Personal Protector

by Debra Webb

  His tall, dark and handsome image suddenly loomed large in her mind. She wasn’t supposed to think of him as a sex object. Though he definitely made her think about sex. Just to prove her point, her skin instantly heated and her pulse throbbed impatiently.

  Had she ever met a man as utterly sexy as Martinez? Piper shook her head. She hadn’t. From the man’s coal-black hair to his handsome feet, he was awesome. She wondered when he found the time to work out. No one had muscle definition like that without working at it. And those eyes. She shivered. So dark, so mesmerizing. Then there was the way he moved. Rhythm and grace all wrapped up in one breath-stealing, heart-pounding package.

  She sighed and banished those thoughts from her mind. Time was wasting. She had thirty minutes to get across town. Piper opened her door and breezed out of the room, chin set defiantly against her own desires. She would not get involved with the guy.

  No way.

  She was on the verge of bigger things careerwise right now.

  Her career had to be top priority.

  When she reached the end of the hall, her breath fell short of filling her lungs and her feet bogged down as if suddenly mired ankle-deep in the carpet. On the far side of her living room, the French doors leading onto her balcony were thrown open. Unaware that he was being watched, Martinez, his arms folded over his wide chest, leaned in the open doorway that looked out over the woods and man-made lake behind her building. An oatmeal-colored ribbed knit shirt molded to every impossibly sensual contour of his torso. His slacks were khaki, a bit snugger fit than usual. He must have gone next door sometime this morning to shower and change.

  Piper swallowed with extreme difficulty as her gaze moved to his face. Those classic features were a study in concentration, his full lips drawn downward by his musings. That silky black hair glistened in the morning sun, a perfect contrast to his golden skin. It was at that precise moment that she realized the depth of the danger Martinez represented to her. He drew her like no one else ever had…made her feel things she didn’t want to feel. No one had ever held that much power over her.

  She couldn’t let this happen. It wasn’t only her career that motivated her caution; it was her heart. Piper closed her eyes to block the distracting image he made. She never wanted to fall in love, no matter how perfect the man appeared to be. Especially not a man like her father.

  Her eyes drifted open at that last thought. But then, Martinez was nothing at all like the man she’d called Daddy. He had been one of those cloak-and-dagger types for the CIA. His job meant more to him than his family. His allegiance had always been to his government. And, in the end, he had died for it.

  Martinez was a videographer. He seemed to like his work, but it didn’t appear to be everything to him. After all, he’d dropped that camera to come to her aid. Her safety meant more to him than the interview. Piper chewed her lower lip. He was so cocky.

  She smiled.

  And she liked him.

  Her smile faded.

  She liked him too much.

  “It can’t be that bad, querida. Such a pretty face should never frown so.”

  Piper snapped her gaze to the Adonis now speaking to her. He smiled a slow, sensuous gesture that made her heart shudder. She would not like him that way. She lifted her chin and pinned him with a firm look. “I don’t know why you’re still hanging around here, but I have to go.” She gestured to the front door. “I’m sure you have other things to do.”

  He straightened, closed and locked the doors, then started toward her, stealing her breath yet again. How did he move like that? So deliberately, yet so fluidly. The man’s body was incredible. Piper felt her blood heating in her veins. Where on earth was that big gun he carried? she wondered fleetingly. His gaze roved the length of her with equal slowness, pausing at strategic places. He stopped directly in front of her and peered down into her eyes. His scent, a subtle musk, surrounded her, making it difficult to think.

  “Very nice.” He skimmed her body once more. “Do you have a date, querida?” His low voice rasped along her skin, making her tingle.

  She moistened her lips and resurrected her determination. “I asked you not to call me that.”

  “Perdon, Miss Ryan. I’ll try to remember that.”

  He was watching her, analyzing his effect on her. It infuriated her that he knew just what he did to her. And if he hadn’t, he certainly did after that little show she’d put on last night. She cleared her throat. “I have a luncheon engagement with Mrs. Carlisle. But I appreciate your staying with me last night.”

  He angled that handsome head and studied her face. “And you don’t need a cameraman or an escort?”

  The vision of him at her side, his arm draped possessively around her instantly filled her mind. The security of knowing he was there nudged at her, made her want to admit she needed him. The widow Carlisle did enjoy a good-looking man, Piper rationalized. Surrounded herself with them, in fact. It was a kind of whispered joke among the people who knew her. Mrs. Carlisle only did business with what she considered beautiful people. Maybe taking along Martinez was a good idea. Piper was reasonably sure he would go a lot further at impressing Mrs. Carlisle than this new lavender dress. And she could use some video footage.

  “You’ll need a jacket,” she said in invitation. This was probably a mistake, but she just couldn’t help herself.

  “No problem.” Martinez extended his hand toward the front door.

  Piper picked up her purse from a nearby chair and headed in the direction he’d indicated. She paused at the door and waited as Martinez picked up a lightweight navy blue jacket he’d obviously left on the sofa. How had he known he would need a jacket? He couldn’t have. The dark color accentuated the lighter colors beneath.

  “Being prepared is my motto,” he explained in a gently teasing tone.

  Ric followed Piper through her apartment door and paused to lock up while she informed Townsend of their destination. Raine, who was monitoring Piper’s calls, had already called Ric on his cell phone and passed along the pertinent information from the desk assistant’s call.

  Green was waiting near Piper’s little red sports car when they exited the building. Her expression brightened instantly.

  “They brought my car back!” She rushed to examine the repairs. She glanced at Ric. “You didn’t tell me.”

  “The guy from the body shop just dropped it off this morning.” He didn’t bother to mention that Raine had gone over the car with a fine-tooth comb, and even added a few things Piper didn’t need to know about, such as a tracking device. Lucas had ensured that the body shop insisted on taking her car in for replacing the glass, rather than sending a glass company out to do it on-site.

  Piper took her time surveying the shiny automobile, inside and out. Ric had to admit, the woman had good taste when it came to a snazzy ride. This baby was one he would have chosen for himself. In fact, it was every bit as racy as his Camaro, only newer. While she appraised the work the body shop had done, Ric took the camera and the supplies he would need from the news van.

  Piper opened the driver’s side door and slid behind the wheel. “Let’s go, Martinez,” she urged.

  Mentally preparing himself for the ride, Ric placed the camera into the back seat and dropped into the passenger seat. He snapped his seat belt into place. Townsend had already warned him about her driving habits—fast and furious. Ric had noticed she was an aggressive driver that first day he’d been tailing her, but the rush-hour traffic had kept her pretty much in line.

  Piper rocketed onto the street like a speeding bullet. Ric eased back fully into his bucket seat and pretended not to notice. They made the trip across town in record time. He was amazed that Townsend had managed to stay on their bumper for most of the trip. It wasn’t until Piper eased up to the curb where the valets waited that Ric realized his jaw had been tightly clenched the entire trip.

  Piper was out of the car before Ric could round the hood. He continually scoped the area. He didn’t
like being out in the open like this. It was too risky. Townsend and Green had parked right behind them and were emerging from their sedan. Raine would be close. But the numerous shops and towering skyscrapers offered an endless supply of sniper cover.

  Ric placed his hand at the small of her back as much to reassure himself as her. He had that feeling again that something wasn’t as it should be, and he didn’t like it. Green was inside already; Townsend was still surveying the block and bringing up the rear.

  The doorman offered a polite greeting and opened the elaborate wooden door. Once they were inside, Ric felt immensely better.

  The maître d’ showed them to the private dining room where Mrs. Carlisle was hosting her luncheon. The hostess smiled widely when she saw Piper. Mrs. Carlisle dropped a dainty kiss on Piper’s cheek.

  “My dear, you look lovely.” The older woman’s assessing gaze moved to Ric. “My, my, and who is this?” She glanced long enough in Piper’s direction to wink. “I’d heard there was a new man in your life.”

  Though she blushed, Piper didn’t falter. “This is Ric Martinez, Mrs. Carlisle.” Piper’s gaze connected briefly with Ric’s but she didn’t say anything else.

  Mrs. Carlisle made a sound of approval. “A pleasure, Mr. Martinez.” She offered her hand.

  His gaze never leaving the woman’s, Ric accepted the beringed hand, leaned forward and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “The pleasure is mine, I assure you, señora.”

  Mrs. Carlisle was properly impressed. Piper, however, was not. She glared at Ric. Confusion marred his brow. Didn’t she want him to be charming?

  “Please excuse us, Mr. Martinez,” Mrs. Carlisle cooed. She turned to Piper. “Come with me, dear. We have a great deal to discuss.” She looped her arm in Piper’s and led her away.

  Ric watched them go. Piper glanced back at Ric once but quickly turned away. A yearning so deep and so strong struck him that he felt weak-kneed with it. He knew better than to allow himself to feel this way. Ric cursed himself silently. What a fool he was falling for a woman who could never be his. No matter how she felt in his arms or how fiercely she kissed him. They were worlds apart. He scanned the elegant dining room. This was her world, always had been. There had never been anything but the best for Lucas Camp’s lovely niece.

  Ric accepted a glass of white wine from a passing waiter. He downed the liquid in one swallow, then licked the incredibly smooth taste from his lips. Expensive, very expensive, he decided. He thought about his little apartment back in Chicago, and the car he babied like it was a child. That was all he needed. He didn’t need any of this. He was just a regular guy. His gaze instantly settled on Piper. He wasn’t the right man for a woman like her. Their differences would only tear them apart even if they somehow managed to come together.

  He had no desire to travel that path again.

  Well, he amended ruefully, the desire was there, but he knew better.

  PIPER WAS RELIEVED when the stuffy luncheon was finally over. She’d felt restless from the moment she sat down at the long, lavishly laden table. Martinez had been too quiet. He hadn’t said a word to her after they’d taken their seats. In fact, he hadn’t spoken to anyone. He’d simply eaten in silence. He’d acted nothing at all like the charming man she’d seen at the charity art auction only a few nights ago.

  She hadn’t missed the card Mrs. Carlisle had slipped to him. A card that, no doubt, contained her private telephone number. It infuriated Piper that women so openly threw themselves at Martinez, especially when he was supposed to be with her. One look at the man’s handsome profile as he shook hands with the mayor on their way out the door served as a stunning reminder of precisely why this very attraction with which she struggled had happened. The man was gorgeous. Sinfully, decadently, drop-dead gorgeous. Women simply couldn’t help themselves.

  Piper hastened her stride. She might as well stop by the station and leave the desk assistant a blurb about today’s luncheon. Couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass without making the news. She would have Martinez take a few shots outside before they left. They could use that shot as a visual lead, then follow with any number of shots taken of Mrs. Carlisle at one society function or another. She’d have to do a voice-over at the station. Townsend would never agree to allowing Piper to stand around outside long enough to do the piece, but Martinez could at least pan the area.

  The valet offered her keys as she passed him. Piper smiled and left the usual tip in his outstretched palm. She knew Martinez followed. She could feel him, but she refused to look back. She had no clue why he was brooding. She didn’t even want to know why. She just wanted to get her job done. And somehow stop thinking about him as anything other than her cameraman.

  Townsend and Green moved around her and toward their own vehicle. Piper resisted the impulse to shake her head at the whole situation. God, Jones, where are you? She wanted her old cameraman back. She wanted her life back.

  “We’ll need to get a little video before we go.” Just as she reached her open car door, Martinez slammed into her with the full force of his weight. His arms went around her and they went down on the hard sidewalk. They hit the concrete, Martinez taking the brunt of the fall. He rolled her onto her back, covering her with his big body. The valet and the doorman plastered to the ground a few feet away, both wide-eyed and belly-crawling quickly toward the restaurant entrance.

  What was happening?

  Piper heard it then, the whizzing pop of a bullet as it flew by and then hit the sidewalk only a few feet away. Someone was shooting at them. Her heart pounded so hard, she could hear the blood rushing through her veins. Martinez’s heart was pounding, too; she could feel it. His heavy body pressed into hers, making her pulse even more erratic in spite of current circumstances. She felt him reaching for something and then he had a gun in his hand. This one was smaller than the one he’d had before, but every bit as lethal-looking.

  The next sound she heard was shattering glass very nearby.

  Her car. A blast of fury had her pushing against Martinez’s chest. “My car!”

  “Take it easy, querida.” Ric held her firmly against the ground with his weight. “The car can be fixed. You might not fare so well.”

  He didn’t want her to be hurt. He was protecting her.

  His gaze locked with hers, his breath ragged against her mouth. Piper couldn’t help herself. She had to touch him. She wanted to feel those tempting lips…to trace the strength of that jaw. And when she touched him, the barest caress of her fingertips on that smooth jaw, those dark eyes filled with a yearning as savage as her own. The fingers of her left hand tightened on his jacket sleeve and the muscular bicep beneath. He winced. Piper jerked her hand away and stared at the warm, wet substance covering her palm.

  Blood.

  She blinked, her eyes trying to deny what her brain told her. Martinez was bleeding….

  Chapter Nine

  Piper shook her head resolutely. “I don’t want to hear it, Martinez. They shot you.” She gestured to the thick gauze bandage encircling his bicep. “What if they’d killed you?” Her voice quivered slightly on those last couple of words.

  “They didn’t,” he insisted calmly. “It’s nothing but a flesh wound.” It hurt, but he’d live.

  Furious, she pivoted and started her neurotic pacing all over again. “Nothing but a flesh wound,” she muttered hotly. “That’s just like a man, gotta be a tough guy. I need to revise my out-of-date diary entry,” she added, speaking more to herself than to him, Ric decided.

  He massaged at the ache in his forehead. What did she want him to say? She’d gotten hysterical when she’d realized he was bleeding. It was all he could do to hold her down until the threat had passed. By the time the paramedics arrived, Ric wasn’t sure which of them needed help more, him or her. She had refused a sedative, but had calmed considerably when the treating medic pronounced Ric as good as new. It was nothing but a nasty flesh wound. More a nuisance than a real problem.

  R
ic hadn’t expected that kind of reaction from her. He’d tried to rationalize the extreme response by assuming that uncontrollable fear had played into the problem. After all, someone had been trying to kill her. But now, a full hour after they’d arrived safely back at her apartment, Piper was still more upset than she should be. Maybe she’d simply reached the end of her emotional rope. A lot had happened to her in the past few weeks. He wouldn’t even pretend it could be anything else.

  “I agree with Dave,” Ric said quietly, in hopes of defusing the situation. She stopped and glared at him. “I think you should stay out of sight until after Tuesday’s interview.” Fishing for a way to make her see it his way for once, he went on, “That interview with the senator is too important to risk anything happening between now and then to put you out of commission.”

  A new kind of emotion, something between outrage and anger, sprang to life in those startlingly blue eyes. “You think this is all about me,” she said in disbelief. Then she trembled right before his eyes.

  He ached to hold her. Before he could stop himself, he had covered the distance between them, but refrained from touching her the way he wanted to. “You’re safe now. And I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight until there’s no one left to threaten you.” Raine had taken out the shooter. The trademark tattoo marked him as hardcore SSU. One down, and no telling how many more to go. Unless they somehow managed to track down and take out the leader, Piper could be dodging danger for the rest of her life. Ric hoped like hell that the FBI’s undercover guy came up with something soon.

  Piper looked directly into Ric’s eyes, her own suspiciously bright. “You don’t understand,” she said wearily. “I made a conscious decision to go to that secret press conference last month.” She pointed to her chest. “I knew the risk I was taking when I went. I know the added risk I take each time I walk out that door with SSU stalking my every move. I—” She pressed her fingers to her lips to hold back the emotions shaking her.