Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

“You gotta talk to him. I’ll make myself scarce and have Zach keep the cameras off so you two can talk in private, but you gotta do it.” Pulling the blanket down, he plucked my nipple. “I’ve got a meeting with Leo anyway.”

I swatted his hand away. “Don’t do that. I can’t be pissy with you fondling me.”

He chuckled, and another knock sounded at the door.

Rising to his feet, he said, “All right. You get up. I’ll don some armor, let Scrooge in, and get him situated with coffee. Then you can be as pissy as you want after I leave. He acts like a dick to you, I’m liable to do something that will get me permanently banned from family dinners.”

He walked to the door, but I stopped him right before he exited the room. “Hey, Jude?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, baby?”

“You know I love you, right?”

His face became soft as he turned all the way around. “Yeah. I know that.”

“And, if he never accepts our relationship, I’ll still always choose you.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, and you know that I don’t give two fucks what that man thinks about me, right? I would never ask you to choose between me and your family.”

I smiled as my stomach filled with butterflies—not the nervous kind though. The kind that show up when something feels so right that it’s almost scary.

Another, slightly louder knock came from the door, but Jude didn’t move.

“He’ll get over it, babe,” he said. “He’s gonna have to, because this, right here, between me and you is permanent. We’re gonna take our time growing it. But it’s gonna end with rings and babies and rocking chairs whether he approves or not.”

The butterflies suddenly stilled. And not because it wasn’t still the most perfectly right feeling in the world. But because, with Jude staring back at me, a sexy smile playing at his lips, and promises of the future fresh from his tongue, it was hard to be scared of anything.

“I love you, Jude.”

“I love you too. Now, put on some clothes before the old man freezes in the breezeway.” He winked and then walked away.

I didn’t immediately move.

In every person’s life, there are key moments that stick with them for a lifetime.

For me, they were my mother’s laugh when I’d run from the waves at the beach, the way my father’s eyes had lit every time I’d walked into a room, Apollo smiling at me from behind the prison glass, waking up inside that burning house, and hearing Jude’s voice yelling up at me after I’d given up on all hopes of survival.

And right then, staring at my bedroom door he’d walked out of, I added one more moment to the list that would forever be a part of my story.

It didn’t matter that he probably wouldn’t remember our conversation by dinnertime.

Nor did it matter that it wasn’t a grand gesture or some huge romantic sentiment. He hadn’t whispered words to my soul or dropped to his knee with a massive engagement ring.

It was so much better.

Jude had given me the realization that I was no longer alone in the world.

I had him. Permanently.

I should have gotten up and gone out to talk to Pete. Instead, I sat in the middle of my bed, opened my computer, and typed the very first words of my newest book.

My debut nonfiction. And yet, the greatest love story I’d ever write.





“Well, there she is,” Pete said twenty minutes later when I strolled out of the bedroom in jeans and a T-shirt.

I’d had to pry my fingers away from the keyboard, and I was already counting down the minutes until I could get back at it. One thing I’d learned over the years: When words were flowing, you didn’t interrupt them.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I lied.

“No problem. Jude just left.” He stood off the barstool and headed over to wrap me in a hug.

I returned it coolly.

“You’re mad,” he stated.

I bee-lined to the other side of the bar, straight to the coffee maker. “No. I’m hurt.”

“Rhion,” he sighed, but he didn’t say anything further.

I made quick work of putting my coffee together before facing him. Leaning against the counter, I asked, “Why are you here?”

His forehead crinkled as he straightened his tie and replied, “To see you.”

“You haven’t seen me in months.”

“I’ve been busy with work. Surely you remember how chaotic things get toward the end of the year.”

“But not too busy to come down here and act like a jerk to the man who has been taking care of me for the last few months.” I kept my gaze trained on him as I tipped the mug to my lips.

His shoulders fell as a flash of regret painted his face. “I wanted to apologize about that.”

“Did you apologize to Jude?”

With his hand shoved in his pocket, he slowly ambled around the counter toward me. “I did. And I’d like to make it up to you both tonight.”

I laughed. “No way am I signing up for that again. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my entire life, Pete. Jude has been nothing but good to me, and honestly, I don’t care that he punched you back at the hospital. I’m starting to think you probably deserved it.”

His jaw clamped shut, ticking at the hinge, but when he opened his mouth, his tone was gentle. “I probably did.”

I blinked, doing my best to keep my surprise under wraps.

He let out a ragged breath and stopped in front of me. “I’m sorry, okay?” He took the coffee mug from my hand and set it on the counter. “I’m struggling with you dating this guy. If it had been up to me after the fire, we would have wiped the floor with him in a civil suit for negligence. I honored your wishes back then and didn’t ever pursue anything. But that does not mean I ever forgave him for what he did to you.” He rested his hand on my forearm and allowed his thumb to carefully travel over the scars.

I gritted my teeth and tugged my arm away. “What he did to me is save my life. And this is the last time I will ever listen to you imply otherwise.”

He closed his eyes for a brief second, but when they popped open, resolve was dancing within. “He’s living here now, isn’t he?”

I turned and headed for the pantry, breakfast less on my mind than getting some space from him. “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”

“I saw more of his coats in the hall closet than yours when he left.”

“And…” I prompted, retrieving a box of granola I had no intention of eating.

“And I didn’t realize you were this serious with him.”

I rolled my eyes. “Pete, how many men have I ever introduced you to? Or, better yet, how many did I ever introduce Dad to?” I didn’t wait for him to reply. “One. Chad Gruber in eleventh grade. Dad told him that, if he ever touched me, he’d hire a hitman. Then he had Johnson put on a ski mask and abduct him from a soccer game just to prove he could.”

His lips twitched at the memory. “Your father was always much more creative than I was. That must be where you got it from.”