Sarah was unable to believe Zane Kent—the first boy she’d kissed, the man she’d almost married—was playing security detail in her house. She was kinda having a mini freak-out, but she’d forced herself to calm down on the way home.

Her mind flashed to earlier, when his brother Sloane emerged from the boat in his underwear and a cowboy hat, and the mental image sparked a laugh that she had to muffle. He was the same crazy guy he’d always been. And his other brother, Walker, looked more like Zane. He had the blond hair and blue eyes, and he was very built; it came with the territory of being a professional football player. Of course, none of the brothers were as handsome as Zane, in her humble opinion. She thought about his other crazy brothers and wondered what they’d been up to the past couple of years.

Covertly, she studied Zane, marveling as he expertly pulled out gadgets and began lining them up on her parents’ dining room table. His focus was laser-like, intense, militant.

The pit of her gut rustled with butterflies she hadn’t realized were there. There weren’t even words for this. In all her dreams, nightmares, in anything, she had never thought she would be standing in her parents’ beach house with Zane, let alone having him put together a security plan for her and Tyler. It all felt so foreign.

She touched her lips, thinking about how it had felt to kiss him earlier. Like she was falling, or what she imagined it would feel like to skydive. She’d never done it, but always wanted to. For her birthday, right before Jeff passed and before they’d found out about the cancer, she’d tried to talk him into buying her a package to skydive over Castle Rock on the outskirts of Denver. Jeff had ardently said no, refusing to even talk about it with her. He’d squashed her dreams in one instant, reminding her that she was a mother and all her focus and time should be on Tyler and getting pregnant again—which she hadn’t been able to. Jeff had acted like she should be a fertility machine; he kept immaculate spreadsheets on her cycle and her vitamin intake and whether she was working out too much. Seriously, he’d acted like a child was more important than her, and it’d made her so angry at times.

“Sarah?”

Jolted back to the present, she turned to face Zane, shocked by how lost she’d been in her thoughts. “Yeah?”

His blond hair had gotten loose from the band at the back of his neck. He seriously looked like some amazingly hot UFC fighter on television or something. His black T-shirt was tight and showed off his broad shoulders and physique. The same physique from before, but now all traces of boyhood were gone. Zane Kent could be on one of those calendars. A firefighter calendar. Do the SEALs have a calendar? she wondered.

She dismissed the thought. Her heart rate skipped. “Sorry.”

He gave her a sharp look. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. What do you need?”

With a grunt, he turned back to the table. “Just so you know, I’m going to set up cameras in every room and on the outside and inside of the house.”

It didn’t really sit well to hear him say “in every room.” She fidgeted a little, like the cameras had already been set up. “I don’t like being watched everywhere.”

He put his hand up. “I give you my word I won’t use the cameras in the rooms without a real reason. I’ll mainly police the main areas and the outside perimeter.”

“So you won’t be staying here?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. It was all she’d been able to think of on the way back to her place, that he would be moving in.

Holding her gaze, Zane let the side of his lip turn up. “Does it scare you more to have me here or to not have me here?”

“Ha ha.” She turned away, not wanting him to see that he was getting to her. There was no way to hide it. After all, she’d given in to that stupid kiss back there, and she was still trying to process it. What the heck was happening? “I’m going to sit in the kitchen and work on my laptop.”

“Sounds good,” he said.

She went into the kitchen because she couldn’t get any work done when he was in the same room with her. She pulled a glass out of the cupboard, filled it with water, and looked out over the ocean. Putting the glass to her lips, she had to stabilize it with her other hand to stop the trembling. Dang, she was flushed and trembling. Zane had her feeling all sorts of things.

A million questions had been going through her mind since she’d seen him. How had he ended up in San Diego? And owning a PI firm? Why had he been at a coffee shop the other day? Then there was the most important question, the one she thought she knew the answer to, but now she doubted it because she was doubting everything about herself—was he dating? Did he have a girlfriend? He’d mentioned needing a matchmaker. He wouldn’t have kissed her if he had a girlfriend, right?

She gulped down the water, sat down on a stool, and opened her laptop on the counter. She preferred to have some space between them. When there was space between them, there was room to think. Her thoughts wandered back to the question at hand. So was he staying here or not?

He hadn’t answered, and she had to admit his own question was valid: Was she more afraid of having him here or having someone break in? Truthfully, it might be a toss-up with the way she felt completely off-balance and uneasy today. After working a bit, she looked at her computer and couldn’t believe she only had an hour until she had to pick up Tyler from school.

Going to her website, she pulled up the most pressing client at the time. Harris Dred. He’d finally gone out last night with a woman she’d matched him with. Today, she’d received an email from him telling her it wasn’t a good fit. He said he was disappointed and would like to have a face-to-face with her again tonight to discuss options.

Her heart raced. She couldn’t do tonight. Harris had become a needy client. Plus, it felt more and more like he was trying to date her.

The reality was that she couldn’t lose him as a client. She didn’t know what to do. Her father had pretty much lost his mind and was on lockdown twenty-four seven. Her mom was too fragile to live by herself, and Sarah was more than willing to help her. However, her mother had insisted she stay with her father. There wasn’t an unlimited amount of money to pay for medical bills, and Sarah needed Harris’s client referrals.

The computer program she used to make matches was top-of-the-line. Running some more searches, she found two more women who might fit his caliber. He specifically stated he didn’t want anyone who’d been divorced, even though he was divorced. She had found the hypocrisy a bit distasteful, but that wasn’t her call. Her clients got what they wanted. In fact, she preferred just knowing the truth so she could do her job. She didn’t want to be just run-of-the-mill.

Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Mr. Dred. Can you meet tonight to discuss more options?

She thought of Mrs. Morris two doors down. She was the go-to babysitter for Tyler, the one who was on call after school or at night if she needed someone. Mrs. Morris had lost her husband the year before, and all of her kids lived elsewhere, so she’d made it clear when Sarah had moved in that she wanted the job as babysitter. It’d been a godsend to have her. Especially because she refused payment. She had said, “Sweetheart, my husband made me a millionaire. I don’t want your money.”

Sarah sighed, her thoughts still unsettled. She thought of Zane in there working. No, she wouldn’t ask him to watch Tyler. She didn’t even know him. Okay, that was a lie, but she didn’t know him now. Though that begged the question of why would she ask him for help if she couldn’t trust him with Tyler.

She slammed her hand to the counter. “No,” she said aloud. She picked up her phone and texted Mrs. Morris, asking her if she would watch Tyler tonight at her house from six to eight.

Mrs. Morris texted back, letting Sarah know that she couldn’t tonight but could tomorrow night.

Sarah texted Harris that she could meet with him at six tomorrow at the coffee shop.

Instantly, he texted back. Not coffee. Antonio’s, an Italian restaurant next to the coffee shop. When she hesitated, he texted again. That’s the only time I have for dinner.

Fine. If they were functional about dinner, then that was fine. Okay, she agreed.

It niggled at her. Something about Harris bothered her. He was a pretty boy. She would give him that. Not Zane’s kind of Greek god meets bad boy and “I’ll slam your face into the wall if you mess with me” type. No, he was suave. Almost salesy. The kind who even the barista at the coffee shop flirted with because he had a brilliant smile, dark good looks, and said the right thing.

Zane marched into the kitchen, making her jump. He wore a tool belt and was holding some cords. He stopped, narrowing his eyes at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She quickly looked back at the profiles on her computer.

Zane put the cords on the counter before dropping into a push-up position and staring beneath the counters.

“What are you doing?” she asked cautiously.

He went to his side and ran his hand along the edges. “I’ve been sweeping this whole place for bugs.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say about that. “Well, thank you.”

There was an awkward silence for a few moments as he continued opening cupboards and checking everything, running his hands across every possible surface. Eventually, he said, “I have to run to the hardware store to pick up a few things. Uh, maybe you should come, and I could pick up some steaks for dinner.”

“What?” Steaks? Dinner? What was this? Tyler’s face flashed into her mind. What would she tell him? What would he say? “Uh, no.”

He didn’t look up. “Uh, yeah. I don’t think you should be alone.”

Okay, she hadn’t expected quite so many security measures. She felt completely out of sorts with Zane here, sweeping her house for bugs. She didn’t know what she would say to Tyler. Everything about this interaction was awkward. “I don’t think you need to stay after all. Not with all this security you’ve installed; we’ll be fine. Plus, I have a life, I have clients. I have a client meeting tomorrow night I need to see and Tyler goes to a babysitter down the street.”

“No,” he said stoically.

“Yes.” This was ridiculous.

“Then I’m going with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

He held out his hand, and she saw three little black things nestled in his palm. “I found three bugs in your house so far. You’re being listened to, possibly watched.”

“What?” She stood, knocking the stool she was sitting onto the ground. “Bugs?”

Staring at the little microscopic bug, he pulled his hand closer to his face, trying to get a better look at them. He inspected it briefly before squashing it between his fingers. “Yeah, bugs. I went ahead and installed a device that blocks all bugs. It blocks anything trying to listen in or any cameras we can’t see.”

Her heart rate kicked up a notch. “What the … I can’t believe that!”

He scowled at her. “Believe it.”

“I …” She swallowed.

He leaned forward on the counter, his eyes boring into her soul. “Right now, the place is clean, so tell me: who might be after you?”

It felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Her mind went a million miles an hour. “I saw some teenagers out on the beach the other night.”

He let out a light laugh. “No, this would be professionals.” He crossed his arms and looked like a cop questioning a perp on the street. “What else? Who else?”

She put her hand on her forehead, willing her mind to think of who this could be. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t.”

“Who do you associate with on a day-to-day basis?”

“I don’t know. Mrs. Morris, lady who watches Tyler. My parents, I go visit them three times a week.” She shrugged. “I have a teacher from Tyler’s school that I do girls’ nights with once in a while.”

He studied her. “Who else?”

She didn’t like this intensity. The way he looked at her made her feel like she was guilty. “Uh …”

“Your clients. Who are your clients? I need to see a list.”

“No. My list is confidential.” That was the deal. She protected confidentiality at all costs.

He tilted his head to the side and squeezed his eyes shut for a second, then rubbed at his face. “Really, Sarah? Really? You come to me, asking for my help, and I find three bugs.” He held up three fingers. “And you have—” He waved his hand toward the door. “—a son to protect.”

He’d nailed her to the wall with a mere glance. She didn’t appreciate it. “Fine. Fine.” She threw up her hands. “I’ll give you my client list, but don’t lecture me about protecting my son. I’ve always protected my son.” Tears misted her eyes. She shouldn’t be crying, especially in front of Zane. Having him around pushed all her buttons. All the memories. All the old feelings. Now it felt like he was doubting everything she’d done, all of her sacrifice.

She bit her lip. “Don’t you dare tell me that I don’t take care of my son. I protected him and married Jeff. And I stayed married even when it was hard.” Righteous anger welled up in her. Yeah, he should know the hard things she’d done, not sit here and dare to judge her. “I protected him when his father was dying of cancer. I protected him after he died and the life insurance was denied.” She took in a shaky breath. A few tears finally escaped, and she didn’t bother wiping them away. “I came to San Diego and lived with my parents and started this company to take care of my son. I’m still doing what needs to be done to take care of my son. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to you.”

His face was severe, but his tone was quiet. “I’m sorry. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

She was done talking. “Fine, you’re staying. Fine, thank you for agreeing to help me with this. But what happened back there between us … That kissing thing, that will not happen again, because I am still protecting my son.”

His gaze hardened. He shook his head and let out a breath. “Fine.”

“Fine.”

They had a stare-off. After a couple of seconds, it almost felt ridiculous.

“You don’t trust me?” he finally said.

It wasn’t even a question in her mind. “If I didn’t trust you to protect us, I wouldn’t have gone to you.”

He squinted at her. “But you don’t trust me in other ways.” When she glared at him, he lifted his hands in surrender. “You seem like you want to say something, so say it.”

Her heart rate spiked a notch. “Fine, I’ll say it. The day I told you I was pregnant, you said I ‘couldn’t wait to let Jeff in my bed.’ That was the day you broke my heart. I let you make me feel like I was worse than some prostitute.” She put up a finger up and shook it at him. “Which was not true.”

He winced. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that. I was angry.”

She looked at her hand. Seeing it trembling, she put it down by her side. “Yeah, you shouldn’t have said that, but over the years, I realized I never should have given anyone the power to make me feel that way. So yes, I trust you, but I will never allow you to have power over me again. I will never let you in and open myself up to being hurt like that again. Ever.”

They stared at each other. He nodded, though she couldn’t read the look in his eyes. “I’m still coming on your date tomorrow.”

She glared at him. “It’s not a date.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m still coming.”