“Hey, what’s wrong?” Elliot asked in a low voice, shifting a little closer to her side.
She gave a tired sigh. “The cop headed toward us—he’s my ex.”
“You were married to that guy?” His deep voice was all rough with shock, and she could feel the heat of his stare burning hot against the side of her face.
“God, no.” She shook her head, and shot him a look that no doubt said I’d rather be anywhere but here right now. “Ex-boyfriend. We went out together back in our senior year of high school.”
He grunted in response, and a heartbeat later, Derek reached them, looking as smug and as full of himself as he always did. Before he could get a word out, Skye said, “Elliot, this is Officer Carlton. Derek, this is Elliot. He’s a customer at the diner.”
Neither man said anything, since they seemed to be too busy staring each other down, and she ended up just rambling on. “Elliot is the one who saved the day. He disarmed the robber and made sure no one got hurt.”
Derek slowly brought his gaze to hers, and she could tell by his tone that he was going to be a dick. “How do you know him, Skye?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she spoke through her gritted teeth. “I just told you, he’s a customer.”
Derek cocked one pale brow. “A regular?”
Skye rolled her eyes. “What does that have to do with anything? You should be thanking him for doing your job for you, not asking stupid questions.”
Derek glared, and she drew in a deep breath to keep going, only to stop short when she felt Elliot place his big, strong, deliciously warm hand on her shoulder. He gave it a comforting squeeze, letting her know in a supportive way that she needed to calm down.
Right, she thought. Okay, I can do this. She could be calm...and civil. It just meant burying the hurt she felt every time she came into contact with this jerk.
It seemed so bizarre now to think that there’d been a time when she’d thought Derek was the hunkiest, greatest, most awesome guy she’d ever known. She’d secretly crushed on him for months her senior year of high school, and had nearly died from excitement the day he’d come up to her after math class and asked if she wanted to go out with him on Friday night. It’d been like a dream, the star running back of the football team asking out the poor, chubby girl who only had Vivian for a friend. And he’d been so sweet and persistent, she’d found him impossible to resist. So much so that she’d ended up giving him her virginity when they hit their four-month mark, only to find out the next week that he’d been banging five cheerleaders from three other schools the entire time they’d been together.
She’d learned a hard lesson from the experience, and it wasn’t one she ever planned on forgetting.
Stepping a little closer to her, Derek lowered his voice. “I’d like to talk to you alone for a minute.”
She shuddered, and knew that Elliot must have felt it, because he moved his hand off her shoulder and pulled her into his side instead. And, oh geez, did it feel good to have this gorgeous hunk’s arm wrapped around her waist. She’d have preferred to stay right where she was, but from the look on Derek’s face, it was clear he was going to cause a scene if he didn’t get his way. And Skye had already had enough drama for one night. So with a muffled curse, she pulled away from Elliot, giving him an apologetic look. “I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t argue with her—but he sure as hell didn’t look happy about it, either. “You sure?”
She nodded, and couldn’t help but smile at him. “Will you wait for me? I don’t want to miss being able to say goodbye.”
Something warm and delicious began to smolder in the depths of his dark, hooded gaze. “I’ll be right here. I won’t take my eyes off you.”
She caught her lower lip in her teeth as she stared up at him. “Thanks.”
Derek muttered something under his breath, and she quickly walked a little farther down the street as he followed behind her, just wanting to get this over with.
“You really going slumming with that guy?” he demanded, as soon as she turned around to face him.
“First of all, that guy happens to be awesome. So stop sounding like a jealous douche.”
“Jesus, Skye.” His lip curled as he sneered at her. “I thought you were different.”
“From what? What does that even mean?” she demanded hotly. “And who are you to judge me? You’re a cheat and a liar! And I’m...” She suddenly broke off, shaking her head as she laughed. “Oh, God, why am I even having this conversation with you? We have nothing to say to each other.”
She started to walk around him, when he quickly blocked her path. Giving him her best go-to-hell look, she growled, “No, Derek. I’m done talking to you.”
“You’re done when I say so,” he snapped, sounding like a petulant child as he puffed up his chest.
She blinked, wondering when he’d gone and lost his damn sanity. And then every single thought was shoved from her mind as Elliot’s tall, powerful body suddenly pushed between them. Peering around his side, Skye watched in shock as he stepped up to Derek, towering over him, his low voice cut with anger as he growled, “The lady said no, jackass. So get the fuck away from her.”
Derek’s blue eyes went wide with outrage. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Elliot shook his head and smirked, as if he found Derek’s posturing a little funny. “I’m someone who’s not afraid of you, even with that shiny badge you’re wearing. So. Back. Off.”
Oh, man. Skye could tell that Derek was seriously pissed...as well as embarrassed. And she’d have so been lying through her teeth if she’d said there wasn’t a tiny bit of her that freaking loved it. If Elliot Connors hadn’t been her hero before, he most definitely was now. She felt like she’d found her own personal guardian angel, and she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling when Derek took a couple of steps back and shot her a furious scowl. “We’re not done, Skye.”
Using her best bored tone, she told him, “We were done years ago, Officer Carlton. Let it go.”
Rage made him red in the face, the blue of his eyes burning with it. “Don’t go anywhere,” he bit out. “I’ll need to talk to both of you before we leave.”
A piercing wave of relief spread through Skye’s chest as she watched Derek turn and stalk away, and then she stepped in front of Elliot, tilted her head back and gave him such a wide smile that it hurt her cheeks. “You are like the most freaking awesome person ever!” she gushed, not even caring that she was making a fool of herself. “Thank you so much for standing up for me. For helping me.”
He gave her a look that somehow seemed both hungry and tender, his voice a deliciously husky rasp as he said, “You never need to thank me for that either, Skye.”
“Okay,” she breathed, feeling her face heat despite the cold wind whipping around them. “But, just so you know, you...you’re not like any other guy I’ve ever met.”
He gave a quiet, sexy bark of laughter, and she had a feeling there was a joke somewhere in there that she didn’t get. And now she really felt like an idiot. “My manager said that I could go ahead and take off, since they’re going to shut the diner for the night, and I really don’t want to stick around to chat with Derek again. So I, uh, guess I should get going,” she rambled on, burrowing down deeper into her coat, kind of wishing she could disappear in it. “I mean, you probably have somewhere you need to be, right?”
Without a word, he put his hand against the small of her back and pushed her along beside him as he headed down to the corner, then around it, until they were out of sight of everyone gathering outside the diner to talk to the four policemen who were now on the scene. Then he moved until he was standing right in front of her, in the low, colorful glow of the town’s ancient Christmas lights. His face was tilted down so that he could look into her eyes, and she froze as he lifted his hand toward her, only to pause for a moment, as if unsure he should do it. Then he reached up and gently pushed her hair back from her cheek, tucking it behin
d her ear. Her breath sucked in on a shallow gasp, desire pumping so heavily through her body she felt filled with it, the lush sensation only growing as his hooded gaze got darker and he cupped the side of her face with his big, masculine hand.
His lips parted, and he made this wonderfully low, rumbly sound deep in his chest that made her shiver. And even though Skye knew it must be a trick of the light, his dark eyes suddenly looked as if they were glowing with a thin ring of gold around the outer edge of his irises.
Oh, God, was he...was he going to kiss her? Or...was she just imagining it? After all, guys like Elliot Connors didn’t get all hot and bothered over girls that looked like her. So, um, yeah...like what was her problem? Seriously? She normally wasn’t this crazy, but this whole night so far had been a giant case of bizarre, and now she was projecting her lust onto this poor guy who had done nothing but help her.
“Skye,” he whispered, and though she’d just scolded herself for letting her imagination get away from her, it sounded like he wanted to kiss her. Like he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her until she forgot her freaking name!
“Yeah?” she breathed, loving the way his smoldering gaze followed her tongue as she nervously licked her bottom lip. Sure, she didn’t know this guy from Adam, but she...she wanted to know him. And strangers or not, she already trusted him. Hadn’t he earned that when he risked his life to save hers? And when he’d stood up for her to the guy who’d once broken her girlish heart?
Do it...yes...please, she begged with her eyes, her lips trembling with anticipation.
They swayed a little closer together, and it was like some invisible line between their chests was drawing tighter...pulling them in. She made a soft, needy sound, and his eyes went so bright they burned, just before he squeezed them shut and lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers. His warm breaths pelted her parted lips, and she was ready to grip him by the shoulders, press up on her toes and do it herself. Just rub her tingling lips against his, kissing him as she gasped for air, desperate to sate this aching need that was growing inside her, making her dizzy with want. With emotions she’d never felt in her entire life—not even at the height of her infatuation with Derek.
“Christ,” he rasped, his thumb sweeping across the corner of her mouth, and she started to lift her hands, only to have the moment broken when his phone suddenly started buzzing in his pocket.
Nooooo! she wanted to scream, as he shifted back from her and reached for the phone. He grimaced as he read the text on the screen, and she knew that whatever it was, the news wasn’t good. He typed in a quick response, then shoved the phone back in his pocket, his beautiful gaze shadowed with worry as it locked with hers.
“Where are you parked?” he asked, looking down the mostly empty street, as if he would be able to tell her car just by looking at it.
“Why?” The cold wind howled around them, and she huddled deeper into her cheap coat. “Do y-you need a ride?” She normally wasn’t in the habit of offering rides to men she didn’t know, but this one...well, he’d saved her life. It was the least she could do for him, right? Especially when she’d only been a second away from shoving her tongue in his mouth. “Because I can drop you off somewhere if you need me to,” she added lamely, feeling like the world’s biggest dork.
He stabbed his fingers back through his short, caramel-colored hair, and released a sharp breath. Then he slid his dark gaze back to hers. “We need to talk, Skye. And this isn’t the place to do it.”
It didn’t make any sense, but something in his stark tone made her believe him. And with the belief came a churning sense of dread. “Why? What’s going on?”
“You and your friend, the one you live wi—”
“Wait!” she gasped, cutting him off. She grabbed his arm, and knew that at any other time, she’d be melting over how hard his muscles felt under her touch. But right now she was too worried to appreciate it. “How do you know that? Have you... Ohmygod, have you been watching me?”
“No. I’m one of the good guys, Skye. I swear,” he said in a deep voice that was low, urgent and full of conviction. “But you and Vivian, you’re both in trouble.”
“Trouble?” she whispered, covering her mouth with her fingers. “Oh, God. Does this have anything to do with Viv’s new job at that club? You’re not here to try to make her strip there, are you?”
His eyes went comically wide, and she would have laughed if she weren’t so freaked out. “No. You’ve got it all backward. My partner and I, we’re not here to cause trouble for the two of you, and we don’t have anything to do with the club where your friend works. We’re working on a criminal case, and we’re here to make sure that both you and Vivian stay safe.”
“What?” she breathed, thinking she had to have heard him wrong.
“Think...think of me and Max like bodyguards. Because that’s essentially what we are.” His chest lifted as he pulled in a deep breath, and then her freaking heart was in her throat as he took her hand in his, gave it a gentle squeeze, and told her, “Baby, I’m here to protect you.”
Chapter 4
Glancing at his watch, Elliot swore under his breath. It’d taken a good ten minutes to persuade Skye to trust him enough to lead him to her car so they could head to her apartment. In the end, it was the PI license he always carried with him that had convinced her he was telling her the truth, and using it was definitely going to come back and bite him hard in the ass. The damn thing was a forgery, and based on the argument he’d heard between her and the cop, Skye Hewitt had a thing about cheats...and liars.
It felt all kinds of wrong to trick her that way, but what choice did he have? It sounded like Max had somehow lost track of Vivian, and he had a feeling this night was going to get a hell of a lot worse before it got better.
“Sorry, but it’s kind of a piece of crap,” she said, as they neared a beat-up-looking, powder-blue VW Beetle.
“Naw. It’s cute.”
“Thanks.” As she opened the driver-side door, she gave him a brief smile that damn near buckled his knees. “I thought so, too, when I bought her.”
Elliot waited until she’d climbed behind the wheel, then somehow managed to fold his six-three frame into the cramped confines of the car.
“Um, before we go,” she murmured, sounding adorably rattled as she watched him from the corner of her eye, “you should know that I carry a weapon in my purse. And I’m...I’m not afraid to use it.”
“That’s smart. You should always be ready to protect yourself. But I swear, Skye, you don’t need to worry about my intentions. I only want to help you.”
She gave him another brief, but strained smile. Then she started the engine, and he tried not to wince at how awful it sounded. Someone needed to put this poor car out of its misery.
“So, you aren’t nervous about letting a girl drive?” she asked, looking into her rearview mirror as she reversed out of the tight space. It was kind of a weird question, but he figured she was trying to keep herself from freaking out about what he’d told her, and he couldn’t help but think she was adorable.
“Nope, I’m not worried at all. I trust you not to wreck my body.”
She glanced his way, flicking a quick look over his torso, and he wanted to growl with satisfaction when he saw that she had that glazed look of lust in her pretty eyes again. Her smooth skin was flushed pink across her cheekbones, that full lower lip caught in her small white teeth, and he had to bite back a smile. She was so easy to read, it was like words on the page of a book that’d been written especially for him. Only for him.
There wasn’t much traffic in the town, since it was nearing eight, so they made their way easily onto the main road. She didn’t say anything for the first few blocks, and he was grateful that she wasn’t grilling him about what was going on, since he wasn’t sure what he was going to find once they reached her apartment. Max had just sent him another text, and all it had said was: It’s bad. Hurry!
And, yeah, there was defini
tely a part of him feeling like a total jackass for being so excited about finding his life-mate—and her turning out to be someone like Skye—when there was no telling what had happened to her best friend.
“Will you please tell me what’s going on?” she suddenly asked, exhaling a shaky breath. “I know you said your partner was making contact with Vivian, and that we’ll talk at the apartment. But I’m worried about her, and I know she won’t be able to call me if something goes wrong because my stupid cell phone is broken. The battery finally gave up today, and I didn’t have time to get it replaced before my shift.”
“Let’s just get to your place, and then Max and I can explain everything. It’s going to be a lot to take in.”
“You’re scaring me,” she whispered, chewing on that lower lip so hard he was worried she was going to break the skin.
Knowing it needed to be said, he murmured, “I’m sorry, but you need to be a little scared, because it will keep you sharp. But not of me, and not of Max. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep you both safe.”
It was dark inside the car, but his wolf’s eyes could see her clearly in the dim glow of the lights on her dash. Her brows were drawn into a deep V between her delicately shaped brows, her big eyes shadowed with concern and confusion. “So you’re here because you’re working some kind of case?” she asked him, taking the next right. “You and this Max guy?”
“That’s right,” he replied, wishing he could just take her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. But that would only freak her out even more.
“And Viv and I are involved? How is that even possible?” Before he could answer, she smacked the flat of her hand against the steering wheel and growled, “It has to be connected to that strip club where Viv took a job last month. I told her not to do it, that it wasn’t the kind of scene she needed to be a part of, but the sleazy owner just kept offering her more money. He’s paying her way more than she could make anywhere else.” Flashing him an angry look, she added, “Viv is gorgeous and the ass likes her serving drinks to his clients, even if she refuses to strip or go topless like the other girls. This is because of him, isn’t it? Does it have to do with drugs? Or something even worse?”
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