The Bride's Bodyguard

by Beth Cornelison

  She whipped her head around to face him. “A bullet that would never have been aimed at me if not for his secret life as a spy or a terrorist or whatever the hell he’s mixed up in!”

  Jake drew a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Yes, he did drag you into this firestorm…which leads us back to my original point. Considering how this was dumped on you and all you’ve been through today, you did a good job tonight.”

  He parked the car along a residential curb and cut the engine. She recognized the vacant house where they’d hidden earlier several houses down the street. Apparently the empty home was their base of operation for the time being.

  “You’ve a right to be proud of yourself,” he continued. “It might have been messy, but we got what we went in for. We got his files, so…mission accomplished. Good work, partner.”

  Lifting a corner of his mouth, he held his fist out to her.

  She blinked. Frowned.

  After a moment, Jake reached for her hand, curled her fingers into a ball and tapped his knuckles against hers. The awkward fist bump shouldn’t have meant so much to her. But the simple congratulatory gesture, coupled with his praise, spun a frisson of warmth through her that burrowed beneath the chill of her fear, her disappointment, her disillusionment.

  Knowing she’d done something, anything, worthy of Jake’s approval pleased her. Brought a small grin to her lips. “Thanks. You deserve the credit, though. I didn’t—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips, cutting her off. His touch sizzled through her, backed up her breath in her lungs.

  “You sell yourself short. You showed courage, intelligence, forethought… I was proud of you.”

  When he added a quick, lopsided grin to his compliment, her pulse scampered. Jake turned to climb out of the car, giving her time to collect herself and shove down her body’s reaction to him. The last thing she needed was a telltale shiver or something in her expression giving away her schoolgirl attraction to him.

  Jake ushered her to the back door of the vacant house and had her wait on the stoop until he’d swept through each room to be sure no one was lying in wait for them. Once inside, she dropped wearily to the floor of the living room, glad now for the cover of the darkness. Jake’s skill in reading her thoughts and interpreting her body language unnerved her. Now that they were out of harm’s way, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep her emotions at bay.

  She hugged herself as she watched Jake’s shadowy movements. She recognized the sounds when he took his gun out and reloaded it—the rattle of the bullets in his hand, the click when he locked the magazine into place.

  The rustle of the curtains when he brushed them back to check the yard. The crinkle of paper when he pulled a cold hamburger from the fast-food sack and peeled the wrapper back.

  “Want half this burger?”

  She shook her head, then, realizing he’d likely not seen the gesture in the dark, whispered, “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”

  Folding her arm under her cheek, she lay down on her side and stared into the inky blackness. Fatigue sank to the bone, but images of the day’s horrors paraded through her mind, keeping her from falling asleep. After several minutes, she sighed and tried to find a more comfortable position on the hard floor.

  “Don’t think about it,” Jake said.

  “About what?”

  “Whatever’s keeping you awake. Probably the violence you witnessed today.”

  She didn’t bother asking how he knew. Even without his skills in reading people, the cause of her restlessness was pretty obvious. “It’s kinda hard not to think about it.”

  “I know, but try to focus on something good, maybe a favorite memory. Like…the last time you had lunch with your sister Holly.”

  She sighed.

  “We were at Brundle’s Deli…planning my wedding.” The happy memory made her voice crack.

  If only she could go back to that day last week, before…

  “Come here.” Jake moved to lie at her side. He nudged her closer, cradling her in the crook of his arm and pulling her head down to his shoulder. “Try to sleep.”

  Paige turned on her side and rested her hand on his chest. His heart bumped a steady cadence under her palm, and the slow, sure beat soothed her ragged nerves.

  When Jake strummed his fingers up and down her spine, the hypnotic stroking made her whole body tingle. A feral, musky scent clung to him and teased her senses. In his arms, she felt both serenely safe and on the precipice of some unknown but exhilarating danger. For tonight, she didn’t want to examine the contradiction. Instead, she curled her fingers into the soft material of his T-shirt. Closing her eyes, she indulged the urge to snuggle closer to him and feel the raw strength of his hard body pressed along the length of hers.

  She shouldn’t be so wildly attracted to another man on the same day she’d been about to marry Brent. But she hadn’t planned to be so drawn to Jake, and Brent had never evoked the sensual response from her that Jake did. Brent had deceived her and put her at risk. And today, she’d admitted to herself that she didn’t love Brent, didn’t want to marry him.

  “I know what you saw today was frightening for you.” His deep voice rumbled gently like distant thunder in the dark room. “But Brent asked me to keep you safe, and that is what I’m going to do.”

  Paige scoffed. “Correction, he told you to keep the bead safe. I was just a by-the-way. The unfortunate one who had the damnable bead when everything hit the fan.” She didn’t try to mask the resentment in her tone. “Clearly, my safety wasn’t his greatest concern or he’d never have put me in this position.”

  Jake raked his fingers through her hair, capturing the base of her skull and angling her head so that she looked up at him. “Brent may not have considered you the priority, but I do. I’m making it my job to see that you get through this safe and sound. You have my word, Paige.”

  A sliver of light from a street lamp sliced through the window blinds and illuminated his face. The pale glow highlighted the rugged angles in his cheeks, the square cut of his jaw—and reflected the determination in his dark eyes.

  She held his gaze, mesmerized by the intensity that vibrated from him. In a moment, his attention shifted to her mouth, and Paige felt his muscles tense. Her pulse quickened, and her gaze gravitated to Jake’s lips.

  The air between them charged, grew thick with palpable heat and tension.

  She read Jake’s internal battle in his twitching cheek as he gritted his teeth, the flaring of his nose as he sucked in a slow breath. His fight for restraint buzzed through the taut muscles of his arms and the increasing tempo of his heartbeat under her hand.

  After a mind-numbing day of having danger thrown in her face, her life thrust in the line of fire, Paige had little patience for the careful thought and reason she typically relied on. In that moment, she wanted only to savor the tempting sensations Jake stirred in her. She wanted to flout caution, ignore the voice that warned her to go slowly.

  Without analyzing the impulse, she tunneled her fingers into his hair, closed the distance between them and brushed her lips against his. With their bodies aligned, she absorbed the shudder that raced through Jake. A groan hummed from his throat as he anchored her head between his hands and deepened the kiss. Tingling sparks shot through her blood, taunting her, thrilling her.

  He was endearingly tentative at first, as if asking permission to be bolder. Paige settled the question for him by sweeping her tongue along the seam of his lips and sliding her leg over his. Her thigh bumped the hard ridge under his fly, and knowing that she’d aroused him filled her with a confidence—and recklessness—she’d never experienced. A surge of crackling energy coursed through her, urging her to sate the growing hunger, gnawing deep inside.

  Jake’s tongue parried with hers, and his fingers kneaded her bottom. He lifted her hips and scooted beneath her so that she lay intimately draped atop him. His hands mussed her hair as their kiss escalated, as their bodies heated and th
e rest of the world fell away.

  Paige hooked her legs around Jake’s, and her caresses roamed restlessly over his wide shoulders, rock-hard arms and muscled chest. And still she wanted more. She craved the escape, the sweet oblivion his body offered. She ground her hips against his, and her hands pulled impatiently at his T-shirt. She wanted to feel his skin on hers, wanted to draw him closer, wanted to blot out everything except the mind-numbing sensations he awoke in her.

  When she reached for the button on his jeans, he caught her hand and broke their kiss.

  “Jake…” she rasped, moving her mouth to nibble the line of his jaw.

  “Paige, stop.” He captured her face between his hands and angled her chin up so he could meet her gaze. “We have to stop.”

  “Why? We both want it,” she whispered breathlessly, her head still muzzy and unfocused. “And heaven knows, after today we’ve earned the right to a little pleasure…”

  He pulled her head down to his shoulder with one hand and hugged her close with his other arm. “First, because we don’t have protection.”

  She jolted, her pulse kicking with the sobering reminder of how she’d lost her usually pragmatic senses.

  “And second, because…I can’t take advantage of you. We both want this for the wrong reasons.” When she stiffened, he tightened his grip on her. “You’re vulnerable tonight. Frightened. Confused. You don’t want to complicate those feelings with sex you may regret in the morning.”

  The cold splash of reality doused the sizzle in her veins and, feeling suddenly awkward and embarrassed, Paige shoved away from Jake. The one time she’d tossed caution aside, she’d made a fool of herself, throwing herself at Jake.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

  “Wait.” He refused to release her when she struggled. “I’m not saying I don’t want you. I’d think it was pretty obvious how much I do want you.”

  “Jake, you don’t have to—”

  Without warning, he rolled over so that she was pinned beneath him. “Paige, listen. You are an extremely desirable woman. And yes, I want you. But I can’t forget the danger we’re in. I can’t afford to be distracted.”

  She shivered, despite the heat of his body pressed against her.

  Jake smoothed a hand along her cheek. “And I can’t ignore the fact that this morning you were engaged to a man I’d been hired to guard. A man I failed to protect when he needed me most. Making love to you would feel like…a betrayal.”

  Paige caught her breath. Jake was right to stop them, but hearing him enumerate the many ways she’d abandoned her good judgment rubbed salt in the wounds she’d suffered today. She squeezed her eyes closed, fighting back the burn of tears and chastising herself for her lapse, for her recklessness. “You’re right. And…it won’t happen again. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize.” Jake rested his forehead lightly against hers and sighed. “You did nothing wrong.”

  Despite the reminders why indulging her attraction to Jake was a mistake, the gentle caress of his breath on her cheeks still stirred a flutter in her belly, still created a warmth and intimacy that wrapped comfortably around her heart.

  His knuckles brushed her cheek, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Now get some sleep.”

  She nestled down, closer to him. How she’d fall asleep with the distraction of his body pressed to hers she didn’t know.

  But somehow she did, because the next thing she knew, bright yellow sun streamed through the gaps in the window blinds and roused her from sensuous dreams of Jake.

  Squinting against the beam of buttery light that hit her face, she sat up and glanced about, finding herself alone on the living room floor. She rubbed her eyes and raked her hair away from her face, knowing she had to look a wreck. She prayed the hot water was still on in the house. She needed a reviving shower in the worst way. “Jake?”

  “Mornin’.”

  She twisted at the waist and found Jake behind the kitchen counter with a stack of papers in his hands. Shoving to her feet, she ambled into the kitchen, yawning and casting a curious glance at the clutter of paperwork on the counter. “Brent’s files?”

  He nodded, then hitched his head toward the far end of the counter. “Breakfast. The coffee’s probably pretty cold by now, but it’s caffeine, if you’re as addicted as I am.”

  Smiling her thanks, she popped the plastic lid off the insulated cup waiting for her. She wasn’t a big coffee drinker, but his thoughtfulness touched her.

  “Sugar and creamer are in the bag with the doughnuts. I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee, so…” He let his sentence trail off as he turned his attention back to the scattered papers spread before him.

  She sipped the coffee and raised her gaze to study her raven-haired protector.

  He rubbed his chin as he read the open file, and the scratch of his morning beard against his fingers sent a rush of heat skittering through her.

  Last night she’d been prepared to have sex with this man who knew so little about her, he didn’t even know how she liked her coffee. No matter how sexy Jake was or how scared she’d been, there was no excuse for letting herself be so…emotional and rash.

  Zoey was the impulsive sister—and look where it had gotten her. Traveling the country with a gambler, supporting his addiction and living hand to mouth off Zoey’s life savings.

  But, Paige, she’s happy. She loves this guy. Who are we to judge how she lives her life if she’s doing what feels right to her, what makes her happy? Holly had said, the last time Paige complained about Zoey’s poor choices. Holly—the peacemaker, the nurturer, the blissfully-wedded idealist. She saw only the good in Zoey. In everyone.

  Jake grunted, pulling her out of her drifting thoughts.

  She stepped toward him to glance over his shoulder. “What? Did you find something?”

  He waved a hand toward the file he was reading. “There’s a lot in here about new drugs and vaccines Bancroft was developing.”

  “Makes sense. Research and Development is the largest and most profitable branch of the company. Besides, that’s where Brent got his start. He’s a research junkie at heart, though he set his sights on leading the company when Dad announced his retirement plans a couple years ago.”

  Jake glanced over his shoulder to her. “Any one project in particular that he talked about more than others? Something big in production that he was excited about?”

  Paige sipped her coffee as she tried to recall what Brent had mentioned working on recently. “Nothing that stands out. He talked about meetings he had, contracts he’d signed. Mostly daily agenda stuff. To be honest, I was so preoccupied the last several months with wedding stuff, those plans were what we talked about most often.”

  “Did he mention trouble with any project, holdups or delays?”

  “Every project has its delays and red tape. Backlogs for approval at the FDA, requests for new studies, data that has to be reanalyzed. Problems are common.”

  He grunted again as he turned his attention back to the file.

  Paige plucked a doughnut from the sack and shook off the extra powdered sugar before taking a large bite and savoring the sweet treat. “What can I do to help?”

  Jake glanced up and rubbed the back of his neck. “You could set up your laptop and take a look at the files on the USB. I was waiting for you to get up before I turned on your computer.” He shrugged. “Felt like an invasion of your privacy to get on your computer without you.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “Like breaking into Brent’s office and stealing his files wasn’t an invasion of privacy?”

  “Way I see it, Brent gave up the right to privacy when he put national security in jeopardy.”

  The sweet pastry in her mouth soured. National security. What on earth had Brent gotten her involved in?

  After brushing sugar from her fingers, she retrieved the laptop from Jake’s backpack and opened the top. She plugged in the power cord and took a seat on the floor while the com
puter started up.

  “This is interesting.” Jake picked up the file he’d been studying and moved to sit beside her, spreading the folder of papers on his lap. “I found a receipt stuck in here with all the paperwork on this project he called Superbug.”

  Paige cast him a curious glance. “A receipt for what?”

  “Your wedding ring.” He handed her the itemized jewelry-store printout. “Why would that be in the files of the company’s research projects?”

  “Are you kidding? Did you see his office when we were there? Clutter everywhere. Brent was brilliant, but he was disorganized. Messy.” She glanced at the receipt then handed it back to Jake. “It was probably just misfiled.”

  He hummed an acknowledgment but continued to stare at the paper. “He had your ring specially designed. Built from scratch according to a design he gave the jeweler.”

  Statements, not questions. Yet Jake’s expression said he felt an explanation was in order.

  “Yeah. I told you that last night. Remember?” She slipped the wedding ring off and handed it to Jake. Why was she even still wearing it? “He wanted to give me a ring he called unique and special. I always took that to mean exorbitant and showy.”

  Her laptop finished loading programs, and she plugged the flash drive into a side port. While Jake turned the ring over, examining it again, she tapped her keyboard and began opening files uploaded from the flash drive. She found Brent’s schedule spreadsheet with his appointments, meetings, names and phone numbers.

  Holding her breath, Paige scanned the calendar, looking for anything that seemed out of place, unusual. Maybe a contact she’d never heard him mention.

  “What if the receipt wasn’t misfiled?”

  She raised her gaze to Jake when he spoke. “Meaning?”

  “What if this ring, the design he ordered, was relevant to the research outlined in these files?” He tossed the ring up and caught it. “Why would he be so determined to design the ring himself?”