Guarded by the Hero: An Older Alpha Male and Curvy Younger Woman Romance (The Hero Series Book 1)

by Adele Niles

  “Fuck off! Don’t judge me, you stupid bitch!”

  I could hear the slurring of his words. He was definitely drunk, definitely looking for a fight.

  But Maria wasn’t taking the bait. She shut her eyes tight and inhaled deeply.

  I felt a swell of pride as I watched her compose herself.

  “Ben, stop calling me. You aren’t supposed to be contacting me at all.”

  “Fuck you. Fuck you and fuck your new man. He’d better watch himself.”

  She opened her eyes and glanced at me.

  I ended the call and turned off the recorder.

  “You’re doing a good job of holding yourself together.”

  “I’m trying. God, it’s hard, though.”

  “I know. But I’m proud of you.”

  She smiled. “That means a lot. Because I don’t feel like I’m doing a good job of anything right now.”

  “You are. You’re doing great.” I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Ignore the rest of his calls, but if he calls you in the middle of the night or anything, come get me.”

  “Okay.” Maria nodded. “Um, I have to get some work done, but… I’ll see you later?”

  “I’ll see you later.”

  * * * * *

  A soft knock at the door woke me up in the middle of the night.

  “Cody?”

  Maria.

  I rolled over and went to the door. I’d fallen asleep in my jeans but had no shirt on.

  When I opened the door, Maria gasped softly, looking away.

  She held her phone out to me.

  Another unknown number.

  “He’s called seven times. I haven’t answered yet.”

  I nodded and took her phone, carrying it into my room. She followed me but lingered near the door.

  I turned the recorder on and answered the call. “Hello?”

  “Who the fuck is this?”

  “My name is Cody.”

  “Are you fucking Maria?”

  “No.”

  Not yet, anyway.

  “Then give her the phone back! I don’t give a shit about you; I’m calling to talk to her!”

  “Not happening.”

  He took a beat, clearly not expecting to be stood up to, then continued, “Piece of shit! I’ll fucking kill you first! I’ll make her watch while I bash your skull in!”

  I frowned. When I spoke, I kept my voice even, although I really just wanted to kick this guy’s ass. “I just want to let you know that your calls are being recorded.”

  “What?”

  “I am disclosing to you that this phone call is being recorded, as will any other calls you make to this number.”

  “What the— Who the fuck are you?”

  “Doesn’t matter who I am. You know you’re being recorded. I think that’s all we need to discuss. Don’t call her again.”

  The silence lasted so long that I almost thought he’d forgotten about the phone. But then his voice came back on the line. “Fuck you, asshole,” he snapped, and hung up.

  I looked up at Maria. “Well. Now he knows we’re on to him.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. Okay, um… Okay. Thank you. Good night.”

  “Good night, Maria.”

  I followed her out to the hall, watching her go back to her room and close the door.

  I should have invited her to stay with me.

  Chapter Five

  Maria

  Ben didn’t call again the next day. And despite the incident in the middle of the night, I slept pretty well.

  It was getting easier to sleep with Cody around.

  He made me feel safe. Not just because of the security systems and alarms; he gave off this protective energy that made me feel comfortable again.

  I liked having him here, after all of the crap Ben had put me through.

  And after that last call, where Ben spoke to Cody instead of me, he hadn’t called again.

  I felt pretty good, all things considered.

  My day was productive, too. I was working from home for the time being, while we dealt with Ben, but it was a good day of answering emails and handling phone calls.

  It made me feel good. Like I could handle the company, even without my dad there to help.

  I was going to be fine.

  Cody and I had lunch together, and when I was done with work, I walked Stormy in the backyard. She was doing great with her leash, and her puppy classes were already paying off. She could sit with the best of them.

  I was proud of her. And of me.

  When I went to bed, I put Stormy in her crate for the night. Cody had gone to his room already, and I was ready to lie down and read before turning in. I stripped down to a tank top and panties before wiggling under the covers with a sigh.

  It was nice.

  I opened my book, but the words on the page started to run together quicker than I would have liked. I still needed to catch up on sleep, so I closed the book and put it down.

  I had just drifted off when I heard a sound.

  Stormy was barking.

  I lifted my head and groaned. The trainer had warned me that this might happen—she was still little and hearing something like an animal in the yard could excite her.

  I groaned, burying my head in my pillow. “God, Stormy, please. I’m so tired.”

  And then I heard another sound.

  Something like…

  Like the lock being messed with.

  Immediately, I sat up. I reached for my phone, trying to find it on my nightstand, and dropped it. It clattered to the floor.

  The sound stopped for an instant, then started again.

  I closed my eyes. God, Ben was here, and he was going to kill me—

  I let out a shout as a sudden, much louder sound filled the air.

  It was like a siren, or a car alarm—

  The alarm system.

  The alarm Cody had installed.

  I could see lights flashing in the hallway, coming in from under the bedroom door. Down the hall, Cody’s door banged against the wall as he threw it open.

  His footsteps sounded so heavy on the floor as he ran.

  I put my hands over my ears. If there was a fight, I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to know if something happened.

  I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t turn off my mind. I kept imagining Ben opening the door, Cody’s blood dripping from his hands. I could imagine him grinning at me, saying all of the awful things he wanted to do to me—

  The alarm went silent.

  Slowly, I opened my eyes.

  Footsteps sounded in the hall.

  My breath caught in my throat.

  The door opened, and Cody looked in at me.

  And all I could hear was my own sobbing.

  Chapter Six

  Maria

  I felt Cody’s arms around me, strong, warm, and comforting.

  He was on the edge of my bed, perched there to hold me as I wept.

  “It’s okay.” His voice was calm as ever but quieter this time. “It’s okay. He’s gone. He got one of the locks open and forced the other, but the alarm scared him off. The cops are on their way.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Why are the police coming?”

  “No! Why is he doing this to me?”

  Cody shook his head. “I don’t know, Maria. I… You certainly don’t deserve it.”

  Of course, I didn’t

  Nobody deserved this. No woman deserved to live in fear for breaking up with a man. Nobody deserved to be terrorized in their own home.

  But it was happening to me, and I was at the end of my rope.

  Cody held me close. He rubbed my back, trying to calm me down, and it was starting to work. His hands felt wonderful on my back, soothing my fears.

  “I won’t let him hurt you.”

  It sounded like a promise.

  “Really?”

  “Really. If he comes back, he’s going to regret it.”

  I lifted my head, sniff
ling.

  Cody was looking at me with an expression I couldn’t name, but I wanted him to look at me like that all the time.

  He eased back, his arms relaxing around me.

  Maybe it was too much.

  “Go back to sleep,” he said quietly. “I’ll stay up and talk to the police, since I saw him. You rest.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Cody.”

  “You’re welcome. Good night, Maria.”

  He closed the door quietly. His footsteps were softer this time, and I fell asleep fast.

  * * * * *

  For the next three days, there was nothing. No phone calls, no break-in attempts. No emails or texts or vague posts on social media.

  Maybe this had worked. Maybe Cody had scared Ben off for good.

  I was sleeping through the night now and waking up feeling refreshed. My workdays were productive—the most productive since my dad had died.

  And Cody made no indication that he was going to leave.

  I kept thinking about him coming into my room, holding me while I cried. He had been so comforting, so warm.

  His touch had made me feel like everything was going to be all right.

  Even if Ben wasn’t in jail, he wasn’t going to bother me. Not with Cody here.

  Hiring him was the best decision I had ever made, even better than kicking Ben out of the house.

  We sat down to lunch together on the third day after the break-in. My cook had made paninis and fresh sweet potato fries, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

  Cody looked up at me and smiled. “You look like you’re feeling good.”

  “I am.” I smiled back, sitting across from him.

  “Good. I was worried that the break-in would shake you up.”

  “I mean… it did. But I felt good knowing that you were here.”

  “Yeah?”

  I looked up. He was leaned back in the chair, looking at me like he was... hungry.

  I liked it.

  “Y-yeah. You’re really good at your job, you know?”

  He shrugged. “I try.”

  He did so much better than just trying. I was pretty pleased with his work so far—he’d protected me, made it harder for my idiot ex to break into my house.

  “You’re… doing so much for my peace of mind, Cody. I’m really happy, you know? Like… I feel so good knowing you’re here watching out for me.

  He chuckled. “Well… I’m glad you think so.”

  “I do. I haven’t slept this good in months. Like… I got more done this morning at work than I got done in all of last week. It’s amazing.”

  “Good. It’s what I want.”

  But the way he looked at me?

  He definitely wanted more.

  And in all honesty?

  So did I.

  Chapter Seven

  Cody

  After so many years in the business, I knew to trust my gut.

  When my instincts said something wasn’t right, I knew to prepare. And even though it had been five days since Ben had contacted Maria, I was preparing for another incident. I double-checked all of the alarms. I made sure the cameras all had fresh batteries and were aimed at doors and windows. I moved Stormy’s crate closer to Maria’s room, so she would hear if anything happened in the night.

  And when Maria went to bed, I moved out to the living room to wait out the night.

  Ben was dedicated, I’d give him that. It’s a shame he wasn’t choosing to be dedicated to something productive.

  If he’d cared about a job as much as he cared about stalking his ex, he really could have made something of himself.

  Instead, he’d chosen to be a loser. An unhinged loser.

  I didn’t like calling guys like this crazy. Mental illness wasn’t usually the problem. It was entitlement, and men thinking they could get whatever they wanted without having to work for it.

  Maria was obviously a woman worth working for.

  She was gorgeous and smart, and while she could be sensitive, she was incredibly strong. Her fear wasn’t a sign of weakness or being overly-emotional. She was right to be afraid of a man like Ben.

  But now that she had me on her side, she was gaining confidence. I could see the change in her already. Between the interview and now, she was like an entirely different woman.

  A woman I still wanted to be with, for sure.

  I sighed, leaning back on the couch. I kept thinking about her in that little tank top the night of the break-in. She hadn’t been wearing a bra, her nipples hard through the thin fabric.

  I’d felt them against my chest as I held her.

  It had been hard to keep control of myself. I’d wanted her, wanted to lay her back and show her how a real man would treat her. But she’d been too upset, and as badly as I wanted her to be mine, I didn’t want to take advantage of her.

  I sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the living room.

  Everything was quiet. Stormy was sleeping in her crate; Maria was probably sleeping by now, too.

  Outside, everything was dark.

  Peaceful.

  I let myself close my eyes.

  Maybe my instincts had been wrong this time.

  * * * * *

  I jolted awake to the sound of Stormy barking.

  A second later, something shattered at the back of the house.

  I leapt to my feet as the alarms started to blare. The system would alert the police for me; all I needed to do was get to the source of the sound.

  When I heard Maria scream, I knew.

  He’d gone straight for her, straight for the bedroom.

  I ran down the hall. In her crate, Stormy was on her back feet, facing the bedroom door and barking ferociously. I ran to the door, pushing my shoulder into it and turning the knob.

  It didn’t move.

  Why was it locked?

  I could hear voices inside—Maria’s, wracked with sobs and begging him to leave; Ben’s, shouting angrily.

  And then a sound—the thwack of something connecting with a bony part of the body.

  I slammed into the door again, harder. It rattled on its hinges.

  A third time, and it gave, falling inward.

  Ben stood over the bed, holding a baseball bat over his head. Maria cowered on the mattress, her arms above her head. A large bruise was already blossoming on her face.

  It was enough to make me see red.

  I ran, leaping over the bed at Ben. He shouted, trying to back away, but I was faster. I tackled him to the floor, rearing back and swinging with a closed fist.

  It connected, my fist slamming into his jaw. He shouted in pain, slapping weakly at my shoulders.

  I punched him again.

  He started to sob under me, still trying to slap at my arms but losing steam rapidly.

  I grabbed his arms and slammed them to the floor over his head. “You’re not getting away this time, asshole,” I snarled.

  He sobbed. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, just let me go!”

  “No way. You think I’m gonna let you come back and try this again?”

  “I won’t! I won’t! I’ll leave!”

  “Yeah, you will. In the back of a police car.”

  I could hear Maria crying behind me.

  I looked back over my shoulder. She had scrambled out of bed, dragging the bedding with her, and stood in the corner. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but the look on her face was… determined. Strong.

  Beautiful.

  She looked to me. I gave her a nod, and she nodded back.

  Ben just kept sobbing.

  He didn’t stop crying as the cops slapped cuffs on him and walked him out. I imagined he was still crying as I gave my statement to the detectives, as a paramedic checked Maria for injury. The blow to her head wasn’t bad—it would bruise, but there was no real damage.

  And once they left, I went to her, opening my arms.

  She stepped into them willingly, laying her head on my shoulder.

  I held her tight.

&nb
sp; “Come stay in my room?”

  Slowly, she nodded.

  Chapter Eight

  Maria

  Cody took me back to his room, and I fell asleep immediately.

  When I woke in the morning, he had already started the process of handling things. The police had collected all their evidence the night before, so he’d hired cleaners to come deal with my bedroom. He was on the phone with someone to repair the window when I walked into the kitchen, wrapped in a blanket and seeking coffee.

  He gestured to a freshly-brewed pot and nodded to me.

  I poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from him, half-listening as he finished his phone call. When he was done, he put the phone down and looked at me.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I took so many painkillers this morning. My head is pounding.”

  Cody nodded. “Just keep an eye on it. If you start to feel lightheaded, or your vision gets weird, anything, let me know.”

  “I will.” I looked at him and smiled. “You saved my life last night.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  “Still. You saved me. Thank you. I never really thought it would get to that point.”

  Cody sighed. “I hoped it wouldn’t, but… you know, at least we’ve got plenty of evidence against him. The police took the surveillance tapes already, and it’s looking like a pretty easy case. He should be going away for a long time.”

  I nodded. “Good. I hate that he took this route, but… I’m glad it’s ending.”

  Cody nodded, too. He looked at me for a moment, the same look that made me feel warm inside. “Maria?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I… take you on a date?”

  I smiled weakly. “I don’t think I want to go out anytime soon.”

  “Then we can do it here.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Cody smiled proudly. “I bet you never would have guessed that I’m an amazing cook.”

  * * * * *

  He was an amazing cook.

  He made me a seafood pasta dish, full of delicious herbs and an amazing cream-based sauce. We had salads with it, and garlic bread, and an incredible tiramisu for dessert.

  When we were done, we sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee with splashes of amaretto mixed in.

  “Where did you learn to cook like that?”

  Cody shrugged. “I figured a creative hobby would be good for me. I like working out and practicing martial arts, but it’s nice to make things.”