CHAPTER SEVEN
Dinner was delicious. The burgers were perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the fries were crisp and tasty. The dessert Sal had chosen—a slice of New York-style cheesecake—melted in her mouth and probably went straight to her hips, but she didn’t care.
The pressure to stay rail thin now that she’d had some success in the movies was getting on her nerves. She had never aspired to be a model. She’d never been a fitness freak, though she enjoyed a healthy lifestyle. But she was never going to be a size zero. It just wasn’t something she would or could do. So be it.
The movie-going public and also people who seemed to think her newfound success gave them the right to tell her how to live, what to eat, how she should look, and all the other stuff were just going to have to chill. Sal decided those things for herself. Thank you very much.
Maybe she was going through a bit of a rebellious phase. The fame was something completely new, and not altogether welcome. Especially when it brought baggage along with it like crazy expectations and potentially violent stalkers. Yeah, maybe fame wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Although, at least one good thing had come out of her recent problems. Nick. Nick was the good thing in her life right now. The one thing she could cling to in the midst of her turmoil. Without him, she would probably be a basket case right about now.
He was just such a commanding presence. Such a strong man—both physically and in a spiritual way she couldn’t quite define. There was just something about him. Something that made her trust him in ways she hadn’t trusted anyone before.
He was easy on the eyes, as well. A regular hunk. She couldn’t imagine why he didn’t have a live-in girlfriend. Were all the women in this town blind as well as stupid? Nick was a hottie, and he was smart, too. Decisive and manly in ways that made her tingle in unmentionable places.
She was grateful to him for giving her a place to hide. He hadn’t needed to open up his home to her. She knew she was imposing on his better nature, but she really didn’t want to be separated from him right now. He was her port in the storm. Her rock. Her anchor. He was helping her stay calm, just by his mere presence.
She felt a little bad about invading his space this way, but he truly didn’t seem to mind. She’d heard him talking to Mr. Linelli about the condo being a rental, and she’d recognized the name they had bandied about. Mark Pepard was one of the richest men in the country and had a mysterious reputation.
No wonder Nick had seemed so familiar to her. She’d seen the pictures on the pages of the tabloids, just like everyone else. Mark Pepard, flying off all over the world on adventures and humanitarian missions, always surrounded by people from his companies. And always nearby, right next to him in many of the photos, was Nick. An unnamed companion, or bodyguard, or security agent.
After hearing Nick’s conversation, she now understood that he wasn’t just another employee to Mark Pepard. They were friends. That put Nick in a whole other social stratum. If he hobnobbed with billionaires, what was he doing playing at being a private security guard for a newcomer to the Hollywood scene?
Her instincts were clamoring. Something wasn’t quite right with the situation, but it also didn’t feel threatening. Nick felt absolutely safe to her. As if he would protect her with his life, if necessary. And he felt good to the core. Not an ounce of evil could last around this man. She trusted those instincts of hers when it came to things like good and evil.
But the puzzle remained. Why was he here? Why had he taken the time—and the job—to protect her? Strange as it seemed, she began to wonder if he was a fan. Maybe he’d liked her performance on the screen and wanted to get closer to her.
While flattering, that was also a bit of a creepy thought. She didn’t think the scenario fit. It had to be something else, but she couldn’t imagine what.
Having finished dinner, they retired to the living room area. There was a big screen television hiding behind a painting that slid down out of sight when Nick pressed a button on the complicated-looking remote control. Everything about this condo was top notch and high tech. Expensive.
Which made sense if the place was truly intended for someone of Mark Pepard’s stature. The fact that Nick seemed right at home here spoke of a vast experience with wealth that she, herself, had never had until recently.
“Shall we watch the news? See what’s going on in the world?” Nick asked quietly.
She agreed, and he put on the news station that she preferred. Impressive. Had he somehow intuited her preferences, or did they have the same taste and political leanings? Either way, she gave him a point on her mental tally sheet in his favor.
On the commercial breaks, they talked about current events and exchanged points of view on the various topics of interest from around the world. Nick’s firsthand knowledge of the political situations in some very remote foreign countries gave her pause. Nick was a world traveler. A true citizen of the globe.
She was just a gal who had gotten lucky with a good movie role. She had never traveled outside the United States, though she had gotten a few offers in recent weeks to film in Europe and other exotic locations.
She had been a little giddy at the idea, but then, reality had set in. She couldn’t stray too far from where her mother was being held. Even if her mother would never be free again, she was still her mother. Her flesh and blood. Sal would visit every chance she could and be available should her mother need her. It was the right thing to do.
Still, she enjoyed talking with Nick. And when the news was over and they put on a documentary about UFOs and aliens visiting the earth in the distant past, she discovered they shared another interest, and what were probably wild imaginations.
They sat together on the couch, and Sal couldn’t help but want to get closer to him. He was so warm. So solid. So amazingly handsome and attractive in every way. And the more she got to know him, the more attractive he became.
A lot of men had given her the opposite experience. Familiarity often bred contempt. It was refreshing and reassuring to discover that getting to know a guy didn’t always mean disliking him and his ideas.
Quite the opposite. At least with Nick. She’d already suspected he was a special case. She was glad to have her instincts proven correct.
At one point, he got up and made tea for them both. When he came back, he sat much closer on the couch, and she grew warm—and not just from the tea.
When he finished with his tea, he put the mug down on the coffee table then leaned back, placing his arm along the top of the sofa—behind her. Just a little closer, and he’d have that muscular arm around her shoulders. And from there…
Damn. If yearning could make it happen, she’d already be in bed with him by now. But he was clearly being a gentleman and exercising caution. While she appreciated that, she was also growing a bit impatient.
Never one to make the first move on a guy, Sal found herself wanting to do so with Nick. Heck, she more than wanted to. She was going to do it. If he didn’t make a move in the next five minutes, she was going to—
Her thoughts were cut off by the feel of his arm around her shoulders, turning her to face him. She cooperated fully, moving to meet him halfway. The look in his eyes made her breath catch. There was a swirl of energy there that she thought she saw. But maybe she was wrong. She couldn’t be sure.
“Tell me to go to hell if you want,” he whispered, his head dipping closer to hers. “But I’ve been dying to kiss you again.”
“Then, what are you waiting for?” she whispered back, being about as daring as she’d ever been with a man. Nick’s smile was answer enough, and it made her insides melt into a little puddle of need. Then, he moved even closer and his lips met hers.
Magic. That’s what it felt like. Pure, good, clean, powerful magic.
But it couldn’t be. She’d never experienced the good side of magic, but she had heard it existed. Somewhere.
Nick was a bodyguard, not a mage. He was just a man. Not a monster.
And he kissed like a dream.
Kissing Sal was everything Nick had thought it would be…and more. She fit in his arms like she was born to be there. She tasted of sweet nectar and goodness, and she felt soft, feminine and perfect against him. Her passion matched his, and he forgot all the nonsense he’d been telling himself about how she was human and wasn’t as sturdy as shifter women. It was all bunk.
When she grabbed his shirt and demanded more, who was he to argue?
He let her have her way. Her nimble fingers tore at his clothes, seeking skin. And then, her hands were on his chest, smoothing over his pecs and down to his abdomen. His breath hitched as she hit a sensitive spot. All the while, her tongue dueled with his.
She was molten fire in his arms, demanding and passionate in a way he hadn’t expected but was thrilled to discover. She would be a wildcat in bed, if this was any indication. Still, he didn’t push too hard or too fast. He let her have all the control for now. He would revel in learning her preferences and satisfying her every need. He knew his patience now would reap rewards for the rest of their lives together.
Sal had just pushed him down onto his back on the couch when Nick heard the sound of rustling feathers coming from the balcony. His sensitive ears picked up the soft sounds, even beyond the closed glass doors.
Fucking Hastings. It had to be him. Nobody else would dare interrupt what could so clearly be seen through the glass doors.
Hmm. Maybe Hastings was trying to remind him that Sal wouldn’t be pleased to discover she’d been putting on a show for the hawk shifters on duty just beyond the glass. Because, she would find out…eventually.
Damn. She was human. She wouldn’t understand that having sex in view of others wasn’t that big a deal among shifters. She’d probably be embarrassed, and she might take it out on Nick. Scratch that. She would definitely take it out on him.
She’d make him pay because he was the informed one here. He should know better. And more than that—he’d vowed to protect her.
Fuck.
Nick pulled away, trying to figure out what he could say to make her understand. She was clingy, which, in other circumstances, would make him growl with appreciation. Right now, however, it only caused more difficulties for him.
He tried to untangle her arms from his body as gently as he could. When she finally got the message that he was calling a halt, she let go like he was on fire. Damn.
He could read hurt in her shuttered gaze, scent emotional pain and embarrassment. He cursed under his breath.
“Honey, I’m on duty here. This isn’t right. I can’t take advantage of the situation like this. Please understand.” He tried to put all the tenderness he was feeling into his voice, but she still smelled sad and angry. At him? At herself? Either way, he didn’t like it.
He pulled her resisting body into a loose embrace and tried to soothe her. “Please don’t be angry. And don’t take this as some kind of rejection. It’s not. It’s so not.” He chuckled, rubbing her arm gently. “I just can’t do this right now. It’s not that I don’t want to. I most emphatically do. The timing here is just off.” He pulled back to look into her eyes. The tension in her shoulders had eased somewhat, and she seemed to have calmed down a little.
Her cheeks were flushed with a mix of residual passion and probably a bit of embarrassment, but at least she was meeting his gaze. Her expression was still somewhat tight and shuttered, but her eyes met his with a hint of defiance. Good. And bad. He’d have some work to do later, to make this up to her, but for now, she was taking the unintentional rejection as well as possible.
“Like I said, I’m on duty. In fact, I’ve got to report to Linelli in about…” He made a show of checking his watch. “Damn. I should’ve called him five minutes ago.” As if on cue, his phone rang. “And I bet that’s him wondering why I’m slacking off.”
Finally, a spark of humor edged out the hurt in her gaze. “You’d better answer that before he sends in the Marines.”
A joke. Praise be, the Mother of All. His girl recovered quickly. That was a good trait in a mate. Especially his mate, because Nick didn’t have the most stable of professions and often had to stop on a dime and change direction.
“I’m sorry, honey. You don’t know how sorry.” He stood from the couch and headed to the marble-topped island that separated the kitchen area from the living room. He’d left his laptop and phone there. He picked up the phone and hit the go button, identifying himself in a terse tone. “Balam.”
“I stashed my stuff behind the big planter at the far end of your patio. Sorry for the interruption, but I heard your explanation and figured a timely phone call would help.” Hastings’ voice was both amused and smug over the line.
The bastard had shifted to human out of sight from the balcony doors. “Thanks, boss,” Nick placed a slight emphasis on the last word that wouldn’t be lost on the hawk shifter.
Sure enough, Hastings chuckled. “I like the sound of that. The great and powerful Nick Balam working for me instead of the other way around.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Nick practically growled as he watched Sal beat a strategic retreat from the living room, back toward her bedroom. “But thanks all the same for the reminder. She would have been even angrier with me when she found out you and your people were watching us.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. A few of my guys have mated with humans, and they just have different ideas about what’s acceptable behavior and what isn’t,” Hastings commiserated.
“How’s it going out there?” Nick asked, hoping for a change of topic.
“Well, I have some news. Which is why I came in for a landing in the first place. Your perp—or at least, someone who fits all the parameters for your perp—has been spotted in the area. A young colleague of mine noticed someone on the ground who looked like he was following a scent trail. Sniffing very obviously, pausing in odd fits and starts. She came to get me to confirm, but when we returned to the spot where she’d left him, he was gone.”
“Where?” Nick asked sharply.
“About a mile away from here, as the hawk flies,” Hastings replied just as rapidly.
“Not good.” Nick growled. He couldn’t help it. His inner cat didn’t like the fact that the feral wolf might have found their trail so fast.
“I figured you’d want to know right away. This just happened about ten minutes ago.”
“So, he could be closer by now,” Nick thought aloud.
“Yeah, but you’re in the penthouse, and wolves can’t climb for shit,” Hastings added. “We’ve got all the entrances and exits covered—including the unconventional ones like this balcony. I think you’ll be okay for tonight, but we should probably make plans to capitalize on this. If we can lure him out of hiding—and he seems damned good at hiding, by the way, because I couldn’t find anything to indicate where he’d disappeared to—then maybe we can trap him before anything else happens.”
Nick liked the sound of that. They could be proactive rather than reactive, and hopefully keep Sal out of the line of fire completely.
“Do you need me to coordinate?” Nick asked the hawk shifter.
“Frankly, Master Sergeant, since everybody on duty right now is from my crew, you’d only get in the way.” Hastings was an honest son of a bitch, Nick would give him that. Nick appreciated the candor, and his already good opinion of Hastings rose another notch.
“Understood, Captain.” Nick knew full well his function on this op. He was here as the last line of defense, to keep Sal safe.
If, somehow, the perp got past all those shifters Hastings had set in strategic places—and his air cover—then Nick would have his hands full. Primarily, he was there to herd the client into doing what they wanted her to do. He was also the final barrier between the feral shifter and Sal.
“You keep your eyes on your lady, and your hands to yourself for now,” Hastings went on, giving unsolicited advice which Nick could have done without. “Or you’ll have us all singing out here.”
“Singing?” Nick couldn’t resist a hint like that. What were those featherheads up to now?
“Well, she is a movie star, and you are the bodyguard. My young friend was doing a really good Whitney Houston impersonation a few hours ago when she heard about this whole setup.” Then, Hastings launched into song, with a somewhat credible baritone version of that famous song. “I-eee-Iii will all-lll-lll-wa-ys loooove yooooouuuu—”
Nick hung up on him.
It didn’t help that he could hear Hastings laughing on the balcony through the barrier of the glass door. Silly bird.