Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

by Mia Ford

  “Hello?” His voice was deep, and I immediately thought about hanging up.

  “Hey,” I said as Mona moved her hands to get me going. “It’s Tiffany.”

  “Hey, how are you?”

  “I’m good.” Not really. Not at all. I was feeling awkward. “I actually was calling to find out if you wanted to have lunch tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow?” he asked. I held my breath waiting for his response. “Yeah, that actually sounds perfect.”

  “Oh, great,” I said, surprised.

  “It’s funny,” he chuckled. “I was actually getting ready to call you and ask you the same thing.”

  “Ha,” I responded with wide eyes.

  “So, I’ll meet you at the Frisk? Like twelve thirty?”

  “Yes,” I said excitedly. “That sounds great!”

  “Awesome,” he said nervously. “It was good hearing your voice, Tiff.”

  “You, too,” I said before hanging up the phone.

  I looked over at Mona who seemed like she was holding her breath. I smiled and nodded my head, watching her jump from the couch and basically run me over. I laughed as she screamed loudly in excitement. I couldn’t believe I had just asked Jason out on a date. Well, a kind of date. I didn’t know what to call it, but my heart was racing and butterflies were pushing through my entire body. I didn’t know if this was right or wrong, but at that moment, I didn’t really give a damn.

  Chapter Seven

  Jason

  I sprung out of bed as soon as the sun came up, completely awake and ready for the day. Knowing I was going to have lunch with Tiffany was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I had never been this excited for lunch in my life, and I shook my head at the clothes hanging on the door. I had picked out my outfit the night before like some excited school girl. She was just a girl, but there was something more to it than I could explain. At that moment, I wished I had a friend other than my brother to talk to. I couldn’t tell him I was having lunch with Tiffany, and I no way in hell could I tell my dad, though I was completely unsure of what his reaction would have been. Instead, I had to keep it to myself, and I felt like I was going to burst. I hopped in the shower and let the water calm my nerves, using the aromatherapy body wash my mom had sent home with me because she thought I was too uptight and stressed out. To my surprise, it helped calm me, but only until I was out of the shower and staring at myself in the mirror.

  I fixed my hair carefully, putting every single piece in the right place. My face was shaved the day before, so I still had that smooth but not too smooth look. I never liked how I looked right after a shave, like I had taken ten years off my face. I guessed I would enjoy that later in life. I sprayed some cologne on me before pulling on my suit and straightening my favorite silver and burgundy tie. I stopped as I passed the mirror, impressed with how professional I looked. Maybe I should force myself out of bed this early every day. Maybe my mother wouldn’t feel the need to buy me stress therapy products. I grabbed my keys and headed out of the house, grabbing a cab and plopping down in the back seat, slightly out of breath. As we drove along, I could feel the warmth of the holidays approaching and thought about the fact that maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have to spend them without seeing Tiffany’s beautiful face. I shook the thought from my mind, realizing I was getting about fifty steps ahead of myself.

  When I arrived at the office, I greeted everyone happily before realizing I needed to tone it down a notch, judging from the surprised looks on people’s faces. They were going to start getting suspicious, and the last thing I needed was to have my father come in and start asking me questions, or worse, Jordan. I knew I should probably feel guilty about having this feeling about his ex-wife, but for some reason, I didn’t feel even an ounce of guilt. Maybe it was because he treated her like complete shit, and she deserved so much more. When I sat down at my desk, I realized I had several hours before meeting Tiffany and needed to find something to take up my time. Luckily, there were meetings scheduled all morning, so I happily trotted down to the conference room and listened intently to each person’s presentation. My father looked over at me and furrowed his brow, noticing my happy, awake status. He was used to my normal scowl and twelve cups of coffee. Slowly, I picked up my cup and took a sip, trying to wipe the look of excitement off my face.

  When the meeting was over, I finished up my notes and looked down at my watch. It was noon, and time to head over to the restaurant. I had picked one several blocks away to avoid running into Jordan or anyone from the office. As I turned into my office, my father poked his head out of his.

  “Jason,” he said, making me freeze in place. “Jordan and I are going next door to the deli for lunch. You want to join us?”

  “Oh,” I said letting out a deep breath. “Um, not today, Dad. Thanks.”

  “You got a hot date?”

  “Ha,” I laughed awkwardly. “Maybe.”

  I laughed like it was a ridiculous sentiment and heard my father laughing as well. I shook my head as I grabbed my jacket off the chair and headed out to the elevator. As the doors flew open, Jordan stepped off and looked at me suspiciously. I smiled and stepped around him into the elevator. He looked back at me curiously as he made his way to my father’s office. As soon as the elevator doors closed, I leaned back against the wall and let out another deep breath. Why did it feel like I was on some secret mission from hell?

  I grabbed a cab and headed over to the restaurant, nervous and excited all at the same time. I still couldn’t believe what had happened yesterday. I sat there with Tiffany’s number on my screen and my finger hovering over the call button when she had called. At first, I thought I’d pressed the button, but when I put the phone to my ear and said hello, her sweet voice came through on the other side. I wasn’t a big signs kind of person, but there had to be something more than just coincidence to that. It had to be some kind of sign, even though the thought of me dating Tiffany seemed strange and taboo. Maybe, just maybe, in some sort of lightning strike of good luck, I somehow managed to get myself in a position where Tiffany and I could be in a relationship with each other. I took a deep breath and shook my head, realizing how crazy I sounded. That was nuts, I needed to keep my head on straight and not go running around with these silly fantasies in my head. We were friends, meeting for lunch, and nothing more.

  The other night, sitting next to her in the booth at the club had been amazing on many levels. We laughed, we talked, we reminisced, and I even found us flirting quite a bit. Every time her leg had brushed up against mine, electricity had jolted through my stomach. And my crotch. I hadn’t even realized how one person could want someone as much as I did at that moment and not even realize it until I had gotten home. Sure, at first, it was complete and total animal magnetism, but then my thoughts turned her sexy laugh, her enchanting eyes, and her fragile sensibility that she kept hidden underneath a strong and tough façade. Regardless of whether this was a date, or just two friends having lunch, no one could deny the amount of sexual tension that had built between us in that booth the other night.

  I pulled up in front of the restaurant and hopped out, pulling my coat closed and shivering. The weather had taken a turn and the air was almost frigid. I loved New York, but the winters could sometimes be brutal on the senses. Shockingly, it was only October but felt more like December than anything else. I pulled the door open and approached the hostess.

  “Hi,” I said smiling. “I’m meeting a woman named Tiffany.”

  “Yes,” the hostess smiled. “Right this way.”

  I looked up as we moved through the restaurant, spotting Tiffany in the back corner. She was looking down at her hands and seemed nervous. She looked absolutely beautiful in a warm, off-white sweater, jeans, and flats. Her hair was pulled halfway up with curls cascading over her shoulders. Her fair skin was offset by her rosy cheeks, and her eyes glimmered as she looked up and saw me walking toward her. She smiled wide and waved as I approached. I leaned down and kissed her gently
on the cheek, lingering longer than I probably should have. I took off my coat and hung it on the chair, thanking the hostess and sitting down.

  “You haven’t waited long have you?”

  “No,” she said. “I just got here, too. See my hands are still cold.”

  She reached up and put her fragile, sweet hand against my cheek. She smiled and held it there as we stared at each other across the table. As if noticing we’d held gazes a little too long, she blushed and pulled her hand back into her lap. We looked over the menus and ordered some coffee to warm us up. I watched Tiffany as she poured cream and sugar into her coffee, stirring it and then licking the spoon. Her pink lips were drawing me in, and I had to take a deep breath and clear my throat to get my mind back on track. We started talking about our day, and she listened intently as I talked about work, forgetting that she worked there, too.

  Her laugh was intoxicating, and I soon lost myself in our conversation, not paying any attention to the time. She told me about her parents and their problems, about her brother and how he had made it out safely from his time in Iraq. She spoke about her brother like I hoped she talked about me, with warmth, love, and admiration. The fire in the restaurant’s fireplace crackled as we ate and continued talking for about an hour after our lunch was done. I couldn’t tear myself away from this woman, no matter how hard I tried. Finally, my phone cut into the conversation, and I apologized, looking at the text message. It was from my father, letting me know I missed the last meeting and that everyone was headed home. He wanted to make sure I was okay. I stared blankly at the message. Why was everyone heading home? Then, I saw the time. Wow, three o’clock.

  “Wow,” I said laughing. “It’s almost three.”

  “Oh, no,” she said, panicked. “Did you miss anything important at work?”

  “Nah.” I laughed. “Just that normal marketing meeting that puts everyone to sleep. No big deal.”

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” she said smiling. “I have some things I need to take care of in town before heading home, anyway.”

  “I’ll walk you to your car.” I stood and came around the table to pull her chair out.

  As she put her coat on, I placed cash in the bill holder and turned to her, entranced by the way her hair swished around her as she buttoned her jacket. She was stunning, and I didn’t want the date to be over yet. I walked next to her through the restaurant, my hand on her lower back as we moved toward the door. We stepped out into the cold air, and we both pulled our collars closed around our necks.

  “Gosh,” she said, shivering. “Winter just got here out of nowhere. Pretty early for these types of temps. I’m going to have to turn on the heat at home.”

  “I know. I’m used to this weather in December, not October,” I replied.

  We continued talking about the weather as we took the elevator up the parking garage to her floor. I followed her out and across the garage to her car parked in one of the spots. The place was pretty much empty, and I watched her standing next to her car and got the impression she didn’t want to part ways either. She pulled her keys out and looked up at me, a shy smile on her lips.

  “Thank you for lunch, “ she said kindly. “It was really good seeing you again.”

  I looked at her for a moment, and though I knew better, I stepped forward, framed her face with my hands, and pressed my lips firmly against hers. She stood tense for just a moment before her body released, and she leaned into me. Her hands pulled around my waist, and she stepped closer, opening her mouth and allowing me to taste her. Passionately, we kissed for several moments before she opened her eyes and pulled away, running her fingers over her lips.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, putting the keys in the door. “I just don’t know if I can do this.”

  Chapter Eight

  Tiffany

  The last place I wanted to be was anywhere near the office or Jordan for that matter. John had sent me a text, begging me for help. Their agency temp was not cutting it—well, at least not in the way I always got the work done. I had woken to the text notification and seriously thought about going back to bed. I knew Jordan didn’t know anything about this because he would have never let them ask me for help. He would have taken everything on his own shoulders, even if it meant he slept at the office. His pride was always one of those things that caused way too many fights in our relationship. The man just could not let go.

  On top of all of that, I couldn’t get Jason off my mind. We had an amazing lunch and everything was perfect, even the kiss. That was the problem, though. It was perfect. Kissing my now ex-husband’s brother should not feel so right, without any of the wrong. No, I didn’t think I was ready to jump into another relationship, but at the same time, I couldn’t seem to get Jason out of my head. It had been the first time in forever that anyone had listened to me, really listened. Jordan had always seemed to be waiting for his turn to talk or to have half his attention on other matters. Ultimately, I blamed my relationship fears on bolting from the parking garage, but I had to admit, I was worried about whether I could resist Jason or not. One touch of his lips and I was a damn puddle on the ground. The last thing I needed was another playboy in my life who would dump me when I became an inconvenience to his lifestyle.

  I picked up the phone and dialed John’s number, not wanting to take the chance of Jordan intercepting my call on the office line. We hadn’t spoken since we finalized the divorce, but I knew him all too well. If I caught him at a moment where he no one else to charm, he would get on the phone and make me feel so small. He had a way of doing that without making himself the obvious bad guy. It was part of his gifts, I guess, if you considered it a gift to be an underhanded kind of asshole. Part of me hoped John wouldn’t answer the phone. I had agreed to do a little bit of work, but even that made me feel bogged down and heavy. Sadly, to my dismay, John answered.

  “It’s so good to hear your voice,” he said kindly. I could hear his personality in his tone, and instantly, I missed the family.

  “It’s good to hear yours as well,” I replied with a smile. “So, you have some work for me.”

  “I do and thank you so much for helping. I have arranged a car to pick you up in an hour if that’s okay,” he said wearily.

  “That’s fine,” I replied.

  “I’ve also arranged for Jordan to be out of the office at that time,” he said. “I didn’t want things to be harder on you than they already were.”

  “Thank you, John. I really appreciate that ” I said with a relieved sigh. “It was what I was worried about the most right now.”

  “Not a problem,” he said with a smile in his voice. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “See you soon.” I ended the call, a little relieved to know John had thought about my working conditions in advance. Knowing Jordan wouldn’t be there lifted some of the weight of my fears.

  No matter what happened between Jordan and me, I would never stop loving his mother and father. They were always welcoming, but when they found out my parents had been neglectful junkies and I didn’t have anything to do with them, they doubled down on making me feel like part of the family. I was really treated like how I’d always imagined a daughter would be treated, including shopping trips with mom, fishing trips and days on the golf course with John, the whole nine yards. They hadn’t forgetten me during Christmas from the get-go, even before Jordan and I were married. I was part of that family from the first word, something that was going to take a lot of time to get past. When you break up with someone, you’re not just mourning the loss of that specific person but the entire world you built around that person and everyone in it. For me, it was like losing the family I always wanted. Maybe the fact that I’d been so absorbed with his family was one of the reasons I’d been so blind to who Jordan really was. Either way, I needed to get over it and move forward, and maybe a little work was the thing I needed to do that.

  When the car arrived to pick me up, I was ready to go, my coat pulled on tightl
y, my bag over my arm, and my nerves simmering in my chest. These nerves weren’t for Jordan, though. They were for Jason, who I knew would be there today. It had been two days since our lunch date, and I hadn’t called or texted him. I knew he was giving me space, but I couldn’t tell whether the butterflies in my stomach were nerves or excitement. When I pulled up out front, I took a deep breath, not ready to walk back into my old life. The guard greeted me kindly, always remembering me, before I hopped in the elevator and made my way up to the floor my office was on. Everyone greeted me equally kindly, but I could see the look of pity on their faces. Great. Apparently, everyone had heard about the divorce. I made my way swiftly to John’s office, grinning as I knocked on the doorframe.

  “Hey there, mister,” I said in a friendly tone.

  “Tiffany.” John hurried over and hugged me tightly. “Come, sit down.”

  “Thank you,” I said, taking a seat and looking around.

  “How are you?”

  “I’m doing okay,” I said with a sigh. “Just putting things back together.”

  “Lily and I want to say how sorry we are for the way Jordan handled all of this,” he said diplomatically but with feeling.

  “Everyone needs to stop apologizing for him,” I replied. “He is the only one who hasn’t apologized for himself. It will be okay. We just didn’t work out.”

  “May I ask what happened? He isn’t really talking to anyone about it.” John didn’t sound very surprised about Jordan’s lack of communication. I wanted to push Jordan in front of that train he was avoiding, but I also didn’t want to sink to his level.

  “It’s personal,” I said with a smile.

  “Understood,” John said shaking his head. “I’ll never ask again.”