Lost in Distraction

Chapter Two



I follow Braxton out of the building and we turn left towards a small café on the corner of campus. I’ve never been here before, but it seems nice and casual. No overtures of grandeur or class that you would expect at an Ivy League school. We head towards a window table with two chairs. Nice and public, I breathe a sigh of relief. I should be safe here.

He pulls out my chair for me. “Would you like a menu?”

“Just a coffee will be fine, thanks. I shouldn’t really stay too long,” I answer, secretly impressed at his chivalrous display. He quirks his head to look at me and I suddenly feel self-conscious. It’s like this guy can see right through my act and it’s rather unnerving.

With a sigh and slight tone of disappointment, he asks, “What kind of coffee would you like?”

“A vanilla latte would be great, thanks,” I respond a bit too cheerfully. He gives me a knowing smile as he turns around and makes his way to the counter.

What is with this guy? How can a total stranger have such an effect on me. That smirk of his should be outlawed because I swear it is the work of the devil. I’m sure panties drop all around campus with just that one look.

He returns a short time later with two coffees and some biscotti. “Thank you,” I murmur. After putting my mandatory three sugars in my coffee, I glance up at him expectantly.

He sighs at me again, like I’m making this hard for him or something. “So, is this your first week here?”

“Mmm hmm,” I mutter. Damn, this is a good coffee.

“How are you finding it?”

“Good, so far. It’s totally different from high school.”

Wow. I think I’ve said more in the past five minutes that I’ve said to anyone in weeks and I only met this guy an hour ago! How did he do that?

We talk solidly for the next half an hour and the conversation seems to flow easily. It’s only when he receives a phone call that I stop and realize the time. We haven’t been talking about anything specific and we definitely haven’t started on the assignment, our supposed reason for the coffee.

“I’m sorry,” he says before taking the call. He walks away from the table, turning his back to me.

I can’t help but check out his profile. He’s wearing long dirty denim jeans that fit him way too well, sitting low on his waist, tighter around the hips and butt then loosening up down the leg and finished off with what look like a pair of chunky army boots. He almost looks too casual for campus, but on him it works. Looking back up I realize I definitely can’t complain about his ass—that thing looks firm enough to break glass!

I may be emotionally damaged, but I’m not completely immune.



Of all the times to get a phone call, it has to be when I finally have Elise talking.

All innocent banter and basic information sharing, but I’m starting to build a rapport. So far she’s told me about her old high school and how she is living in a one bedroom apartment off campus in a secure building which definitely makes my job of keeping her safe a little bit easier. Of course I know the facts of her life from her file, but I find myself genuinely interested in what she’s saying. I want to know what makes this girl tick, how being made an orphan at fifteen has affected her, but at the same time I also need to find out if she has any idea of the danger she may be facing.

The phone call is from my boss, wanting to know if I’ve made contact with the target. After a short replay of the morning’s events, we end the call quickly. I turn back towards the table and catch her quickly darting her eyes up to my face. I can’t hold in my grin at the fact that I totally just caught her looking at my ass. It seems she might not be as closed off as I thought.

“Sorry about that,” I say, taking my seat.

“That’s okay, but I really need to get going now.” I watch as she grabs her bag from the floor.

“So, can I get your number?” I ask.

Elise hesitates and I can tell she isn’t exactly comfortable giving it to me.

“You know, for the project and all,” I quickly reply, trying not to make it obvious that I want to see her again. This level of attraction is all new to me.

“Sure. I suppose we’re going to need to catch up at some point, maybe to actually talk about the assignment this time,” she says with a small smile.

“Great.” I hand her my phone so she can enter her number, then she hands hers over to me so I can reciprocate.

“Well it was nice meeting you, Braxton,” she says, turning towards the door.

“Wait, can I walk you to your next class?” I ask, sounding like an overeager puppy.

“I’m actually heading home until after lunch, but you can walk me there if you’d like?” she adds with a smile.

“Sounds great.”

I walk towards the front and open the door for her.

The call from Gibbons has left me concerned. He rang for an update, but also confirmed that Elise is definitely on the radar now and is in danger. I remind myself to ring my partner Shay and organize to have Elise’s apartment swept while she has classes this afternoon. We need to check whether they have made any moves against her.

Shay and I met in the Army when we were both nineteen and we quickly became best friends. We both joined to escape the direction our lives were going in; mine was heading into a life of crime and his was inching towards drugs. The army gave us a chance to start fresh and make something of our lives while defending our country.

I watch for someone tailing us as we walk back to her building. My mind is obviously elsewhere because I soon realize that Elise has asked me a question and is looking over at me expectantly.

“Sorry, I totally missed what you just said,” I say, embarrassed.

“So, how are you finding school?” she asks again.

“Uh, yeah. It’s great. It’s a bit weird being older than the rest of the freshmen, though. How about you?” I say, returning my full attention back to her. She deserves nothing less.

“It’s okay. Economics was my very first class, so I’ll let you know by the end of the week,” she says laughing.

I can’t help but smile at her. “You do that.”

She slows down outside a two-story apartment building just a few blocks from the coffee shop.

There is an awkward silence as we stand on the sidewalk. I can tell she is wondering what to do or say next just as much as I am so I decide to take the initiative. “Well, thank you for coffee. I really enjoyed myself,” I say honestly.

“Me too,” she says with a blush as she looks down at her feet.

“Do you want to meet up later in the week to work on the assignment?” I ask, hoping like hell she says yes.

“That would be great, Braxton. Do you want to text me with a time and place when you know your schedule?”

“Yeah, I’ll organize it all and let you know when and where. See you later, Elise,” I answer with a smile.

“Bye, Braxton.”

She turns to enter her building.

As I walk down the street, I think about our morning. So far she hasn’t given me any indication that she knows about the threats made against her, which is a good thing. I’d hate for her to draw back into her shell just as she has given me a chance to find a crack.

I’m also glad she has agreed to do the assignment with me. To be honest, I don’t have a clue about Economics and am going to need to study up this week. I may not be a bona fide student, but I need to make sure I at least stay on top of my classes and don’t raise suspicions. I’m enrolled purely as a cover so that I can get close to Elise. I need to be close for the job so that I can keep her safe, but there is a voice inside telling me she may just become very important to me.

That honestly scares the shit out of me.

Due to the work I do and the inconvenient hours I keep, I have not had much time for women in the past, but Elise Halliwell has my full attention now. She had it the moment I opened that file.

She is like a spark that is missing an ignition and I feel an overwhelming need to be there when she fires.