Protect My Heart

by Judy Corry

  I tried to scowl. If he’d been a plain-looking guy pretending to be my stepbrother, I could play the part of annoyed stepsister much better. But no, he was the cutest stepbrother a girl could ever pretend to have. Frustrated, I turned away from him and gave my attention to Matt.

  Matt nodded at the screen. “I didn’t know you preferred being called ‘Peytie-poo.’” He snickered.

  I sighed, exasperated. “I don’t. My sweet stepbrother thought it would be fun to give me a nickname.” I turned my head and glared at Arie, resisting the urge to stick out my tongue. He chuckled and turned to talk to his date.

  Once we were all ready to begin, Matt said, “Why don’t we play in teams to make it more interesting?”

  “Like me and Sydney against you and Peyton?” Arie clarified.

  “Exactly,” Matt answered. A competitive glint formed in his eyes.

  A look of anxiety crossed Sydney’s face. “I don’t know if that’s such a great idea, Matt. You know I’m not good at bowling. I’ll be lucky if I get ten pins all night.”

  “You can’t be that bad,” Arie said.

  She shook her head. “No, really. I am.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a game, and we’re here to have fun.” He raised his eyebrows at Matt as if to make a point.

  Matt rubbed his hands together. “Yes, it is a game. A game I intend to win.”

  My palms started to sweat at the thought of having to bowl well. I thought we were here to have a good time, but it sounded like Matt meant business. I knew he was athletic and played football and baseball at his school, but I didn’t think he’d take bowling this seriously.

  I turned to him and said, “I hope you’re good, because I’m afraid my bowling skills are rusty.”

  “Watch the pro and learn.” He winked. Matt picked up his bowling ball, then flung it down the lane as fast as lightning. I watched in amazement as his ball struck every single pin down. It looked like he meant business.

  I was up next. I picked up my pink bowling ball, swung my arm back, and let go. It didn’t fall into the gutter, knocking seven pins down. I felt pretty good about that and turned around to retrieve my ball. Arie and Sydney were both clapping for me.

  Matt gave me a high five and said, “Better luck next time.”

  “Thanks?”

  Arie bowled after me and ended up getting a spare. As Arie walked past us, Matt said, “Too bad you couldn’t get that one down the first time.” I gaped, surprised he’d say that. I thought a spare was something to be proud of, but apparently, Matt wasn’t impressed so easily.

  Arie just smiled, getting a congratulatory high five from Sydney.

  Sydney was up next. She walked up and sort of flung the bowling ball at the pins, without looking like she was trying to aim at all. The ball immediately found its way into the gutter. She turned around, and her face was completely red. Arie was a gentleman, though, and encouraged her, telling her it was fine.

  I wondered whether Matt would be so understanding if I ended up with a gutter ball.

  The game continued on in much the same way. Matt got strikes or spares almost every time. It made me wonder whether he had a bowling alley in the basement of that great big house of his.

  I bowled okay. Matt gave me a few pointers, which helped a little. I even tried to flirt by asking him to help me get in the right position, which he was happy to help me with. He put his hands on my shoulders to guide me to the correct stance. I didn’t like him getting so familiar with me, letting his hands trace their way down my arms, but I went along with it for Arie’s benefit. When I glanced back at Arie to catch his reaction, I was disappointed to find he wasn’t even looking at us. He was busy talking to Sydney.

  All this flirting with Matt, and Arie didn’t even seemed fazed by it. He didn’t even notice.

  As bad as I was at bowling, Sydney was much worse. Arie tried to give her a few suggestions to help her game, but her ball still ended up in the gutter almost every time. Arie was sweet, though, and threw the game himself. He walked up to the lane with the bowling ball in both hands. He bent over, lifted the ball between his legs, and then rolled it down at a snail’s pace. It seemed to take forever to make it to the end, where it knocked over a grand total of three pins.

  “Come on, Grandpa, you’ve got to have something better than that in you,” Matt called to Arie.

  Arie shuffled over to us with his hand on his back. “Nope, sorry, my arthritis seems to be acting up tonight.”

  I could tell Matt was frustrated that Arie wasn’t taking the game as seriously as he was. Arie had turned it into something fun instead and was making his date more comfortable. He ended up flinging the ball down the lane in all kinds of ridiculous ways the rest of the night.

  Matt and I were so far ahead of Arie and Sydney that I thought Matt might decide to loosen up and enjoy the game, but he didn’t. Instead, he stayed intense, getting most of the pins down each frame. I continued to feel pressure from him to do well, and it made me bowl worse and worse.

  After one particularly bad frame, I turned around to find a look of frustration on Matt’s face. He didn’t even offer a nice try or a high five. I took my seat between him and Sydney in silence, ready for this date to be over with.

  My attempts to make Arie jealous of my date had backfired, and the opposite had occurred. I was the one who was jealous of his date with Sydney. They were losing horribly, but they were still having a blast. I gave up trying to appear like I was enjoying myself and slumped on the seat with my arms crossed. Matt had turned out to be way too competitive for me.

  When Sydney got up to bowl again, Arie scooted next to me and leaned close, speaking next to my ear. “Are you okay?”

  I gave him a curt nod. I wasn’t about to let him know how lousy I felt.

  I excused myself and went to the bathroom. I needed a few minutes alone if I was going to be able to fake my way through the rest of this date.

  I washed my hands and looked in the mirror above the sink. Why did I always have to have the worst luck with guys? Was I ever going to find a decent guy who didn’t end up being a jerk?

  I dried my hands under one of those stupid hand dryers before growing impatient and wiping my hands on my jeans instead. Outside the ladies’ room, Arie was leaning against the row of orange lockers along the wall.

  I rolled my eyes and released an annoyed sigh. “You really didn’t need to follow me to the bathroom, Arie. I didn’t spot any thugs here.”

  “I know.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I wanted to make sure you were all right. Matt’s not the most charming of dates.”

  “It’s fine.” I took a few steps toward our lane where Matt and Sydney were waiting. Matt was probably annoyed I was holding up the game.

  Arie grasped my arm, making me turn back to face him. “It’s not fine with me. You deserve to be treated better than that.”

  “I know I do, but apparently, the only guys I attract are jerks.” I raised my eyebrows, daring him to contradict me.

  He pointed a finger at me. “That’s not true. I’d dare to say you attract many more guys than you know.” He dropped his hand from my arm. “The reason why it’s the jerks that you end up going out with is because they’re the only ones cocky enough to think they have a chance. The rest of us know you’re too far out of our league.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  EMMA

  AFTER BOWLING, Matt suggested we go out for ice cream. I faked a headache and asked whether he could take me home instead. When we got to the condo, I waited in my seat for a moment to see whether Matt would come around the car to let me out or walk me to the door—trying to give him one last chance to prove he could be a gentleman. He stayed in his seat, so I thanked him for the date and opened the door for Arie and me to climb out.

  I shook my head all the way up the walk to the front door. That date had definitely gone in a direction I hadn’t foreseen. Before tonight I’d thought Matt was a cool guy, but obviously, goo
d sportsmanship was not a quality he was blessed with.

  Once inside, I turned on a lamp and sank into the couch.

  “Well, that was fun.” I sighed.

  Arie came over to sit by me. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a good time. I hope your head feels better soon.”

  “I don’t have a headache. I wanted to get away from Matt.”

  He gave me a half smile. “I figured.”

  “Sorry to make you end your date early,” I said. “It looked like you and Sydney were having a fun time.”

  Arie nodded. “It was fun, but I still feel bad you got stuck with Mr. Competitive. Matt was way too serious about bowling tonight.”

  “I know, right?” I turned in my seat to see Arie’s face better in the dimly lit room. “It’s like he thought we were bowling for our lives or something!” I thought back to how Arie had handled the situation. “That was cool of you to make a joke out of it all for Sydney’s sake.”

  He waved the thought away as if it was nothing. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be, isn’t it? Dating is supposed to be a fun thing.”

  “It should be. I just haven’t had much luck in that area lately.” I remembered back to my more recent dating experiences. First there was Nick, who had cheated on me for most of the time we were dating. Then there was that date-auction evening with Brian, where we had ended up acting like a couple of weirdo wizards in his backyard.

  “We had a good time at the Winter Ball, didn’t we?” He peered at me with careful eyes.

  “It was great,” I said. “Right up until the time I got kidnapped, broke my arm, then found out you were my bodyguard.”

  A look of regret passed across his face. “I’m sure things will turn up for you in the future. A guy would have to be blind not to like you, Emma.”

  If that was the case, then wouldn’t you want me? I didn’t say it out loud, but that’s the way I felt. Arie was saying those things to be nice. “No, I think I’ve decided to be one of those crazy cat ladies.”

  “Now that’s an idea.” He laughed at my attempt to be funny. “But I doubt you’ll be single for long.” He looked at me with those deep-blue eyes of his. “I’m sure some other millionaire will sweep you off your feet one day.” The tone of his voice was serious, and he sounded somewhat disappointed.

  Why do you want some other guy to sweep me off my feet?

  I shook my head. “I don’t want a millionaire. All I want is to go back to being regular, ordinary Emma, who didn’t have to worry about anything more than what to major in next year.”

  Arie scooted closer to me on the couch and brushed a stray hair behind my ear.

  I froze.

  “You could take away all the money, but you would still never be ordinary.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I just sat there, trapped in his gaze. I had the impression that if I were to lean into him, things might change between us. But I didn’t know whether it would be a good change or not. If I leaned in and he moved away, I would know once and for all that he didn’t want me. There would be no questioning it anymore. But if I leaned closer and he accepted my advance, I would know he did care for me.

  I didn’t know whether I was brave enough to take that chance. I didn’t want to risk losing the closest friend I had. So I held still, balanced between the possibility of something and nothing.

  Arie held still, too, as if waiting for me to decide which path to take. His eyes were full of some emotion, like he longed for me to do something. My heart quickened when I thought about that possibility. I moved my gaze from his eyes down to his lips, hoping to escape his intense stare. That was a mistake, because when I looked at his lips, I had the urge to take his gorgeous face between my hands and pull his lips to my own.

  I stood from the couch, feeling awkward. “I need a drink of water.” I wiped perspiration from my brow as I stepped toward the kitchen.

  I drained a glass of water, then stayed by the sink, looking out the dark window, not seeing anything.

  Arie came behind me, his chest pressed against my back. “It is true, you know,” he said, his voice low against my ear.

  “What’s true?” My mind went blank. What had we been talking about in the other room?

  “You aren’t ordinary, Emma.” He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. “You are amazing.”

  I couldn’t look at him. “Thanks for saying that, but I don’t see it.” I took a breath and mustered the courage to say my next words. The words I’d bitten back since moving here. “If I’m so amazing, why don’t you want me?”

  There. I said it. I finally said it.

  “But I do.” He looked at me with a piercing gaze. “You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He lifted a hand and caressed my cheek with his fingers, making me tremble. “From the moment we met in the store, I knew I was in trouble.” The corners of his mouth quirked up into a smile. “How was I supposed to maintain a professional relationship when the mere sight of you caused my pulse to race? And it’s not just your beauty that captivated me.” He ran his hands down my arms to hold my hands in his. “I’ve never had more fun than when I’m hanging out with you. I love all your witty remarks and your ability to make me laugh. You amaze me every day with how brave and selfless you are. You make me hope I can become a better man, so I can somehow deserve you.” He paused, giving me a chance to catch my breath.

  “What are you saying?” My heart practically beat out of my chest, and I felt lightheaded.

  “I’m saying I’ve never wanted anyone more than I want you, Emma.” He drew in a deep breath, his voice full of emotion when he spoke. “I’ve been fighting with myself over what my heart wanted and what I thought was the right thing to do. I never should have let you think I’d only been around you because it was my job.” He ran his thumbs along the back of my hands. “Even if it weren’t my job, I’d still follow you around all the time.”

  I tried to find words but was left utterly speechless. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected he would truly feel that way about me.

  “Say something, please.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple shifting. His face showed a vulnerability I hadn’t seen before.

  I took a deep breath and smiled at him, stepping closer. “You don’t know how many times I wished you would say those things. For months, I’ve been trying to get over you, but it’s been impossible, Arie. Impossible. It has tortured me to see my dream guy right in front of me and not feel like I was ever going to have him. I—”

  I was about to say more when Arie grasped my shoulders and whispered, “Then let’s stop torturing ourselves, Emma. Who cares what Jason and your dad say? It’s insane to keep living this way.” His face was intense as he backed me against the counter. “If they don’t want us to be together, then that’s their problem. I, for one, am going to start living my life without regret, and I know if I don’t kiss you now I’ll be kicking myself for the rest of my life.”

  Before I could do anything, Arie had his hands tangled in my hair and he was kissing me. He kissed me again and again, and I kissed him back. Months of misunderstanding, heartache, longing, and pain unraveled as we kissed.

  He moved his hands from my hair and traced his way down to my waist, pulling me even closer to him. My heart raced as I ran my fingers across his shoulders, feeling his tightly corded muscles and loving the feel of his strong body next to mine.

  Our kiss slowed and deepened. Arie’s lips became gentle, tasting of salt and desire. He kissed me until chills coursed through my body and fire burned in my veins.

  His kiss had a way of speaking to me, letting me perceive the depth of his feelings. I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him, and that he had silently suffered as much as I had these past few months.

  Arie rested his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged. I moved my hands to his chest and felt his heart beating as erratically as mine. When I gazed into his eyes, I couldn’t help but smile.

  I studied his rugged face,
his strong jaw, his blue eyes. I inhaled the scent of his oh-so-familiar cologne. He was all I wanted right then, all I wanted for my future, and he was looking at me with such admiration it melted my heart.

  He spoke in a husky voice. “I think I’m in love with you, Emma.”

  My heart stuttered in my chest.

  “I think I love you, too.” My voice broke, and a happy tear escaped down my cheek as I whispered, “I think I’ve loved you this whole time.”

  His lips found mine again. His hands were at my waist, lost in my hair, and then caressing my cheeks. He kissed me slowly one moment and then playfully the next. I was intoxicated by him and by the knowledge that he loved me. He crushed my body to his as if he couldn’t get enough, as if he needed to get rid of every space that separated us.

  I don’t know how long we were there in the kitchen, but when the storm of emotions had calmed, we just stood there with our foreheads pressed together.

  “We better get to bed before Jason and Sophie find us kissing. I really don’t want to get fired right now.”

  I raised my eyebrow and smirked. “We better get to bed?”

  Arie gave me a half smile. “You know what I meant.”

  “Just checking.”

  Arie reached for my hand and led me upstairs. His shirt lifted slightly over where his gun clip sat in the back of his pants. I smiled. There was just something so sexy about it—how dangerous he could be if I were ever threatened again.

  Yeah, it was definitely getting late. We needed to say good night before I found anything else attractive about him.

  Arie pressed his lips to my forehead at the top of the stairs. “I’m so addicted to you,” he said.

  “Do you really think Jason and Sophie will try to fire you?” I asked.

  “It’s a definite possibility.” Arie sighed.

  “Well, if they do, I’ll have to remind them that I’m an adult now, and that I won’t be nearly as cooperative with this whole situation if they get rid of you.”

  “Well, when you put it like that, I’m not sure what they’ll do. But I think, deep down, they’ll be happy for us. They’ve seen how crazy I’ve been, trying to keep our relationship professional. I think they knew I’d eventually cave and give in to the temptation that was with me every day.”