by A. C. Arthur
“Why? I didn’t ask you to. I would never ask you to put yourself in danger for me! I can’t believe you did that! And who the hell are you calling?”
“I get paid to do what I do and I’m calling Sam to see what the hell is going on. Why would Adriana call you? She’s supposed to be with Gary.”
Renny didn’t get a chance to ask another question before she was talking on the phone.
She spoke quickly into the phone. “Sam? It’s me. Have you heard from Gary? Where’s Adriana?”
“Adriana is here having dinner with her parents and Alex. Where are you?”
“Renny got a call from Adriana saying that she was stranded. But when we got out to her car there was no one there, and then someone tried to run him down.”
“We’ve been here for the past two hours. Gary’s here with her. It must have been a ploy.”
Bree looked to Renny, who by his grim expression had heard the conversation. “Okay, we’re on our way.”
“No. Get Renny home. I’m going to lock things down here and I want you to do the same with Renny at his place. Make sure everything’s working, and call me when you get there.”
“Fine.” Bree disconnected the line. “Adriana’s okay.”
“Let me guess. This so-called stalker has just stepped up his game.”
Bree only nodded because the fierce look in Renny’s eyes held her quiet.
He hadn’t spoken another word to her during the ride back to his place, and he’d only grunted when she told him that’d been where they’d been instructed to go. Upon getting out of the car she retrieved her gun again and walked close beside him, telling him they’d take the stairs. He’d looked down at her, then at the gun in her hand, and clenched his jaw, but still he didn’t speak.
Renny pulled out his keys and let them into the condo, pausing to punch the new security code into the pad on the side wall. He dropped his keys to the table and went straight to the bar in his dining room and poured himself a drink.
Bree moved to the canvas on the large wall in his living room and checked to make sure the surveillance camera she’d installed behind it was working. Beside Renny’s very advanced audio entertainment center, she’d installed a tiny box that kept track of outside intruders. She checked to make sure it was running and operational. He didn’t make a sound behind her and she was getting a little antsy. His silence, not the events that had taken place or the impending danger this could signal, bothered her.
When she turned he was downing the glass of brownish liquid, his eyes resting fiercely on her. She looked away, reached into her pouch for her phone to call Sam.
“Sam, we’re here and everything is secure. So what happened?”
“It was definitely a setup. Somehow they got Renny’s cell phone number and called with a voice-over sounding like Adriana. She was never in danger and she was never stranded. Yesterday her car was acting up so she took it to the shop. About a half hour ago the body shop called to say the car had been stolen.”
“But I don’t understand, Sam. Why Renny?” Renny didn’t have any connections with the business besides the family name and neither did Adriana.
“All I can figure right now is that he’s targeting the most unlikely subjects. It would be too obvious to attack Mr. Bennett directly, and the loss of one of his kids would be far more devastating. We’re gonna have to step up our security. We can’t risk another setup.”
“I agree. What do you want me to do?” Bree paced the floor as she talked; moving kept her calm. Without really thinking about it she went to his balcony and pulled the horizontal blinds closed, then moved to the other windows and made sure they were secured, as well. Renny was in the same room with her occupying space and brooding like a volcano waiting to erupt. She wondered what he was thinking, what he was feeling. This had to be a shock to him. After all, he hadn’t placed much credence in this whole stalker business in the first place. A direct attempt on your life was difficult for any civilian to take.
“I want you to stay with him 24/7,” Sam said with finality.
“What?” Her movement stopped.
“I know what I’m asking is difficult, Bree, but we don’t have a choice. I’ll try to find someone to take over for you as soon as I can, but for now it has to be you.”
He was right, she knew it and it was her job—everything else she was feeling was secondary. “I understand, Sam. And don’t worry about finding someone else. I’ll be okay.” She said the words, but her heart hammered in her chest as she acknowledged his closeness. She smelled him, felt his strength and anger just behind her. She didn’t get the chance to turn before the phone was ripped from her hand.
“What the hell is your problem, Desdune? How could you give your sister a job like this? Do you know what she did out there tonight? Do you know how much danger she put herself in because of this little job you gave her?”
Renny was yelling at Sam and Bree turned to look at him, stunned at his words. Why was he still fussing over what she’d done? It was her job.
She didn’t know what Sam’s response was, but by the way Renny continued to yell into the phone it wasn’t a good one. “This is ridiculous, and risking her life for mine isn’t worth it!” Renny roared, then clicked the phone off and tossed it across the room.
He was on her before she had a moment to blink, his hands grasping her shoulders as he shook her slightly. “You will never, ever do that again! Do you hear me? You will not put yourself in danger on my account!”
His face was scant inches away from hers, she could feel his breath whispering across her face. She opened her mouth to speak, to argue with his stupidity, and then his lips stole her words.
Fierce, hot, hard, her senses reeled as she struggled to keep up with the torrent of sensation. Persistently he nudged her lips apart, the hot tip of his tongue sweeping inside like a summer storm, quick and potent. He dominated and controlled, sampled and delivered. His teeth raked over her bottom lip, soliciting a gentle moan from her.
His hands released her shoulders only to gather her up completely in his embrace, fingers splaying over her butt, gripping her cheeks intensely. Bree didn’t even attempt to fight the feverish motions, but instead twined her arms around his neck, coming up on tiptoe to increase the connection. Tilting her head, she opened her mouth wider to take him in completely. He was the one to moan this time as he pushed her until her back was up against the wall.
When he had her steady he grabbed beneath her hips and lifted her, guiding her legs around his waist. His lips trailed a line of heat over her chin, down her neck and into the soft opening of her shirt. Bree held on for dear life as her mind reeled and spun out of control. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t focus on anything but the incessant throbbing between her legs.
Renny returned to her mouth, moaning as she opened for him once again. Her butt was soft and pliant in his big hands, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist increasing his hardness until he was sure he’d burst. He widened his stance, pushed against her middle, rubbing his arousal against her juncture.
That feeling shocked her to her senses and she gripped his shoulders and whimpered. “Renny, stop.” When his tongue continued to flick over her lips and dip into her mouth she moaned, then flattened her palms on his hard chest and pushed against him. “Stop!”
The one word was like a splash of cold water stunning him back into reality. He lifted his face from hers, looked down at her now-swollen lips, her passion-filled eyes, and realized what he’d done. He’d crossed the line. The invisible line he’d drawn between them the moment he realized he was attracted to her and that she was also working for him. The one he’d sworn he wouldn’t cross no matter how much it cost him.
He eased away from her even while keeping his hands on her waist until she lowered her legs to the floor. When he knew she could stand on her own he backed away, putting several feet between them. “Sabrina—”
She shook her head quickly. “Our emotions were runnin
g high. This entire situation has changed in a matter of hours and we have to deal with that. That’s all we have to deal with. Is that clear?” Her chest was heaving, her lips still tingling from his touch. She straightened her shirt and made a move to get away from him.
He reached out, grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face him. “No, it’s not clear. There’s something else between us that will have to be dealt with sooner or later.” She began to shake her head and he held up his free hand to stop her next response. “You can deny it if you want, but it’ll only prolong the inevitable. You know that as well as I do.”
She jerked her arm free. “All I know is that it is my job to keep you safe and alive until this merger goes through. I have every intention of doing my job. What I don’t intend to do is become one of your many conquests.” The words were bitter and hard and she saw the moment shock registered in his eyes and turned to anger. Rather than continue this heated conversation, she turned and walked away. She needed a moment to regain her senses, to convince herself that he hadn’t just kissed her with such passion and longing that she’d been ready to surrender completely to him.
She could not, would not, surrender to another man again. It was dangerous, a game she wasn’t good at and was destined to lose. Her heart couldn’t bear it a second time.
Chapter 4
Memories of last night flickered in Renny’s mind. A car had been coming fast and deliberately behind him. He’d heard it moments after the thought that something wasn’t quite right entered his mind. She’d slammed against him with a lot of power, knocking them both to the ground. At any moment she could have shifted, her body rolling into the street directly into the path of the car.
He turned back, looked at Sabrina sleeping peacefully on his sofa and cursed softly. The reality was she could have been hurt or killed and it would have been his fault.
The phone rang and he rushed to pick it up so it wouldn’t wake her. It was still pretty early and he wanted her to get as much sleep as possible.
“Hello?”
“Are you calm yet?”
It was Rico. Renny moved into his studio. He had some words for his brother, words he knew he didn’t want Sabrina to hear.
“I told you this bodyguard thing was a bad idea,” he growled into the phone.
“So bad that it actually saved your life,” Rico commented drily.
“Yeah, but at what cost? She could have been hurt, Ric. I can’t have a female getting hurt on my account.”
“But you don’t mind hurting them at your whim.”
Renny pinched the bridge of his nose. “That is so irrelevant to this situation. I don’t want her injuries or possibly her death on my conscience.”
“Sam assures me that she’s a professional. Hell, she can kill a man with her bare hands. I really don’t think you should be worried about her getting hurt.” Rico paused. “You should, however, worry about the fact that you’ve pissed her brother off.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about that. He shouldn’t be allowing her to do this type of work anyway.”
Rico snickered. “That’s funny, because Dad says the same thing about you.”
“I’m an artist, Rico. I’m not jumping in front of speeding cars or bullets for that matter.”
“And you’re not behind a desk running Bennett Industries, either. For your information, Sam’s not real happy about her career choice, but he loves and respects her, just like we do you. You of all people should know how it feels to be different. Besides, we really need to focus on who’s doing this.”
Renny never argued with logic, so he let Rico’s words stand even though he still didn’t like the danger Sabrina had put herself in. “Okay. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that maybe you were right and Coastal is behind this,” Rico answered.
“But why? This deal is going to make both Coastal and Bennett combined the most powerful telecommunications firm in the U.S. It would be stupid for them to sabotage that.”
“Yeah, but you forget there were a few of Coastal’s board members that voted against the merger. Including Dad’s old army buddy.”
Renny sat back in his chair contemplating Rico’s words. “Roland Summerfield is not totally out of his mind. Whatever feud he and Dad had going all those years ago is probably the furthest thing from his mind right now.”
“I don’t know, Renny. Some things are hard to let go.”
Rico’s tone told him he knew something more about their father and Roland Summerfield. “I never knew the details of that feud. Do you?”
It was Rico’s turn to sigh. “Let’s just say money is not the root of all evil. Women are.”
“What? This is about some woman?”
“Listen, I don’t want to get into this right now. We’ll talk about it later. I think Dad’s going to call a family meeting sometime this week.”
Renny wanted to talk about it now, but heard noises coming from the other room. Sabrina was awake. He needed to talk to her about last night. “Fine. You just make sure you don’t conveniently forget to fill me in.”
What the hell was she doing? She was in Lorenzo Bennett’s kitchen about to cook breakfast as if they’d just spent a pleasure-filled night together.
Not!
Instead she’d lain on that sofa for what must have been hours, waiting for the warm rush of his kiss to subside. His touch had birthed feelings she had no idea were wrapped inside. Her skin where his kisses had fallen suddenly came alive. The stirrings of desire deep between her legs warned of Lorenzo’s potency.
She cracked an egg into the bowl, then squeezed her legs together tightly to ease the pressure building there with her lurid thoughts. She wasn’t going there with him. She couldn’t.
“I like cheese in my eggs.”
Her insides jumped, but her body didn’t move. Instead she tossed him a serious look over her shoulder. “Don’t get used to this. It’s not part of the job.” He looked so good leaning against the door frame, like a photo from one of those calendars. His jeans fit snugly over his waist and thighs, his sleeveless T-shirt molding seductively against that awesome chest and abs. Hurriedly she looked away.
“You look comfortable in the kitchen,” Renny commented as she sprinkled shredded cheese into the mixture, then poured it into a hot skillet. “Maybe you’re in the wrong profession.”
She didn’t miss the edge to his words and she sighed. She would have to defend her life’s choices yet again. She’d thought that after fighting this battle with her family this drama would be over. And why did he care, anyway? For some reason, however, Renny’s questioning of her choice was more than a little disturbing. She continued stirring the eggs without turning to face him. “You’re a fine one to talk about career choices.”
Her tone was bristly, which actually aroused instead of irritated him. “We’re not talking about me.”
She switched off the stove and scooped the eggs out of the pan and onto two plates. “And as I’m a grown woman, perfectly capable of making my own decisions, we’re not talking about me, either.”
Renny moved to the cabinet and retrieved two glasses before filling them with juice. “I guess I’m just confused as to why your brother gave you this job.”
“Because I’m qualified.”
“But—”
She gave him a heated glare before he could utter another word. “But what? I’m a woman?” Bree put both plates onto the marble-top table with a thunk. “Listen here, Mr. Bennett. I can protect you just as well, if not better, than any man you’ll ever find, and I don’t appreciate you insinuating otherwise.”
Cautiously and because the heat sparkling in her eyes did something to him, Renny took measured steps until he stood in front of her. “I don’t doubt your capabilities. I’m simply concerned for your welfare. I wouldn’t like to see my sisters putting themselves in danger on a daily basis and I’m having a hard time digesting the fact that you’re being paid to do it.” While he spoke, he’d pulle
d out the chair behind her and now motioned, with his eyes, for her to sit down.
Bree was not impressed by his chivalry this time, but was beginning to fume at his words. At least she thought she should be fuming at his words. “Why would that bother you? You’re not paying me.” She sat and watched him move to the counter, grabbing their glasses of juice, then coming to sit across from her.
“Call me old-fashioned, but I’m used to the man protecting the woman, not the other way around.”
“Well, I’m used to taking care of myself,” she snapped.
Renny stared at her contemplatively. “You’re the baby of a nice-size family. I find that pretty hard to believe. My brothers and I are very protective of our sisters. And from the way your brother came off at me last night, I can see he’s the same way.”
Bree picked up her fork, poked at her eggs. Sam and Cole were both overprotective, as well as her parents and even Lynn to a certain extent, but she’d won her independence from them a long time ago. “Look, this has nothing to do with this assignment or the danger you and your family are in.”
Renny nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”
She’d half expected the argument to continue, so his words stopped her short. “Now, Sam’s on his way over to drop off some of my things since it looks like we’ll be roommates for a while. I want to go over your cell phone records if you have them so we can compare the incoming and outgoing numbers.”
Renny had been chewing his eggs slowly. He’d thought her staying here last night was a one-time thing, but it appeared he’d been mistaken. She’d be staying indefinitely. Sleeping only a few feet away from him. Tempting him every hour of the day and every second of the night. She ate as she talked, enjoying her food in between. He realized she had a healthy appetite when she slowed down long enough to eat. But her mind worked fast, going from one task to the next. The movement of her lips captivated him and he found himself staring. “I like the color of your skin,” he blurted out.