Protect and Serve (Stripped Down Prequel Book 3)

by Sabrina York

  Not the best way to end a first date.

  She could only hope it wasn’t an omen.

  Chapter NINE

  The second Charlie heard Claire had been released from the hospital, he hightailed it over to her house.

  Damn, that had been a horrifying feeling, being so helpless and watching her writhe in pain. Fear unlike anything he’d known in Iraq had possessed him, making his blood go cold and his fingers numb.

  He’d just met her. Well, just met her again.

  They’d just started dating.

  He had no business feeling like this. As though the world would end—or should end—without her in it.

  His heart thrummed as he pulled into the driveway, bounded up the porch steps and pounded on the door.

  It took too damn long for someone to answer.

  He wanted to see her again.

  Now.

  He needed to.

  But when Cody opened the door, with a somber nod, he didn’t head upstairs to Claire’s room, he led Charlie into her office instead. He waved to a chair, but Charlie didn’t want to sit. He was too antsy for that.

  “How is she?” he asked. In something of a bark. “Is she all right?”

  “The hospital released her, Charlie. They wouldn’t have if she weren’t fine.”

  “Is she eating again?”

  “A bit. Would you sit? You’re making me nervous.”

  “I want to see her. I don’t want another inquisition about my feelings for your sister, goddamn it.”

  “This isn’t an inquisition. I have a favor to ask you.”

  “Unless it involves me seeing Claire, I’m not interested.”

  He had no idea why Cody’s lips quirked. “Sit.”

  Charlie checked his watch—but only to make a point—and dropped into the chair. “What?”

  “Would you be willing to stay with Claire this weekend?”

  He blinked. He had to have heard that wrong. There was no way Cody was asking him to spend the weekend with his sister. Unless it was opposite day and no one had told him. “What?”

  “Cade and I have to be out of town and Lisa is going to visit her sister and help with the new baby. I don’t want her to be alone. And you… Well, hell. I know you’ll protect her.”

  “What do you mean? Protect her?”

  Cody sighed heavily and scrubbed his face. “When we got home from the hospital, she was convinced someone had been in her room. It couldn’t have been any of us, because we were with her at the hospital.”

  “Someone was in her room?”

  “Yeah.”

  A beast, deep within, lifted its head and howled. “Who was it?”

  “I have no clue. And I didn’t notice anything different. There was no sign of a break-in, but Claire is convinced of it.” Cody shrugged. “It’s probably overreaction, but I would feel better—we all would—if someone was here with her. This thing really shook her up.”

  Damn it all. He hated that she was feeling vulnerable.

  “Why me?”

  “Are you saying no?”

  Not hardly. “I’m just wondering why you’re asking me. Me of all people.”

  He lifted his shoulder. “She likes you.”

  “She likes everyone.”

  Cody quirked a brow. “Does she?”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “Well, she doesn’t. To be honest, Claire doesn’t care for the idea of having a babysitter. But if it’s you, she might not complain. Besides, I trust you.”

  Damn. That was a low blow.

  “I know nothing untoward will happen if you give me your word.”

  Untoward? What was this, the 18th century? The woman was sick, shaken. What kind of man would even think about seducing a woman just out of the hospital? The thought annoyed the crap out of him. Enough to make him want to push back. “What makes you think something as flimsy as a promise would make me behave?”

  “Because you are a man of honor.”

  Well hell. Cody wasn’t pulling any punches.

  “All right. I’ll stay with her—”

  “Thank you—”

  “And I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

  “Excellent—”

  “But if she starts feeling better, all bets are off.”

  “Jesus.” Cody slapped his hands over his ears. “I don’t want to hear that.”

  “I just don’t want you complaining later if things don’t work out the way they did in your fantasy.”

  “My fantasy?”

  “The one where your sister lives in a tower and only kisses men who can climb up her hair.”

  Cody stared at him in silence for a very long moment, and then he said, “Well, yeah. Claire’s hair is too short for that.”

  It was probably as close as Cody would come to admitting that it was time for him to stop being so overprotective of Claire and let her make her own decisions.

  It wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things but he’d take it.

  With that settled, Cody finally deigned to show Charlie up the stairs. Claire’s room was actually a suite up on the third floor where the family had their private lodgings in the B&B. It was decorated in frilly blues and greens and everything he would expect of Claire. The sight of her in that four-poster bed made his heart thunder, and not just because he had a quick flash of a fantasy involving those four posters. She looked wan and fragile as well.

  She leaned against the pillows, talking to Porsche, but when she saw him, she trailed off, smiled and lifted a hand.

  He sat next to her on the bed—ignoring her brother’s growl—and took her hand. It was clammy.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  Her smile was weak. “Like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet.”

  And yeah, not the best analogy, given his rising ardor. Funny how just seeing her—even in this condition—made him twitchy. It was a good thing he’d added that codicil to his promise, because with the way he felt about her, he doubted he could remain stalwart for two whole days.

  “Thank you for taking me to the hospital,” she said.

  He snorted a laugh. What else would he have done? “I did consider leaving you on the floor.”

  Her lips quirked. “That would have been okay too.”

  “I’m so sorry this happened. And on our first date.”

  “Well, it’s a first date I will never forget.”

  “I imagine having your stomach pumped would be memorable.”

  She patted his hand. “Oh, I don’t remember any of that.” Thank God. “But I’ll never forget the tablecloth and the candle.”

  “You are easy to impress, aren’t you?”

  “It was thoughtful. That’s what counts.”

  “I’m glad you liked it.” He kissed her forehead, but only because there were so many witnesses. And they were avid witnesses, watching every move, listening to every word. Their diligence would have annoyed him, but this was Claire. These people—and their devotion—came along with the package. “So, what’s this I hear about someone being in your room?”

  He hated that she paled, that fear flickered in her eyes, but he had to ask. He had to investigate what had really happened. It was likely that she was still woozy from the drugs and the reaction to her ordeal, but he couldn’t make assumptions or poo-poo her suspicions. Not if he wanted her to feel safe. Claire wasn’t a woman who indulged in histrionics and she did not tolerate being patronized.

  “When I came home, some things were out of place.” She waved to the dresser which, to his trained eye, looked as though it was covered with a jumble of items, from photos to perfume bottles.

  “How can you tell?” He didn’t mean it as a joke, but both Cody and Cade laughed. Claire glowered at him and he winced. “I mean—”

  “I know what you mean. But I’m telling you. I know someone moved some of my things.”

  “Okay. Okay. And anything else?”

  Her expression darkened and she whispered, “Someone
went through my underwear drawer.”

  He blinked. Visions of Claire’s underwear wafted through his mind. It took some effort to banish the distraction. “Um, you’re sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. I keep them color coordinated.” Oh, crap. The vision returned. “They’re all messed up. Go look.”

  This, she said in a very commanding tone, so he felt obliged to go look. Crossing the room without letting her brothers see his erection was a challenge. He pulled out the top drawer and steeled himself for the task of perusing her underwear.

  And hell. It was a torment. Lacy, silky, even the virginal cotton panties were jumbled there, curling around each other, clinging… But when he looked closer he noticed the pairs on the bottom were all neatly folded and stacked in rows of pink, blue and white. The black ones especially caught his attention. “You’re sure you didn’t leave it this way?”

  She gave a snort of disgust. “Do you have any idea how much those cost?”

  Porsche nodded. “A woman must respect her underwear.”

  “Good gawd,” Cody wailed. “This is definitely TMI about my sister’s underwear.”

  Charlie shot him a caustic look. “If you need to leave, don’t let me stop you.”

  Cody frowned at him and crossed his arms, apparently his secret language for I ain’t goin’ nowhere, buster.

  Whatever.

  It wasn’t like it made any difference if Cody stayed. Because Cade and Porsche and Lisa were also here.

  He turned back to Claire. “This is a public house. A B&B. Could a guest have wandered in?”

  “I don’t see how, since we don’t have them during the week.” Her frown was dark. “Besides, I keep my door locked. Don’t you want to dust for fingerprints?”

  He stared at her. His throat closed. “You want me to dust your panties for fingerprints?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I meant the dresser.”

  Oh. Right. The dresser.

  “I can have someone come in and do it, if it makes you feel better.”

  “It would.” She frowned at her brothers. “If nothing else, it will prove to them I’m not crazy.”

  “You’re not crazy, honey,” he said. They both ignored her brothers’ snorts.

  And yeah, dusting for fingerprints could at least rule out an intruder and make her feel at ease. He knew how disorienting it could be to think someone had intruded on your personal space.

  “Hey, Claire,” Cody said. “What do you think about Charlie staying with you this weekend while we’re away?”

  She gaped at her brother and then flicked a look at Charlie.

  Oh crap. Her expression went from annoyed to mischievous in a heartbeat. But when she turned back to Cody, she adopted an utterly disinterested mien. “Okay. I suppose. As long as he doesn’t eat all Lisa’s cookies while he’s here.”

  “I do love cookies,” he said, infusing the words with a double entendre. “I may eat them all.”

  Claire bit her lip to keep from grinning.

  “I’ll make extras,” Lisa said in a cheery voice, and it took everything in him to hold back his laugh. Judging from the quiver of her chest, Claire had the same issue.

  “Do you really think someone came into your room and went through your underwear?” Porsche asked when everyone else had tromped from the room to continue discussing plans for the weekend, though Claire had no idea what kinds of plans they needed to discuss. It seemed pretty clear-cut to her.

  They would all leave.

  She and Charlie would be alone.

  Naughty things would happen.

  All weekend long.

  End of story.

  And though she hated to see him leave—he was on duty, after all—she was delighted that he’d come.

  “I know it, Porsche.”

  “Could it have been Molly?”

  Claire snorted. “I don’t let Molly do my laundry.” She loved their housekeeper, but the woman had a tendency to wash reds with whites, which was why her brothers often wore pink skivvies. “And she wasn’t here while I was in the hospital.” She was visiting her daughter in Houston.

  “Do you think maybe a teenage boy snuck in to check out the infamous Stud Ranch and wandered into your room? Found your undies?”

  “First of all, gross. Second of all, there were no signs of a break-in.”

  Porsche nodded, but it was clear she was still thinking of scenarios. Claire really didn’t want to hear any more, or think about it anymore.

  “It hardly matters,” she said. “Charlie will stay with me this weekend, so I feel safe.” And what a thrill that sent through her.

  She didn’t understand Porsche’s reaction. She narrowed her eyes and looked pointedly at Claire. “Yeah. Charlie. Don’t you think he’s a little…?”

  “What?”

  “Tall for you?”

  She glared at Porsche. “All men are the same height lying down.”

  Porsche’s eyes went wide. “Wait. What? You mean… You’ve… You? And him?”

  Heat crawled up her cheeks. “I was speaking metaphorically.”

  “Were you?”

  “Yes! We’ve only had one date!”

  Porsche shrugged. “What does that mean? Lots of people do it on a first date.”

  “I don’t.” It was a rule. “Besides, I ended up in the hospital, remember?”

  “Oh. Yeah. There is that.” Porsche tapped her lip with a finger. “He’s still pretty tall. And you are…”

  “What?”

  “You know. Short.”

  “He doesn’t seem to mind.”

  “Still, he doesn’t seem like…your type.”

  “Oh? I wasn’t aware I had a type.”

  Her friend became utterly obsessed with her linked fingers. “Not a cop.”

  Claire studied Porsche’s expression and all of a sudden it hit her like the blast of heat on a summer day. “You like him?” Her friend’s predatory smile made something nasty crawl down her spine.

  “He’s…cute.”

  Cute? He wasn’t cute. He was savage, wild, a ferocious tiger. Not a fuzzy gamboling kitten.

  “I thought you were in love with Cody. We were going to be sisters, remember?”

  “Cody doesn’t even look at me.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can have my boyfriend!” She wasn’t sure why she was so panicked at the prospect, except for the fact that Porsche was much prettier than she was, and skinnier too.

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “We’re dating. What do you think?”

  “But he’s so tall!”

  “I like them tall.” She loved the way he made her feel. So fragile. So protected. So beautiful.

  “But that tall?”

  “Let it go, Porsche. Like Princess Elsa”—she used a reference Porsche would understand—“just let it go. He’s mine.”

  Something in her tone must have made it through because Porsche sighed. “He really is a good catch.”

  “Mmm hmm.” She leaned closer and repeated herself. “And he’s mine.”

  No one else was getting her grubby paws on him. Especially not Porsche.

  Chapter TEN

  Charlie’s flowers arrived that afternoon. A beautiful bouquet of red long-stemmed roses. She didn’t like them as much as the tulips, but that didn’t stop her from setting them in a crystal vase on the table in the foyer; when he came on Friday night, he’d see them first thing.

  She was glad she was feeling better, so she could oversee Lisa’s baking for the weekend. Not that Lisa needed much direction, but she tended to make whatever captured her fancy, and Claire had specific requests.

  Cream puffs, for one thing. She’d been salivating for those since Lisa had mentioned them. And she wanted a double chocolate fudge cake and the lemon bars that made her tongue want to dance.

  When she went into the storage room and brought out two bottles of champagne to slip in the fridge, Lisa frowned, though it wasn’t a serious frown. “This is looking more and mo
re like a date, rather than a babysitting job.”

  Claire bristled. “Babysitting? Who called it babysitting?”

  Lisa looked at the ceiling and whistled.

  “It was Cade, wasn’t it? Cody? Damn it. I’m not a baby.”

  “You know they love you.”

  “They still think I’m fifteen. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “I can call Charlie and cancel, if you want.”

  She was cruel and inhumane. Claire glowered at her. “Don’t you dare.”

  “Then fine. Admit it. You’re planning to seduce him.”

  Crap. She’d figured it out. “What? Me? Hah.”

  Lisa gestured to the bowl of strawberries and the whipped cream Claire had demanded. “Really?” When Claire put out a lip in response, she continued. “Look, Claire, I’m not one of your Neanderthal brothers, trying to defend your virginity against all comers.” She paused, and winked. “No pun intended. If you want Charlie, I’m all for it. He’s a really great guy.”

  Okay, that was nice. Except for the part where Lisa’s voice went all low and adoring and shit. “You’re engaged.” It seemed a good time to remind her.

  Lisa’s response was a laugh. “I know. Don’t worry. I’m not lusting after him. It’s just…I really like him. And, if things work out between you, he’d be a great addition to the family.”

  Claire narrowed her eyes. “Do you mean that?”

  “I do. But don’t tell your brothers. It would be better to present them with a fait accompli.”

  She hated it when Lisa spoke French—especially when it didn’t have to do with something edible. Claire had studied French in high school and failed miserably. “Well, it’s a bit early for all that,” she said with a wave of her hand. It was. They’d had one miserable date. It was crazy that she’d already started envisioning her life with Charlie in it.

  Lisa shrugged. “It can happen pretty fast. It did with me and Cade. Sometimes…you just know when it’s right.”

  “And how did you know?”

  “Simple. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without him.”

  Oh. Crap.

  “Were you scared?”

  Lisa pinned her with a gentle glance. “Yes. Yes, I was. There’s always the fear that you’re falling in deep and they’re just playing the field.” She waggled the stirring spoon. “Your best bet is to communicate about your feelings.”