Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

“He was real,” I swore. “The man who showed up at my apartment was my Jude. He was even sweet and charming for a little while after he woke up. He was teasing me and laughing. God, Bri. His laugh.” I smiled to myself and toyed with my mother’s diamond, which was hanging from my neck.

“I’m not trying to be negative here. But he was drunk. Men say stupid shit they don’t always mean when they’re drunk.”

“He. Was. Real,” I defended.

She sighed. “You know I love you. But I’d like to go on record as saying I think this is a bad idea.”

I pushed off the counter when the doorbell rang. “How can you say it’s a bad idea? I haven’t told you what I’m going to do yet.”

“Yeah, but we both know what you’re planning.”

After snagging a twenty out of my wallet for the delivery guy, I headed for the door. “You don’t know anything.”

“I know that you’re going to get your heart broken while trying to prove that the mysterious Jude Levitt isn’t really the dick who said you ruined his life.”

I barked a laugh. “Oh, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve accepted that Jude Levitt is the dick who said I ruined his life.” Tucking my phone between my shoulder and my ear, I swung the front door open as I said, “I just want to figure out who the hell the guy who showed up at my apartment on Friday night was.”

“What guy?” Johnson asked, holding a huge stack of boxes filled with bagels and muffins.

I squeaked at the same time Brianna yelled in my ear, “Mayday! Mayday!”

My whole body flashed solid as I feigned ignorance. “What guy?”

He twisted his lips and eyed me suspiciously. “That’s what I asked. What guy showed up at your apartment on Friday?”

Uh oh.

I laughed nervously and changed the subject. “I hope you tipped the delivery guy.” I lifted the top of the box and saw that the coveted chocolate croissant was missing and presumably already in his stomach.

“What guy?” he repeated sternly.

“Tell him we were plotting a new book,” Brianna whispered in my ear as if Johnson had supersonic hearing.

And this was Johnson we were talking about, so he might have.

I swallowed hard and pulled my shit together. Waving him off, I lied, “We were just plotting. What are you doing here?”

Brianna again whispered as she urged, “Now, ask him about the threesome with Devon.”

I coughed to cover my laugh. “Bri, I need to go. I’ll call you back tonight.”

“You better. I need to hear all about—”

Thankfully, I managed to hit the end button before she’d gotten his name out.

Shaking my head, I avoided Johnson’s gaze. “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were going to be back today.”

He ignored my question. “Listen, I don’t want you coming up this morning. Levitt’s in the office.”

Yes. But which one? The gentle guy who melted my insides on Friday night or the jerk from Saturday morning?

“Well, he does work there,” I smarted as I walked to the hall closet. Then I grabbed my puffy, pink coat and shrugged it on.

He stepped in front of me, blocking my way to the door, and stated definitively, “You’re not coming up.”

I fiddled with the zipper on my jacket. “When did it get so damn cold? I swear, last week, it was still shorts-and-flip-flops weather.”

“Rhion,” he snapped. “I have to leave in an hour. We can’t do the Jude thing this morning.”

No. An hour wouldn’t have been enough time to do his “Jude thing.” That being the one where I’d get nervous, ramble, and ultimately end up rushing back to hide in my apartment.

However, an hour was more than enough time for me to do my “Jude thing.” That being the one where I’d observe what he’s like sober and do a little detective work to decide who the hell he really is.

“Johnson,” I said in a patronizing tone. “I told you on the phone on Sunday I’m done stressing about Jude. He’s just a regular man.” With split personalities. “So what if we have a little, tiny smidge of a history together.” Where he saved my life and I’ve been obsessing about him for four years, meanwhile he thinks I ruined his life.

He shifted the pile of bakery boxes to balance on one of his bear-sized paws and then reached out to catch my arm.

I dodged him.

“Rhion,” he called behind me, but he was too late.

I was already out the door and heading to the elevator.

“Stop,” he growled.

“You know what? I haven’t worked out all week. I’m gonna take the stairs.”

“Rhion, fucking wait!” he ordered, fumbling with the boxes to get my door shut.

“See you upstairs,” I called right before the heavy, metal door of the emergency exit clicked behind me.

With the hurdle of getting past Johnson out of the way, I stopped at the first stair and sank to my ass. My nerves rolled and my lungs burned, the heavy burden of my life settling on my shoulders. I could do this though. What’s the worst he could say?

“His girlfriend back there ruined my life years ago.”

Oh, right.

But, the night before, it had been a murmured, “This is where you belong, Butterfly,” as he’d held me impossibly tight against his chest.

I tried to focus on that.

“It’s just Jude,” I breathed to myself and buried my face in my hands.

And then I flew to my feet when I heard, “April, do not start this shit with me,” snarled above me.

Oh God.

My heart lurched as the deep rumble of his voice echoed through the stairwell.

Turning to the side, I leaned back so I could see up to the landing at the top.

A navy suit covered his lanky frame, and a white dress shirt, sans a tie, showed through his unbuttoned jacket. His eyes were wrenched closed, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand while holding the phone to his ear with the other.

April? Is he married? Sweet Jesus, did I sexually assault a married man? Wait. He didn’t have a ring on. But maybe that is the “shit” she is starting with him. Does she know?

I kept watching him pace. And I’ll be damned if, even pissed off and possibly married, he wasn’t still gorgeous.

“Then drop her off with me,” he growled.

Her who? Does he have kids? Please, God, let it be a Pomeranian they share custody of.

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

Grunt.

Boom.

“Then change your fucking ticket! You pulled her out of school for three days. The least you could do is let her spend time with me. She has no business going to New York, and I don’t give a single fuck who Kevin knows in the city. You aren’t leaving her to sit in a hotel with a stranger.”

Nope. Probably not a Pomeranian. Were there little, green-eyed babies being left in hotels with strangers? And who the hell is Kevin?

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

He scoffed, “Pay for it?”

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

Pay for what? my mind screamed. Thankfully, my mouth remained closed and I leaned even farther to the side to keep him in my sights.

Movement in front of me caught my attention. Johnson stood in the doorway, still holding half of a bakery display in his arms and sporting a scowl that could make grown men cower. It just made me roll my eyes.

Waving my hands frantically, I shooed him away. “Go!” I mouthed urgently.