fantasy go, he cleared his throat. "Not even if it's your coffee?"