Chapter Three #2
I’ was typing into the other phone, talking to one of our office guys, who had already dispatched a local bodyguard.
“I live twenty or so minutes from you.”
I moved through the house, picking up my handgun and tucking it into the back of my jeans before returning to the door. Adrenaline coursed through my veins at the thought of her in danger. And I hadn’t been there.
I wanted to slap myself. Of course I hadn’t been there. A few hours ago, I’d been more than a little intent on making sure I never saw this woman again.
And now, fuck, I was sweating. What had happened?
That little pinkie touch? The way that she’d sagged in my hold, her blue eyes so completely trusting.
Fuck. My cock was perking up at the thought of her coming back, and somehow, I might get a chance to defend this woman from something that scared her.
I knew there was no way that my people would let anyone nefarious follow her back here, but still, I knew I would be sleeping with a gun under my pillow for the foreseeable future.
Maybe Gia needed to sleep with me too. That way I could keep her close.
I groaned, shoving a hand down over the cock that continued to thicken as I considered the idea that I was going to be able to swoop this woman up in my arms when she got here. I was not taking any other response as a possible answer.
The minute she was here would be the first moment she was mine.
I moaned.
“Colton? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” I rasped at her, forcing my thoughts from the gutter and back to the woman on the line with me. “You’re going to be fine.”
“There’s someone behind me. Is that—are they your friends?”
I nodded and then realized she couldn’t see that. “They are. Just make sure that you get back to the cabin safely.”
“Okay.” Gia sniffled. “Colton, what the heck am I going to do?”
I leaned against the wall. “You’re going to come back here to me, and I’m going to make sure you stay safe while some of my crew sweeps your house and local cameras.”
She sniffed again.
Something in my chest tugged. “Baby, listen to me. No one is going to hurt you on my watch. Now, why don’t you tell me who you think did this? Because I can hear it in your words that you know. Or at least you think you know.”
“You can’t know that.”
I smiled. “I can. I’ve been doing this a long time. If it had been a stranger or completely unexpected, most people would’ve been angry or even frustrated at their home being hit. But you, you were scared of someone. And you called me right off the bat.”
“I did.”
“Good girl. Now tell me about them.”
Her rattling sigh filled the phone line.
“My event planning business failed last year. Or at least that version of it did. I’d been focused in on the wedding niche and while it was always a beautiful final product, it was hard to do solo.
Then my business partner and I hit it off during the pandemic, and our portfolio was so similar that it made sense to work together, you know? ”
I made a soft, agreeable noise in my throat, loud enough that she could hear. I could already sense where this was going, but at the same time, I was starving for more information about this woman.
“We had already rebranded our partnership and signed several amazing vendors around town. I was hard at work. My background is in graphic design, so that worked right in. But she was supposed to be managing the business itself. We were booked for months in advance, and I could actually afford to breathe for the first time in years. It wasn’t until months later that I realized that she had no idea how to do any of it, or maybe that she never intended on trying.
And worse than that, she refused to talk about it.
She shut down completely. Suddenly, I had no business, no money, no future, no nothing. ”
“What did you do?”
“Well, I started taking on clients as a nanny. It was easy when I’d already been so involved with the local event scene. But when she disappeared along with all of their deposits and trust…there was nothing I could do but apologize a hundred times over.”
I heard a blinker over the phone. She was getting closer.
“One of my client families, they were really good and managed to pull a ton of detail together. She said it shouldn’t just be me paying all these people back for the clothing they ordered.
That my partner needed to do her part. After a few weeks, we had enough that I could sue her for rights to our products, my banking information, even the small office space that we’d been working out of.
She had closed all of that without my permission. ”
“When did that happen?”
Gia sighed. “Last week.”
I growled. “Then she has gone too far.”
I half-expected her to deny it. Or maybe to try to protect her friend. But instead, she just agreed with me, her voice soft. “Yes, she has.”
“People like her cannot be trusted when they are pushed too far. It was smart of you to call me.”
“I could see it, Colton. I think she would hurt me and not blink twice about any of it.”
I hated that. I hated that she’d ever met that woman or that she’d ever been scared or hurt by any of this. I wanted to pull her into my arms and keep her safe.
Tension bracketed my shoulders.
“How far?” I didn’t bother offering more details.
“Two miles,” Gia responded quietly.
“Gia…” I swallowed, trying to figure out what to tell her. That I was going to fall on her like a starving man if she would allow it. And that all my earlier concerns were really just the ramifications of my inner self being petrified about what this woman evoked in me.
“I’m pulling in,” she said, her voice suddenly louder, more excited.
I didn’t even bother saying goodbye. I simply hit the End button, pushed the phone into my pants pocket, and jerked the door open.
There she was. The same small sedan. The same beautiful face looking out the driver’s-side window.
But this time, she was saying my name. I didn’t need the phone to know that.
I could see it in the swell of her pretty pink lips.
I came barreling down the stepping-stones and opened the car door. A moment later, she was in my arms, her legs locking tight around my waist. My other arm was tight under her ass just as I felt the quick panting of breath against my neck. The sweet thing was completely terrified.
“Shhh. I got you, baby,” I soothed, turning my face into the mass of hair that had gotten even more wild since she left earlier tonight.
She nodded, a soft whimper escaping as I moved us back up the slope of the grounds to the front door.
Two steps, and we were inside, the warmth and light spilling over us.
I thought she might cower away from my touch now that the immediate danger was no longer a concern. But if anything, she held on tighter. I placed my handgun down on the sofa table and carefully moved my other hand back to run up and down her spine, feeling the soft tremble in her body as I did.
“Some men are about to walk in here, but they’re with me. All right?”
Gia’s barely audible “Okay” was spoken directly into my throat. Pleasure at being her safe space washed over me.
I turned, carrying her with me to the door, which I swung open to reveal my guy on the other side. He took one look at the woman wrapped around me and looked straight down.
“You girlfriend, Marlatt?”
“My business, my woman. What can you tell me?”
Riley Hawk, another veteran member of the Lock and Key team, gave me a quick nod. “Of course. I left Vann there, but she’d better stay here for a few days. The interior seems pretty torn up. Police should be there at any moment, and they’ll conduct a full investigation.”
“What about Key? Does he know yet?” I asked, reaching up to cup my hand behind Gia’s head, pressing her safely against me.
Riley shook his head. “I’m leaving that one to you.” He gave me a small smile. “I didn’t think I’d be heading out on a stakeout tonight. But I’m happy to help.”
“Thanks, man.” I nodded once, feeling oddly emotional.
“Like I said…” Riley stepped away. “Happy to help. I’m glad you took some time to do something nice for yourself.”
He nodded with meaning to the woman in my arms and then ducked back out into the night. I juggled Gia for a moment, making sure that she was secure, before flipping all the switches and locks on the door. Then I moved to the security panel and turned on the alarm system.
“This secures the entire house, and Riley will close the gate at the driveway as he passes through.”
Gia pulled back just a little. “I’m putting you through so much trouble.”‘
Without thinking, I pulled a hand back and then snapped my wrist forward, slapping Gia’s ass where I held it against my body.
She jumped, her body catching against mine in surprise.
I saw just the flash of something across her pretty features before I forced myself to move towards the back of the cabin.
“Let’s get you cleaned up. Everyone looks better after a nice hot shower.”
I didn’t look at her as I walked, and while I was not expecting an invitation, I couldn’t deny that I was thinking of just how excited I was to reach the stage with this woman where I could be allowed in.
Not just for the bubbles and the hot water, but for the up-against-the-tile fucking that would no doubt follow.
“That sounds good,” Gia finally said as we stopped in front of the small bathroom. There was a door on one end that led straight to my bedroom. I put her down, waiting until she gave me a small smile, even if it was shaky, before I stepped away.
“This is my room; I’m going to unlock it tonight. I know you’ve had a rough go of it, and I can’t have you fainting on me tonight.”
Gia stood alone now, her hands clasped in front of her belly as she stared at me. “We definitely don’t need that.”
Seeing a twinge of awkwardness leeching back into her face, I quickly moved through the bathroom, setting out an extra towel, a spare loofah, and then rolling out a smaller towel against the tile floor. I didn’t want her to slip when she got out.
“There you go,” I said.
Gia’s pale face was directed straight to the floor. “Thank you so much, Colton. I’m so sorry. This has got to be the biggest pain in the ass. I don’t understand why you’re doing any of this.”
I stepped up, ignoring the warning in my heart as I placed my hand under her chin and tipped her face up to my gaze.
“Gia…” I leaned in, waiting for her to look at me. “Look at me, baby.”
Finally, those baby blues snapped up to meet mine. “I will never be all right with you being in danger, but I can’t deny that I feel like fate is giving me another chance.”
“Another chance?”
Heat pulsed in my veins, nearly blocking out all other sounds. “To do this.” And then, as gently as I could, I leaned in and pressed my mouth against the softness of her lips. Gia was perfectly still under me, against me, her lips soft and a little parted as I kissed her.
I pulled away, my heart hammering in my ears. I needed to get her into the shower. I needed to get her settled, to know she was safe and to make her understand that she was safe with me. Always. “Baby…”
But I couldn’t get another word out. Not when Gia suddenly tucked herself up against me, her needy mouth pressing first a kiss against my throat, then my jaw, and then right against my lips.