Chapter 2
—Great things never come from comfort zones.—
With the sun shining on her face as she headed down the busy sidewalk to her favorite coffee shop, Hadley felt so much better this morning. It was amazing what some sleep could do. Still…she was a little off-kilter as if the sunlight and normal, happy people out and about were surreal. She hadn’t slept well, and though she wasn’t scared someone was going to jump out at her, she was still edgy.
After ordering her favorite drink—a mocha latte—she stepped outside and right into a wall of muscle. Her drink slipped from her hands, splashing all over the ground and a pair of scuffed boots.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” Horrified, she looked up into the clearest blue eyes she’d ever seen. “I’m…” Um, words would be good. Now, please!
“It’s okay.” The man’s voice had a deep, sexy timbre she felt all the way to her toes. And other places. Well, that was new. She’d never been affected by a voice before, but this man was something else. He was maybe a little over six feet and his dark hair had auburn highlights that glinted in the sun. Freshly shaven and dressed casually, he was all sorts of sexy. “Let me buy you a new drink,” he continued, stepping back so a couple could move past them.
That was when she realized they were standing in the middle of the doorway, blocking everyone. “Oh, ah, no, that’s not necessary.” Embarrassed, she bent to pick up her now empty cup and the top but he beat her to it and tossed them into the nearby recycle can.
“It’s the least I can do.” He looked at her with such intensity she swore she felt his warmth wrapping around her. Which was simply ridiculous.
“I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Fine, then you can buy me a drink,” he continued, his lips kicking up in amusement.
Feeling her cheeks flush, she nodded and stepped back inside with him.
To her surprise, he ended up buying her drink and his—and getting her a chocolate muffin—in such a smooth way she hadn’t even seen him pull out his cash.
“Thank you for this,” she said once they stepped outside into the bright sunlight. Even if it was an unusually cold spring, being around this man heated her right up.
Nodding, he glanced around in that hyperalert way she’d only ever seen her brother and his friends do. Maybe he’d been in the military? “It’s no problem. Do you want to sit and talk with me or are you on your way somewhere?”
She loved the way he asked, giving her an easy out. Hadley rarely dated, and it wasn’t as if he was asking her on one anyway. He was just asking her to join him for a few minutes and she really needed to stop overanalyzing things and say something. “Sure. I’m Hadley, by the way,” she said as he pulled out one of the mesh wire chairs for her.
“Axel. Are you from around here?”
“I just started school here. Ah, vet school,” she tacked on so he wouldn’t think she was eighteen. At twenty-two, she knew she looked young, though this morning Mary Grace had let her borrow some clothes and Hadley could admit she felt sexy. Instead of her normal jeans and T-shirt, turtleneck or flannel button-up, she had on some sort of stretchy black pants with leather strips down the sides, little heeled boots and a formfitting sweater. She’d also borrowed a scarf for not only the cold, but to cover up the light bruising on her neck. “What about you?”
“I’m interviewing for a couple jobs so I’m in town for a week or so.”
“Oh, what do you do?” She wasn’t sure if it was rude to ask or not. She’d only ever dated guys from her last college so she’d known exactly what their “profession” was—student. And now, sitting in front of Axel she realized that the guys she’d dated were…boys in comparison. Given his build—tall, broad-shouldered but not bulky—she was pretty sure that he was built under his jeans, sweater and leather jacket.
He did that half-smile thing again that made butterflies take flight inside her. “Finance. Which means I crunch numbers and analyze stuff…it’s pretty boring. So, vet school? What kind of background do you need for that?”
“I have a bachelor’s in biology but there’s not one specific degree you need. Having a science background certainly doesn’t hurt though.”
“What kind of vet degree do you want?” The man was so attentive, all his focus on her, and she’d seen a few women give him sidelong glances.
Not that she blamed them. Not one bit. “Well, you don’t really get to pick. Like I can’t say I want to go to school only for horses, but once I’m done I can have a focus in one area or another if I choose. I’m hoping to be an equine vet—a horse veterinarian.”
“I’ve never been on a horse before. Or…even seen one in person, for that matter.” Again with the toe-curling smile. There was just a hint of wicked in it.
Holy hell, he was making her panties melt, which was beyond ridiculous. At least it was taking her mind off yesterday. “They’re not for everyone, but I love them.” Her mom had allowed her one thing while growing up, horse-riding lessons. It had been pretty much the only nice thing her mom had ever done for her. Hadley knew it was because she’d liked to show Hadley off, as if she was a prize freaking pony herself, but she’d never cared since it allowed her to ride.
“Listen…I’ve got to run but I’d like to take you out sometime. Can I get your number?”
God, he was so straightforward, which she knew was good. She was simply used to being asked “wanna hang and grab a few beers” by guys. This felt different and she liked it. “Yes.”
After she gave it to him, he texted her. “Now you’ve got mine too. I’ll call you later today.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t sure if he actually would call but she really hoped he would. She had so much going on right now, especially with starting a new school and program. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun, right? She’d been so driven to succeed since…well, forever. Part of it was just her personality but part of it was because she’d been trying to earn her mother’s approval. Something she’d only recognized recently. She wished she could think of something flirty or…anything else to say, but her mind was pretty much a blank as he stood and left.
She didn’t even bother not trying to stare as he walked away because he seriously filled out those Levi’s in a way that should be illegal. At least he gave her something to focus on after last night. Ugh. She needed to stop or she was going to send herself into a panic attack and hole up at home.
And on that note, she needed to get out of here too. She had errands to run, including heading out to the ranch to check on her favorite horse, Pirate. With her dad and brother out of town, they’d made it clear she had complete use of the estate anytime she wanted.
Which felt weird, considering how massive their estate was, but she really, really loved being able to go riding anytime she wanted. Plus it would give her some downtime, which she needed after last night.
* * *
Fuck.
Axel rubbed the back of his neck as he slid into the truck he’d rented. Hadley Lane was sexy as fuck. Adorable even, with that damn dimple and the way her cheeks flushed pink. She hadn’t flirted with him at all, but she’d been sweet and open and… Hell.
He hadn’t planned on this. Hadn’t planned on her.
After he’d gotten a copy of a contract put out on her—sent by a friend who’d told him that this must be some sort of mistake and to check it out if he wanted—he’d done some digging. Once he’d realized she was related to Brooks Alexander he’d decided to visit Redemption Harbor in person.
Then he’d seen her in person yesterday. She was everything he wasn’t.
And he found himself impossibly drawn to her. Like a moron. She wasn’t for him. Not even close.
Yet…he was going to call her, spend time with her, but only to keep an eye on her. Because someone wanted her dead. And he hadn’t figured out who yet. Whoever it was, was a dead man walking.
The only thing he knew for certain was that three hitters had been sent Hadley’s information with instructions to kidnap her and bring her to a certain location unharmed. She was going to be used as leverage for something. Whatever it was wouldn’t matter to the guys who’d been sent after her. They just wanted to get paid.
Now there were only two men he had to be on the lookout for because he’d taken care of one last night. That fucker had tried to kidnap her at school and had been smart enough to take out all the electricity in part of the college.
Axel had planted a tracker on her car earlier so he’d known where she’d be. Now…he should just contact Brooks and tell him what was going on.
When he saw the little dot on his phone moving, telling him that Hadley was heading somewhere else, he shelved the thought. He’d watch out for her now. She was so damn innocent and he couldn’t stomach the thought of someone like her being hurt. He’d seen too many people hurt in his last profession and if he could look out for her, he would.