Logan
Once my heart got involved it was time to let someone else take over the job. When emotions came into the mix, I was no good to Maya and I couldn’t fathom my slip causing her any harm. With my focus shifted, I lost the edge I needed to stay in control of the situation or any that might arise. I would say that I was ashamed or disappointed in my behavior but the chance to meet a woman like her didn’t happen often.
Of course, I would still never let anything happen to her and that was why I had agreed to accompany her back to LA and stay with her. Not knowing how long I would be out there, I packed a couple bags with everything I would need for at least a month.
“Go through the fridge and grab everything you will eat. I have an extra-long ice chest that fits into the container in the back of my truck, we can fill it. There’s a lot in my pantry too.” If I was going to be staying with her, the least I could do was contribute groceries—healthy items that she probably never purchased knowing her love of junk food.
“I can’t believe you don’t have frozen items. And no ice cream. That’s a crime.”
“I hate to admit it and I hope it’s not a deal breaker…” I hesitated knowing she would most likely be outraged. “I’ve never really been a fan.”
“Oh no! Don’t say that! I’m not sure I can truly trust anyone who doesn’t like ice cream… It comes in so many flavors. You mentioned some basic flavors at the pool… It’s not possible to not like it.”
I laughed at the baffled expression on her pretty face. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it—”
“Thank God.” She threw her head back dramatically and wiped her brow. “There’s still hope for you. I can sway you to the light side.”
I had a feeling that she could sway me to just about anything.
“We need to get on the road before we delay our trip by a few hours or days.”
Of course, I would’ve loved to keep her in my place and enjoy more time alone but she had to get back to work. She, also, had several comic book shows to attend in a few weekends to promote her movie. Knowing that she needed added protection, I needed to get some reinforcements—before we went to them—as soon as we got settled in Los Angeles.
I wished we had taken our time and stopped along the way for lunch or fun, anything to prolong what waited for us at her house. More bullshit for her to deal with and I was thankful she wasn’t alone as she would’ve been had we not agreed that I would stay with her.
“Welcome Home” was painted on a banner across her gate in red letters that seemed to drip down the white paper. Not so bad at a glance. But once Maya gave me the gate code to punch in and it opened, there were several little tiny birds littering the driveway—all wingless. Something new, attached with a knife through a poor lifeless creature, a comic book and what appeared to be another note:
You can’t fly!
I’ll clip your wings yet.
Make them see the light before it’s too late!
I had used some rags that I had behind my backseat and dislodged the book and note to keep as evidence. Placing it gingerly in the back of my truck, I drove up to the front of the house and parked. “Are you okay? I asked, reaching over to gently stroke Maya’s bare arm. I could see goose bumps on her skin.
“I will be as long as he didn’t get inside of my house. Hopefully, the alarm system stopped him more than the gate did.” I hated the pained look on her face.
“The gate does no good without cameras… Your house is in a canyon that I assume is pretty dark with limited street lights.” I had assessed the area as we drove in. “The system should include extra lighting, motion detectors and cameras. I want…you need a premium package. You need to be tapped into a company that offers the most monitoring.”
Thankfully, Maya didn’t argue with me once we were safely inside of her home—that looked like it belonged in a tropical jungle—which had not been touched. But that didn’t mean that I was backing down. With my things stored in Maya’s bedroom, I was on the phone immediately, contacting a home security monitoring company and I had them out the very next day bright and early arming the house and outdoors with the maximum security.
“I hope you’re leaving some areas private.” Maya grinned and moved closer to me, speaking softly so the technicians couldn’t hear, “You know I like to skinny dip.”
I smiled and took her into my arms for a kiss before assuring her that she would not be watched. “Outer perimeter, gate, front door. Those are the only cameras being monitored by the company.” I laughed at the way she sighed dramatically, but her safety was no laughing matter.
In light of the newest intrusion and the demand to keep her safe heightened, I found myself interviewing suitable candidates to protect my woman. I had contacted Sutton who already knew some of the details and he suggested that I talk to some of my SEAL buddies. One in particular, apparently, had a contact that could be very helpful to me and, more importantly, Maya.
Speaking with my old SEAL buddy, Wolf, he put me at ease as I told him about my dilemma. “I know all about loving a strong woman.” Wolf’s Caroline, who I had to agree was a bit of a badass for what she had done to save his team, was sweet and easy to like. “And I know what it’s like when you let your guard down doing things foreign to our training.”
That was the truth.
“You need to remember that we’re all human and love messes with our heads…and other parts.” He laughed and then turned serious again. “Use this guy and continue to use a team and let Maya be a part of it. Caroline taught me to never keep her out of the loop where she was concerned. And stop beating yourself up over falling for her.”
Falling for Maya was one thing I would never regret.