Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

But on Jude? Sweet baby Jesus in a manger.

My mouth dried as I raked my eyes over the hard planes of his chest displayed through the tight cotton. My nipples peaked, and it had not one thing to do with the rush of cold air that wafted in around him.

“Brianna, I have to go,” I said before hanging up without tearing my gaze off Jude—or his incredible chest.

“You got the necklace,” he said, stepping inside.

My hand immediately went to the chain as I stared up at him. “Thank you so much. It was really sweet of you to get it fixed for me,” I all but panted.

“You are very welcome. Now, stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

He chuckled and slipped a hand around my back at the same time he touched his lips to my forehead. “Like I’m gonna need a hell of a lot more time to kiss you than I’ve got.”

My stomach dipped. Twice.

First in anticipation of that kiss.

Second in disappointment that it didn’t sound like he had much time.

The latter must have shown on my face, because he laughed and tucked my hair behind my ear.

“Wow. Don’t look at me like I just told you there was no Santa Claus, either.”

“I thought we were hanging out tonight?”

He grinned and traced the tips of his fingers down one of my arms. “We are. But you need to grab a coat. Change of plans. Due to the snow being predicted for tomorrow, the furniture store is working overtime to get all the scheduled deliveries out tonight or they can’t get me rescheduled until Monday. Trust me when I tell you I need a bed. My back is not going to make it another night on an air mattress.

Panic blasted through my system. “But we agreed to stay in tonight.”

He cocked his head to the side and drawled, “Yeah. But things changed. And I gotta be home in thirty minutes and it’s a twenty-minute drive. So we gotta get a move on. Grab whatever the hell smells so good and let’s take it to my place.”

The tingles started in my hands, and from experience, I knew, if they made it to my legs, I’d crumble.

Breathe, Rhion.

Jude’s beautiful face contorted with concern. “Jesus Christ, Rhion,” he said, folding his arms around me. “What the hell?”

Sawing my teeth over my bottom lip, I allowed his warmth to beat back the ice coursing through my veins. “I…I thought you were going to hang out here.”

“I was. But then the furniture store called. Now, tell me what this is really about.”

I couldn’t though. Not without explaining it all.

Thankfully, he offered me my out.

“Is this about your stepmom?”

“Yes,” I lied into his chest.

“You scared she’s still in town?”

“Yes.” Another lie.

He sighed and kissed the top of my head. “I talked to Johnson yesterday, babe. She’s gone. Leo tracked her until her plane landed at JFK.”

Shit. “I…would feel more comfortable…if…”

“Look at me,” he ordered.

But the last thing I wanted to do was to give him my eyes. He’d see the truth. And, worse, if I had to lie to his face, I feared the truth would come tumbling out…in chapters.

When I didn’t look up, he gave me no choice. He caught my chin with two fingers and tilted my head back.

“I know you’ve had a rough few weeks,” he said gently. “First with me coming here and stirring up shit from the past. And then with Margaret showing her ass by bringing up your brother. But you’re safe with me, Rhion. That is one thing I can swear to you.”

And, deep down, I knew that too. After all, he’d saved my life once. I had no doubt he’d do it again. But, sometimes, my mind was my worst enemy.

Jude continued. “My job is to protect people. Those people expect me to put my own life in the line of danger in order to keep them safe. And I absolutely would. Those are people who pay me. People I don’t give a damn about.” His fingers swept down my neck and traced over my collarbone before traveling to the subtle line of exposed cleavage, sending a shiver down my spine and a spark to my core. “And, Butterfly, I don’t think I have to point out that those people are not you. There are no limitations to the lengths I will go to make sure you are safe. I lost you to the flames once. It won’t happen again. Not a man, a woman, or a natural disaster could get past me when it comes to you.”

My breath hitched, but it was no longer because of the panic. It was because, as I held his gaze, I knew he meant those words with every fiber of his being, right down to the marrow in his bones.

I also knew something else. “You didn’t lose me to the flames.”

“I did.” His fingers stopped tracing my cleavage and moved to one of the larger scars that ran over my left breast. “And I’ll never be able to make that right. All I can do is make you understand that it won’t happen again. You’re safe with me, Rhion. It’s a truth. A fact. And a promise.”

A flutter hit my stomach.

His hand shifted up to cup my jaw, his thumb stroking the curve. “If you don’t feel comfortable with leaving, I’ll understand. You can stay here. I’ll go wait for my furniture and come back later, or maybe we can reschedule for tomorrow night.”

The disappointment settled heavily on my shoulders. I didn’t want to reschedule. I’d been waiting a lot of years for a night with Jude. And over a week for another night with this different, real version of him.

Technically, he was a trained bodyguard. Leo never would have hired him if he wasn’t one of the best in the business. But…

No.

I refused to allow the “buts” to rule my life when it came to him. And not because he was Jude. Rather because he was a man I liked, he made me laugh, and I felt comfortable with him.

We shared the same scars.

I wanted to get to know him and see if our connection could evolve into something bigger. And, in order to find that out, I needed to pull a coat on, go to his house, and eat a freaking delicious homemade chicken pot pie.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ll come back—”

“No,” I blurted. “I’ll just…grab my coat.”

His smile grew wide. “I like that decision, babe.”

I did too. Even if it terrified me.

As we moved around my apartment, preparing to go, my mind checked out.

Panic scrambled my thoughts, leaving me unable to focus on more than one moment at a time.

Bile burned my throat as I armed my security system with shaky hands.

Jude’s strong hand reassuringly rested on my back while he pretended not to notice.

My eyes watered as I stepped onto the elevator, clutching my purse to my chest like a shield.

With one hand balancing a pan of pot pies, Jude used his other to hook me into his side—where his lips found the top of my head and he mumbled, “I’ve got you.”

It was only the sound of his voice that kept me from losing it as the elevator door slid open to the parking garage.