Protecting the Movie Star (The Protectors Book 4)

by Samantha Chase

  It so fucking was.

  ***

  It was about four in the morning, and I was staring at the ceiling. I hadn’t slept at all. Beside me, Evangeline was curled against me with her hand on my chest and one leg thrown over mine. We’d made love several more times over the course of the night—each more explosive than the next.

  Turned out she likes it a little rough.

  I couldn’t help but smile. The woman was constantly surprising me.

  I should have been sleeping. I needed the rest—especially after everything we’d just done, but I couldn’t. I was in foreign territory, and my mind was spinning out of control. I didn’t do the all-night thing. Not the sex. That was never been a problem. But staying until morning? Uh… yeah. That was the issue.

  As good as Evangeline felt in my arms, I kept thinking I should want to leave. It was weird. I wasn’t… I wasn’t mentally prepared for this. Last night was amazing. It was every fantasy come true, but we were both keyed up—in a charged situation. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

  When she woke up, I was going to need to make sure she understood that. This didn’t make us a couple, and there was certainly no future in it. It was a onetime thing.

  Okay, technically, it was a three-time thing, but that was it. No more. I’d just rest my eyes for a minute, and then I was going to get up, put on my pants, and go sleep on the lounge like I had originally planned.

  It was what I had to do.

  The next time I opened my eyes, the sun was up and Evangeline was on top of me, kissing my chest. Her movements were slow and languid, and she was so warm that I had to hold her close with one hand while the other anchored itself in her glorious mane of hair.

  She whispered my name as she moved her way down my body, much like I had done to hers last night. And when I felt her breath teasing at my hardened length, I was lost.

  Okay, so it was going to be a four-time thing. And I was completely okay with it.

  ***

  I did eventually get up from the bed. It wasn’t easy, but I managed it.

  Evangeline had fallen back to sleep after our latest romp, and I knew I needed to get up and call the guys and let them know what was going on. Things were getting a bit out of control, and as much as I hated to admit it, I was stumped as to what was going on with this case. I was no closer to finding the stalker, and now that I’d slept with Evangeline, I wasn’t sure how objective I could be.

  I was not sharing that last bit of information with the guys. For starters, I’d been giving them all shit since we started doing this about their love lives. I knew they were all just itching for the chance to return the favor. The only difference between them and me was the fact that they were in love with the women they got involved with. I was not in love with Evangeline, but I was sure they’d try to tell me otherwise.

  My lips were sealed.

  I dialed Levi first because he was the one who gets the whole conference-call thing going all the time. I would give him the basics and wait while he got the guys on the line.

  “Cole, hey,” Levi said a little sleepily as he answered the phone. “What’s up?”

  I told him about the break-in at Evangeline’s apartment. “We’re at Sebastian’s family’s place now. I just thought you guys should know and wanted to get some insight. I’m losing my damn mind on this case, trying to figure out what the hell’s going on, but the list of potential suspects never seems to shrink.”

  “That’s because she’s a public figure. The threat could be coming from anywhere in the world. It might not be someone who is acting alone. It could be…” He stopped. “You know what? Let me get Seb and Declan on the line, and we’ll talk about it. Hang on a sec while I get them.”

  “Great. Thanks, Levi.” Levi was one of the good guys. He was the most levelheaded one of the group. He was a good leader and a good friend. He knew when to call bullshit and when to play cheerleader. I already felt better after our brief conversation.

  Two minutes later, the four of us were on the line. “How is Evangeline?” Sebastian asked, concern lacing his tone.

  “She’s shook up. She doesn’t feel safe anywhere, and I can’t blame her. I can’t figure out how anyone got in, but last night I didn’t take the time to do the questioning. It was a crapshoot, and my main concern was to get her out of there. I know you guys might not agree but—”

  “No, no,” Sebastian said, “you did the right thing. I had some of our guys go over there with the local police last night and look everything over, check for prints and all that stuff. I haven’t heard back from anyone yet. But I planned on following up this morning.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” I did. But at the same time, I hated that someone had to come in and clean up after me. They’d all had their share of cases, and in all of them, they tended to be able to wrap them up themselves.

  “Okay, so let’s wait until we get a report back this morning before we jump to any conclusions. The important thing is to keep Evangeline safe. Is everything all right there, Cole?” Declan asked.

  “Yeah. This place is guarded as well as Fort Knox. We got in last night, and I know no one followed us. I’ve got all the blinds closed and curtains drawn. It’s like a cave in here, but I don’t want anyone seeing in.”

  “That’s good. You just focus on keeping her calm,” Levi said. “Sebastian, I want you to follow up with our guys and see what they found at Evangeline’s apartment. I’m going to get in touch with Evangeline’s security people and let them know that something’s happened, but I’m not going to tell them what. As far as I’m concerned, they’re still suspects too. Declan, I’d like you to try to get a lead on any film footage of the movie set and from the area around where Cole and Evangeline have been staying. Anything. Parking lot cameras, fan video, anything. We’ll have our guys analyze it and see who’s showing up when they shouldn’t be.”

  “What about me?” I asked.

  “Just keep Evangeline safe and inside,” Sebastian said. “That’s the most important thing right now.

  “Great. So you’re all doing my job, and I have to sit here and play babysitter? I’m not useless, you know! I realize this shit went down on my watch, but that doesn’t mean I have to be treated like an idiot.”

  “No one’s treating you like an idiot, Cole,” Levi said diplomatically. “You’ve built a relationship with Evangeline. She trusts you. She needs a bodyguard, and you’re right there. It only makes sense for you to stay close to her.”

  “What? I’m not close to her! What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Oh no,” Sebastian muttered and then cursed. “Please tell me you haven’t done anything stupid. Tell me you didn’t sleep with her.”

  “Fuck you, Sebastian,” I said. “Unlike the rest of you, I don’t fuck around on the job. I’m here because you forced me to be here. I can’t wait for this case to be over so I can get the hell out of here!”

  “Okay, okay.” Levi interrupted. “Everyone go back to their corners. It’s too early in the morning for fighting.” He sighed. “Is everyone clear on what they need to do?”

  We all murmured our agreement.

  “Well, while I have you all on the phone, I have some other news.”

  “Please tell me you’re not having another baby already,” Declan teased.

  Levi chuckled. “Definitely not. It’s hard to believe that such a small person is so loud and demanding. He’s running the show around here, and Harper and I are dying for a full-night’s sleep.”

  “You’ll get there eventually,” Sebastian said. “And you’ll forget all about these nights.”

  “I don’t know about that.” He paused. “The report on Gavin is going to be released in two weeks. I got the call asking if we wanted to be there in DC when it’s read.”

  “What did you tell them?” Declan asked.

  “I told them I’d talk to all of you. And now I am.”

  “Are you going?” he asked again.

  “I am,�
� Levi said. “I think I need to.”

  “Me too,” Sebastian said, and Declan immediately agreed.

  That left me. Dammit.

  “As long as this case is over, I’ll be there too,” I said reluctantly.

  “If it’s not, we’ll send a team over to keep an eye on Evangeline for the day so you can come with us. I think we owe it to Gavin to all be there together.”

  I knew it was the right thing to do, but I still didn’t want to do it. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a way out.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “All right. So we’re all on the same page,” Levi confirmed and then got back to business. “Seb, call as soon as you hear anything.”

  “I will,” he replied and then paused. “Cole?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m serious, man, do not sleep with her.”

  “What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for your friend?”

  Sebastian huffed with annoyance. “Seriously? What is it with you?”

  “Why the warning then?”

  “Look, all I’m saying is that this is a… special case. She’s a celebrity. She’s in the spotlight, and right now she’s completely freaked out and vulnerable. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Whatever. Don’t worry. My low-life hands won’t touch your pristine little friend.” Again. “So save your worrying for someone else.”

  “Cole,” he said with exasperation.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Look, I’m going to make the calls, and then I’m going to come there—to the house.”

  “Why?” Suspicion made me tense up.

  “I’ll bring food and whatever other essentials you may need, and I just want to check on Evangeline.”

  Yeah, right. It was more like he was coming here to check on me and make sure I wasn’t dirtying up his precious little friend.

  “I gotta go. Call when you have something useful to say.” And then I hung up and tossed the phone on the couch. I turned around to pace and ran right into Evangeline.

  She was tousled-looking, and I actually felt myself starting to sweat because she was sleepy and sexy, and I had an overwhelming need to take her back to bed and make love to her again. Only this time it would be slow and sweet.

  I was totally screwed.

  I could hear Sebastian’s voice in my head—the tone, the condemnation—and knew what I had to do.

  “All the blinds are closed, and they need to stay that way. Curtains too. Sebastian’s going to come by today. He’s going to bring food and supplies and whatnot. Until he gets here, just stay out of sight. Understand?” My tone was firm, businesslike, and I could see instantly that she was hurt by it.

  It was the right thing for me to do.

  No matter how much it sucked.

  She walked farther into the room and stopped a few feet away from me. “What’s going on? Did… did I do something wrong?” The vulnerability in her voice, the slight tremor, coupled with the way she looked almost did me in.

  “It’s another day,” I said, softening my tone a bit. “I… I have to focus on finding the person who’s stalking you. I can’t… I can’t do this with you.”

  “But last night—”

  “Was last night,” I said, effectively cutting her off. “It can’t be more than that. I need to do my job so you can get back to yours.”

  She took a step back. “Oh. Okay.”

  But I knew it wasn’t. I knew she wasn’t used to this sort of thing. The guys in her life probably catered to her and were all about the morning after and talks of the future. Better she should realize now that it was not like that with us—and it was never going to be like that.

  And damn if that didn’t disappoint me.

  “You need to go and shower and get cleaned up. If Sebastian sees you like that, he’ll freak out.”

  Right before my eyes, she transformed. Gone was the vulnerability from a moment ago, and in its place was a hint of a tigress.

  “And you don’t want him seeing that you touched his pristine little friend with your low-life hands?” She arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest as she threw my words to Sebastian back at me.

  I smirked. “Yeah. Something like that.”

  I guess she liked how I didn’t try to lie or make an excuse for what I’d said. She relaxed her stance a bit and took a step toward me again. “Cole, listen. I—”

  “Really, Evangeline, you need to go and get ready. I have no idea how soon before Sebastian arrives.”

  “But I just wanted to—”

  “I have calls to make.” I interrupted and reached over and picked up my phone and strode from the room. I didn’t know what she wanted to say, and if I stayed that close to her any longer, it wouldn’t matter what she wanted to say because I would have taken her again—right there on the living room floor.

  No matter how pristine she was.

  And no matter how wrong it really was.

  Nine

  Evangeline

  Cole was making a last-ditch effort to be professional.

  I could understand. This was his job, and he must pride himself on being good at it. Sleeping with a client was hardly the way to get a gold star in the bodyguard hall of fame. So when he backed off this morning and acted all cool and aloof, I knew exactly where it was coming from.

  At first his quick turnaround might have hurt my feelings a bit, but then I’d thought it through. Now it was annoying but understandable.

  It didn’t discourage me at all. Sex with Cole was the best sex I’d ever had in my life, and it would be unforgivably stupid to assume it was just a onetime (or four times) thing. I wasn’t dreaming this was love eternal or anything silly like that, but what Cole and I had going was just too good to let go.

  He could pretend to be professional all he wanted. I definitely didn’t want him distracted from catching this stalker, after all. But as soon as it wasn’t a crisis situation anymore, I was definitely going to get him in bed again.

  I knew he wanted me too, so it wouldn’t be too hard to maneuver.

  I was feeling better than I had before about life in general when Sebastian came over a half hour later. I was finishing getting dressed when he arrived, and when I came out, he and Cole were talking over coffee.

  The look Cole shot me was very hands-off, so I went over to hug Sebastian and then just gave Cole a cool look. “So what’s the plan?” I asked, looking from man to man.

  They were both strong, intelligent, and exceptionally competent. If a woman was going to be safe from a stalker, I was.

  “That’s under discussion,” Sebastian said, smiling at me. “Cole thinks you should stay here.”

  I glanced over at Cole, who was giving me a mild form of his glower. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that. What are you guys going to do?”

  “Seb can stay here with you, and I can get out there and catch this asshole.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes. Naturally, now he wanted to get as far away from me as possible. “Do you have a plan for catching the asshole?”

  “I’ve got some ideas.”

  I looked back to Sebastian. “Are they good ideas?”

  Cole bristled visibly at the implications of my question, but I ignored him. I could act just as standoffish as he could, after all.

  Sebastian gave a half shrug. “Eh. All we can do at this point is stab around in the dark.”

  “We need to draw the stalker out then,” I said, realizing what the problem was, why both men were acting wary. “If I’m cooped up in this safe house, then all you can do is wait and hope you land on something. I need to get back out on set, don’t I?”

  Cole and Sebastian looked at each other before they both looked at me.

  “Your safety is our primary concern,” Sebastian said. “You’ll be safer if you stay here.”

  “Maybe, but you don’t have any leads on his identity yet, do you?” I looked from one to the other and saw the answer on their faces. “So I might be safe here, b
ut this thing will never end.”

  “It will end. We’ll catch him one way or the other.” That was Cole, and he was still bristling, but it looked like it was with defensiveness now, a muscle rippling with tension in his jaw.

  “But you’ll be more likely to catch him if I’m out there so he can make another move.”

  “We’re not going to put you in danger.”

  “I assume you’ll keep me safe, wherever I am.”

  “Absolutely.” Cole’s eyes met mine, and it felt like we were alone in the room, alone in the world.

  “So I’ll get back on set so we can get this thing over with.” I nodded, anxious about the idea of being vulnerable again—at the memory of those dead rats in my bathroom—but I wasn’t going to be a coward, and I really wanted to get this over with.

  Now more than ever.

  “It’s her decision,” Sebastian put in, when it looked like Cole might argue.

  “That’s right,” I said. “I’m the client. I make the decisions here. I’m due back on set this afternoon, so that’s what I’ll do. I can stay here at night if it’s okay though. I don’t really want to go back to the apartment.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Sebastian said, and even Cole finally nodded.

  “Okay,” I said, standing up. “I need to go prepare for a couple of scenes. You all figure out a plan to take care of this guy, and make sure it’s a good one.”

  ***

  I was primed for danger at every turn that afternoon, so it was a little anticlimactic when nothing happened.

  The scenes we were filming were actually really hard—they demanded a gritty, bleak kind of emotion I wasn’t at all used to conveying—so I had to focus completely on the work. In every downtime, I would suddenly remember that the stalker might be around, and I’d search the set for signs of trouble. Cole and Sebastian were both always around, and honestly I’d be intimidated if I was a stalker trying to sneak around those two.

  Maybe they scared the guy off. Or maybe he wasn’t planning anything for today. One way or the other, the afternoon ended, and I was getting changed after the last shot of the day, and there was no sign of anything gruesome or scary.