Chapter 3
Nina felt sick. And a little mad that the universe was attacking her from all angles today. What had she done? Her entire life she’d made good choices, made her parents proud, and cultivated good friends in her personal and business life.
Ugh. She really did take the good-girl thing to new heights.
At least here on the island.
Her gaze tangled with the man standing in front of Jess’s desk. What she did in Charleston was supposed to stay in Charleston. Thankfully, she wasn’t on the verge of tears. Crying or puking in front of her new official protector would be the worst kind of embarrassment.
Because he wasn’t a stranger. She might not have known his name, but she’d learned his body well enough.
Her cheeks were hot as the memories rushed back and she felt conflicted. Thinking about one of the best dates in her life was way better than the unsettling idea of being targeted by an escaped felon.
The man standing there, pretending he didn’t know her at all, had given her one of the best dates of her life. Not to mention the soul-shaking pleasure .
And she’d been too afraid to stick around. Her feelings had been too big and sharp to be real. The emotions had tested her and she’d failed, certain that he would want more than she could give.
Fearful that if she’d stayed, she wouldn’t be able to walk away.
She pressed a hand to her queasy stomach and he tracked the motion, his eyebrows snapping together over his slightly crooked nose. “Are you all right?”
That nose. Why did she find it so appealing? He was handsome, with a rugged edge that just spurred a bone-deep longing. His interesting features were addictive. She’d been right to walk out before she lost herself in him.
“Nina?”
The way he said her name sent a shiver straight through her. She waved off the question. “I’m fine. This… None of this is...” She needed to pull herself together and follow his lead as he stood here treating her like a stranger. “It’s just been a hell of a day and it’s not even noon.”
“And there’s more to do,” Jess interjected.
Boone gestured toward the chair and urged her to take a seat. She might have been offended, but she was too weary to bother.
Logan, the man who had escorted her back to the island, looked to Jess. “Anything more for me?”
“Not right now,” Jess replied. “If you could keep us in the loop on any progress they make in recovering the prisoner, that would be great.”
“Easy enough,” Logan said. “Take care, Nina.” He turned to Boone and jerked his chin toward the door. It must’ve been some kind of protector code, because Boone followed him outside.
She watched them go, testing his name in her head. Boone . The unique name suited him .
Far more appropriate than “hot guy with excellent skills in bed”. She snorted. Untimely, but the amusement eased some of the tension.
“Tell me how you’re doing,” Jess said. “The truth.”
“I’ve had better mornings,” Nina admitted. “I didn’t mean to stir up trouble.”
“You were helping,” Jess said. “That’s important. Why were you taking a delivery to Charleston?”
Nina reminded herself that her future sister-in-law was on her side. Her previous career as a police officer and her current work in security made her an expert in asking questions. “We had last-minute funeral orders come in.” She checked her watch. “There were additional local orders, plus the fresh flowers for the weekly Pelican contract. It was the easiest solution.”
“So you weren’t meeting anyone else while you were in the city?”
Nina pressed her lips together. Jess meant well and right now Nina needed help to prevent her family from overreacting to the incident. “No. I got up early, made the arrangements for the service, and I delivered the arrangements to the church. After that, well.” How to explain? “It was such a gorgeous morning that it felt life-affirming to take a walk along the Battery.”
“I get it.” Jess studied her with an intensity that probably left suspects quaking. “Can you walk me through what happened?”
Nina would rather discuss how and when she might get her cell phone back. “I heard a scream. Kind of a shriek.” The mother’s panic was seared into her memory. “When I turned around a minivan was driving straight at me.” She lifted her arm, as she explained. “I held up my phone and started taking pictures. Well, apparently, I was taking a video. I was too far away to help the woman screaming and I certainly couldn’t do anything to stop the car. In the moment it seemed like the right solution. ”
“It was. Definitely,” Jess assured her.
“Except now I’m in some kind of danger and the police are holding my phone as evidence,” Nina said. She sounded petulant and it annoyed her.
“We can get you another phone, no problem.”
“Do I really need a protector?”
Jess came around and dropped into the chair Boone had vacated. “Maybe it’s overkill, but I don’t want to take any chances. The Charleston police believe he’s dangerous and you were near the car with the shop logo.”
True. She’d been trying to ignore that detail. “I saw Nash’s truck down the street. Was he here? Does he know?”
“Yes and yes,” Jess replied.
Nina appreciated her candor. Jess’s no-nonsense approach comforted her.
“He also met Boone.”
That was no comfort at all. As if summoned, the door opened and the man himself walked back into the office.
“We need to come up with a reason for Boone to suddenly be a fixture in your life,” Jess said.
Because no one in town would believe that Nina could draw or hold the attention of a hot sexy man like him. No, folks around here were far more likely to believe she’d become infatuated with him.
“A fixture?” she asked, when Jess’s words sunk in.
“Yes.” Boone’s rumbly reply caught her full attention. Infatuation was a serious possibility whether she liked it or not. “As your protector I’ll be around twenty-four-seven.”
That should not excite her. “All right.” She would have ample time to apologize for running out on him. She could do that. He deserved an apology, especially since she didn’t want to explain her reasons .
“Nash nixed the possibility of using a romantic cover story,” Jess was saying.
“Why?”
Her defensiveness came through loud and clear. Too bad. She was edgy after the roller coaster morning and she wasn’t up for nonsensical big-brother opinions on her personal life. “Let me guess. He doesn’t think I date?”
Somehow, she managed to keep her eyes away from Boone, although their singular night didn’t qualify as dating. He’d been a hookup. She didn’t regret it, not for a single minute, but she’d never expected to see him again.
“Nash said your mother would never believe that you didn’t mention a significant date or tell her that you were getting serious with someone,” Boone informed her.
She peeked at him and nearly caught a chill from his ice-cold gaze. A few weeks ago, those same eyes had sparkled with humor and then blazed with desire. For her.
Living on an island she really should know better than to burn bridges.
“Why can’t your sudden appearance be proof that I am involved with someone?” She was an adult and entitled to any and all romantic liaisons she wanted to enjoy. Then again, she was a business owner in a small town and her associations, romantic or otherwise, were subject to scrutiny at any given time.
Boone lingered in the doorway, his hands tucked into his pockets and his stoic expression unreadable. What if the stranger thing wasn’t an act? Maybe he didn’t recognize her? Good grief, how mortifying. And, if true, it would be the cherry on top of her awful morning.
Nina sighed, thoroughly humiliated. “My brother isn’t wrong.” She shot Jess a look. “I’ll deny it if you tell him.” Annoyed or not, it was better to deal with it now than get stuck in a lie later.
Nina looked up at Boone once more. “I called Jess because I don’t want my family to worry.” She focused on Jess. “Have I put them in danger too?”
“Well, the carjacker is an escaped felon. We’re gathering more intel,” Jess told her. “But the police are concerned. They wouldn’t be if they didn’t have a good reason.”
Nina had no business whining about it. It had been a crappy day, but she wasn’t a victim. Not really. The mother whose baby was in that van was the real victim. She was grateful those two were quickly reunited.
“He dropped off the baby.”
“One smart move doesn’t make him a good guy,” Jess said. “The man saw you recording. And he’s been in prison, and clearly doesn’t want to stay there.”
“So wouldn’t he just get out of town?” Nina asked. “Isn’t that the most logical option?”
“This is a criminal, Nina. He’s unpredictable right now. Whether or not he’s logical remains to be seen. The police wouldn’t have warned you the way they did if they weren’t worried about his next move.”
“But I don’t need a bodyguard,” Nina protested. Definitely not the man Jess had assigned to the task. “I’ll just stay here on the island. I have enough friends here that I don’t have to go anywhere alone.”
Jess gave her a long look. “Mm-hm. And would those friends be qualified to protect you in case you come under attack?”
No . “Isn’t there safety in numbers? ”
“There can be,” Jess allowed. “This man is a wild card. Until I know more, let’s be cautious. Please. Odds are better if there is a trained bodyguard in the equation.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Boone said.
That sounded like a vow. Deep down, she wanted to cling to it. Add in the intense look in his eyes and her pulse skipped, her thoughts scattered. She couldn’t recall her best argument as memories of his lips against her skin flooded her mind.
She cleared her throat, focused on Jess. “Okay,” she said, resigned. “But even if I had a new boyfriend, he wouldn’t be with me twenty-four-seven. That’s crazy. And if we came up with an excuse for him to hang around the shop, there’s no reason for him to be around me personally.”
“I do know how to be discreet,” Boone said, clearly offended.
She snorted. “Not a chance.” He was not the kind of man people overlooked.
The night they’d met, women and men had been checking him out with good reason. In fact, she had been a little shocked that he’d shown an interest in her.
“Are you working on other projects around town?” Boone asked. “Do you have any community interests or small remodeling projects? Hell, I could probably pull off some web design as long as no one’s checking my work too closely.”
She shook her head. “My website is fine. The shop is fine. My assistant and I, along with my delivery driver, can manage the business on the island. The biggest community thing I’m involved in is bringing in some fresh bands for the music festival.” She looked to Jess and shrugged. “Who knows if the committee will agree. Though they usually find a good balance. ”
“Please,” Jess said. “It’s one band in particular. Boone was working security for them a few weeks ago. I know you were crushing on one of the lead singers.”
Nina had never been more thankful for her olive complexion that hid embarrassment fairly well. “There’s a reason they call him a front man,” Nina stated with as much dignity as she could muster. “And yes, I was a little enamored.”
Boone’s eyebrows lifted and a smile teased those talented lips. “He’s got plenty of charisma.”
Nina couldn’t argue that. But once she’d seen Boone—quiet, inscrutable, and so damn sexy—her attention had shifted to him. The man she had pegged as an avid fan like her had apparently been much more.
And she hadn’t put it together. Maybe he could blend in and be more discreet than she thought. She had questions for him. Questions she couldn’t ask in front of Jess.
“Nina, this surely won’t be more than a few days,” Boone said, pulling her attention once more. “What if we pretend I’m a contractor you’ve brought in for a consult or something?”
“I don’t think so.”
“An evaluation? I’ll come over and take a look around. You can introduce me to whoever you need to introduce me to. We’ll say you filled out a form or something. If there’s nothing for me to work on around your shop, then we can make an excuse that I’ll find a project for you at home.”
“Are you any good at building things or repairing things?”
“I have a few skills.”
The spark in his eye convinced her he’d said it on purpose, to get under her skin and remind her of that night .
“And a contractor’s license handy? Because I live and work in the town center. Any work I do in that building must be permitted.”
“No permit needed to take a look,” he countered. “And that would give me time to assess how best to protect you or close up any gaps a criminal might exploit.”
She couldn’t suppress the shiver. Better to blame it on the threat than the bodyguard, even if she knew the truth.
“He’s here to help, Nina,” Jess said. “Let’s start there and let the story grow.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, suddenly wary.
“Two people meet, find common ground, and mutual attraction,” Jess said. “Happens every day. If they’re lucky, they go on a few dates and it becomes something more.”
Nina wanted to roll her eyes at Jess’s rose-colored outlook. How rosy would that outlook be if she knew about the one-night stand? Maybe she should just confess it all and allow Jess to bring in a different bodyguard.
“She’s right,” Boone chimed in. “Why wouldn’t I be inspired to ask you out? To romance you?”
Nina did not want to go down this path. Not many of the men she had dated in the last year had an inkling of how to romance a woman. At least they didn’t understand what romance meant to her.
“I don’t see that working.” She caught Jess’s eye once more. “If you’re worried enough to assign a personal bodyguard, then we should just tell my parents what’s really going on. Better if we’re all prepared and alert for the potential risks.”
“I’ll make it clear you don’t need them to hover,” Jess promised.
“Thanks.” She tipped her head toward Boone. “I’m sure he’ll do enough of that.”
“Like a professional,” he said with pride .
Of course. He was the professional and she was just the worn-out person stuck in an awkward situation.
“This is probably for the best,” Jess said. “Your mom would be more concerned about a relationship moving too fast anyway.”
“Right again,” Nina agreed. At the very least, making the decision meant she could get out of here. With Boone in tow, obviously. But they needed to clear the air and that was best done without an audience.
She loved Jess, but there were hurdles she wasn’t willing to leap right this second. Admitting she knew Boone from a one-night stand was a biggie.