CHAPTER 2
Aurelie Anderson had never been kissed in public, on a dance floor, with everyone and his brother in attendance, including her father.
She’d run from the ballroom out of embarrassment.
Or so she told herself.
If she were honest with herself, she’d call it what it was.
At lie.
She’d run from the ballroom...no... from him because that kiss?—
Wow. Until that moment, she’d never known what it felt to have her world rocked by a single kiss.
Now. She. Did.
So, she’d done the only thing she could think of and ran.
For a woman who had control of every aspect of her life, she’d just met a man who, in less than an hour, had made her lose control to the point she’d allowed him to kiss her in a public place with the most important donors in attendance who could potentially make or break her father’s campaign for reelection.
In her bid to escape her wanton behavior, she’d aimed for the bathroom, but the Queen of Hearts had been there, applying bright red lipstick to her lips. Not willing to risk a conversation, Aurelie backed out, turned and spotted the exit sign glowing red over the door at the end of the hallway.
Air.
She needed fresh air to clear her mind and forget what Robin Hood had stolen from her.
A kiss.
He’d stolen a kiss.
Was it theft if she’d kissed him back?
She shot a glance over her shoulder, praying he wasn’t following her. In the back of her mind, a devilish thought outweighed the prayer with the hope that he would come after her. If they were out on the boardwalk, away from the guests and backers, she wouldn’t embarrass her father, and she wouldn’t have to push Robin Hood away so quickly.
Fearing he might follow her out the door, she ran toward the exit and burst through it, out into the open.
She’d wanted fresh air.
But in the deep south of Louisiana, fresh air included almost one hundred percent humidity without cleansing, refreshing rain.
She was immediately struck by the overwhelming humidity that made her sweat immediately.
Well, damn. She didn’t want to return to the ballroom and her father’s wrath and the curious and intrusive gawking of people who had no right to be all up in her business.
Aurelie spied the boardwalk leading out into the bayou, a recent addition to the Gautreaux Chateau venue that had intrigued her enough to choose this site for her father’s fundraiser.
She’d spent so much time arranging for all the deliveries, staffing and guest lists, she hadn’t had time to visit the boardwalk and see the amazing vistas in the bayou during the day.
Rather than walk back into the mansion and face all those people—one in particular—Aurelie chose to take the opportunity to walk along the boardwalk, stretching out into the bayou. She struck out at a swift pace, determined to forget Robin Hood and that kiss.
She might have reconsidered if the moon and starlight hadn’t chosen that moment to emerge from behind a bank of clouds and shine brightly down on the wooden planks, tempting her with a silvery path through the bayou. Moonlight glinted off the inky black water.
The sound of nature blared louder than the orchestra playing in the ballroom. Anyone who said it was quiet in the countryside didn’t live near the bayou. Frogs and crickets sang, their music almost deafening in the night.
Starlight reflected off the bayou. Something moved in the water, like a floating log with twin spots of starlight reflecting off eyes. Alligator.
Aurelie shivered, glad for the boardwalk and the railing to keep her from falling in with the lethal predator.
She’d gone more than fifty yards on the boardwalk, losing sight of the mansion as the path twisted and turned through stands of partially submerged cypress trees with long, lacy branches.
Before she realized she was very alone and out of sight of the chateau, clouds drifted in, blocking the stars and moonlight. Aurelie’s steps faltered. The defining sounds of frogs and crickets faded around her, replaced by the sound of footsteps on the boardwalk behind her. Her heart leaped into her throat. Was it him?
She spun to face the man who’d been occupying too much of her thoughts. She lifted her chin, threw back her shoulders and fisted her hands on her hips. With a sarcastic comment poised on her lips, she waited for him to round the corner of the boardwalk and the overhanging limbs of a cypress tree.
At that moment, the clouds moved on, and the moon and stars illuminated the night.
The man rounded the corner, running full-on. Instead of Robin Hood, with his green hat, jacket, tights and that stupid quiver of arrows, a man dressed entirely in black, with a black ski mask covering his head and face, charged toward her.
Shocked, she stood for a fraction of a second, gaping. Then, she spun and ran. She wasn’t fast enough and didn’t have enough of a head start to escape her pursuer.
He didn’t slow until he reached her. Hands grabbed the back of her jacket, yanking her to a stop. She tried to shake free of her jacket, but those hands gripped her body, lifted her into the air and flung her over the boardwalk railing into the bayou.
Like so many who’d encountered a life-threatening experience, the event played out in Aurelie’s mind in slow motion. She was flying through the air, over the rail, arms and legs flailing. She hit the water sideways, plunging deep beneath the surface. She hadn’t even had time to catch her breath. She floundered, kicking her feet while looking for purchase on the silty bottom, and found none.
Aurelie sank deeper, flapping her arms. A fairly good swimmer, she wasn’t so afraid of drowning. Well, as long as she could figure out up from down, and that was proving to be a problem. The bayou here wasn’t terribly deep. Her lungs burning, she couldn’t find her footing, but she’d seen the eyes of alligators rising above the surface of the water in their nightly search for prey. She had to get out of the water fast. Or she’d become that prey.
When Beau turned away from the ladies’ restroom door, he looked right and left. There were no other doors along the corridor except the men’s room. He ran in there and checked just in case she’d been dragged inside. He was out in seconds, eyeballing the exit door at the end of the hallway.
She had to have gone outside.
He ran to the exit door and burst out into the night.
He stood for a second, looking right then left. A stone walkway led around the side of the building. He ran down the path that emerged on a wooden platform, which was the beginning of a boardwalk leading out into the bayou.
He stared out at the empty boardwalk.
Surely, she hadn’t gone out on the boardwalk alone at night. He glanced all around and didn’t see her anywhere in sight.
Fuck.
Beau stepped out onto the boardwalk and ran, praying the boardwalk was the same way out as it was back. If she’d gone out on the boardwalk, he’d either catch up with her or meet her on the way back. If it made a loop and came back to another location, he’d have to hurry to catch up. If she was even on the boardwalk. Either way, he had to make sure.
Despite the pain in his leg, he sprinted, picking up the pace. If she hadn’t taken the boardwalk, she could have continued around the side of the house to the front, where anyone could grab her, shove her into a car, and take off. He’d never know it until it was too late.
Beau ran faster, pushing the pain out of his mind. As he rounded a drooping tree branch over the boardwalk, he spotted a large dark figure ahead of him. He heard a woman’s scream as that dark figure lifted her into the air and tossed her over the rail of the boardwalk.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
“Hey!” Beau yelled and raced for the attacker.
The man spun toward him for a second, then turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Beau didn’t slow until he arrived at the point at which the dark-clad man had thrown a woman into the bayou. Clouds floated over the moon and sky, darkening the world around him. His heart thundered in his chest; his breathing became ragged as he strained to see into the dark abyss. He couldn’t see a damned thing, nor could he hear any splashing. Panic threatened to overwhelm him, but he couldn’t let it control him. Beau dropped the quiver of arrows, scraped the hat off his head and braced his hands on the boardwalk rail. Before he could think through his actions, he vaulted over the rail into the water. Having grown up in the Bayou, he knew the danger of being in the water at night. Water moccasins were bad enough, but the real threats were the alligators. Splashing noises would have attracted their attention. If there were one or more in the area, which he suspected there were, they’d be angling toward that noise in search of their next meal.
As he sank beneath the surface, he didn’t think; he just used his hands to feel for her. She had to be here. He had to bring her up before she drowned, or the alligators got to her. He could not fail. This wasn’t a helicopter crash that he had no control over. His actions could influence the outcome. If only he could find her!
Beau came up for air, filled his lungs and gauged his location compared to the boardwalk and the trajectory of the dark man’s launch and quickly dove beneath the surface again. Where was she? She had to be here somewhere.
Something kicked at his hand. He yanked it back for a second, thinking maybe it was an alligator's nose, but when it kicked again, he realized it was a foot. He grabbed hold of a boot. Another booted foot kicked him in the head. He grabbed that one, too, and pulled the woman’s body toward him in a sharp downward motion.
She fought, kicking and swinging, the water slowing her movements. Still, it was a struggle to get a good hold of her. His lungs burned with the need for air. Wrapping his arm around her body, he clamped her arms to her side and kicked hard, sending them toward the surface.
As their heads emerged, the woman in his arms dragged air into her lungs, still kicking to keep her head above water. Once she’d taken a breath, she fought to free herself from his hold.
Beau released her.
Her head immediately sank below the surface. She reached for him, dug her fingers into his jacket and clawed her way up his body, pushing him downward as she fought to come up.
Knowing they could both drown if he didn’t take control, he knocked her hands aside, spun her around and hooked an arm over her chest, gripping her beneath her opposite arm.
When he could catch his breath, he hissed, “It’s me, Robin Hood. Calm down, or we’ll both drown.” Or worse, he wanted to say.
They had to get out of the water.
Her stiff body relaxed against him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I can swim, but my boots are so heavy.”
“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I’ll keep your head above water. You can help by kicking.” Beau looked up at the boardwalk. There had to be steps or a ladder somewhere along its length. They had to have installed some way to get out of the bayou if someone should fall in. Or, as in this case, they were thrown in.
Starlight glinted off metal several yards away from where they tread water. He settled into a sidestroke, dragging Aurelie along with him.
She kicked, helping them move a little faster, but otherwise, let him keep her from going under again.
When he reached the ladder, he stopped. “Can you climb?”
She nodded.
He held onto her until she had a firm grip on the ladder.
Aurelie pulled herself out of the water, one metal bar at a time, until she could get her feet on the bottom rung. When she did, she paused, glanced over her shoulder and yelped. “‘Gator!”
Beau looked back to see what looked like a floating log with eyes heading his way—and it was big. Big enough to take on a full-grown man, roll him beneath the surface and hold him there until he drowned.
Heart pounding, Beau held onto the side of the ladder, braced his hand on Aurelie’s ass and shoved her upward. “Go! Go! Go!”
As she scrambled up the ladder, he inched out of the water behind her. His legs and feet were still in the water, and the alligator was less than a yard away.
He couldn’t wait another second. He climbed up the ladder behind the woman, his arms around her, his legs and feet now clear of the surface. He moved in sync with Aurelie, ascending rung after rung. He was out of the water, out of the alligator’s range, and there to catch his client if she missed her footing or slipped and fell.
When they reached the top, he palmed her bottom and gave her enough of a boost to send her over the rail.
She rolled over the top and collapsed onto the boardwalk.
Beau slung his leg over the rail and dropped down beside her, crouched and ready should the man who’d thrown her return to finish the job.
Once he was sure they were alone, he straightened. “All clear,” he said, out of habit.
Aurelie drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Good.”
Beau held out his hand.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she said, laying her palm on his.
“My pleasure,” he responded, all civil and calm, although his heart thundered against his ribs, and the panic he’d held at bay returned with a vengeance. He pulled her up with a little more force than necessary.
Aurelie stumbled and fell against him.
Beau encircled her back with his arm and held her until she was steady on her feet, and he could get his breathing under control.
She stood with her hands resting on his chest, bayou water dripping from her hair. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost the goggles. Moonlight reflected in her dark eyes.
“You really are...” she started and stopped talking, her tongue sweeping across her lips.
Beau’s lips twitched on the corners. “Handsome? Tenacious? Striking? Dauntless?” he offered to complete her unfinished sentence.
“I was going to say Peter Pan since Robin Hood never had to battle alligators.” Her brow furrowed. “But if you want to go down the path of adjectives, I’d go for egotistical, arrogant and big-headed, especially since you’re wearing green tights and you’re all wet.”
He chuckled and let go of her, letting his arms fall to his sides. “Way to deflate my confidence.”
“I’m sure I only made a dent.” She stepped back. “But really, thank you.” Her gaze went to the bayou.
The gentle swirl of disturbed water highlighted the swish of the alligator’s tail as he swam away from his missed meal.
Aurelie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “That was close.”
“Too close,” Beau agreed, thinking not of the alligator but of how much he’d wanted to kiss her and nearly had. He scooped up the quiver of arrows and slung the strap over his shoulders. “Any idea who tossed you into the drink?”
She shook her head. “None. He was dressed all in black, including a black ski mask that covered his face and head. All I know is that he was big.”
Beau nodded. “I saw him. I wasn’t close enough to stop him from tossing you over the rail.”
“I thought I heard someone yell.” She stared down at the water again. “Normally, I’m a good swimmer. Not great, but good enough to get myself out of the water.” She turned her gaze to him, her brow wrinkling. “I couldn’t tell up from down until you brought me to the surface.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry if I fought you. For a moment, I thought you might be the guy who threw me in.”
“We made it out,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”
“I guess I’m lucky you were out on the boardwalk when you were.” The lines on her forehead deepened. “Why were you out here?”
“I followed you,” he said.
“Why?” she asked.
He thought fast. “That kiss,” he blurted.
She nodded. “Regrets?”
He shook his head, a smile teasing his lips. “No. Not at all. I wanted to apologize if I embarrassed you in public.” Which was true. He didn’t regret the kiss. It was the highlight of his otherwise almost disastrous evening.
She stared at him for a long moment. “You didn’t embarrass me,” she said. “However, you might have embarrassed my father.”
He looked away, his mouth twisting.
“He didn’t…” Aurelie touched his arm. “Did my father say something to you about it?”
Beau shrugged. “Nothing I wouldn’t expect from a father looking out for his daughter.”
“I’ll bet it was a little more than a comment. Knowing my father, he probably threatened you with a lawsuit for sexual harassment or something equally ridiculous.”
Beau’s eyes widened. “Really? I guess I must’ve gotten off light. I only got the verbal dressing down. No lawsuits or threats of a hitman.” He grinned.
Aurelie buried her face in her hands. “Geez. Now, it’s my turn to apologize.” She lowered her hands. “My father can be a bit overprotective. I’m surprised he hasn’t hired a bodyguard to follow me around.”
A stab of guilt hit Beau square in the gut. Now would be the time to own up to his real role in the night’s event. But he’d promised her father to keep that secret for now.
“Your father must love you a lot to look out for you like he is,” he said softly.
She turned away, her arms wrapping around herself again. “He’s been that way since my mother died. Even more so since he announced his reelection campaign.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” he said. “What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Aurelie looked over her shoulder. “She died in an automobile accident.” She turned away again. “I was in the same vehicle. She died, and I lived. You don’t know how many times I wished it had been me, not her. I told my father how I felt one time. He went ballistic. I’ve never told anyone how I felt since. People who haven’t lived through something like that don’t understand.”
Beau’s heart squeezed so hard in his chest that he could barely breathe. His eyes burned as he reached out, wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her back against his front. He didn’t say a word. Didn’t try to turn her to face him, afraid she’d see her emotions reflected in his eyes. Afraid she’d see his tears.
If he could, he’d take away her pain. If he could, he’d take the place of her mother. Die in her place to free Aurelie of the guilt she felt for living when her mother had died.
If he could, he’d take the place of all his teammates, his friends, his battle buddies who’d died in that helicopter crash.
Holding Aurelie in his arms, he began to realize he’d lived for a purpose. And that purpose was to keep this woman safe.
God, he was even more afraid than ever. Afraid he wouldn’t be enough to protect Aurelie Anderson.