Guarding Aurora

by Lynne St. James

  ***

  “You two getting along okay?”

  Rori turned to give Hank an assessing look. If it were Sadie, she’d come clean about her feelings, but no way was she going there with Hank. “Yeah, for the most part. When he’s not being a stubborn pig-headed man.”

  “You mean like all of us?” He was right, Sadie complained about the same things, and Rori laughed, really laughed for the first time in a while. It’s when she realized how worried she’d been about everything. Today, except for being exhausted from lack of sleep, had been a good day, and fun with Raptor, until they’d found the mess on her door.

  “I guess so. But did you have to find the worst of the worst for my bodyguard?”

  “Hey, he was available. You have to take what you can get,” Hank said with a laugh. “Now how about one of those eclairs?”

  “You got it, and I’ll pack up a couple for you to take home to Sadie and Emma.”

  “I have to share? That’s just not right.”

  Rori turned to answer and laughed when she saw his chocolate mustache. “Don’t even go there. Not if you know what’s good for you. And if you don’t wipe your face, she’s sure to figure it out anyway.”

  “It’s your fault.”

  “You can keep telling yourself that, but I just create I don’t force anyone to eat them.” Only half kidding, she appreciated how Eagle Rock had welcomed her little bakery. It could have just as easily not succeeded. Her bakery carried treats and not necessities, and as far as she knew there’d been nothing like it in town. Too bad there was that one person who had to make problems, at least she hoped it was only one.

  Not knowing how long she had before Raptor would be done, she got to rolling out the croissant dough, it was a tedious task, but one she enjoyed. In her classes, she’d strived to be the best, with the lightest dough, the creamiest custards, richest fondant, and usually succeeded. It had caused some issues with some of her classmates, but she never let it bother her. She’d almost forgotten about all of that, it seemed like a lifetime ago. But it made her wonder if it was one of them. Why would they come all this way to cause trouble? It had to be someone local, but who?

  The croissants were ready for baking and put in the refrigeration to set for the night. Stepping back and admiring the trays of pastries like an artist admired a painting she smiled followed by a huge yawn.

  Gathering the empty containers, trays and mixing bowls, she dumped them into the sink. It was then she realized Hank was on his cell phone. Was she so tired she’d never heard it ring? Rather than make noise with the dishes, she went into the main bakery area to give him some privacy.

  With one of her signature pink and black boxes she picked out some cookies to bring upstairs for after dinner. She planned on convincing Raptor that it would be easier to stay in tonight. The last thing she wanted to do was go to the diner, especially after this afternoon’s discovery. It could be any of the towns people, and it freaked her out more than a little.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Rori jumped and almost dropped the box of cookies. “Do you have to always sneak up on me?”

  “Oh no, don’t turn this on me, angel. You were supposed to stay with Hank, and I find you alone out here.”

  “C’mon, you can’t be serious. He’s just in the kitchen.”

  “And anyone could have grabbed you without him realizing.”

  “Does this mean you’re going to follow me into the bathroom now too?”

  “Hmmm, maybe the shower,” Raptor said as he waggled his eyebrows, and she worked hard to hold back the giggle. When he did that thing with his eyebrows, it made his scar more noticeable. She’d had to stop herself a few times from asking if it was from the night he’d rescued her, but it looked newer than that. It wouldn’t be polite to ask, but she wondered just the same.

  “You’re terrible.”

  “No, angel, I’m very, very good.” Now he did it, her cheeks had to be flaming from the heat emanating from them, and they weren’t the only thing getting hot.

  Before she could think of how to answer, Hank came in from the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry. I have to go, problems with another case. Are you all set, Raptor?”

  “Yup, thanks for helping out.”

  “No problem. Let me know if there are any new developments.”

  “Don’t forget the box of eclairs,” Rori reminded him.

  “As if.”

  “Do you want to inspect my handwork?”

  “Can I finish washing up first?”

  “Is that all that’s left to do?”

  “Yup. Then I’m done for the day.”

  “Good. I’ll help.”

  She was thankful he didn’t keep up his earlier teasing. It had to be all it was, right? He was a professional, there’s no way he’d sleep with a client. Damn. Where had that thought come from? It had been close to two years since she’d had any kind of physical interaction with anyone until that kiss. It had to be the reason why she was twisted up like a pretzel.

  Chapter Seven

  Was she as innocent as she seemed? He’d bet a week’s pay that if she wasn’t a virgin, she’d only been with Jim. The slightest teasing turned her cheeks the most amazing shade of red. It was fast becoming his favorite color. He wanted to slide off her clothes and see if it tinged her entire body. Hank would probably kill him, Chase, too. The last job he’d decked the client, it wouldn’t be a good idea to sleep with this one. But he wanted her and not just for a night.

  Not sure when he fell in love with her, but if walking around with a perpetual hard on was any indication, it had been from the moment his eyes met hers at the White Oak Ranch. Resistance appeared to be futile. He told himself he’d turned her into the perfect woman over the last two years and that she wasn’t real. But the more he was around her, the more he realized he’d been spot on. Everything this world tried to destroy was in abundance in his angel.

  As she washed, he dried, and they made quick work of the rest of the clean up. His stomach grumbled reminding him he hadn’t eaten since the croissant he’d grabbed with his coffee and that was hours ago.

  “Where’s the diner? Do we need to drive or can we walk over?” He had to admit he loved the Montana weather after all the disgusting humidity of Florida and the jungle before that. Cool, dry, and the leaves were even changing. It was like looking at a postcard.

  “We could walk, but I’d be just as happy to throw something together upstairs.”

  “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me? I know I’m not the prettiest guy around…”

  “Are you kidding me? You’re gorgeous.” He knew the exact moment when she realized what she’d said, once again her cheeks were tinged red. Yup, it was definitely his new favorite color.

  “Thank you. But I’m used to scaring small children everywhere I go.”

  “No, you don’t. I don’t believe it.”

  “Sometimes I do. But if it’s not me, why don’t you want to go out? The bags under your eyes tell me you’re exhausted.”

  “I am tired, I’m not going to lie, but after the door thing, I don’t feel comfortable. It has to be someone in town, right? I won’t be able to eat if I’m looking around wondering who is the one causing all the trouble.”

  It made sense, and he understood, but it didn’t make him happy. She shouldn’t be afraid to go out especially with him there to protect her. But if she’d be happier at home, so be it. He could live on PB&J and be content, besides there were still a few strudels left from last night.

  “We’ll catch this asshole, and then you’ll be able to go out without worrying, I promise.”

  “Thanks. I guess I owe Hank some more treats for bringing you to protect me.”

  “As long as they’re baked goods I’m okay with that.” He couldn’t resist giving her a wicked grin. He was starving and not just for food, for another taste of his sugar-coated angel. When she punched him in the arm, he laughed, not just sweet, his angel had a
feisty center.

  She double checked the lock on the bakery doors, front and back, and then stopped to survey his paint job on her apartment entrance.

  “You did a good job. I can’t even tell it was there. How did you get the paint off the doorknob.”

  “Paint stripper. I was happy to see it didn’t destroy the knob too. There are two sets of keys to both deadbolts. I left yours on the table upstairs. If it’s okay with you, I’ll keep the second set until we figure out who is behind this crap.”

  “That’s fine, it’ll make it easier if you’re not ready when I need to head over to the bakery.”

  “No, it won’t because that’s not happening.” He gently grasped her shoulders to turn her so she could see the new floodlight, but as soon as his hands touched the thin fabric of her t-shirt, a burning desire ignited within him. Unable to resist, he slid his lips over hers.

  It hadn’t been a one time deal, she still tasted like cinnamon sugar and felt like heaven in his arms. Enfolding her closer, he deepened the kiss as her arms wrapped around his waist. Groaning as her belly leaned against his rock hard dick, he worried he’d lose it right there.

  As he pulled away from their kiss, her eyes opened and were filled with confusion and longing. He’d been worried she’d tell him to hit the road, and he couldn’t be more relieved to see the answering desire.

  “I think we need to continue this upstairs, where we are alone.” He might as well have poured cold water over her head or flipped a switch. One second she was oozing lust and the next she’d closed up like a bank vault.

  “I’m sorry…”

  “No don’t be. I don’t know what I was thinking. No wait, that’s the problem. As soon as you touch me, I can’t think.”

  “That’s not a bad thing.”

  “Isn’t it? You’re going to catch this guy and then move on to your next job.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way.” She didn’t look convinced, and he couldn’t blame her. She hadn’t remembered him until yesterday and had no idea he’d been trying to find her for what felt like a lifetime.

  ***

  What the heck was she thinking? Way to go, Rori. Her brain reminded her that he was there for a job, and a job only. If she didn’t start remembering that she was going to be in a world of pain when he left. And what would keep him there, in the small town when he’d traveled the world and probably been with tons of beautiful women? Its not like she was a catch. Scared inside and out from the Paris attack, and on top of that, she was about forty pounds overweight. But Raptor, damn. Her heart wanted to tell her brain to take a hike. Even with the scar on his face, he’d have women falling over themselves to get to him. Would giving in to her desires be so bad? At least, after he was gone, she’d have the memories to hold on to.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Fine. Umm, what else did you want to show me?” He looked perplexed at her attitude change, but so was she. It was all too much too fast. She needed to put some space between them so she could think because she sure as hell couldn’t when he was close enough to lick.

  “I put up a floodlight with a motion sensor. Now when anything moves back here, the light will come on.”

  “Thank you. It’ll make it so much better when it’s dark out here.”

  “Yup. I’m surprised there wasn’t one already. Anyway, let’s go upstairs, I fixed the light in the hall too. So now you can see when you’re going up the stairs.”

  “I know I should have changed those bulbs. I kept thinking about it but never got around to buying the new ones.”

  “You’re set now,” he said with a smile. When he smiled his eyes crinkled up at the corners, and it softened the hard edges of his face. His eyes held a lot of pain, seen too much suffering for sure. How she’d love to be the one to make that disappear. Ugh, there she was going on again. Snap out of it, Rori.

  “Is this normal bodyguard stuff? I mean, fixing lights, changing locks? It doesn’t seem like that would be part of the normal job description.”

  “It’s not. But I didn’t mind. I like working with my hands, and it’s all to keep you safe. That’s what’s important.”

  “Right. It’s the job.” He frowned but didn’t say anything, just held the door open for her to go inside. He’d done a good job, whatever type of light bulbs he’d put in were really bright, and not even a shadow lurked. At the top of the stairs, he unlocked the new deadbolt and opened the door for her.

  Everything was the same as they’d left it early that morning. Relief washed over her that they hadn’t gotten inside and destroyed her home.

  “If you promise to stay put, I’ll grab a quick shower and then help with dinner.”

  “I won’t go anywhere, I promise. Enjoy your shower.” With a short nod, he walked down the hallway to his room.

  Taking a deep breath, she rotated her shoulders to try to relax the aching muscles. She was always stiff by the time she was done for the day and would come home and hit the shower before fixing something for dinner. But she’d gladly give up dibs on the first shower to have some alone time.

  Heading into the kitchen, she pulled out a bunch of things from the refrigerator. Simple would be the word of the evening. Grilled cheese was tempting, but she didn’t think it would we enough for Raptor. Instead, she whipped up a quiche. Out came the Swiss cheese, bacon, a tomato, and onion. Over the weekend she’d made some piecrusts, so that helped with the process. Cooking the bacon first, she chopped the vegetables. After the bacon was done, she sauteed the veggies in the grease and then added everything to the egg and milk mixture.

  As she slid the pie pan with the quiche into the oven, she heard his footsteps in the hallway. Too bad the man didn’t take longer showers. But at least she’d had time to wrangle her hormones under control, or so she thought. He was standing so close she bumped into him when she straightened and closed the oven door.

  “Damn. You smell good.” So much for thinking she had her body and mind under control.

  “I’m glad you think so. What can I do to help? I thought I smelled bacon when I was getting dressed.”

  “You did. I threw together a quiche. All that’s left is to make a salad.”

  “Quiche? What’s that?”

  “Hmm. I guess it’s sort of like an egg pie with stuff in it. Or maybe an omelet in a pie crust.”

  “Weird, but if it has bacon in it, it’s got to be good. Why don’t you go shower while I make the salad? I know how to do that.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yup. Then we can have dinner and talk until bedtime. When do I have to take the egg pie out of the oven?”

  “It bakes for almost an hour. It’ll be fine, I’ll check it after my shower.”

  “Great. Go, angel, you look dead on your feet.”

  “Thanks, I won’t be long.”

  “Take as long as you like, I’ll be right here.”

  Chapter Eight

  The bathroom still smelled like Raptor, and she groaned when she opened the bathroom door, and his scent washed over her. On unsteady legs, she slid out of her jeans and t-shirt and turned on the water. Tired or turned on, she wasn’t sure which was taking more of a toll on her composure. A glance in the mirror explained why he thought she was exhausted. The dark circles under her eyes and her pale cheeks made her look like one of the walking dead. The stress was catching up to her. Why couldn’t the world just leave her alone for a while? She’d paid enough of a price, hadn’t she?

  When she came back to Montana, she’d started over, modified her plan and opened the bakery. She enjoyed running her little shop, it was most of what she’d dreamed, but not exactly the happily ever after she’d hoped for in Paris.

  They’d had so many plans for the future. Her parents were going to help her open the bakery. They had a little apartment that was close to the magazine Jim worked for, and she hoped to find space for the bakery near there. The competition would have been fierce, but she’d loved Paris. Things changed though, now she cou
ldn’t think of it without seeing the blood all over the pavement, the screaming of those injured, and gazing into her parents’ unseeing eyes.

  With the water sluicing over the tense muscles of her shoulders and back, tears formed and she brushed them away. She’d shed countless tears, for days, no months afterward, probably most of the time she’d been in the hospital healing from her own wounds. The worst had been the trip back to Montana with the two caskets. Jim’s family had insisted he be brought back to the family plot in Boston and they’d taken his body while she was still in the hospital. She’d never met them, and they hadn’t stopped by when they collected his body. It was strange, but he’d told her his family was old money and they’d objected to his career choice.

  Yup, it was time to move on. Maybe a fling with Raptor was just the thing she needed to push her out of her comfort zone. She’d been so engrossed in her thoughts, she never heard Raptor knock on the door.

  “Are you okay? Rori? I’ve been knocking.”

  “Oh. Yes, I’m fine. Sorry.” Mortified he might see her she didn’t know what to cover first with her hands. If anyone had seen it, they would have laughed. “Did you need something?”

  “No. Just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  “Well, I’m fine. Really, just enjoying the heat of the water. I’ll be out shortly so you can leave now.”

  “You sure you don’t want some company?” Oh, did she ever. But no way. She was still deciding if this was the path she wanted to travel, and no way did she want his first view of her body in the bright light of the shower. Candlelight would be so much better, or darkness… that would work.

  “No, I think I’m fine by myself. Could you shut the door you’re letting the cold air in?” He wasn’t really, but she needed him to leave before she accepted his offer.

  Hearing his chuckling as he closed the door didn’t help anything. But hearing the decisive click when it closed made her sink against the tiled wall and breathe a sigh of relief. Hornier than a teenager, she needed to stop this flip flopping around like a crazy woman. It was time to shit or get off the pot as her mom used to say. Mom would have liked Raptor. Her dad too probably, or he would have won him over eventually. Shaking her head, she finished rinsing the soap off and climbed out of the shower.