by Laura Ann
“What’re you doing here?” Val asked, trying to change the subject.
“Same as you, I suppose.” Sawyer headed over to the weights. “I’ve got nothing on my schedule at the moment, so I thought I’d come get a better workout than I can get at home.” He straddled the bench and tilted his head at her. “But you sound like you’re here for more than that. Spill it.”
Val made a face. “What? Are you my bestie all of a sudden?”
“No.” He pointed a finger at her. “I’m your brother and that’s much worse.”
Val’s shoulders deflated a little and she sighed. She plopped down next to her gear and leaned her elbows on her knees. “It’s complicated.”
Sawyer sighed dramatically and put a hand on his chest. “Matters of the heart always are.” He grinned. “Come spot me and tell me what’s going on.” He started to lean back. “Unless I’m mistaken,” he paused and gave Val a pointed look, “and we both know I’m never wrong,” he went back to laying down, “this has something to do with Mr. Fancy Pants McPherson.”
Val walked over and kicked at his shoe. “Don’t call him that.”
“Aha! I knew I was right!”
Val rolled her eyes. “Congratulations. You want some kind of medal?”
Sawyer adjusted his grip on the bar. “That would be nice, yes.”
“Well, get over yourself.”
“Harsh!” Sawyer grunted as he lifted the bar up and down.
“That’s what sisters are for,” Val said sweetly as she watched his movements for any change.
Sawyer slipped the bar back into its slots and sat up, taking in a deep breath. “I mean it, Val. Tell me what’s going on.”
Val looked away for a moment, then back. “I don’t know what’s going on,” she said softly.
“Did something happen between you two?”
She scrunched up one side of her face. “Sort of.”
“Such as...?” Sawyer used his hand to urge her on. “We’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t start talking.”
She sighed and put her hands on top of her head. “I might have kissed him.”
“What?”
“It was just a peck!” she hurried to say. “And there was this girl who was screaming, and the dogs were going crazy, and it was all one big mess!”
Sawyer’s eyebrows were nearly hidden behind his hair. “I have no idea what you just said. But let’s go back to the kiss.” He scooted over and patted the small bench. “Do you like this guy?’
Val gratefully sat down. “Maybe.”
“I’m a dude, Val. You’re gonna have to talk in black and white. Either you do or you don’t.”
Val glared at him sideways. “I find him attractive, okay? But he’s the grandson of my client. He’s not exactly an option. Not to mention he’s this high-powered CEO with more money in his wallet than I’ll see in my lifetime.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Sawyer scrunched up his nose.
“What do you mean, what’s that got to do with anything?” Val leapt up and began pacing. “It has everything to do with everything! He’s completely off limits! The guy is gorgeous, cares about his grandma. In fact, he spoils her rotten. He’s kind, most of the time anyway. He’s flirtatious, he isn’t stuck up, and even though I barely touched him, it was the best kiss I’ve ever had!”
Sawyer put up a hand. “Okay...first of all, I won’t talk kissing with you. That’s just...weird. Second, if you feel this way, then do something about it.”
“Oh, sure,” Val said sarcastically. “You make it sound all simple. I’ll just waltz up to him and say, ‘Hey, I think our chemistry is amazing. Want to see where this thing goes?’”
Sawyer shrugged. “That works.”
“Ugh!” Val slugged him in the shoulder. “It’s never that easy. Not to mention he doesn’t feel the same.”
“How do you know?”
Val frowned. “How could I not know? We come from totally different worlds.”
“Most guys don’t care about that,” Sawyer said, his chin tilted down. “And if he did, you’d know it by now.”
Val slumped back onto the bench. “Maybe...but it’s terrifying.”
Sawyer shoulder bumped her. “Welcome to the world of being a man. We’re expected to make the first move all the time.”
“Yeah, well, considering I’m the one who kissed him, I think I already did that.”
Sawyer chuckled and shook his head. “Then let the ball sit in his court.” He winked at her. “I’m thinking if you give him the slightest inclination you’re interested, he’ll jump at the chance to see where that...chemistry goes.” He gave a shudder. “And now I’m done talking about girly stuff. Move over so I can pump some more iron. I can practically feel my masculinity draining away.”
“Whatever.” Val shoved his shoulder before standing up to spot him again. “Thank you,” she whispered as he grabbed the bar.
“What are brothers for?” Sawyer smirked and then grunted as he got going again.
CHAPTER 6
Andrew tapped his pencil on his desk. It had been two days since he’d driven his grandmother home from the pet shelter. Two days since he had seen Valentina’s beautiful face and heard her snarky remarks. Two days since he’d kissed those perfect lips. “You don’t even know her!” He grunted and shook his head. It had also been two days since he’d been able to get her out of his head.
Andrew threw his pencil across the room and huffed when it hit the wall, leaving a small mark. “This is ridiculous.” He grabbed his water bottle and tilted it to his lips, only to discover it was empty. “Of course it is,” he groused. Standing, he stormed toward the door and flung it open, startling his secretary on the other side. “Sorry,” he muttered, ducking his reddening cheeks as he walked.
Andrew walked out into the hall, then into the employee break room, filling his water bottle and taking a long drink.
“Rough day?” Luke’s amused tone set Andrew on edge.
“Nope, nope. Everything’s fine,” Andrew said with a plastic smile.
“Liar.” Luke chuckled and went to the fridge to grab his lunch box.
Andrew checked his watch. “Uh, it’s only ten o’clock. Why are you grabbing your lunch?”
“I’m hungry.” Luke shrugged and sat down at the table, then stood back up. “On second thought, let’s go to your office.” He grinned. “More privacy there.”
Andrew dropped his head back and groaned. “Why do we need privacy?”
“Because we’re about to gossip like a couple of teenage girls,” Luke shot back.
Andrew made a face. “I have absolutely nothing to gossip about.”
“You might not, but I went to see Grams yesterday, and I have tons to gossip about.” Luke disappeared around the corner.
“What?” Andrew ran after him. “What do you mean, you spoke to Grams yesterday?” He snapped his mouth shut as he followed Luke into the office area and noticed his secretary, Margene, eyeing him curiously. She’s worked for me for eight years. Hasn’t she ever seen me be weird before?
Luke walked straight into Andrew’s office as if he owned the place and Andrew grunted, but followed and shut the door behind him. Folding his arms over his chest, he stared his best friend down. “Now tell me why you visited Grams.”
Luke took a large bite of his sandwich. “I was lonely.”
“Since when do you go to her house? Usually you come bug me when you need company.”
Luke choked and made a face at Andrew. “That just sounded wrong.”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you didn’t answer my question.”
Luke shrugged, then peered slyly up at his friend. “Maybe I was hoping to see a certain female bodyguard.” He grinned. “You have to admit, she’s pretty intriguing.”
Hot jealousy swirled through Andrew and before he could think of the consequences, he marched toward Luke, pointing
his finger at him. “You stay away from Val,” he growled.
Luke’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Whoa. Now that’s impressive. Mr. Nonconfrontation is threatening me.”
Andrew jumped back as if scalded when he realized what was going on. Pushing both hands through his hair, he groaned. “What’s the matter with me?” He walked over and dropped inelegantly into his seat. “This woman has me in knots and I’ve only spoken to her, like, twice.” And kissed her once.
“Maybe that’s all it takes,” Luke said around a mouthful of bread and meat.
“You’re disgusting,” Andrew grumbled, throwing another pencil across the room.
“Thanks.” Luke picked it up and tucked it behind his ear. His jeans and T-shirt didn’t offer much in the way of storage. “Mine broke this morning.”
Andrew snorted a laugh and shook his head. “Don’t you have, like, a thousand pencils in your desk?”
“Maybe, but taking one from you makes me look like I’m cheap.” Luke grinned.
Andrew closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his chair. “One of these days your little ‘I’m rich but hiding it by pretending to be poor’ act is going to blow up in your face.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s working so far. It means I can chat up all the beautiful women I want without any of them taking me seriously. Win, win! I get beautiful lady company and no clingy girlfriends.” He took another bite. “Plus, it’s a far better plan than running for the hills every time a woman bats her fake eyelashes in my direction.”
“Hardy har har.”
“I know. I’m hilarious.” Luke settled back into the sofa. “So...you gonna ask me what the women were up to yesterday? Or why I chose not to hit on your grandma’s bodyguard?”
“Because you were afraid she’d take you to the floor?” Andrew asked hopefully.
“Ooh! Solid hit! Way to go, Drew!” Luke put a fist in the air.
“Wait a second.” Andrew leaned forward onto his desk. “She recognized me from when we helped out Nick”—Luke snorted in disgust—”how come she didn’t recognize you?”
Luke grinned. “Oh, she did. I believe the first words out of her mouth were, ‘Aren’t you that other idiot who was helping Nick?’.”
Andrew chuckled. “I’m discovering she has a bit of fire.”
“A bit? I’m thinking you’re gonna get burned.” Luke happily chomped another bite of his lunch.
Andrew gulped. “At the rate things are going, I don’t think I’ll be getting close enough to feel the heat.”
Luke paused. “What? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Andrew glared.
“Are you trying to tell me that the great Andrew McPherson, who literally has women swooning at his feet, can’t break down the walls of one little bodyguard?”
“She’s different,” Andrew muttered. “And I don’t ask for those other women’s attention. They do that on their own.”
“True enough,” Luke admitted. “However, it’s clear you’re interested in this woman.” He hit Andrew with a hard stare. “Right?”
Andrew reluctantly nodded.
“In all our years together, and there’s been more than I want to admit, I’ve never seen you get all edgy about a woman...ever. You have to go for it, man!”
“But how?” Andrew splayed his hands out. “She doesn’t seem to be affected by me! Even after our kiss—”
Luke held up a hand. “Wait...what? You kissed her?”
Andrew growled. “It was more like she kissed me, and it was barely a touch, but still—”
“And you don’t think she feels something for you?” Luke asked incredulously.
“It was a mess,” Andrew explained. “There was this screaming kid and the dogs were howling, too.”
Luke made a face. “That makes no sense.” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t matter. The point is, she wouldn’t have kissed you if she hadn’t wanted to.”
Andrew shook his head. “You don’t understand—”
Luke once again interrupted. “Hear me out. She’s a bodyguard, right?”
Andrew nodded.
“She’s got a fiery personality, right?”
Again, Andrew nodded.
“She fights big men, probably some twice as big as her, for a living, right?”
“Yes!” Andrew threw his hands in the air.
Luke leaned forward, his eyes stern. “Then, do you really think that anyone could have talked her into a kiss she didn’t want? Especially a pint-sized human who holds no authority over her?”
Andrew’s mouth opened and then he paused. He relaxed into his seat. “You...might have a good point.”
“Thank you!” Luke spread his hands. “I’ve been telling you that for years!”
Andrew grinned and shook his head.
“You can’t let something like a kiss go unanswered,” Luke said, leaning back and laying his arms across the top of the couch. “If she was willing to take the first step, the next one is yours. So put on your suave woman-catching pants and go get her!”
The more Andrew thought about it, the more he realized Luke was right. A slow smile spread across his face. “For the first time ever, I think you might be right.” He ducked and laughed when Luke threw back the pencil from earlier.
VAL’S EYES DARTED AROUND constantly as she stood next to Lola. The smell of waffle cones permeated the air and Val had to clench her stomach to keep it from growling. The two women were on the edge of a public park, standing at the ice cream stand. Lola decided today was children’s day, so they were working in conjunction with the middle-aged man running the cart.
Every child who came up got to pick something for free, since Lola was paying the bill.
“Hello, sweetie,” Lola said in a soft voice to the next one in line.
Val watched as the older woman crouched down as best she could so she could get on the child’s level.
“Would you like an ice cream cone?”
The small girl held onto her mother’s leg, her bright yellow curls dancing in the sunlight.
Val couldn’t help but smile. The child’s wide blue eyes were beautiful...and reminded Val of another set of blue eyes that were all too enticing. Stop it. You’re on the job, she scolded. Off limits. He’s completely off limits.
It took Lola a few more minutes, but eventually she coaxed the little girl into picking a treat. A minute later, the girl was happily skipping back toward the playground with her mother walking behind.
Lola stood and sighed. “She reminds me of Margarite at that age.”
Val frowned. “Who’s Margarite again?”
Lola glanced sideways, her face serious. “My daughter. Andrew’s mother.”
Val pinched her lips. From their very first conversation, Val had discovered Lola’s daughter had been a sore disappointment to her, choosing money and prestige over family. How the heck anyone could walk away from someone as sweet as Lola is beyond me. And how could she walk away from her son? Based on how handsome he is now, he had to have been a gorgeous child.
“Who are you saving today, hmm?” a smooth voice asked from behind the women.
Val spun, her hands flexed, but she quickly dropped the defensive position. You’re losing your touch, Val. You should have seen him coming. Andrew stood behind her, his hands in his pockets with his sleeves rolled up, rocking back and forth on his heels as he grinned at them.
“Andrew!” Lola walked toward him with her arms outstretched.
Andrew gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, Grams.”
“You haven’t been to see me lately!” Lola slapped his shoulder. “What’s been going on?”
“Ah...” Andrew rubbed his arm with a sheepish grin. “Nothing. Just...busy. You know how it is.” His eyes darted to Val’s, then back. “I happened to see you through my window.” He turned to point out his office building, then gave Grams a pointed look. “Thought I’d take a break.”
“What a coincidence.” Lola folded
her arms and cocked her hip. “But that doesn’t excuse you. You should have come to see me before now.”
Val watched the whole scene with amusement mixed with jealousy. What would it have been like to be so loved, people wanted to see you every day? She shook her head. I’m guessing it would be amazing. Val’s growing up wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t...this. Her parents both worked full-time and she spent most of her childhood alone and learning how to defend herself against the boys who lived on her street. Her parents were fine, they were just...uninterested.
“Hey, Val. You keeping Grams out of trouble?” Andrew gave her a flirtatious smile and Val’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh, my goodness, get a grip! He’s a client. Cli-ent! Sort of. His family is a client, so he counts as one too, kiss aside. “I don’t think there’s any way to do that. So, I’ve settled for keeping her safe while she causes trouble, instead.”
Andrew’s eyebrows shot up and Val worried she’d gone too far with her comeback. “You’ve obviously gotten to know her pretty well.”
“She learned that lesson far faster than you did,” Lola said with a giggle.
“Forgive me for being so slow,” Andrew said, putting his hand over his heart and bowing. “I fear my love for your safety overruled my sanity.”
“As it should.” Lola grinned. “Now come. I’m treating children to ice cream today. What do you want?”
Andrew gave her a look. “Why am I always being categorized as a child?”
“Because I’m your grandmother, I have that right. Now...what’ll it be? Neopolitan? A Popsicle?”
Val scrunched her nose without thinking about it and felt her cheeks turn pink when Andrew caught the reaction.
“What’s the matter? Don’t like those choices?”
Val opened her mouth, then shut it again. She needed to remember that she was an employee here and not amongst her usual work buddies. Holding her tongue might be the best idea for now.
“What? No quick response?” Andrew tilted his head and studied her. “Go ahead. Just say it. I know you’re dying to.”
Val pinched her lips, but he was starting to prick her temper a little. He thinks he can handle the heat? Okay. Let’s let him have it. “Neopolitan is for sissies who don’t know how to make up their minds and have no sense of taste.”