Guarded Desire

by Christi Snow

Terror washed across her face. I hated myself for having to do this.

  “It was the most terrifying moment of my life.” Her entire body shook.

  I couldn’t keep my hands to myself any longer. I reached across the car, undid her seatbelt, and pulled her into my lap. “I’m here now to make sure that never happens again.” I stroked up and down her back and waited for her shaking to slow. “I’m not bragging when I say I can protect you. I can and will lay down my life to make sure no one gets close to you. After class today, I can take you to a gym and give you a demonstration of just how lethal I can be with my body, but I’m also legally armed.”

  She stiffened, and I took her hand, guiding it under my jacket so she’d feel the gun strapped to my side. “That’s my Glock. I also have knives strapped on my forearms and calves. If the worst does happen to me and I’m taken out, you need to know where these weapons are so you can use them. We haven’t practiced that, but that’s just because we haven’t had time. I’ll train you on how to use all of them. You’re not defenseless anymore. I’m your first line of defense, but I’m going to make sure you have backups after backups. Tonight, my best friend and fellow bodyguard, Dillon, is coming to back me up. No one will get to you. I will keep you safe with everything I have in me. Okay?”

  I leaned back so I could look her in the eyes, which were a little more wet and red than they had been before.

  I brushed my thumb high on her cheek, caressing the soft skin there. “I know you’re scared. Anyone would be after what you’ve been through. But the key to not being scared is knowing that you’re safe. The best way to do that is to catch this fucker. But until we do that, I will do everything I can to make sure you feel as safe and protected as possible. Use me. Trust me. You and me...we’re a team now. We can outmaneuver and outsmart this asshole if we work together.”

  Her shoulders squared and she seemed to pull herself back together. “Okay. I like this plan.”

  I helped her crawl back across to her side of the car. “And with that being said, you probably should know our story.”

  Her eyes were perfectly clear when she looked at me in dismay. “Our story? What are we? Some cheesy Lifetime movie?”

  “In fact, yes. We met two years ago at a concert in Texas.”

  “I don’t go to concerts,” she growled. “My mother is ViviAnna. If I wanted to hear someone sing, all I have to do is go to one of her parties. Besides, I’m not exactly the concert type.”

  She had a point there. “Okay, I can see that. Where do you think we should say we met?”

  She considered that for a moment and then lit up. “Two summers ago, I volunteered at the UNICEF office in Austin. We met there since you worked there part-time as a janitor.”

  She probably thought it would bother me to admit to working as a janitor, but it was good, honest work for a college-aged guy. “I like it.” I nodded. “Long story short, I’ve stayed in Austin to pursue my degree, and we’ve done the long-distance thing quietly for a couple of years. But after your kidnapping, I had a wakeup call and realized the distance between us was crazy. I decided to transfer here so I could be with you.”

  “You’re such a romantic soul,” she taunted. It was nice to hear her sarcasm coming back to her.

  “I am at that,” I agreed.

  “Okay, anything else I need to know?” she asked, and it almost seemed like she was willing to do whatever we needed to now to keep her safe.

  I sure as hell hoped that was the case. It’d make my job much easier.

  “Just a couple more rules.” I decided to just stay parked here while we hashed this all out. Getting in a wreck because we were arguing would defeat any and all traction I’d gained in the last few minutes.

  “If I tell you to run, you’ll do it immediately. No questions asked.” I handed her a business card. “Put this number into your cell phone. That’s your emergency number for Hawk Works, the security company I work for. If something happens, you send an SOS to that number, and they will get to you as soon as physically possible. ” I handed a set of earrings to her. “Also, put these on. They have GPS trackers in them. You should also know that last night while you slept, I put trackers in your backpack and purse.”

  “Do you want to microchip me?” She laughed.

  “That’s actually really tempting, but I don’t think we have to go to that extreme yet. Although we may want to seriously consider adding some trackers into the lining of your undergarments.”

  She looked a little wide-eyed, but she continued to nod, so I guessed she was still on the same page right now. But I was probably about to push her out of the freaking book with the next demand.

  “Finally, if you have to do something like go to a women’s restroom, I will go with you.”

  “Okay, that all sounds do-able.”

  “Okay?” Shock reverberated through me. “That easy? Especially that last one?”

  She laughed. “Would you feel better if I argued with you about it?”

  I stared at her in shock. Could it really be that easy? Things were never that easy with her. “Damn. Just how bad is your hangover today?”

  “Not that bad anymore.” She shrugged and glanced uncomfortably out the window of the SUV. “They tried to keep the details hushed, so it must not have been in my file, but he kidnapped me from a women’s restroom. I have no problem never going in one of those alone ever again.” A light shudder rolled over her.

  Damn. No, I hadn’t known that fact. It should have been in the file, because it gave a good clue into the way this guy worked.

  “Okay, well, if you don’t have any other questions...” I hesitated, and she just shook her head. “Then, let’s go to college.”

  The rest of the drive was quiet. Once we got closer to the campus, I asked, “Where do you normally park? I scouted it all last night, and I’m guessing that the West G parking lot would be the best place for your classes.”

  She laughed at me with a shake of her head. “Oh, no. If we wanted to get into West G, we had to be here at least two hours ago. No, I hope you wore your hiking shoes because we are going to be walking. I normally put in about seven to nine miles walking on my Mondays, because my classes are so spread out. And as late as we are, the only place you’re going to find a parking spot right now is in East Q, or if you’re really, lucky maybe N. But if it were me driving, I’d just shoot for Q because we need to hoof it before we’re locked out of International Ag Trade.”

  “Well, we sure wouldn’t want to miss one minute of what sounds to be a riveting class, so Q it is.”

  We were lucky to get one of the last two spots in Q, and we slid inside the door of class just three minutes before class began. The class was in a large lecture hall but only had about twenty to thirty students in it, most of them sitting in the first few rows of the class.

  “Come on,” Elle said, drawing me by the hand. “I sit over here, although it looks like Minerva isn’t here yet.”

  “Minerva?”

  Elle nodded and sat down.

  I sat next to her.

  “Yeah, she’s cool, although it sounds like her uncle’s a bit weird. He’s always giving her free makeup that she passes along.” Elle shrugged.

  From what I’d seen here and in the past, Elle never wore makeup. She was a natural beauty even if she hid it under that waterfall of dark hair and baggy clothes. Her striking looks were still hard to miss if someone were paying any attention at all.

  “We swap notes when one of us skips.” Elle glanced up at the door, looking for her friend. “Hopefully, she’s been here the last few weeks, so I can borrow her notes and catch up.”

  “Won’t your professor give you the class notes?”

  She shrugged. “Yeah, I think so if I asked, but it’s just easier to get them from a friend. I don’t want to flag myself on anyone’s radar if I don’t have to.” She looked behind me. “Oh, good. There’s Minerva now.”

  I turned with a smile on my face, ready to greet one of my “gir
lfriend’s” friends, but the girl who I assumed was Minerva glared daggers at me as she approached. She looked like Fat Amy from the Pitch Perfect movies, but with dark hair and a livid scowl on her face directed at me.

  “You’re in my spot,” she said to me before even greeting Elle.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” I glanced over at Elle. “I didn’t realize this professor assigned seating.”

  Elle bit her lip but watched Minerva with wide eyes. “Um, he doesn’t. Minerva, it’s okay. This is my boyfriend, Jonah. He just transferred in from Texas.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “If he has to sit with you, he has to sit on the other side. This is my side.”

  I stood and raised both hand in supplication. “Hey, it’s all good. I didn’t mean any offense. I’ll just move to the other side.”

  Minerva just harrumphed and tapped her foot impatiently while I picked up my bag and scooted past Elle’s knees. Wow, this girl was wound tight.

  Finally, all three of us were seated. Minerva turned to Elle and acted like nothing had just happened. She gathered Elle up in a cushy hug and cooed. “You poor thing. I’ve been following the whole drama on TENews. Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he? I can’t believe you got away, but you looked so pretty when you were found. I was so relieved. That was so scary.” She said all this without ever taking a single breath.

  Elle just laughed it all off, sounding a little uncomfortable with the attention. “I’m fine, and now, I have Jonah with me, so I’m even better.”

  She grabbed hold of my hand, and I was surprised at how sweaty and shaky it was. I wasn’t sure if it was the subject matter or the attention that had her so upset, but either way, I didn’t like it. I gripped her hand tighter.

  I told her, “And I’m not letting this girl out of my sight again.”

  At this, Minerva finally looked at me again, but her face twisted into an expression of extreme distaste. She actually curled her lip at me. “What did you say your name was?”

  “Minerva,” Elle interjected. “This is Jonah Sutton. He’s my boyfriend.”

  “Since when?” Minerva hissed out. “You’ve never mentioned him before.”

  “No.” Elle shook her head. “You know how I am about all the fame and stuff. I try to keep my private life private. I haven’t told anyone about him, because I didn’t want him hounded by the press. TENews loves all the drama. Can you imagine how they’d stalk him if they knew about him?”

  Minerva looked me up and down as if judging me. “I guess some people might find him okay. But Elle...” She lowered her voice as if to make it so I couldn’t hear her. “You really could do better.”

  As Elle snorted in laughter, the professor began the class.

  Damn, that was harsh. It was a good thing I didn’t need my ego stroked today, because it sure as hell wasn’t going to be coming from either one of these girls.

  The rest of the day was spent running to and from classes with riveting subject matter like Applied Optimization Methods and Comparative Politics. Unfortunately with these all being third and fourth level college courses, most the subject matter went way above my head. Before today, I thought I could pretty much hold my own in the world of International studies. I’d served in the military and had deployed to a lot of places most people only saw on the news, but I was quickly coming to see that was nothing compared to the politics and economics behind it all.

  After three classes, we finally hit the SUB—Student Union Building—for some much needed lunch and an hour-long break.

  I sat at a small table in the corner where I could keep an eye on anyone approaching us. Elle joined me with her California roll sushi and eyed my double-decker bacon cheeseburger with disbelief. “How do you stay in such good shape when you eat crap like that?”

  I grinned at her. “You think I have a good body?” So, sue me...maybe the remarks during our first class had made a little ding in my ego.

  She rolled her eyes. “You know you do. What are you? Five percent body fat?”

  More like three, but I just nodded, pleased with the turn of this discussion. My dick perked up at the hint that Elle might be attracted to me. “Well, I do work out a lot. It takes a lot of practice and repetition to keep up the physical aspects of the job.” I shrugged. “So, yeah, for the most part, I can splurge every once in a while, and it’s fine.”

  “That’s cool.” She dug into her sushi and watched the various students going through the SUB.

  Look at us, being all civil and relaxed together. I might just survive this assignment after all. I just had to get a better handle on the low-level thrum of arousal I experienced every time I was within three feet of her, which was pretty much all the time.

  “So, why international studies?” I asked.

  Her face literally glowed as a wide smile broke free. “It’s what I want to do. I don’t appreciate a lot about the way VA decided to raise me, but what I am thankful for is that she’s heavily involved with EDAC—Everyone Deserves A Chance. Are you familiar with it?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve heard of it in general terms, but I’m not really aware of what the charity does.”

  “EDAC goes into third-world nations around the globe and helps educate and establish the locals within their governments so that they can become self-sustaining. In some regions, that means teaching them agriculture. In others, that means establishing manufacturing with fair and ethical treatment of the local population. It’s different in every location, depending on the region of the world they’re in and what will work for the community to bring about the best practices so that the locals can then support themselves. It’s a wonderful group, and I plan to work with them after I graduate.”

  Wow, this girl. She astounded me day after day. Her mother was richer than rich, but instead of becoming one of a million other flighty social media butterflies, Elle looked to do this incredible thing with her life. And even committing to do this, she wasn’t taking the easy route. “I would think with your mother’s contributions, you already could have a position with them.”

  “You’re right. I could, but it’s important that I have something to offer with my knowledge, too. I don’t want to be just another worker bee. I want to be someone who makes a difference—to communities, to nations—so that every person in this world has the chance to live up to their potential. That’s all anyone wants. A chance.”

  Wow. As she spoke, her enthusiasm and excitement shone through every word, every inflection. Her passion made me want to jump up and volunteer my next vacation to work within the organization.

  I grabbed her hand, needing to touch her like needing to feel sunshine on a frigid, cold day.

  She jolted a bit at my touch.

  “EDAC will be very lucky to have you,” I said.

  She gave me a soft smile.

  Anyone would be lucky to have her. When I came into this job, I expected to find a privileged diva, but as I peeled back the layers of Elle, I found that she was so, so much more.

  I cleared my throat. “So, where to now?” I gathered up the trash on top of the table, clearing it.

  “Mrs. Latham’s bread crumbs.”

  I rushed after her. “Is that code for something?”

  She wove her way through the throngs of students and laughed as she headed toward the sub shop. She plucked a plastic bag off the counter and lifted it. “Thanks, Ricky.” One of the guys working nodded at her in acknowledgement.

  Turning to me, she lifted the bag. “No code. Real bread crumbs. Come on. You’ll see.”

  We crossed the quad and walked about half a mile—she totally hadn’t been exaggerating when she warned me about how much we’d be walking today—to a little corner patio filled with benches, stone paths, and large artistic sculptures. There were also pigeons—a lot of them.

  Sitting on one of the benches in the far corner was a bent, curly-haired, old lady. As Elle approached, she lifted her head and her wrinkled face broke out in a large smile.

  �
�Elle, you’re back.” She reached her age-spotted hand to pull Elle down on the bench beside her. “Where have you been, child? Have you been sick? I’ve been worried about you.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Latham. I would have gotten hold of you if I could have, but you know I went home to see my mom.”

  Mrs. Latham nodded.

  Elle gave her a tight smile. “There were a few—” She hesitated for a moment, glanced at me, and then said, “A few problems. Nothing major, but they delayed me for a bit longer than I’d planned.”

  Mrs. Latham frowned. “I hope things are okay with your mother.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Elle said on a laugh. “Don’t worry. Nothing is slowing my mother down.”

  “That’s good, dear.” Mrs. Latham patted Elle’s hand just like grandmother types always seem to do. Then she nodded her head back at me. “Now, why don’t you introduce me to your young man who’s lurking behind me, so that I don’t get a crick in my neck.”

  I stepped forward so I stood more in her direct line of sight. “Sorry, ma’am.”

  “Mrs. Latham, this is my boyfriend, Jonah. He just transferred here from Texas.”

  “Oh, my,” Mrs. Latham said with a raised eyebrow as her vivid, mischievous blue eyes examined me up and down...several times. “Now, he’s a looker. Aren’t you the lucky girl?”

  “I’ll take your word for it, Mrs. L.” Elle laughed again. I’d never heard her sound as carefree as she seemed to be with this little old lady. Layers...Elle definitely had them.

  She handed over her bag of bread. “I’ll leave this here with you. I hope none of the pigeons starved while I was gone.”

  Mrs. Latham clicked her tongue. “It was a close thing for Edward, but the rest didn’t seem to care much. They just watched me knit with a more-focused zeal.” She lifted the knitting that sat abandoned in her lap. She opened the bag and began to toss bits to the pigeons that suddenly surrounded her excitedly. “Now, you kids better head off to class. You don’t want to be late. You know Professor Richards won’t stand for that.”

  “I know, that’s the truth.” Elle mock shuddered and then bent down to kiss Mrs. Latham’s leathery cheek. “I missed you, Mrs. L. We’ll see you Wednesday.”