SASSY IN STILETTOS ARe version

by Nana Malone

  Her belly bottomed out, and she bit back a moan. That man was born to have sex. It was just like she’d imagined. He was sure and sexy and knew his way around a woman’s body. But he was also surprisingly gentle, which was a surprise, given how big he was. He’d treated her like she was cherished. Instead of the fuck it had been. He’d managed to make it feel like…love.

  Micha shook her head to clear the fantasy. Love wasn’t in the cards for her. Especially not with Caleb Atkins. She snagged her T-shirt off the floor and tiptoed into the bedroom to sleep in her own bed, all the while praying that she hadn’t ruined everything.

  ***

  Caleb had known Micha wouldn’t stay. He’d expected her to leave long before she had, but the moment she’d stirred in his arms, pain had sliced though his chest. He wasn’t fool enough to think last night changed anything between them. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t hoped. The moment that fine ass of hers had started to wiggle, he’d been sandblasted awake by lust from the inside out. He’d had all kinds of other plans for her that morning. But after making love twice, they’d both passed out. Great Caleb, not only are you breaking a cardinal rule sleeping with a client, but you were out cold.

  If her stalker had been around, there would have been all kinds of trouble. He knew better. Fuck.

  Knowing he wasn’t going to get any more sleep, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. The cable box time read four-thirty. Earlier than he’d like but not like it was two in the morning. He sent a quick text to one of the guys he had posted downstairs to come up and relieve him. He needed to make a couple of calls to check on Sabine and her little guest. Then he’d grab Micha some breakfast for after their run. She had a thing for scones and clotted cream. God, he was a mess. He had to get a handle on himself before he endangered her any further.

  At the soft knock on the door, he tossed on boxers and the pair of sweats he’d brought over the night before. Quickly cleaning up behind himself, he left no evidence of their love making or that he’d ever even been there.

  As he walked out, he locked up behind him using the spare key. Tom Meyers and Sarah Vincent waited outside the door.

  “Hey guys, how you feeling?”

  “I’m good,” Tom said.

  Sarah only nodded.

  Tom was most senior on his team. They’d served together in Afghanistan. After college, he’d done back-to-back tours, earning himself a reputation for getting the job done. He’d done a run with the state department. When his last job went bad, he’d struck out on his own.

  “You’re alert enough to handle another couple of hours?”

  Tom frowned at him like he was an idiot. “Yep. We’re on it.”

  He didn’t hire slouches. Tom would stay awake and alert for another two days if he was asked. But this was Micha. He didn’t want to take any chances with her. “If Micha wakes up and is looking for me, tell her I’ll be back, and I want her to stay put until I get back to take her on her run. If she insists on going,” and knowing Micha, she would, “Then I want you to go with her.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Caleb didn’t like Micha’s protection left to someone else, but there was no avoiding it. He needed to do some research on her past and the people in it. There was no way of doing that without her getting upset about it. But he’d find out what she’d been through and eliminate the threat if it was the same one.

  ***

  Micha’s alarm clock woke her to a throbbing body, but still she felt utterly relaxed. God, she hadn’t felt this good in weeks, no, make that months. She’d rather not think about exactly how many months that was. Caleb Atkins did a body good.

  On wobbly legs, she thumped around her bedroom, pulling her running gear out. If she had to be up to train, and he insisted on shadowing her 24/7, then she could thump around if she wanted. He’d have to get up eventually, because there was no way she was skipping her run today. Even doing six miles yesterday instead of twelve was a penance she’d pay. She was tempted to skip this morning, but there was no way she’d let some psycho freak scare her any more. Everyone needed to stop treating her with kid gloves. She was stronger than this. She wasn’t stupid, so she’d be careful, but she wasn’t going to hide in her apartment and never leave again. And she certainly wasn’t going to lose another night of sleep.

  “No more fear, Micha, girl.” She muttered to herself like her adopted father had always said to her. “You’re a Bennett. And Bennetts eat fear for breakfast.” Except, you’re not really a Bennett, are you?

  Satisfied that she’d donned a sports bra with the power to hold her breasts in, she threw on the rest of her clothes and made a very loud exit of her bedroom. She halted when she saw the folded sheets and blanket on her couch.

  Yeah, she’d never be able to sit there again. Or at least sit there and not think about him. She knocked on the office door, straining to see if she’d hear the shower in the other room. She didn’t.

  Had he actually left her? Well shit. The hurt knocked her in the gut. So much for promises not to leave. She really should have known better than to trust him. She should have known better than to fuck him too. But woulda, shoulda, coulda.

  She grabbed her water bottle and a protein bar and scooped up the keys to the building’s fitness center. She still needed to run, and she wasn’t going to take a chance that whoever was fucking with her mind didn’t mean business. She yanked her front door open and stumbled back three feet. A mammoth of a man waited directly outside her door. Across the hall in a chair sat a tiny woman with dark hair pulled off her face.

  “Good morning, Miss Bennett,” the mammoth said. He was Caleb’s height but broader. And he had hands the size of meat cleavers. A fleeting moment of panic set in, and she rolled onto the balls of her feet, ready to dart around him to the emergency stairs.

  “I’m Tom Meyers. And this is Sarah Vincent. We’re your first detail. Caleb said he would be back in time to take you on your run. I expect him at any moment. Or if you insist on going now, I will accompany you.”

  Micha held back a little chuckle. Given his size, she doubted he could keep up with her. The woman maybe, but as bodyguards went, she wasn’t exactly a deterrent.

  “I, um, was going to hit the treadmill downstairs.”

  He nodded. “Fine. I’ll walk you down and stand watch. Sarah will stay here and watch your apartment.”

  “There’s no need for that, Tom, I’ll take Micha on her run,” Caleb said as he sauntered down the hall. He had a large duffle bag with him and two brown paper bags from Bread and Cie.

  Micha fell a little in love with him in that moment. He hadn’t left her. More importantly, he brought her pastries. At least she hoped they were pastries.

  “What’s in the bag?” she asked.

  “I brought another change of clothes and some stuff I’ll need, like my laptop etc.”

  Micha narrowed her eyes. He was being deliberately obtuse. He handed one of the Bread and Cie bags to Tom and Sarah and thanked them, then told them to get some rest.

  When he led her back into her place, she asked, “Where did you go?”

  “I had some other business I needed to take care of.”

  She let them back into her apartment so he could drop off his bag. “Early start?”

  His eyes coursed over her, scorching her skin. “Yeah, well, I was already up.” He put both bags down and eyed her. “You ready to go? I know you didn’t get to finish your run yesterday.”

  Oh, so they weren’t going to talk about it. No mention of the fact that they’d fucked right there on her couch. Well, she wasn’t one to sweep anything under the carpet. “Uh, so about last night.”

  He raised a brow. “What about it?” His gaze was impassive and contemplative.

  He wouldn’t make this easy then. Fine. “I, uh...” Why was this so hard? She made a point to be brutally honest with herself at all times, so why couldn’t she have a plain conversation about sex. “It was, great. And I needed that, so thank you.”

  Cal
eb’s lips tipped up into a grin. “Anything to make a lady happy.”

  She puffed out a breath and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. “But it can’t happen anymore. It’s too messy, and it’ll get ugly later.”

  He shrugged. “Your call.”

  Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. “So just like that, you’re fine with it. You don’t care.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he turned his sharp gaze on her. “Don’t put words into my mouth, sweetheart.” He cracked his neck. “What is it, exactly, you want to hear? That I woke up so hard my balls ached? Or that I can still smell you all over me and it’s driving me nuts? Or that I want to take you to bed again and have you screaming my name as soon as you’ll allow it?”

  “I—” She shut her mouth. What the hell could she say to that?

  “All true, but I know you by now. You’re strong, but you’re skittish, and after what you told me last night, I can see why. So if you need to tell yourself that it’s not going to happen again, feel free. I can be patient. Because I know you’ll come back to me. You like how I make you feel too much not to.”

  Her temper simmered under her skin. Asshole. Did he really need to be that cocky? “Look, I needed something, and you were there. It doesn’t have to be a big thing.”

  “Twice.”

  She took a step back and her ass hit the counter. “What?”

  He smirked, “Well, technically three times. Twice last night and once in the elevator. You needed something from me three times.”

  “Don’t be a pi—”

  Scowling, he stepped directly in front of her and braced both hands on either side of her against the counter. She met his gaze with a level one of her own, mentally beating back the surge of lust.

  “Let’s not get it twisted, sweetheart. You want me. And I, well, you can see the evidence of how I feel for yourself.” His dick pressed against her belly. “But you need time to figure out what you want. And I need to focus on keeping you safe, so if you want to do the whole this isn’t ever going to happen again thing to yourself, fine. But let’s make it clear. You and I will be naked and slick with each other’s sweat soon enough. I’m not going to pressure you. You take all the time you need. Try to work me out of your system if you want. But I see you. I’m under your skin just like you’re under mine.”

  Micha’s blood roared in her head, and she panted as her body went into lust override. “Caleb, I—”

  He stepped back and flexed his hands once, then twice. When he met her gaze again, his good-natured smile was back. “Now how about that run? No pastries for you until you make up yesterday’s mileage.”

  Chapter 15

  Caleb watched Micha through the glass of her office while he checked his email and kept an eye on Carlotta. The girl was scared of something, and if he didn’t figure it out quick, he wouldn’t be able to help her.

  After a grueling run with Micha, he was feeling every hour of sleep he didn’t get because he’d been too busy screwing her. They had dance class tonight, so he’d stay with her through the day. He’d have to leave and check on Carlotta at some point, so he’d have someone else on Micha. Not how he liked to do things, but whatever.

  He’d sent Carlotta’s fingerprints to a friend in the FBI who would check them discreetly. Something about the way the girl had fingered the television and stereo had bothered him. She hadn’t been interested, like someone who’d never known luxuries like that before, but more like she’d been remembering. He already knew Sabine wasn’t being honest with him. He needed to figure out what about before the girl slipped from his grasp.

  His brain kept telling him not his problem, but something about the girl spoke to him. She was a kid. Couldn’t be more than twelve. Sure the clothes she’d had on were supposed to make her look older. More sexed up, but he recognized her for the kid she was. He had to help her.

  Helping her won’t bring them back. He shook his head to clear the memory. This was a different situation. Not at all like that protection duty that had gone so terribly wrong.

  Then why was he still thinking about it? Because you lost her when you swore you’d protect her.

  When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he cursed. “Yeah. Atkins.”

  “Someone’s in a mood.”

  “What’s up, Alec?”

  “Okay, so that kind of day. You want to talk about it?”

  The last thing he needed was Alec trying to help. Caleb wanted to keep everyone away from the mess that was Sabine. “No, Oprah, I’m good. What’s up?”

  “I was going to ask you to bring my brother by after your class tonight. Adele and I have some papers to sign. And if I leave the office without her, Jaya’s going to go all bloodhound on me and likely ruin her surprise.”

  Alec was right. His bride to be was like a dog with a bone. When she had her mind set on something, there was no deterring her. Caleb had never met anyone who liked to plan or organize so much. And who the hell knew she’d be a good match for Alec? He and Alec had known each other since they were kids, and he’d never known anything to tie the guy down. Not even Adele could hold him for long. Jaya changed all that.

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll swing Max by. You have any idea how long it’ll take you? I’m juggling another case and Micha’s as well.”

  “Oh, right. You want me to take him to the airport myself?”

  Caleb didn’t want to risk that. “No, it’s cool, I’ll take him. Micha can visit with Jaya for a minute when we’re there.”

  “How’s she holding up?”

  “Honestly, man, I don’t know.”

  “How can you not know? You’ve been with her, right?”

  Caleb wasn’t going to share what had happened with Micha. If she chose to tell Jaya fair enough, but he was keeping his mouth shut. “She acts nice and strong, but I can tell it’s getting to her. She wants it done with. I don’t have the heart to tell her that it could be a while.”

  Micha’s assistant carried coffee in from the cart downstairs and left it in front of Caleb. He nodded an appreciative thanks. Ryan smiled, but not before giving him the once over. Interesting. Micha could have mentioned her date was gay.

  Caleb tried to catch up with what Alec was saying. “Yeah, Micha’s a tough one to crack. She’s pretty badass, but even the most badass of women need someone at some point.”

  “What? Is this love advice from the once untamed Alec Westhorpe?”

  “Ha, ha. I’m a reformed man. And I’ve been learning a lot about women.”

  “Yeah, but the remedial classes Jaya has you in, most of us have taken those years ago. You need to catch up, buddy.”

  Alec snorted. “Is that so? Then why the hell do you sound so touchy? If you know women so well, that is. Have you told Micha how you feel about her?”

  Caleb scowled. “What would I be telling her, exactly? Keep in mind that I hold the lock code to every safe at the hotel.”

  Alec chuckled. “Easy, buddy. All I’m saying is you want more than her body, right? I’ve known you since we were kids. It’s not like you to only want to sleep with a woman. You notice like the rest of us dirt bags, and you sample your fair share, but you also have a heart.”

  Fat load of good it was doing him.”Yeah, whatever.”

  “You know, as a requisite, since she’s family, I have to warn you off. You fuck this up, and Beckett and I will be sent to kill you.”

  Caleb barked out a laugh. “You’ll be sent, will you? Yeah, sure. I welcome the challenge.”

  “Here’s my beautiful bride to be now.” Alec’s voice became muffled and muted, and a moment later Jaya shouted her hello into the phone and started in on twenty questions until Alec sent her away.

  “If there’s anything we can do to help, you’ll let us know.”

  “Yeah, thanks, man. But I’m on it. If I need you, I’ll call.”

  After he hung up with Alec, he checked on Carlotta. The cameras in the living room and in the kitchen showed nothing. His heart hammered. Quietly as he could, he checked the
cameras in the bedroom. Still nothing. The motion sensors he’d set up showed no movement in the whole apartment. As he’d suspected, Carlotta had flown the coop.

  He snatched up his phone and called one of his guys who was off rotation. “Matt, I need you on the girl. She’s flown the coop. Activate her GPS.”

  The voice on the on the other end was alert. “You want me to approach?”

  “No, not yet. Observe and keep her safe. If you have to extract, do it, and call me after.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He hated not being able to be in more than one place at a time. He didn’t want to leave Micha, though he knew watching her 24/7 would be out of the question. Besides, her stalker had to think that she was unprotected for this to work properly. He’d make sure the cameras were all set by tomorrow and back off. He’d still be the one monitoring her and picking her up if she had to go somewhere, but he’d give her the illusion of freedom. As for Carlotta…

  He had a plan, he just needed to watch it play out. For now, even though she’d run, he’d made her as safe as he could.

  It wasn’t until two hours later when he took Micha down to the courthouse for an interview of Judge Rines that Sabine called him.

  “She’s fucking gone, Caleb.”

  He kept his voice even. “Hello to you too, Sabine.”

  “Where the fuck is Carlotta?”

  “I thought you and I agreed that we’d be doing things my way. She’s safe enough for now.”

  “I’m not fucking with you, Caleb. She’s gone. Do you understand all the shit I have in play? She’s the one bargaining chip I have against the cartel, and you’re telling me she’s fucking safe? She’s not at the safe house, Caleb. That doesn’t equal safe. She texted me and said she wasn’t at the safe house anymore.”

  “That safe house was no longer secure, so I moved her.”

  Relief and something else he couldn’t place tinged her words. “Okay, where is she? I want to check on her myself. Make sure she’s not scared.”

  Bullshit. Sabine cared as much for that girl’s feelings as she did about him. The girl was a commodity. What he didn’t know, was why. He still didn’t have any word on her prints or her DNA. But he’d seen a packet of contact lenses, so he knew something was up. Until he had Sabine’s game figured out, he wasn’t planning on showing any of his cards.