On top of that, I had to deal with militant fishery activists and the Secret Service, all while navigating a new political landscape.
But hey—at least I had de-fishing soap now.
4
Chris
I spent a couple hours exploring the building. It was important that I knew where all the exits were and the quickest paths in and out of the building. It was all in the file that Gary had, but I liked walking the building in person. I got a better feel for a site when my boots were on the ground—or in this case, my dress shoes.
Freddy appeared outside the Hart Senate Office building in a sleek black sedan. He was wearing a new suit and a slick pair of sunglasses, grinning at me.
“Maybe this job isn’t so bad, after all,” he laughed. “Berkeley hooked us up.”
He tossed me a sunglass case and revved the engine. “You drive the Senator home and I’ll follow in this baby.” He stroked the steering wheel lovingly, and I grinned.
“Glad to see you’ve come around.”
“Better than dying of boredom in the office.”
I slid into the passenger’s seat and Finch handed me a coffee. I grunted in approval, glancing back at the building.
“So, how is she?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean based on her picture, she looks like a royal bitch. What’s she like in person?”
“She’s fine.” She was more than fine. It had taken all my self-control to keep my face steady as I watched her struggle with the de-fishing soap. She wanted to be appreciative, but I’d thrown her off-balance.
Exactly the way I wanted her. If I were going to find out who was pulling her strings, I had to get under her skin. The fish incident had been the perfect opening.
Finch was jabbering about something, but I wasn’t listening. My thoughts drifted back to her icy blue eyes as they ran over my body, and the way her breath caught when she saw me.
I liked seeing her wet hair dripping onto her shoulders and the way her pale skin flushed whenever I took a step toward her.
The Ice Queen had some fire in her, apparently.
The sun had already gone down when my phone buzzed. She’d texted me two words: Coming downstairs. My heart thudded and I took a deep breath, nodding at Finch.
“It’s time.” I slid out of the car and glanced toward Gary’s van. He must have been in the back because I couldn’t see him in the front seat.
“The Hammer is on the move,” his voice buzzed in my ear.
“The Hammer?” I said out loud.
“You know, Hammer and Sickle. Russians—come on, Anders! Wake up.”
“We don’t know that she’s in league with the Russians yet.”
“Ah, have a little fun.”
“How about Blue Jay?” I loved the way her eyes gleamed. They looked like crushed velvet.
“Fine.”
I chuckled and made my way to the lobby. I nodded at the security guard and waited for Senator Crawford to step out of the elevators. When they opened for her, I was waiting. She’d tied her hair back and slung her bag over her shoulder. Her blazer was resting in the crook of her arm.
Senator Crawford’s eyebrows arched when she saw me, but she said nothing. Her Nikes squeaked on the marble floors as she walked toward me. When we were a foot apart, she lifted her eyes to mine.
“So, how does this work? I’ve never had a bodyguard before.”
A grin tugged at my lips. “I’ll drive you home. Then, I’ll stay there until the night shift arrives. I’ll be back in the morning to take you back here.”
“So, you’re my driver and my bodyguard?”
“Something like that.”
“And I don’t have to pay you?”
“The taxpayers are covering it,”
Her eyes flashed, and she shrugged. “All right. I parked just a block away.” She dug around in her purse and produced the keys, clutching them close as she lifted her eyes to mine. “It feels wrong to hand over my car keys to a guy I just met.”
“Being suspicious is healthy.”
“Maybe in your line of work, but not mine.”
“You’re in politics.” I grinned.
She sighed, handing me her keys. “Just go easy on the clutch.”
We walked out of the building and took a left down the road. Freddy and Gary hung back—they’d tail us once we were on the road. We walked in silence for a few minutes. It was a pleasant silence, but the air between us still felt thick with something—tension, or heat, or… I wasn’t sure what.
“So, what made you join the Secret Service?” Crawford finally said with a sigh. She stole a glance my way, but I kept staring straight ahead.
“Duty, I guess.”
We walked for a few steps and she grunted. “Not a man of many words, are you?”
“Just trying to do my job, Ma’am.”
“What did I say about calling me Ma’am?” She snapped.
I fought back a smile. We got to her car—an old Volkswagen Bug. My eyebrows arched as I looked at the tiny vehicle. “You didn’t tell me you drove a clown car.”
“Well, I wasn’t expecting to be followed around by freaking Goliath, was I?”
I sighed, swinging the driver’s door open. She opened the passenger’s side door and grabbed a bunch of files from the seat, chucking them in the back. I arched an eyebrow and she huffed.
“What? Are you telling me your car is spotless?”
“You know, I wasn’t expecting you to be like this.”
She got in and slammed the door. “Like what?”
“Based on your picture I was expecting you to be… cold, I guess. Clinical.”
“Well, surprise,” she said flatly, buckling her seatbelt. “Take a right out of the parking lot.” She settled into her seat, crossing her arms. I glanced at the curve of her neck and the little spot of skin behind her ear that was begging for my lips. Her breasts pushed together as she shifted her arms, and her face stayed resolutely turned away from me.
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I started the car. I liked pushing her buttons. I liked seeing her flustered, and I knew it had nothing to do with the job. I wasn’t doing this to sniff out any Russian involvement or to get a better read on her.
I was doing it because I enjoyed it.
And that in itself scared me. The last time I’d enjoyed the company of a woman, she’d fooled me so completely that I never saw the betrayal coming. I’d nearly lost my job and my life, and the operation that I’d been on had ended in disaster.
So, the grin on my lips faded as quickly as it appeared. I hardened my heart as I merged the tiny VW Bug onto the road.
I wasn’t going to let that happen again. No matter what.
I was in the Special Activities Division of the CIA, and I was tasked with finding out who Catherine Crawford really was. Nothing would get in the way of that mission.
Not her icy blue eyes, or the way her pink lips pouted. Not even her strange choice to wear Nikes shoes with a business suit.
My eyes scanned the road as I drove. I was trained to look for threats. My time in the Marines with Zane had been eventful and fraught with danger. Progressing to the CIA had been no different. Suspicion was hammered into me, and I was always on edge.
So, when I noticed a rusty Oldsmobile pulling in behind Finch’s car, my eyes narrowed. I turned off the main road and Cat made a noise.
“Where are you going?”
“I just need to check something,” I said, glancing in the rear-view mirror. Finch came into view, and then the Oldsmobile. I cursed under my breath.
“What? Where are you going? What’s going on, Bennett?”
“Nothing,” I grunted.
She stared at me, wide-eyed as I made another turn. Both cars appeared behind me. I dipped my face down to the pen in my breast pocket.
“I think we’ve picked up a tail.”
“I see him,” Freddy said in my ear. “Keep driving. I’ll peel off and come back behi
nd him. Don’t make any sudden movements.”
“Okay.”
Cat turned to face me. “What the hell is going on, Bennett? You need to tell me. Now.”
“Nothing to be worried about,” I answered, making a smooth turn down another road. Freddy kept going straight, but the Oldsmobile followed us again.
Cat turned around to look at the car. “They’re following us, aren’t they? Who is that? Why would anyone want to follow me?” Panic was rising in her voice, so I reached over and put my hand on her thigh.
She quieted down immediately. Her leg was warm and soft under my touch, and my heart started to race. My mouth went dry.
“Trust me,” I said quietly.
“Trust you? I don’t know you!”
“Please, Cat. Another agent is falling back behind the car. We’ll lose the tail, and I’ll take you home.”
I glanced over to see Cat’s eyes wide with fear. Her pupils had dilated so that I could only see a thin strip of the bottomless blue irises. Her fear was palpable.
I made another turn back onto the main road, followed by the Oldsmobile. I swallowed as Finch came into view behind it, and I took a deep breath.
“Okay, Senator. Hold on.”
“What do you mean, hold o—”
I jammed the accelerator into the floor and the little VW Bug threw us against the backs of our seats. Cat let out a scream as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Adrenaline flooded my veins as the lights on either side of me blurred. We picked up speed as I wove through the thinning late-night traffic. I could smell the Senator’s fear mingling with my own, and I fed on it.
This beat sitting behind a desk any day.
5
Cat
The fingernails on my left hand dug into the seat as my right hand gripped the handle above the door. The car lurched to the left as Agent Bennett angled between two cars. Honks echoed in my skull as we avoided yet another collision.
I tried to stop myself from hyperventilating. If I breathed too hard, I could still smell rotting fish. That, combined with the movement of the car, threatened to make my nearly empty stomach lurch.
“You’re doing great,” Bennett said. How he managed to keep his voice calm at a time like this was beyond me. I risked a glance behind us. The Oldsmobile was falling back, but the driver accelerated toward us.
“They’re closing in on us.” I didn’t like how shaky my voice was. I didn’t like how out of control I felt. I didn’t like how I could still feel Bennett’s handprint on my thigh, and how much I missed the warmth of his touch.
I gulped another breath down and turned back to the front.
“Hang on,” Bennett growled.
“I can’t hang on any tighter!” I turning toward him. That stupid, sexy grin floated over his lips again. He dipped his chin down ever so slightly.
Gripping the seat as tightly as I could, I gulped down another breath and steeled myself for what was to come. Bennett slammed on the brakes and my body was thrown forward.
My seatbelt caught me, digging painfully into my shoulder as I gasped for air. He lurched the car over across three lanes of traffic just as another black sedan slid between us and the Oldsmobile. The VW Bug’s back wheels fishtailed slightly as Bennett tried to exit the road without hitting the barrier, and then we righted ourselves and drove off.
A chorus of honks followed us. I glanced behind us as my heart hammered in my throat. When I saw an empty road behind us, I let out a sigh and sank down into my seat.
Bennett’s palm appeared on my thigh again, its warmth and weight soothing my nerves. I placed my hand on top of his and closed my eyes, sucking the breath into my body as I tried to regain control over my racing heart.
“You did well,” Bennett finally said as we turned onto a quiet street. He drove slowly, winding his way through a residential area and parking outside an old brick house. I glanced at him, nodding.
“Thanks.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Who was that?”
“I’m not sure.”
An uneasy silence settled over us and I took another breath. “This isn’t what I thought it would be like.”
“What’s that?”
“The job. D.C. Being a Senator.”
He sighed and took his hand away from my thigh. I missed it immediately and my cheeks burned. I shifted in my seat, clearing my throat as I looked out the window. I didn’t want him to see me like this. I wasn’t used to feeling like this—to feeling this uncontrollable, unbridled desire.
It was just all the pent-up fear of the chase coming out as something else. The only reason I felt attracted to him right now was because my whole body was going into overdrive.
I’d never cared much for men or relationships. Gramps had always told me to worry about myself and my career. When I saw my mother’s mind deteriorate and my father leave because of it, something inside me snapped. Now, with Gramps on the way out, too, the only thing I had left was my work.
I didn’t have the emotional energy for dating. I didn’t have the time.
So, I never gave it much thought.
But now, in my tiny little car beside this mammoth of a man, it felt like all those suppressed feelings were crashing into me at once.
I took a deep breath, pushing my thoughts away. I lifted my hand to brush a strand of hair off my face, wincing as pain shot through my shoulder.
“Seatbelt?” Bennett asked, unbuckling it and sliding it off me. His fingers brushed my skin as he pushed my shirt back. He grimaced.
“How bad is it?”
“You’ll have a bruise. Can you lift your arm?”
I lifted my arm forward, and then rotated it out. He grunted positively.
“I don’t think your collarbone is broken.” His hand swept over my shoulder again as he turned it and inspected the bruise again. His face was inches from mine, and I inhaled the scent of his skin. He smelled like aftershave and plain soap, mixed with a hint of manly sweat. I closed my eyes as he prodded my shoulder again. I winced.
He grunted again and pulled away. I exhaled, following his movement with my eyes.
“Let’s get you home,” he said quietly. His deep, brown eyes stayed glued on mine for a moment. My tongue slid out to lick my lips, and his eyes flicked down at the movement. Heat zipped down my spine, settling somewhere between my legs.
My cheeks flushed again, and I hated how pale my skin was. I could never hide my emotions.
Agent Bennett spared me his usual grin. Instead, he turned back toward the steering wheel and put the car in gear. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me.
“Put your address in here. I’ll get the GPS going.”
I was too exhausted to protest. I nodded and did as he said. His fingers brushed mine when he grabbed the phone again, and I craved his touch.
I hadn’t realized I fell asleep until he woke me up outside my house. I lived in a small bungalow in a suburb about twenty minutes from the office. My house was dark, and the grass was a bit overgrown. I’d signed a year lease on this place without putting too much thought into it.
It was a little run down and in need of a paint job. The grass needed to be mowed, and the planter boxes needed to be weeded.
But right now, as exhaustion made my limbs feel like lead, it looked like an absolute palace. I groaned appreciatively and got out of the car. Bennett came around to my side, holding his arms out as if he were ready to catch me if I fell.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled.
“You don’t look fine.”
“It’s just the adrenaline wearing off.”
He didn’t respond, but he stayed by my side until we got to the front door. I fumbled with my purse, looking for my keys until Bennett held up my keychain. I snorted and took it from him. I fell through the front door, my eyes already closing.
When I turned around, Agent Bennett was still standing outside. He had his arms clasped around his back and he nodded at me.
“I�
��ll do a sweep of the yard, and then wait for the other agents to get here. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”
“When are the other agents coming?”
He shrugged. “Depends how long it takes to lose that tail. Shouldn’t be too long.”
“Won’t you be cold?”
He grinned. “I’ll be fine. I’m tough.”
“Do you… do you want to come in?” Hope fluttered in my chest. Did I want him to come in?
He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I’ll check the perimeter.”
I nodded and watched him walk toward the side of my house. I closed the door, locking it and leaning against it. I closed my eyes and exhaled. My mind was blank. I didn’t know what to think.
My feet dragged on the old floorboards as I made my way to the back of the house toward my bedroom. I considered collapsing into bed, but I caught a glimpse of the de-fishing soap in my bag. I sighed. I’d sleep better after another shower, and the last thing I wanted was to get this horrible fishy smell into my sheets.
6
Chris
I checked the side of the house and then went to the backyard. I walked along the house, trying the windows and doors and grunting in satisfaction when all of them were locked. I did a full lap of the house and then went back to the back. I checked the fence and the back gate, sweeping my eyes over to the neighbors’ yards, too.
Satisfied, I turned back toward the house. I froze in my tracks at what I saw.
Silhouetted in the window against the sheer curtains was Senator Catherine Crawford, stripping down. My mouth went dry as I tried to swallow past a lump in my throat. She peeled her shirt over her head, shaking her hair down. I licked my lips as she unclasped her bra, dropping it to the ground.
I didn’t want to move, and I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t look away. I could see everything—the outline of her perky breasts as she turned around and the curve of her hips as she pulled her pants down her long legs. She stretched her head from side to side and I watched, mesmerized.
The Protector: The Complete C.I.A Romance Series Page 20