by Maddie Wade
“You’re welcome Chiquita.”
~~~
Good old Nate. You could always count on him to diffuse a situation. And by getting Lauren to talk about Josefina, Nate had totally stopped her impending meltdown. Dane watched the exchange with interest. There seemed to be a lot of tension coming off Lauren when she had talked about Josefina, but of course, that could be the stress of the evening. She sure was a complicated one. He ground his back teeth. Absurd, though it was, he wanted all her attention on him, not Nate. He wanted to be the one to calm her. Shit. He was in trouble.
Dane leaned forward and dropped a kiss to her temple, staking his claim like a dog pissing on his territory. God, he had never been like this. He knew he was behaving like a prized prick, but couldn’t seem to help it. Nate knew it too, because he gave him a stupid grin as if to say, ‘Ah like that is it?’
~~~
Calmer now, she realized nobody had answered her question from earlier. Lauren asked again, “Who do you think was trying to break into my flat and what do you think they want with me?” She directed her question at Dane, who shared a look with Nate.
“Honestly, we don’t know, honey, but I promise you we will find out. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“So what was that look for, between you two?” she asked, waving her finger between the two of them. “And don’t play dumb. I really want to know.”
The fright was wearing off now, leaving anger in its wake. Anger that some low-life had tried to break into her flat, and frightened her to death in the process. How dare they do this to her? She wasn’t just gonna sit back and let the big badass men handle it. This was her life and she wanted to know what was going on. Although, she was really liking having Dane’s arms around her, and though it was a familiar gesture, it felt right.
~~~
Pulling Lauren in closer to him to reassure himself she was okay, Dane decided honesty was best. “It was just a look to say we need to watch our backs more and that yes, something is going on. I’m sorry we don’t know more than that, Lauren, but we will.”
~~~
“Wow, all that with a look,” she said dubiously, not quite believing him, causing Dane and Nate to chuckle. Lauren accepted his embrace and turned slightly into him. She, also, accepted his explanation for now-she was just too tired to argue anymore tonight.
“I’ll stay here tonight with Lauren,” Dane declared.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Lauren asked.
“I’m sure, and tomorrow I’ll get some added security on this place.”
“I can make a start on that tomorrow,” Nate said.
“Great. Thanks, Nate.”
“Well, I’ll get going. Call if you need anything,” Nate said.
~~~
As Nate was about to leave, Dane remembered that he’d come to his house. “Did you want to talk to me about something earlier?”
“Nah, don’t worry. It can wait.”
“Are you sure?” he queried as he walked him to the door. He had been worried about Nate lately. He was quiet, and that was not Nate Jones. He was usually ribbing everyone about everything.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Nate replied. “So you and Lauren, hey?” he queried, trying to deflect Dane’s attention. “She’s a nice girl, man. I like her for you.”
Dane looked at him thoughtfully. “Yes me too, and, uh, sorry for being a prick back there.”
Nate laughed, “No worries, man.”
Dane watched Nate walk to his car. Yes, he and Nate were going to have a man-to-man soon so he could find out what was going on with him. Maybe they should go for a beer or maybe a sparring session. Yes, that was more his style. Have a hard sparring session. See if that helped him work out his problems without them having to do any touchy-feely talking.
When Nate had driven off, Dane locked up behind him, making sure everything was secured. He would rather be paranoid than dead. Lauren was still standing in the living room when he came back. She looked a little lost, so he walked over and tugged her into his arms.
~~~
Lauren wasn’t really sure what to do. She couldn’t really offer him her bed without seeming like a forward hussy...even though, at this moment, she couldn’t think of anything she would like more. And not just because she wanted to tear his clothes off. No, she just wanted to feel the safety of his arms around her.
Feeling him pull her into his arms, she instead said, “Um, I haven’t got a spare room.” Lauren wanted to smack herself upside the head. Well, duh, he knows that stupid. He just checked your flat out for bad guys.
“Don’t worry. I’ll just stretch out on the sofa.”
She hesitated. “Are you sure?” Half of her wanted him to drag her to bed while the other half knew she wasn’t ready for this yet.
He nodded “Yes, this is fine like this. Believe me, I’ve slept in worse.”
“Well, okay. I’ll just go to bed, then. If you want to grab a shower or food or drink, help yourself. I’m not much of a morning person, so don’t wait for me.”
She pulled herself free from his arms and stepped back. Dane let her go, but stepped forward and put a gentle kiss on her temple, just next to her brow. “Goodnight Lauren. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight, Dane, and thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“My pleasure, honey,” he said, settling down on the couch.
Wow, what a night. First, the scare in the park, then the hot make-out session in the kitchen, and now this? Her life had become a bad TV show. And now she was laying here, feeling completely frustrated because of the hot, sexy man in her living room, and she so wanted to talk to Claire. Just thinking about her friend made her feel heartsick. God, she missed her.
~~~
In the living room, Dane was faring no better. He was cramped and too hot. He could smell her scent everywhere, and imagining her in bed, one door away, wasn’t helping his body relax. Dane knew she wasn’t ready for anything more, just yet, and seeing her discomfort earlier, had came to her rescue.
He was sure he was going to be dead from blue balls by morning, though. This was gonna be a long night!
Chapter Seven
He watched from the street below as all the lights went out in Lauren Cassidy’s home and he fumed. Who the hell was after Lauren? Who the fuck did they think they were, targeting his prey? And now that bastard staying with her was going to make it even harder for him to get to her.
He wondered if it was Marcus Preedy, or his head of security, Michaels, but didn’t think so. Michaels was shorter and stockier. Maybe it was that son of his. Preedy thought he was the one in control all the time. They would all soon see that it was him running this show and nobody was gonna fuck it up for him or get in the way.
Pulling out the dog-eared picture of himself and Claire, he ran his finger along her face, “Don’t worry, my precious love,” he muttered to himself. “I will make sure they pay for not noticing your suffering.” Putting the picture back in his inside coat pocket, he mused. Was it Preedy or someone else? And if it was Preedy, how had he found out?
He needed to speak to that arrogant consultant, Mr. Hale, from the hospital. He hated the self-opinionated prick, but he needed to find out if he knew about his interest in Lauren, and as one of Marcus Preedy’s minions, he might know.
Hale was one of the leading oncology consultants in the country and if he’d managed to control his little gambling problem, he would’ve been one of the best in the world. However, by allowing his habit to get out of hand, he’d become the little bitch of Marcus Preedy-and all for money and status. He hated men like Hale, who had it all handed to them on a plate, while men like him had to struggle to find their place in society.
Focusing his mind back on the here and now, and away from his hatred of Hale, he knew this development would mean he had to be more careful and creative, but he was the master of creation. A genius among men at blending in and going unnoticed, but soon they would all see his masterpiece.
Chapter Eight
Opening one eye, Lauren realised it was morning-8:47am, to be exact. What a night. She had finally drifted off around five in the morning after much tossing and turning. Between sexual frustration and holding her breath at every noise, it had been impossible to relax. Dragging her tired body upright, she headed for the shower.
She was halfway out her bedroom door before realising she could smell coffee. It took her foggy brain another moment to realise that she was midway across the living room in nothing but sleep shorts and a vest while Dane stood watching her from the kitchen!
“Good morning,” he said, as he stood there with his arms crossed over his impressive chest, emphasising his huge biceps, with a mug of coffee in one hand. Looking all perfect and chipper, he had obviously showered and looked as fresh as a daisy while she must look like a scarecrow. He was dressed in soft denim jeans and a black t-shirt that clung to his impressive muscled chest and arms. Realising that she was staring and hadn’t answered him, she mumbled a quick, “Morning,” and hurried towards the sanctuary of the shower.
Rushing through her shower and morning ablutions, Lauren pinned her wet hair up off her neck with a clip and applied a light layer of tinted moisturiser to help conceal the dark circles that lack of sleep had given her. Giving her eyes a quick swipe of mascara, she realised that she now had to make a dash back to her bedroom for clothes, in only a towel. Come on, Lauren, she coached herself in the mirror. It’s a towel-you’re covered to your knees and it’s not like he is gonna throw you to the ground and ravage you as soon as you walk out the door.
Now, why did that thought have her hoping that he might? She was a hot mess. One minute hoping he jumped her and ravaged her on the living room floor, and the next hoping she could slip into her room unnoticed. Come on, pull yourself together!
Opening the door, she saw Dane standing by the window, watching the Saturday morning comings and goings in the Street below. She ran to her room and was annoyed with herself because she was disappointed that he hadn’t jumped her.
She quickly dressed in navy knee length shorts and a white vest top, it was gonna be another hot one today, and she wanted to be comfortable. Slipping her feet into flip-flops, she cast a last glance in the mirror. Yes, she looked almost human now.
Walking out into the living room, she was met by Dane, who was holding out a coffee mug.
“I wasn’t sure how you liked it, so I left it black.” He said. Taking the fragrant coffee, she smiled and inhaled the scent of the rich brew
“Thank you, it’s perfect.” She replied, taking a sip of the steaming coffee. Feeling slightly better after her caffeine hit, she asked. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Well, Nate’s going to come over this morning and fit one of our state-of-the-art alarms for you, and then I’m going to have a look around and see if I see any signs of our friend from last night.”
“Okay, what should I do?”
“Whatever you normally do on Saturday, but stay in crowded places.”
“Right then. Well, I have a few errands to run this morning and then I normally go into the hospital and visit with the kids on the paediatric ward. How long will Nate be here?” she asked.
“He’ll probably be here until early afternoon.”
“Okay, well I’ll bring him back some lunch. Will you be around?” She asked and then blushed and ducked her head.
“Yes, I’ll be around all day, so I’ll see you later.”
“Oh, okay, great,” she said, smiling and feeling inordinately pleased that he was staying.
“I’ll get you something for lunch, as well.” She needed to stop being so dizzy around him and start behaving like the competent woman she was.
~~~
Following at a discreet distance so that nobody would notice him, including Lauren, Dane watched her go into the dry cleaners. She then headed for the food market.
After abandoning sleep at around 7 am this morning, he had grabbed a quick, torturous shower. He’d been surrounded by all of her shower gels, body lotions, and that little shower puff woman liked to use the smell of her was everywhere. He had quickly washed himself and then turned the setting to cold, hoping to freeze his erection into submission and it had worked until she stumbled out of her bedroom this morning looking all, soft and sleep rumpled. Her hair all tangled as if she had been making love all night. Then his cold shower had counted for nothing.
Listening to the shower come on had nearly killed him-imagining her in the shower running that little puff with shower gel all over her wet, naked body. It had nearly had him running in there to join her. Luckily, his restraint had kicked in and he had managed to restrain his thoughts, if not his body.
He had been pleased to see her a little rattled at the sight of him and had watched, enraptured, as her gaze had wandered all over him. He’d stayed perfectly still while she feasted her eyes all over him, her desire unchecked. It had taken an iron will not to act on that look, and luckily for both of them, she came to her senses and ran for the bathroom. He wasn’t pleased, however, to see dark smudges under her eyes that she had tried to conceal. She’d obviously not gotten much sleep, either, and it made him angry that someone had dared to frighten her in her own home. Well, it wouldn’t happen again, not on his watch.
Lauren was special, he mused, as he watched her. He was starting to recognise that, but she was also vulnerable. It was up to him to make sure she was taken care of both physically and emotionally. Somehow, in the last twenty-four hours she had become his. He didn’t know how or why, just that it was. But, he also knew he needed to keep a clear head to do his job and it was his job to catch a killer and protect her.
He and Nate had spoken this morning and decided that she should go about her business as normal and he would tail her to keep her safe. Nate was going to watch his six, so that this guy couldn’t get the jump on them. The hope was that the idiot from last night would try again and Dane could grab him. He wasn’t entirely happy with this scenario. But if he looked at it objectively, he knew this was the best plan to catch this guy quickly.
He tried to stay close enough that he could protect her. He had his weapon tucked into his jeans with his shirt covering it, but didn’t want to use it in this crowd. Luckily the SAS had taught him some very special hand-to-hand moves. He inched closer, watching everyone around her, hoping the guy from last night would make a move so that he could grab him. He and Nate had agreed this morning that this was the best thing. They had also agreed that this person seemed determined, but definitely not trained.
Part of him didn’t want to believe that it was linked to Claire. However, Dane didn’t believe in coincidences and for Lauren to all of a sudden have someone watching her and trying to break into her house, a month after her best friend was murdered in a professional hit, just didn’t sit well with him.
He had put a call in to Zack earlier, who was always up early and brought him up to speed on what happened. After promising to keep his boss appraised of the situation, he had called Lucy and told her to put the whole team on notice.
~~~
Lauren stopped at the dry cleaners’ to drop of the suit she had worn to Claire’s funeral. It was a lovely black silk dress and jacket. She had loved it when she bought it and now she didn’t think she’d ever wear it again, but she didn’t have the heart to throw it away.
The early morning sun warmed her body as she carried on to the outdoor food market. It was held every Saturday. Wandering round the market, she picked up fresh salad and some fragrant, giant peaches. At the bread stall, she picked up some fresh baked rolls, and at the meat counter, chose a selection of meats. She was about to go to the cheese shop, when she turned around and suddenly looked up into the face of the man from the park.
Stepping back quickly and nearly tripping, she panicked but his hand came out to steady her.
“Please, I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to talk to you, Lauren.”
“Hhhhow do you know my nam
e?”
“Please, we have to be quick before he sees us,” the man said grabbing for her arm. Yanking her arm back, she, turned and fled. Running through the crowded market towards home. She could hear him behind her, calling her name.
“Lauren please!”
Running blindly, she screamed and kicked as large hands grabbed her. Fighting for her life she got in a good elbow to the ribs, which resulted in,
“Shit Lauren, stop it!” Recognising Dane’s voice and suddenly catching the scent of him as he wrapped his arms around her to stop her hitting him again,her fight left her. She looked up at him then with the blind fear showing in her eyes.
“Someone’s after me.” She said in a shaky voice, holding on to him for dear life.
“Shhh, it’s okay, let’s get you home, I had a feeling that guy was still around, so Nate and I decided that I would follow you to keep you protected and that Nate would hang back and watch my back. Nate’s gone after him.” He was ushering her out of the market and back towards home, having picked up her shopping before she comprehended what he had said.
Pulling herself away from him, Lauren felt the fear turn to anger and in a deadly calm voice said, “So, you decided, without consulting me, that I could be bait, when you had a feeling that this might happen?”
Dane did have the grace to look contrite.
“Well, yes, we’re trained for this sort of thing and you were never in any danger,” he said calmly.
“But that wasn’t your decision to make.” she said. “He was close enough to touch me! I could have been dead before you got to me,” she continued, with her voice rising with each word. Lauren could tell by the dark look on his face that he didn’t like being questioned in this way, but she didn’t care, she was furious. How dare he take her choices from her?