Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

I was stacking a pile of books in the crook of my arm when I caught sight of Jude’s bag in the corner of my room. He was spending the night. Again. Only, this time, he’d be doing it in my bedroom instead of the ocean room. And, this time, I’d make it a night he wouldn’t be able to forget.

Which was exactly why I was clearing out all things fictional-Jude from my room in order to make space for the real thing. I’d had Johnson help me carry the shelf that usually stood proudly in my living room to my bedroom last week in case Jude decided to make another impromptu four a.m. appearance. But, now, my book babies that I liked to keep on display would need to be moved again.

Barefoot, I padded down the hall to the third bedroom and set them on the shelf I’d cleared in my giant built-ins that lined every inch of the walls. When I’d originally approved the floor plan, it was supposed to be my office. However, when my tattoo guy told me he needed a more hygienic workstation than a chair at my dining room table, it then became his office. It was okay; I’d written some of my best works cuddled up under a blanket in bed anyway.

I’d just gotten my paperbacks settled on the top shelf when I heard a knock at my door. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was only noon. A flurry of anxiety stirred inside me. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and after the fiasco with my stepmom, I couldn’t be too safe.

It was Wednesday. Zach would be in the security room.

I looked up at the ceiling and called, “Zach?”

A second later, his voice came through the speakers. “It’s Levitt at the door, Rhion.”

Then I heard him chuckle as I sprinted at full speed to the front door.

Sliding to a stop, I sucked in a deep breath and took inventory of how I looked. Hair in a ponytail, black leggings, and an oversized, yellow T-shirt I’d thrown on after I got out of the shower. No bra. Crap! Oh well. He’d seen me without a bra that morning, and he’d seemed to like it quite a bit. Having my new man working upstairs, where he could stop by at any moment, was going to drastically change my morning routine.

My grin couldn’t have gotten any wider as I snatched the front door open.

I lied.

It got wider—exponentially—as Jude’s eyes drifted down to my boobs.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Rhion,” he cursed, tugging me against his chest with one hand while he dug his phone out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear. Then he barked, “Tell Zach to turn the cameras off. Now.”

Uh oh. My body locked up tight. Jude knew there was security in my apartment. I should have known that it was only a matter of time before he found out. All the guys knew. But he didn’t exactly seem thrilled about it.

“Right,” he snapped. “From here on out, you see me walk in this door, they go off immediately. I’ll check in when I leave.”

I was lost in thought about which of those rat-bastards had tattled on me when Jude lowered his phone and pressed his lips to the top of my hair.

“I’m not in this apartment, you wear a fucking bra. You got it, Butterfly?”

My stomach fluttered, and I looked up at him. “Are you being sweet and rude in the same sentence?”

“No. What I’m being is dead serious. Zach is a single, thirty-four-year-old man.” He moved a hand up my side and then pushed in until his thumb raked across my nipple.

I gasped.

“He’s got a zoom button, Rhion. I can guarantee they’ve been zoomed in on these a time or two. Do me a favor. Put on a bra. And don’t make me kill him next time I see him at the office.”

Pushing up onto my toes, I brushed his lips with mine. “To answer my question: Yes, you were being sweet and rude in the same sentence. To answer your question: Yes, I can put on a bra when you are not in my apartment so you don’t have to put on a loin cloth and pound your chest before killing Zach.” I kissed him chastely. Then I finished with, “Besides, I need him alive. He gives great Christmas gifts. He thinks I work in IT, so he gives me really cool gadgets.”

Jude glowered as he stepped into my apartment and shut the door. “That’s another thing. I need to know what you actually do for work. And none of the bullshit pieces of you. I need the truth.”

I twisted my lips and attempted to change the subject. “What are you doing here? Couldn’t stay away from me?” I winked, but his face didn’t soften.

“I’m reporting for duty.”

“Say what?”

He placed his hand at the small of my back and subtly guided me over to the couch.

I felt it immediately. His palm never came flush with my back. It was just his fingertips and the heel of his hand. It was wrong.

It was the way Johnson touched me when we were out: practiced and professional.

I arched away from his sterile touch and turned to face him. “What are you talking about? Reporting for duty?”

“Have a seat, Rhion.”

I shook my head, and my voice grew agitated. “Damn it. Tell me what you mean.”

He didn’t delay in catching me at the back of my neck and giving it a reassuring squeeze before pinning me with his gaze. “Calm down. Nothing to get upset about.”

I shifted my focus between his eyes, noticing for the first time that they contained tiny flecks of gold around the edges, but it was the calming effect they had on me that surprised me the most. All at once, my tense body relaxed.

“There ya go,” he praised, and then his hand once again landed on my back, but it was Jude’s hand: warm, reassuring, protective, possessive. “Come on, babe,” he purred, walking with me to the couch.

I curled into the corner and pulled my legs up beneath me as he sat sideways to face me, his arm running across the top behind me.

Close. Attentive. Secure.

“Jude,” I prompted when he didn’t say anything.

“Johnson gave me the low points about Apollo.”

Uh oh.

This would definitely explain the coolness with which he’d touched me. He knew the truth.

“I…uh…”

He shifted closer and whispered, “Baby, why didn’t you tell me last night that you don’t like to leave your apartment?”

“Um, because it’s crazy. And I really don’t want you to think I’m crazy,” I confessed.

He smirked. “You told me you’re an aquatic veterinarian to the stars, you have an ocean room, and you full-ass Thanksgiving. I already know you’re a little crazy, Rhion.”

“Okay, let me amend my statement: I don’t want you to think I’m a lot crazy.”

“Then explain it. That’s all you ever have to do with me. I’m not sure what your aversion to conversation is, but if you want the truth, that is the only thing I find a lot crazy about you.”

My heart raced as I considered actually telling Jude about my past. But there was an undeniable part of me that wanted him to know. And I wanted him to stay. To understand me in ways that no one else did.

“Apollo follows me,” I whispered.

“I know.”

I swallowed hard. “He was there the night you showed up at the bar. He walked in behind you.”

His eyes turned dark, but his face filled with understanding. “That’s why you ran?”

“I lost it, Jude. I do every time I see him. He set me on fire. He wanted me dead. He still wants me dead.”

“Rhion,” he said in the same placating tone Johnson used any time we talked about the fire. “He was in jail. There’s no way he started the fire.”