Isaiah
The conversation Isaiah had with Moe in front of Kelli was a short one. There was no way out of this, and he’d be leaving Moe in a possible legal bind if he walked out. But the conversation he was having with him now was not just different but urgent. This call he made in the privacy of the bedroom Kelli had pointed out was his, before making her hasty exit to her own room and apparently calling it a night.
“I need you to do me a favor.” He lowered his voice, even though Kelli’s room was two doors down. “Don’t mention this to any of my brothers and sisters. I don’t want them to know I asked to be taken off this assignment. They’ll ask too many questions—worry—and it’s not that big a deal.”
“So what is the deal with you and this girl?” Moe asked, his voice slightly amused. “Shit between you two must’ve really gone down ugly, judging by the hostility I heard from both of you. So much for you getting laid.”
The very thought had Isaiah squeezing his eyes shut. “It’s nothing that bad. I was never even in a real relationship with her to begin with. It’s just awkward as shit to be here and I’d rather not.”
This time Moe laughed outright. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone refer to you as a whiny little bitch or any girl call you an asshole.”
Isaiah leaned his head against the soft headboard of the bed and smirked. “Yeah, well, I guess she didn’t appreciate how badly I want to get out of this situation—away from her.”
He heard his cousin laugh some more. “Just do me a favor. Try not to provoke her anymore. I guess I was right about her being a feisty one. But if she insists on throwing your ass out, I’d be in breach of contract, especially since she probably told her dad about you wanting out of this before she fired you. If anything should happen to her, it could cost me big time.”
“Speaking of the contract,” Isaiah started to say as he pulled off his T-shirt, “did you know they gave you a fake name for her? Stimpson isn’t her real last name.”
“Yeah, I know it isn’t, but I signed a non-disclosure agreement to not make her real name public, not even to whomever I assigned to her. But don’t worry. I checked her background. She’s clean. I wouldn’t have ever suggested this one to you if I thought she was in any real danger.” He laughed again. “Your brother would lose his shit if I assigned you to anything too dodgy. I was waiting to tell you the real story when AJ wasn’t around. Her dad’s the shady one. The Santana’s are a pretty notorious bunch with their crooked business dealings and have a rap sheet a mile long.”
“What kind of crooked stuff?” Isaiah asked, curious now.
Moe laughed. “Shit, just about everything—embezzlement, extortion, bribery, racketeering, money laundering, fraud, witness tampering—you name it. But they have other businesses on the side, and they’ve pissed off a few other not-so-friendly folks with equally long rap sheets.
“He has her hiding out so his enemies don’t get to her. Only I’m not supposed to disclose that either, so you didn’t hear it from me. Between you and me, though, I think her dad jumped the gun, sending her away just because she got a few prank texts and she had a break-in. There have since been several more break-ins in her area. Hers could’ve just been coincidental.”
Isaiah thought about that and remembered her trying to explain more than once about her complicated life being the reason she’d disappeared on him in the first place. He was certain she thought he was still angry at her for that, especially given his reaction to seeing her again tonight. His hostility likely had her thinking he hated her now—that he was still pissed that she’d gone ahead and dated Nathan despite her complicated life. He was counting on it anyway. He needed her to think that, needed her to assume he was really adamant about getting the hell out of here and away from her ASAP, because he couldn’t stand being near her. It was safer than her catching on to the truth that, even when she’d been obviously insulted by his reaction to her and his rudeness, he’d been tempted to pull her to him and taste those lips just one more time.
A loud crashing noise outside his room had him jumping from the bed and grabbing his gun from the nightstand. “I’ll call you back,” he said to Moe before hanging up on him and rushing to the door.
“Kelli!” he called out before opening the bedroom door cautiously. “Are you okay?”
When she didn’t answer, he slowed in the hallway, holding the gun in the air, and stopped just before her door, peeking in cautiously.
She was on her knees by the open bedroom window, picking up a broken lamp from the floor. The sleep shorts she wore were very short, and he couldn’t be sure, but she likely wasn’t wearing a bra under the thin well-worn Bruno Mars T-shirt. Even the thought that someone might’ve thrown something through her window didn’t squelch the memory of having his hands all over those curves, and it made him gulp before asking, “What happened?”
“Stupid neighbor’s cat,” she said without looking up. “He comes over every now and again and climbs into my window. We’re actually friends. Only I spooked him just now when I rushed out of my bathroom, and he jumped back out, knocking this over.”
She glanced up and froze, staring at his bare chest as he placed the gun just under his jean’s waistline behind his back. But she seemed to recover quickly enough as their eyes met for a fleeting moment. Then she turned back to the pieces of lamp she was picking up.
“I, uh . . .” she began saying as she got up off her knees. “I have the day off tomorrow. I can go into town to see about buying a new lamp. I read a lot at night, but not always on my e-reader, so I need it.”
Isaiah did his best to keep his eyes on her face and not glance down to confirm if he’d been right about her being braless.
“We’ll go into town.”
“Don’t get this twisted, Isaiah.” Their eyes met again, the glare from earlier still as bitter. “My letting you stay here is merely a formality for the sake of that contract your cousin’s bound to. You can stay here until my dad sends someone else, but I didn’t actually agree to you watching me.”
“Well, I did. It’s what I signed on for, so like it or not, it’s what I’ll be doing for the next few days.” He walked in further, turning to the still open window even as she placed her hand on her hip and continued to glare at him. “We’ll get you a screen for your window while we’re out there too. One that locks in. It’s not safe for you to have a window that someone can climb into so easily.”
“You’re not coming with me tomorrow,” she insisted as she walked past him and dropped the remnants of her broken lamp in the waste basket next to the door.
As if it suddenly dawned on her, she brought one arm across her chest and pushed the half closed bedroom door open all the way with her foot. Isaiah had been right about her being braless because infuriatingly he’d caught a glimpse of the curve of her breasts and puckered nipples just under the thin fabric of the T-shirt. He’d quickly brought his eyes back onto her face, but it was too late, damn it. The visual would be hard to forget, at least for tonight.
“I can finish cleaning this up on my own; thank you very much.”
Isaiah started to the door. “What time were you planning on going into town tomorrow.”
“I hadn’t decided. As you can see, this just happened, but like I said, you’re not—”
“Look.” He cut her off before she could go on. “I’m as happy about this arrangement as you are.”
“I didn’t have a problem with it until you got all stupid about it. I’d actually prefer you to be here than one of my father’s men, but I’m not begging you to stay, Isaiah. I’d sooner throw you out and deal with whatever goon my father sends than beg you.”
“No one’s asking you to beg,” he said, feeling his patience wearing. “I just . . .”
He stopped, afraid he’d said too much, but the glare she’d worn earlier was gone now, replaced by a curious stare instead.
“You just what?”
“I just can’t, okay?” He walked past her and out the door, stopping only to make something else clear, but didn’t turn around to face her. “I agreed to do this. So if I’m stuck here for the next two days, I’m doing it right. I owe my cousin at least that much. So get it straight. I’ll be watching you day and night until then. I’ll see you in the morning.”
To his relief, she didn’t continue to argue with him about this. The second he closed the door behind him he cursed under his breath. This was going to be a lot harder than he’d begun to think.
~~~
The smell of brewing coffee and bacon woke Isaiah. He sat up, surprised by how bright it was already when he’d set his alarm clock for six in the morning to make sure she didn’t try to sneak off without him.
“Damn it,” he muttered when he reached for his phone and saw it was off. The battery must’ve died, and he hadn’t remembered to charge it. “Amateur.”
He got up and grabbed the charger out of his bag, hooking the thing up to the wall and setting his phone down with it. The cold shower he’d taken last night and what he’d done in there after his visit to Kelli’s room had done nothing to help get him to sleep faster like he’d hoped. He’d tossed and turned most of the night, and it was probably way past six now.
After throwing a shirt over his head and pulling his jeans on, he walked out into the hallway and toward the kitchen. The coffee pot was half empty, and bacon sat in a pan on the stovetop, but he didn’t see or hear Kelli anywhere.
“Kelli?” he called out, walking toward the back door of the kitchen.
He wanted to check out back where he’d seen the only car on the property parked yesterday. It was still there, so he called out for her again, already frowning when he saw the time on the clock of the microwave. He’d slept past eight. That never happened.
“I don’t answer to that name anymore.” Her voice made him spin around.
She’d walked into the kitchen behind him and was at the coffee pot now, pouring herself a cup. “My father and brothers are the only ones who ever referred to me as Raquel, but everyone else knew me as Kelli. The paperwork was just easier to keep straight if I stuck with Raquel. It’s what I’m supposed to go by now. So if you’re really planning on going into town with me today, remember that. It’s Raquel.”
“What time are you going into town?” he asked as she motioned to the coffee pot.
“Help yourself.” She opened a cabinet and pulled out a paper plate. “As soon as I’m done having breakfast. I made enough for both of us, by the way, so grab a plate and help yourself to that too. Just remind me when we’re out there today to grab more paper plates. I’m getting low. The dishwasher doesn’t work and I hate washing dishes.”
Isaiah watched her, fighting the urge to let his eyes wander, as she scooped scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon onto her plate. She wore denim shorts with a tank top, and those long legs were exactly as he remembered them. Like last night, seeing her in her short sleep shorts had him imagining those legs up in the air as he plowed into her with such ecstasy. Worst of all, and the first thing he’d noticed last night when he realized who was behind the screen door, she was sporting that fresh-faced, natural-curl look.
The night he met her and every time he’d seen her with Nathan after that, Kelli was the epitome of style and sophistication. It was one of the few personal things about herself she’d told him that first weekend. She hadn’t mentioned owning her own salons, but she’d referred to herself as a stylist. Doing hair and makeup was her thing, and she even had a fashion blog. Isaiah had since come to the conclusion that she’d probably lied about that too since, admittedly, he had searched for her blog and never found one. But then he didn’t know the name of the blog, so his searches had been pretty aimless.
The only difference today from last night was she wore her hair in a simple braid now. Isaiah could only imagine it was for the sake of blending in; though it did him no good. He loved this fresh look. And there was no hiding her curves, the beautiful smile, and the things those eyes did to him even when she was angry. She was still as breathtaking as he first thought her.
Isaiah glanced down at her plate again. Suddenly, he was starving, and he decided it was safer to focus on that instead. He hadn’t stopped to eat yesterday on the way to her place. He assumed he’d have dinner here or at least go out and grab something before going to bed, but their surprising encounter had thrown all those plans out the window. Up until that moment, he’d all but forgotten he hadn’t had any dinner.
When she walked her plate and coffee mug to the small kitchen table, Isaiah walked over to the coffee pot first. He needed coffee now bad. He poured himself a cup quietly then proceeded to grab a paper plate. By the time he turned to her at the table, she was doing that thing that had made him smile silly once upon a time: stacking a bit of everything on her plate into a little pile in a corner then scooping it all up in one spoonful. It was such an insignificant detail of her eating quirks, but it brought back a barrage of memories: memories of her tingeing face when he’d teased her about it and that beautiful smile he’d gotten so lost in all weekend long.
“Go ahead,” she said, breaking him out of his reverie, and he glanced up at her. She was pointing to the chair across from her. “Have a seat. If we’re gonna be forced to do this, we may as well be civil about it.”
For a moment, he considered it: sitting across from her and having a simple conversation with her over breakfast, a meal she’d been kind enough to make enough for him despite his behavior last night. Then their eyes met and she smiled. It was more of an armistice smile than a genuinely welcoming one, but with the flood of memories he’d just been hit with, even that felt dangerous.
“I need to make a few calls, so I’ll eat this in my room. Thanks,” he added as his coward ass hurried back to his room.
Once in his room he polished off his plate within minutes, trying not to think about what he felt every time he was in the same room with Kelli: the very thing he’d felt a whole year ago when he’d seen her again for the first time since their weekend together. Even back then he’d been surprised by what he felt, but this was ridiculous. By now he should’ve been over something that never even was to begin with. What the hell was it about her that after only one night here had him fighting himself and considering the idea that maybe he could stay a little longer?
Why the fuck would he even be considering it when he didn’t even trust himself to sit with her for a meal without getting all caught up in how unexplainably drawn to her he still was?
“Hell no,” he muttered as he finished getting dressed and secured his gun under his shirt.
A door closing loudly out front had him walking out to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind about him going into town with her. She walked back in, carrying a few envelopes in her hands. As if she couldn’t be any more likable, she wore a Padres ball cap now. It added adorably sexy to the list of other endearing terms he’d use to describe her. She stopped when she saw him standing at the hallway door and looked him over then glanced back down at the envelopes.
“The mail comes early around here,” she explained as she continued walking into the kitchen. “I’m leaving in five, so if you’re coming, make it snappy.”
“I’ll drive,” he said, before walking back into his room to retrieve his empty mug and paper plate.
Remembering she mentioned hating washing dishes, he dumped the paper plate in the trash and rinsed off his mug and fork when he was back in the kitchen. “Thanks for that,” she said as she came up next to him and rinsed her own mug out.
Standing closer than he’d been since he got there, he was immediately inundated with the sweet smell of whichever lotion she wore. Or maybe it was her shampoo. Whatever it was, he inhaled deeply, enjoying it too much. Their hips actually grazed, and he jerked away the moment he felt it. She turned to him when he realized why he’d jerked away. At first her expression was a hurt one, but it quickly morphed into a glare.
“I’m leaving now,” she said, setting her mug down on the counter loudly, and started out of the kitchen.
“I said I’ll drive,” he reminded her.
“So get your keys,” she said, grabbing her purse from the table in the front room. “Already your sleeping in has me starting this day late.”
Isaiah took in the surroundings when they got outside as she locked up the house. He was still making sure no one was lurking in the bushes or behind trees when she walked right past him. “Get over yourself, James Bond. No one but you, my dad, and that firm knows I’m even out here. My dad’s just being a stubborn ass about this whole bodyguard thing. I don’t actually need one.”
“As long as I’m getting paid to do this and, most importantly, my cousin is counting on me to do this, I’ll do it right.”
He clicked his key fob to open the doors of the car as she walked around it. Without another word, she got in. The ride into town was a quiet one. Except for when she was telling him where to turn and pointed at the dairy store she worked at, they’d hardly exchanged a few sentences.
In the daytime, the quaint little town was even more appealing. They pulled into the parking lot of the town’s general store: a big brick building smack in the middle of downtown. She’d been right about easily standing out. The moment they were both out of his rental they were turning heads. The lady sweeping the entrance to the boutique next to the general store waved at them.
“Morning, Mrs. Bevins,” Kelli said with a sweet smile.
“Good morning, Raquel.” Mrs. Bevins smiled at Kelli, but her eyes were quickly back on Isaiah, who nodded and smiled.
Everyone else greeted Raquel in the same manner as they made their way through the general store. They’d greet her then immediately turn their attention to the guy walking with her. Each time Isaiah smiled politely and nodded.
It was no surprise that even as toned down as Kelli’s appearance was, the girl turned men’s heads left and right. Isaiah hadn’t missed the goofy smiles she’d gotten from several of them in the store. It happened at a few of the other stops they made: the post office, the pet store so she could buy treats for Boris, her neighbors “stupid” cat, and the local diner where they had lunch.
It was only then that Isaiah had no choice but to make small talk with her since they had to wait for their food. It was either that or sit in awkward silence. There was also something he needed to make sure of, being that he’d once suspected she might be married. “There’s no truth to you being a widow by chance, is there?”
Kelli glanced up at him, the surprise in her eyes visible. Isaiah wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he was actually going to talk to her or that his question surprised her.
“No”—she shook her head and answered softly—“I’ve never been married.
Relieved but refusing to show it because it shouldn’t matter, he nodded, glancing around, needing to change the subject. “So why’d you fire the previous guy my cousin sent?”
She shrugged. “He didn’t do anything wrong. I mean other than do his job. It was just so weird having a complete stranger living with me all of a sudden. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I let him go.” Her expression eased up a little as their eyes met again. “Funny it doesn’t feel weird having you here, uneasy, yes, given how opposed to it you are to be here, but not uncomfortable like with him.”
Isaiah gulped, remembering once again how fast and easily they’d been comfortable around one another from the very beginning. Fortunately, before he could get too caught up on that thought, the waitress dropped off their drinks. Right after that came their salads then their burgers, and he managed to get through their lunch without having to address her comment. They paid and left, and the subject wasn’t brought up by either again.
The annoyance he’d begun to feel earlier as they made a few more stops was back even more severely. The longer he was around her, the more the memories of their weekend came back to him—how perfect things had felt between them. Already he’d nearly lost it at the hardware store where they stopped for her bedroom screen. Now it was happening again at their last stop: the town’s farmers’ market at the church he’d seen the day before. But Isaiah knew it was more than just the memories. The irritation that had begun to build throughout the day was more about him feeling disrespected.
They were, after all, walking in and out of all these places together. One could only assume they were a couple, at the very least that he was a good friend or family member who might take offense to the way these men leered at Kelli. Yet the men doing the leering had no qualms about doing so blatantly right in front of him. He’d taken it upon himself to start staring some of the assholes down with a purpose. Though he’d been careful that Kelli didn’t notice.
Things took a turn when Kelli decided to buy a couple of cantaloupes and refused to let Isaiah help her carry them. She’d been leaning over one of the stands of assorted nuts for sale, when the ogling idiot chewing on a piece of hay on the other side walked over a little closer, staring straight at Kelli’s cleavage. “Nice melons you got there.”
It was the last straw. Without another thought, Isaiah reached across the cart, grabbed the fucker by his shirt, and nearly knocked the whole stand over when he pulled him closer to his face. “That’s my fiancée you’re talking to, asshole.”