Protect Me (The Donovan Family Book 6)

by Margaret Watson

He grabbed her wrist, his fingers tightening painfully on the bones. "Who's going to protect you now, Mia?" he said, his low voice filled with glee. "You're all by yourself."

  She twisted to look for Finn behind her, but he'd stopped and was talking to someone. Jenna Stanton.

  Kyle yanked her closer. "You with pretty boy? Not so interested in you, is he?" he sneered. "So we have as much time as we need."

  Jenna wasn't at the top of Mia's list for Finn's stalker. He'd told her Jenna was far too direct to stalk anyone. But not being close to Finn made Mia twitchy.

  Kyle tightened his grip on her. "He's not gonna rescue you, Mia. Looks like he's into blondes. So it's just us."

  "I don't need rescuing or protecting," she said, turning back to him as her mind finally cleared. "I’m a police officer. Let me go, or you won't like what happens."

  His eyes were glassy and he swayed slightly on his feet. Just drunk enough to be stupid with it. "You're a cop? So what? What're you going to do?" His gaze trailed over her as he tightened his grip even more. "You gonna shoot me, Mia? No place for a gun in that dress."

  Mia swung her arm up and twisted, breaking Kyle's hold on her. "Get out of my sight, Pinckney. Lose yourself. Now."

  She turned back to find Finn. Jenna had her hand on his arm, keeping him close. Finn was edging away, but Jenna wasn't letting him go.

  Shivering, aware of Kyle behind her, Mia began weaving her way through the crowd toward Finn. She'd taken two steps when she was yanked roughly backward. As she stumbled, her silver clutch flew through the air, glittering in the lights, then disappeared into the crush of people.

  Kyle jerked her against his chest. His arm was a steel band, holding her there. He began dragging her backward, palming her breast with his other hand. "You think you can take me down, Mia? Stupid. I never thought you were stupid. Don't you know the Kylester always gets what he wants?"

  Mia stomped on the arch of his foot with her stiletto heel. At the same time, she cracked her head backwards into Kyle's nose. His arm dropped and he pinwheeled away from her. He shook his head, then his face twisted into a snarl of rage.

  The people dancing around her had stopped. One guy tried to grab Kyle, but Mia waved him off. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. "Get the bouncer," she yelled to him. He nodded and began shoving through the crowd.

  Kyle reached for her again. Gauging the distance, knowing his height worked in her favor, she waited until he got close enough. "Mia," she heard behind her. Finn. "What the hell?"

  Finn tried to push past her, but she held him back. When Kyle lunged for her, she brought her knee up, hitting him squarely in the groin. He dropped to the floor like a stone.

  Still holding Finn away, she bent down and murmured into the writhing man's ear, "The Kylester always gets what he wants? Stupid, Kyle. Really stupid."

  "Damn it!" Finn pushed her arm away, clenching his fists as he reached for Kyle, twitching on the floor.

  "Finn, no," she said, grabbing his arm and hauling him back. "He's not going anywhere. Someone's getting the bouncer. Help me find my purse. My badge and cuffs are in it."

  He shook her off. "Not until I make sure he's not getting up off that floor."

  "Finn!" She grabbed his arms and brought him close to her. "Please," she said quietly. "Thank you for trying to protect me, but I don't want this to end up in the paper." She leaned in to kiss him, then jerked away, aware that everyone around them was watching. "Later, okay?"

  His hands settled on her waist, and he glared over her shoulder. "Fucking Jenna. She grabbed me, or I would have been with you. Kept that garbage," he kicked Kyle's thigh, making the now-retching man curl into a ball, "away from you."

  Her heart fluttered like a bird caught in a net. She was supposed to be protecting Finn, and he was ready to take on asshole Kyle Pinckney for her. "People are looking at us. Please find my purse, okay?" She squeezed his arm, let her fingers trail down to his hand, then linked their fingers for a moment. She leaned in closer. "You can help me cuff him," she breathed into his ear.

  She was lying. She couldn't cuff Kyle in public – it would ruin her cover. But Finn's eyes lit up and he plowed into the crowd.

  Before he returned, a bouncer appeared next to her. "What happened here?" he said.

  "He assaulted me," Mia said, rubbing her aching left wrist. "Grabbed me several times, including my boob, then tried to drag me away. Call the cops."

  "They're on their way. Can I see some ID, please?" the bouncer asked.

  "That POS knocked my purse away. My boyfriend's trying to find it." Her heart quivered at the 'boyfriend.'

  Finn appeared at her side, holding her purse. She took it from him, opened it and showed the bouncer her driver's license. She kept the badge and cuffs out of sight.

  The bouncer pointed a tiny flashlight at it, then handed it back to her. "Sorry, Ms. Donovan," he said, giving her a card he pulled out of his pocket. "Drinks are on the house tonight."

  She slid the card into her bag, where it would stay. "Thanks," she said. "I appreciate the way you've handled this."

  "Not a problem." The bouncer's gaze touched on Finn, drifted away, then snapped back. "Is that…?"

  Mia put her hand on the bouncer's arm. "Yes. Don't say anything, okay? We're trying not to draw attention."

  The bouncer glanced at the crowd now surrounding them and snorted. "Good luck with that."

  He turned and hauled Kyle to his feet, then hustled him toward the front door. Mia took Finn's hand and followed. When they reached the entrance, two police officers were waiting. As the bouncer handed Kyle over, Mia stepped up to one of them, a woman she didn't recognize.

  Opening her bag, she showed the officer her badge. "You can add assaulting a police officer to the charges," she said, holding the badge as the officer copied the number. "Couldn't happen to a better guy. He was a loser in high school, too."

  "We'll take care of him." The woman pulled her cuffs off her belt and snapped them on Kyle's wrists, then tightened them down.

  The two officers escorted Kyle out the door. He stumbled between them, a little rivulet of drool shiny on his chin.

  As the door closed behind them, Finn turned to her. "Do you want to go home?" he asked.

  "I'll stay if you want to," she said. "I know you wanted to dance."

  "Not in the mood for dancing anymore," he said, his jaw working. "I'll call Pete."

  They were both silent on the way home. She sat closer to Finn than she should have, but ugly memories and the fading adrenaline burn had her shivering. She wanted to crawl into Finn's lap and let his heat surround her, but she retained enough sense to stay where she was.

  At a stoplight, Finn leaned forward suddenly and rapped on the partition. When Pete lowered it, Finn said, "Little detour, Pete. Swing by Oscar's. I’m going to order some food to go."

  "Got it, boss," Pete said.

  Finn half-turned to face her. "You want some of that mac and cheese you had the other night?"

  "God, yes," she said fervently. "I'd kill for some Oscar's mac and cheese." Comfort food was exactly what she craved right now. Well, the second thing she craved. She edged closer to Finn, leaning into him as he pulled up Oscar's website and hit the call button.

  Thirty minutes later, Pete pulled up to the loading dock and Mia climbed out of the car. Her legs and arms were heavy, still shaking, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to head for the door. Steady and strong. Finn grabbed the bag from Pete and wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned against him, soaking in his body heat.

  The ground floor lobby near the shops was empty, and so was the elevator. When they stepped inside the suite, Mia slipped out of her heels and removed her gun from her thigh holster. Tightening her grip on it, she walked through the suite, checking everything. Just like she did every time they returned. She had a job to do, and she'd damn well do it.

  When the suite was cleared, she turned all the locks on the door, resisting the urge to lean against it. Finn brushed
her hair behind her ear, his fingers trailing gently over her cheek. Cupping her face for a moment. "You want to take a shower before we eat?"

  Mia looked down at the red dress and nodded. "Yeah. Good idea."

  She'd worn the dress for Finn. The way his eyes had darkened when she'd walked out of her room a couple of hours earlier had confirmed she'd made the right choice.

  Now she just wanted to strip it off. Toss it into the back of the closet and out of her sight.

  "I'll just be a minute," she said over her shoulder, already unzipping the dress.

  "Yeah. I remember," he said, his voice low. "Short showers."

  As she stood beneath the hot water, she leaned against the wall and allowed the tears to fall. Her tears blurred the bruises Kyle had left on her arms and her wrist, but she knew she'd be wearing long sleeves again. She'd had worse in her career as a cop, but none that had been inflicted by someone she knew.

  Sighing, she turned off the shower, splashed cold water on her face and threw on a pair of pajama pants and a tee. The Cops and Robbers shirt she'd stolen from Brendan was soft against her skin. Cilla had it made for Bren after he told the rest of the family about the blog and the book he was writing, but he refused to wear it in public. So Mia had liberated it from him.

  Wrapping the hotel robe around herself, she headed into the other room. Finn was staring out the window at the darkness, but he turned when she emerged from her room. "Ready to eat?"

  "Yeah," she sighed.

  "How about a glass of wine?" He nodded toward the bottle of cabernet sitting on top of the minibar.

  "I shouldn't drink," she said. "I'm working."

  Finn ran his hands up and down her arms. "We're locked in here. I'm not opening that door to anyone tonight. Not even Doug. So have a glass of wine if you want one."

  It would settle her nerves. Loosen the tension in her neck. But she shook her head. "I'll have a sip of yours," she said.

  He opened the bottle, poured himself a glass and handed it to her. She took a drink, savoring the flavor, then handed him the glass. "Thanks."

  The mac and cheese was still hot, and the gooey, decadent richness relaxed her as she ate. She finished half the bowl, then pushed it away. "Thank you for thinking of this. It was perfect."

  Finn laid his hand over hers. "Good. Makes me glad that it helped." He took his time finishing his own bowl. He didn't ask any questions, but he twined his fingers with hers as he ate.

  Finally, when he finished, he poured himself more wine and stood up, pulling her to her feet. He led her to the couch, put the wine down and tugged her into his lap. "Another sip?" he asked, offering the wine.

  The dark red wine was rich and fruity and incredibly smooth. But Mia handed it back to Finn after only one sip. She didn't want her mind muddled tonight.

  Finn took a sip himself, set it on the table, then wrapped both arms around her. He didn't ask any questions, didn't push her to talk. He just held her against his chest, wrapped in his arms, his cheek resting against her head.

  If Finn had asked questions, pushed her to talk, she wouldn't have said a word. But he was patiently holding her, comforting her, without expecting anything in return.

  Turning in his arms so she could rest her cheek against his chest, she said, "I went to high school with Kyle. He was the quarterback of the football team. Thought he was all that. Got pretty much whatever he wanted."

  Finn's arms tightened around her. "I wish you hadn't called the police tonight," he said, his fingers smoothing up and down her arm. "I think I know where this is going, and I want to beat the crap out of him."

  Mia reached for his hand and twined her fingers with his. "He was a senior when I was a sophomore. He'd been sniffing around me, but I wasn't interested. He was an asshat back then, too. I stayed too late after soccer practice one day, and ended up walking home alone. Kyle caught up with me near a vacant lot in my neighborhood."

  Her stomach rolled again at the memories dredged up tonight. No one around. A vacant lot full of tall weeds and junk. Kyle cornering her, edging her farther into the tangle of vegetation covering the lot. Mia, helpless against his strength, knowing what was going to happen in this disgusting vacant lot that smelled of garbage and rot.

  "What happened?" Finn's voice was soft as he squeezed her hand, but his hand tightened on hers. Twitched against her fingers.

  "My mother got worried when I wasn't home when I was supposed to be. She sent Brendan and Connor and Quinn to find me. They spotted me with Kyle in the empty lot. He'd backed me against the wall. I was trying to get away, but he was so strong." She'd been strong, too, but hadn't been able to budge Kyle, even with the added desperation of terror. She'd known what he had planned.

  "They pulled him off me and beat the shit out of him. At one point, he threw a punch at Brendan, slipped on an old potato chip bag, fell and broke his arm." Mia smiled. "His throwing arm.

  "He was lying on the ground, swearing at them, yelling that he was going to kill them. Con bent down and said something to him. Kyle shut up immediately. Then the four of us turned and walked away."

  "And what did your brother say to him?" Finn asked, leaning closer, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

  Mia felt her shoulders relax. "They wouldn't tell me at first. I had to threaten to tell Mom what had happened. Finally, Con said he'd told Kyle that if he came near me again, if he so much as brushed against me in the hall, the three of them and Mac would hunt him down and cut off his dick."

  "Ouch," Finn murmured. "Did it work?"

  "Oh, yeah. My brothers went a little wild after our dad died. Con and Quinn had graduated by then, but no one had forgotten them. Everyone knew not to cross the Donovan boys. Kyle never came near me again. If he saw me coming, he went the other way."

  Mia sat up and touched Finn's face. "Remember when we talked about brothers protecting their sisters? About the sisters thanking their brothers once in a while?"

  Finn brushed a wisp of hair out of her face. "Yeah. I do."

  "Kyle Pinckney was the guy I thanked my brothers for. And that's why I'll walk through fire for all four of them."

  "I'll make sure to thank your brothers next time I see them."

  "You're not going to see them again. Now that they know I'm on the job, their chest-puffing, macho stuff will stop."

  "You never know," he said, settling her into the curve of his arm more thoroughly. She should get off his lap. Sit next to him on the couch. But she was too comfortable.

  His scent, the solid feel of his chest, the slow, gentle glide of his hand down her arm, were intoxicating. Addictive.

  "I'd offer to turn on the TV for a while, watch something silly with you," he said, his voice a low, soothing murmur in her ear. "Help you unwind. But the remote is too far away and I'm not putting you down to get it. So you're stuck with me for entertainment."

  "Hey," she said, raising her head to look at him. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you. Not the other way around."

  "You're supposed to be protecting me. Nothing to protect me from right now," he pointed out, pulling her close again.

  She tried to slide off and sit beside him, but he curled his arm around her and held her close. "You were shivering." It felt as if he kissed the crown of her head. "I'm trying to keep you warm."

  "'Keep me warm?'" She snorted, but let herself sink into his chest. His solid body radiated heat and comfort. "Lame, O'Rourke. Is that the best you can do?"

  "Of course not," he said. His mouth was so close to her ear that his breath tickled her neck and stirred her hair. "That was my opener. I'm just getting started."

  "Okay, well, get the remote and turn on the TV before I fall asleep here."

  His laugh made his chest shake beneath her and his arm tightened around her. "You do have a mouth on you, Officer Donovan," he said, his teeth tugging on her earlobe. "A very nice one. I like it. A lot." His thumb brushed the corner of her mouth. Lingered.

  Scooping her into his arms instead of putting her on t
he couch, he grabbed the remote, then settled her against his chest again. He aimed the remote at the TV, and one of the late night Jimmys appeared. "Will this keep you awake? Or are you going to be snoring on my lap in ten minutes?"

  "Do women often fall asleep on you, Finn?" She shifted to look at him, knowing she was playing with fire but too comfortable to care.

  His mouth curved as he watched her. "Usually not until they've been thoroughly warmed."

  Her whole body tingled at his words, and she shifted into his chest, snuggling closer. "Oh, good," she murmured, inhaling the fresh scent of his shirt and the subtle fragrance of his aftershave. "I was beginning to worry."

  "Nothing to worry about," he whispered. "I've got you."

  He brushed his cheek over the top of her head, and his whiskers caught in her hair. She wanted to feel them rasp against her fingertips, to tickle her chest as he kissed his way down to her breasts.

  'I've got you'.

  He did. He had her, and she needed Finn. Needed his help replacing all the horrible memories that had churned to the surface tonight.

  They only had two more weeks together. Whatever this was between them would go no farther than the hotel suite. There was no future for Mia Donovan and Finn O'Rourke.

  She was tired of fighting this magnetic attraction that burned between them. Tired of being professional and business-like when she wanted him so badly. When they walked out of this room, she'd do her job and do it well.

  Tonight, though, she was cold. And she needed Finn to warm her.

  Reaching up, she slid her fingers through his hair. Let her palms caress his cheek. Felt the rasp of his whiskers against them.

  Then she pressed her hungry mouth to his.

  Chapter 19

  Mia opened her mouth to him, needing to taste him again. Needing to feel the sweep of his tongue against hers. But instead of deepening the kiss, Finn eased away from her.

  "Mia, are you sure about this?" He cupped her cheek, running his thumb along the curve of her jaw. "After we, um, lost control on the floor," he leaned closer, so their noses were almost touching and added in a low, raspy voice, "which was and always will be the hottest thing ever, you've been pretty clear that you didn't intend to do that again. That it would compromise your job. I don't want you to do anything you'll regret tomorrow."