Guarding Her Heart: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 1)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Actually, when he’d first asked Lindsay out when they’d been at the Hamilton cabin the previous summer, he’d been certain she’d say no. But his judgment had been off with her because she’d accepted. Something told him that she knew he’d expected her to turn him down which is why she’d accepted. Of course, it seemed to have kind of backfired on both of them. He’d actually asked her for a second date when he’d dropped her off at home. And she’d said no.

  He still wanted that second date, but Than had to admit that the conversation they were having had revealed more to him than any date could have.

  “Anyway, I realized I’ve become a bit…jaded. Mom and Dad never encouraged us to look beyond the world we’d been raised in. Lucas was really the only one who did anything like that. He started up the Hamilton charitable foundation and is more active in the church than any of the rest of us. He’s twice the man my dad was. And frankly, than Lincoln was.”

  Than could hear the admiration in Lindsay’s voice for Lucas. What would it be like to hear her speak about him like that? The thought came out of nowhere and took Than by surprise. Why should it matter if she admired him or not? Sure, he wanted people to like him, but it didn’t have to go so far as admiration. And yet…that thought suggested that he wanted to be a man worthy of Lindsay’s respect.

  He gave his head a shake. “Well, you’ve certainly taken a huge step outside your world with this trip.”

  Lindsay’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Yeah, I have, haven’t I?”

  Seeing her so pleased with herself made Than’s heart skip a beat. She’s a client. She’s my friend’s sister. All good reasons to not let his emotions get tangled up with her.

  His tablet made a sound, and he looked down to see that some new emails had come in. He glanced back at Lindsay. “Well, if you change your mind about keeping in contact with your family, let me know and I’ll set you up.”

  As if sensing his attention had drifted, Lindsay pulled out a pair of earbuds as she nodded. “Will do.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her put the earbuds in and then tap the screen of her tablet. She settled back in her seat, crossing her legs. Soon her foot was moving in time to whatever music she’d put on and her attention was on the screen, her finger swiping every so often.

  Taking a deep breath, Than turned his focus to his own tablet and the messages waiting his attention.

  ~*~*~

  After swiping through several pages with no real recollection of what they had contained, Lindsay gave up and turned her attention to the view beyond the oval window beside her. As one of the worship songs she’d downloaded played in her earbuds, she thought about her conversation with Than. Why had she revealed so much? She’d never told anyone what she’d told him.

  Well, she’d mentioned some of it to Mark and Mel when they’d met after receiving her application to join the team. When they’d asked her why she wanted to go on the trip, she had shared about wanting to experience life beyond the world she’d known for so long and to help others. She’d played her reasoning over and over in her head since deciding she wanted to be part of the team.

  Maybe she’d just wanted to say it out loud to someone else to see if it sounded as crazy as it had started to sound in her own head. From Than’s reaction, it didn’t appear that he thought she was nuts or anything. Or maybe he was just super good at hiding what he really thought.

  Lindsay pressed her thumb against her teeth. And why should it matter what Than thought? It would probably be better if he did think she was crazy. And she needed to rein in her chattiness next time.

  She leaned her head back, still watching the white fluffy clouds slide past the airplane. It was mesmerizing, and between that and the soft music, she felt her eyelids grow heavy.

  A sudden drop of the plane had Lindsay gasping as her eyes popped open. She pressed a hand to her stomach. The plane’s movement made it feel like she’d left her stomach above her while her body had dropped with the plane. She let out a quick breath. This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced turbulence while in flight, but being jerked from sleep by it was a bit unnerving.

  The plane chose that moment to pitch from side to side. She gripped the arm of her seat in one hand and her tablet in the other. Looking out the window, Lindsay noticed that the clouds that had been white and fluffy earlier now held a gray tinge and moisture streaked across the window. How long had she been asleep?

  When the plane seemed to settle, Lindsay loosened her grip on the seat, pulled the earbuds out of her ears and tapped the screen of her tablet. The time popped up, but it meant nothing to her since she hadn’t looked at it before she’d fallen asleep.

  “You were out for about an hour.”

  Than’s deep voice startled her, drawing her attention to him. He had reclined his seat a bit and his legs were stretched out under the seat in front of him. It couldn’t be that comfortable for him, given his height, to have to make a long trip in economy.

  The plane pitched again, and she fought the urge to grab the armrests. Than, on the other hand, looked perfectly relaxed. Of course he would. The easygoing man didn’t seem to get rattled by anything.

  “Is this part of the storm you and Mark were discussing?”

  Than shook his head. “We’re too far away from that, plus we’re coming in from the west and the storm is on the east side of the country. This is just some light turbulence.”

  When the plane dropped again, Lindsay lifted an eyebrow at him. “Light turbulence?”

  “The luggage is all still in the overhead compartments. The oxygen masks haven’t dropped. Haven’t heard anyone throwing up just yet. Yeah, it’s just light turbulence.”

  Lindsay leaned back in her seat and let out a breath. “So is everything still okay back in Minneapolis? BlackThorpe hasn’t fallen apart in your absence?”

  “Not yet. And yes, everything is just fine. I let Lucas know that things were going smoothly so far.”

  So far? Lindsay hoped that the whole trip would go smoothly even though she knew that was unlikely. In fact, in the weeks leading up to their departure as she’d done more research on the country and the area where they’d be, a great many scenarios of what could possibly go wrong had gone through her head. Everything from getting malaria or dengue fever to being bitten by a snake.

  “How about a Scrabble rematch?”

  Lindsay turned to look at Than, recognizing that he was trying to distract her from the turbulence and, most likely, her own thoughts. “Glutton for punishment?”

  Than’s lips curved into a smile and his brown gaze was warm as he looked at her. “Only when delivered by you.”

  Though she fought against it, warmth spread through her body. Hoping her cheeks weren’t completely red, she said, “Losers go first.”

  Than chuckled as he bent over the tablet and started the game.

  The remainder of the flight was spent playing Scrabble, reading, and sleeping off and on. They were fed two meals. Neither was super great, particularly when Lindsay had an idea of what they were eating in first class, but they succeeded in staving off their hunger in the meantime.

  The one thing Lindsay managed to avoid was any more in-depth, revealing conversation. Mark came and checked on them a few more times, and on a couple of her trips to the bathroom, Lindsay had chatted briefly with some of the team members. She’d only met them a few times when they’d gathered together as a team in the weeks leading up to their departure.

  It had been hard to lower her guard around them. Too often, people were more interested in being her friend because of her money, but the members of the team seemed to be genuinely interested in her. They hadn’t cared about Hamilton Enterprises or anything about her family. To them, she was just Lindsay, mission team member. It gave her a sense of belonging that she hadn’t experienced before. And she found that she liked that feeling.

  “Ready to go?” Than asked once the plane was on the ground in Tokyo and they were taxiing toward Narita Int
ernational Airport. “We’ll have almost four hours here, so no rush to get to the next gate, but I still recommend we find where the gate is before we do any wandering around.”

  “Have you been to this airport before?” Lindsay asked as she clutched her purse tightly to her.

  Than nodded. “A few times, but not recently. It’s nice as far as airports go.”

  The plane came to a stop with a bump. Almost immediately, people around them surged to their feet and began to pull bags from the overhead compartments. In a repeat of their arrival in Detroit, Than moved into the aisle and got their bags down. He motioned for her to step in front of him. As more people crowded into the aisle in anticipation of the door opening, Lindsay found herself pressed against Than’s arm. He had reached out to grab the back of the seat in front of their row once she’d stepped into the aisle with him.

  It took everything in her not to look up into his face as she moved a little closer to him in order to not be squished up against a stranger. She felt the warmth and strength of him at her back as she inhaled the subtle scent of his cologne.

  When the people ahead of them began to move forward, Lindsay let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. As she followed those in front of her, she gave herself yet another lecture on the perils of allowing herself to feel anything—physical or emotional—for Than.

  As they exited the jetway and moved to the side to wait for the rest of the group, Lindsay became acutely aware of the fact that she was now the minority. It struck her as kind of funny at that moment that part of wanting this trip was to blend in and just be one of the group, and yet here and in the Philippines, she would stand out more than she ever had in Minneapolis.

  This time they stuck with the group when they went in search of the gate. They then decided to split up into smaller groups to get food and look around before it was time for their last flight. When the young married couple seemed at a loss for what to do, Than suggested that they join them. One of the other single women also decided to tag along. Lindsay was grateful to not have to spend the time alone with Than, plus it gave her a chance to get to know a few of the team members a bit better.

  By the time they boarded the plane for the last leg of their trip, Lindsay was feeling more relaxed. The time with the other team members had been fun, and she’d also discovered that Barb, the older single woman who had spent time with them, seemed to have no nerves at all about the trip and was, in fact, extremely excited about what lay ahead. The young newlywed woman, however, had expressed her nervousness, but her husband had pulled her into at tight embrace and reassured her that he’d be there for every step of the way.

  Lindsay’s heart had clenched at the sight. She’d half expected Than to interject something about being there to protect her, but mercifully he’d remained silent.

  Once they were settled into their seats—with the extra one again for this flight—Than turned to her and said, “You’re allowed to do anything you want but sleep from here to Manila.”

  Lindsay groaned. She wouldn’t have minded a bit more sleep, but she knew that Than was just trying to be helpful when it came to jetlag once they landed in Manila. “Okay. Fine. Are you going to let me beat you at Scrabble again then?”

  “Anything you want, sugar.”

  Sugar. She knew it was an endearment that likely rolled off his tongue for all the women he encountered and for that reason alone, she wished he wouldn’t use it with her. But she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. Protesting too much would just take their conversation in a direction she didn’t want to go.

  “You haven’t won a game yet. Are you even trying?” Lindsay said as she took the tablet he handed her.

  ~*~*~

  After having lost to her for the fourth time in a row, Than wanted to think he was letting her win, but honestly, she just managed to put down better words than him each and every time.

  “We need to find a different game,” Than said, exasperation finally getting the better of him.

  “One you can win, you mean?” Lindsay asked, a smirk on her face.

  “One that I have a chance of winning, at least. If I’d known you were such a cut-throat player, I wouldn’t have suggested even one game of this.” Than tossed the tablet down on the seat between them.

  “Well, what else have you got on here?”

  Before Than could stop her, Lindsay picked it up and pressed the button to go back to the main menu. Smothering a groan, he waited for her to make a comment about the background.

  “Isn’t that…” She lifted the tablet to look more closely. “Was this on the island for Lucas and Brooke’s wedding?”

  Lying had never really been his thing so Than said, “Yes. I had taken my camera along. I got some beautiful shots while I was there.”

  Lindsay scowled at him. “But that’s me.” She looked down at the tablet again. “Isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. Like I said. I got some beautiful pictures while I was down there. I purposely didn’t make it a close-up shot since it was the whole scene—you sitting on that rock with the waves surging up around you—that made it beautiful. Most people wouldn’t know it was you.”

  Than waited for her to rail at him about invading her privacy or something, but instead she just said, “Yeah, but you and I both do.”

  “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”

  She shot him a look loaded with exasperation then held out the tablet. “You choose a game. I’m afraid what else I might find on there if I tap the wrong thing.”

  Than chuckled as he took it from her. There was just that one picture since it had been his favorite of all he’d taken. He’d come across her quite by accident as he’d been walking around the island that afternoon. It had been a particularly blustery gray day, and her hair had been blowing back from her face as she’d sat on the large boulder on the edge of the water, her arms wrapped around her legs. The waves were hitting high on the rock, sending spray up, but not quite reaching her. It had been a stunning shot. Her beauty against the beauty of nature.

  He wouldn’t tell her that he also had the picture framed in his apartment.

  “How about Monopoly?” He gave her a sideways glance. “Unless you’re a property whiz as well.”

  Lindsay laughed. “No. That would be Lucas. You don’t want to ever play Monopoly against him.”

  “Monopoly it is.” Than got it set up and then handed it to her to start the game.

  Given that she’d skunked him so badly in Scrabble, he had no qualms about taking her money over and over again as she landed on his properties. After he’d won the first game, she reluctantly agreed to a second.

  Than loved watching her stare at the screen of the tablet each time it was her turn, her thumb pressed between her lips. It was something he’d noticed she did when she was uncertain and thinking hard. Clearly, she didn’t like being on the losing end of a game, even just one time.

  “Having fun?” Than asked her when she handed it back to him.

  She scowled at him for a moment then her features relaxed and she smiled. “Well, I guess I can’t win them all.”

  “Nope. You can’t,” he agreed as he bought up another property.

  Once she had accepted that Monopoly was more his game than hers, Lindsay relaxed. Playing games, Than discovered, was actually something she enjoyed. Though she admitted that she preferred games that challenged her mind like Scrabble did.

  “I also like puzzles,” Lindsay said as she took the tablet from him for her turn. “I like the sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish one.”

  “The only times I’ve worked on puzzles have been during snowstorms.”

  “I usually have one on the go in my room. I find piecing together a puzzle is a nice way to unwind and give myself a chance to think back on the day. Then I read a bit before falling asleep.”

  Than wondered if he was actually asleep. And dreaming. The way Lindsay was talking and sharing things with him kind of blew him out of the wat
er. Had she decided he wasn’t such a bad guy after all?

  “Than?”

  “Huh?” He looked over to see her holding out the tablet.

  She gave him a curious look. “Your turn.”

  “Oh, yeah. Thanks.”

  Not wanting to do anything to shut her down, Than let her take the lead with the conversation they shared. Sometimes they lapsed into silence, focusing on the game they were playing. Other times she’d ask him a question about his family and his life. And every once in a while she’d drop another little tidbit about her own life. Than was quickly coming to realize that Lindsay enjoyed being in charge. Of their conversation. Of their interactions. And clearly, of their dates. Or lack thereof.

  Than also liked being in charge. He went after what he wanted. It had never been his thing to just sit back and let someone else lead the way. But he had a feeling that if he wanted to get to know Lindsay—really get to know her—that’s just what he was going to have to do. Except, of course, when it came to her safety.

  For now and forever, that would always be where he would be in charge.

  5

  After they had finished their game, Lindsay said she was going to read for a while. It gave Than the chance to check his work email again. He was glad that the teams in Europe would be wrapping up that job in the next two days. Of course, he was pretty sure that they were even more glad than he was. No one liked the glorified babysitting jobs, especially when it came to guarding people who didn’t want to be guarded. It was different when the person they were protecting understood and respected why they were there, instead of seeing them as a challenge to outwit.

  After dealing with the work emails, Than sent a quick message to Lucas to let him know they were on the final leg of their long trip. He had to admit that he’d be happy to get off the plane when it landed in Manila. These long trips were never his favorite part of travelling, particularly when he had to travel economy. With his height, there was just never enough space to stretch his legs out.