Logan had faced danger many times as a Navy SEAL but dealing with a crying woman made confronting an ISIS cell feel like a walk in the park. He wasn’t sure what had happened. One minute he and Weslee were staring at the beautiful sunset, and then the next thing he knew she was sobbing.

Not sure if he should say something or give her a hug, he glanced over his shoulder to gauge how far away the house was. They weren’t close enough for him to get immediate help from her housekeeper. He was sure Inez would know what to do.

Rubbing a hand across the base of his neck, he turned back toward Weslee. She’d covered her face with her hands, but it didn’t hide the torrent of tears streaming down her face. It was up to him to deal with the situation. Man, he sure wished he had some backup. Unfortunately, he didn’t have Inez’s number. Calling his mother was out of the question. For one, she was on a cruise with some of her quilting ladies. Secondly, she’d be so excited he was calling about a girl that she’d lose focus.

He certainly couldn’t call any of his friends. It was bad enough a couple of Sutton’s guys were here doing counter surveillance. They were probably watching the whole thing right now.

“Uh…I’m sorry, Weslee,” he said, hoping an apology might help.

“You. Didn’t. Do. Anything.” She sniffed in between each word, making him feel worse. “I’m. Fine.”

She was not fine. She was upset and probably could use a hug. He wasn’t a hugger, but his mother was. The pretty girl standing in front of him was not his mother. Hugging her would definitely not be the same.

Shifting his stance, he considered his next move. He’d thought that by wearing the Outside Energy shirt the teasing might eliminate his attraction toward her. He realized how wrong he was about that the moment she’d stepped close to him to tug on the hem of his shirt. Her nearness had hit him square in the chest like a heat-seeking missile striking its target.

She made a quiet noise of distress. Shoot, he had to do something. Slowly, Logan loosely put an arm around her shoulders and patted the side of her arm. If he could prod her forward, then he could get back to the house and have Inez take over. Amazingly, the simple contact did the trick. Weslee’s tears subsided as she drew in a shuddering breath.

He was about to suggest they go inside when his plan completely backfired. As gracefully as a dancer, she turned into him, circled her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his chest. Then she started crying again. Not as hard as before, but still crying.

Logan didn’t know what to do. His one-armed embrace was kind of awkward. He was holding her but not really since his other arm hung limply to his side. He either needed to let go of her or fully embrace her.

An older woman walked by with her dog and glanced their way. The expression on her face was a mixture of concern and censure. It reminded him of a look his mother had given him a few times over the years. Thinking about the scolding his mom would give him if she were to see him right now, he slowly wrapped his other arm around Weslee and tightened his hold.

Dang, she felt small and soft and smelled unbelievably good, like peaches and cream. An explosion of awareness rocketed through him. He swallowed hard as she snuggled in closer, pressing her fingers against his back. Not sure what to say, or if his voice would work properly, he remained silent and just held her.

He hadn’t held a woman that wasn’t his mother for a long time. So long he’d forgotten how good it could be. The enticing scent of peaches and cream swirled around him, filling his head with all kinds of thoughts. Faint alarms pinged in his head, warning him of impending danger. He needed to let her go and let someone else do the comforting. Heart thudding inside his chest, he loosened his grasp only to have her nestle in closer.

She let out a small sigh of contentment, giving Logan a sense of male satisfaction he hadn’t ever felt before. It wouldn’t hurt to hold her for a few more minutes, right? He liked helping people, and this was clearly helping her because she’d nearly stopped crying.

On the downside, Logan’s awareness for her increased with each beat of his heart. Tendrils of her long hair brushed against his arms, his bare skin flushing as hot as the blood racing through his veins. Without consciously thinking it through, he slid his fingers through the length of her hair. Shoot. It was just as soft and silky as he’d imagined, eliciting another forbidden desire. He wanted to kiss her.

As if she’d read his mind, Weslee lifted her tear-stained face to look at him. Most girls didn’t cry pretty. Weslee wasn’t one of those girls. Framed by dark, spiky lashes, her eyes glistened like the aquamarine stone representing his birth month. Even her flushed face was appealing. And her lips…her cherry-colored lips were slightly swollen and looked so kissable.

Don’t do it, Steele. Kissing her is a very bad idea.

He repeated the edict to himself over and over. It took every ounce of self-discipline the Navy had drilled in his head to release his hold and step away from her.

“Feeling better?” he asked, wincing at the tone of his voice. He sounded like he’d just finished a brutal round of PT.

“Yes.” She ran a fingertip under her lower lashes. “I…I’m so embarrassed.” Her forehead creased as she pointed to the tear-stains darkening the fabric of his shirt. “I’m so sorry. I’ll buy you a new shirt.”

“That’s not necessary.” He thought about the Outdoor Energy shirt he’d stuffed into his duffle bag. She’d been upset about the shirt and not just in a healthy-competitive-way. She’d said there was a story behind her reaction. Perhaps the shirt had been the catalyst for her breakdown. “But I wouldn’t mind buying a Ground Zero shirt.”

A small smile curved her mouth. “I can help you with that.”

“I probably need to buy more than one, since I packed two other Outdoor Energy shirts,” he said, purposely mentioning the rival company to see if she would talk to him about what had happened.

Her smile dimmed “You don’t have to replace your shirts, Logan.” Sighing, she looked down at her feet. “I promise I’m not always this emotional. It’s just been…a trying day.”

It was the opening he needed, but he still hesitated. Delving into her personal life for anything other than the mission was risky. However, in order to fully protect her, he needed more information than the intel he already had. “Want to talk about it?”

Her head snapped up, and she studied him for a long moment. “I suppose I do need to tell you about Dax.”

“Dax?” he asked, wondering what kind of parents would saddle their kid with a name like that.

“Dax Hamilton worked for my daddy.” She pushed a loose curl behind one ear. “He was also my fiancé.”

“Was?” Logan asked, wondering how recent the breakup had been. He already knew she’d been engaged. Her dossier mentioned a brief engagement, but he’d thought nothing about it since the police had cleared the man as her stalker.

“We ended our engagement shortly after my parents died.” She rubbed her lips together and looked out over the ocean. “He emailed me a few hours ago asking me to meet him so we could talk. Apparently, he wants me back.”

Logan felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of icy water over him. His gut tightened with unreasonable jealousy as he processed Weslee’s words. “Are you going to meet with him?” he asked, keeping his tone even and his expression neutral. As her security detail, he needed to vet anyone wanting to meet with her. As a man...that was more complicated, so he compartmentalized his personal feelings and became her bodyguard.

Weslee started walking, and Logan fell in step beside her. His dislike for her former fiancé intensified with every soft-spoken word that fell from her lips. The guy was a snake, deserting her when she’d needed him most. Not only that, he’d betrayed her further by crossing enemy lines to work for Outdoor Energy. Like any traitor, the man had also taken confidential information from Ground Zero and called it his own.

By the time she finished her tale, Logan understood why Inez had wanted him to dispose of his shirt. On top of everything else, the shirt he’d worn had been designed by Dax, although the original concept had been Weslee’s.

“Can’t you take legal action against him?” Logan asked.

“Jon is working on it, but his contract has a few clauses added in that protect him.” She sighed. “Jon believes the contract is fraudulent. He would’ve never allowed Daddy to hire Dax with the current contract. But so far he hasn’t been able to prove anything.”

Logan was good at finding hidden documents, but he would need access to the guy’s computer to perform an in-depth search. “Any chance Dax’s computer is still at Ground Zero?”

“No, he took it with him.” She looked at him sidelong. “You think you could find something on it? Even if he permanently deleted it?”

“If it was ever on his computer then I’ll find it.”

“Really?” She stopped walking, scrutinizing him with a half-smile. “You don’t look like a computer nerd.”

Logan’s gaze narrowed. “I’ve never been called a nerd in my life.”

She laughed, a soft sound that went straight through him. “No, I’m sure you haven’t.”

A sudden gust of wind sprayed them with a mist of water. Weslee shivered and shoved her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt. “We better head back,” Logan said, noting the last vestiges of daylight were fading fast. No matter how many eyes his buddies had on them or their surroundings, being out after dark was dangerous.

As they walked back to the house, Logan asked her how she’d gotten into archery and found out her father had introduced her at a young age. Apparently, she’d been a natural. Instead of being in beauty pageants, Weslee had honed her archery skills until she’d become somewhat of a celebrity in the hunting industry and the face for Ground Zero. Logan wished he could see her in action. The competitive side of him would love to challenge her. He was deadly with a gun, skilled with a knife and was an expert in hand-to-hand combat, but he’d never once picked up a bow and arrow.

“You don’t actually hunt, do you?” he asked as they ascended the porch steps. He couldn’t reconcile this Southern beauty with hunting.

Pausing on one of the stairs, she turned to face him with one eyebrow raised. “Yes, I hunt. And any meat I obtain doesn’t go to waste. Once it’s processed, I keep some of it, but the majority is donated to local food banks.” A trace of sadness flickered across her features. “Daddy and I used to go every season. I couldn’t bring myself to go this past season.” She looked wistfully beyond his shoulder. “It isn’t the same without him.”

He wanted to volunteer to go with her, but chasing bad guys was the only hunting Logan had ever done. “I’m sorry,” he said, hoping the moisture gathering in her eyes wasn’t the start of another crying session. As much as he’d enjoyed holding her, he didn’t like her tears. Tears made him feel helpless. It reminded him too much of the times he’d caught his mother crying after his dad was killed in action.

“Goodness,” she said, blinking a few times. “I don’t know what is wrong with me tonight.” She offered him a genuine smile. “I apologize for all this emotional drama. I promise I’ll be back to myself tomorrow.”

Weslee went straight to her room, claiming a headache. Inez and Jon also retired shortly after. Although they’d been here for over a week, they were still on the Eastern time zone.

He glanced at his watch and saw it was way too early for him to hit the sack. Besides, Sutton was sending over a tailor to fit him for his tux. His cell buzzed in his pocket with an incoming text from one of the men he’d called to watch over them. He reported that all was clear and asked if they needed to stick around. Logan sent a reply they were good to go, grateful none of the guys from his SEAL team had been available tonight after all. They would’ve razzed him about getting too friendly with his client.

The tailor arrived a short time later to take his measurements. It didn’t last long, so once he was alone, Logan grabbed his laptop and settled onto one of the oversized leather chairs to do some recon on Ground Zero. He clicked on the about-our-company link and saw a picture of the founder, Marcus Wesley Campbell. He read the brief bio on Mr. Campbell that also named his wife, JoAnne, and their daughter, Weslee Anne. Apparently, his client had been named after both of her parents.

His eyes drifted further down the page that had several pictures of Weslee either dressed in curve-hugging athletic clothing or equally curve-hugging camo. She looked amazing in both, but Logan’s vote was for the camo. It was pretty hot, especially the pics with her shooting her bow and arrow.

He forced himself to finish reading the rest of the information about how Marcus had taken the small supplemental company and turned it into a huge corporation by marketing the products to outdoor athletes like hunters and fisherman.

Logan was equally impressed by the amount of charitable contributions the company supported. Weslee’s insistence about attending the charity ball made more sense. Marcus Campbell wasn’t the kind of rich daddy that spoiled his daughter with expensive cars, yachts and hosted lavish parties. He and his wife spent most of their time giving away their money to help those in need, especially the families right here in the United States.

Logan had traveled the world, witnessing firsthand the abject poverty people lived in, and wished he could do more than just take out bad guys. The statistics of equally destitute women and children without the basics like food, shelter, and clothing surprised him. It also made him want to help.

He clicked on another page that featured the products available and decided to order a few things, especially since all the proceeds during the month of March were donated to help feed hungry children. It was shocking to know so many children in the United States were going without breakfast or lunch and sometimes dinner.

What started out as an intention to order a few things grew into something more. He spent a lot of money on products and merchandise, but he knew it was for a good cause. Plus, his birthday was in a few weeks, so he’d consider it an early gift to himself. Before closing the page out, he noticed a link for the bone marrow match program. He moved the cursor over the link but didn’t get a chance to click on it. One of the men from Sutton’s was here to take over the night shift for him. Logan didn’t think it was necessary, but Jon wasn’t taking any chances if the stalker really had followed Weslee to California. He wanted someone keeping watch 24-7.

The next morning, Logan was up before the sun. He never could sleep in, no matter what time he fell asleep. After making his bed, he dressed in a T-shirt and track pants, intent on doing his PT before Jenkins’ shift ended.

Although he could hear activity from upstairs, no one was on the main floor, except Jenkins. “I’ll be back at 0530,” he said in a quiet voice. “Everything good?”

Acknowledging Logan with a head nod, he yawned and said, “See you in a few.”

Logan hated all-nighters, although skipping one night was nothing compared to the brutal five days of no sleep during the infamous hell week of BUD/S. That training had come in handy because most covert ops he and his team had gone on required no sleep or very little sleep. Thankfully, this security detail provided him with a comfortable bed and good food.

He hit the hard sand at a fast pace, the air chilly and thick with moisture. The scent of the salty ocean filled his nostrils as he ran the lonely stretch of the semi-private beach. Listening to the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore, he focused on his breathing and mentally went over the plans for the day.

Weslee had a meeting with the CEO of a spa and gym that had chains along the entire west coast. Unique to other combination facilities, Total Works Gym and Spa also had an indoor archery range. Ground Zero sponsored archery tournaments all over the US, and Total Works wanted to offer their clients products from Ground Zero. They hoped the cross promotion would boost membership at the gym and increase Ground Zero’s presence in California.

Weslee had received a complimentary pass to experience some of the amenities the spa offered, which she planned on using right after the meeting and the photo shoot. Since Sutton employed several female security agents, he’d assigned one to accompany Weslee, sparing Logan from watching over her while she got a facial, manicure and other girly stuff. She also had an appointment with a hair salon to get ready for the charity ball this evening.

Just thinking about dancing with Weslee made Logan sweat more than he already was. Even though a dance required him to hold her close, he’d keep a respectable distance to help him keep his head clear. Civilian life had obviously made him weak. He would’ve never allowed any personal feelings to get in the way when he was enlisted.

Weslee made him feel things he’d never felt before. While he hadn’t dated much since retiring from the SEALs, the girls he’d gone out with were every bit as beautiful as Weslee, yet none of those girls made his heart pound erratically with merely one touch of the hand.

That made her dangerous. Dangerous because loving someone like her meant the loss would be as detrimental as stepping on an IED. It would shred him to pieces, leaving scars that would last a lifetime. His mother was happy, but she’d never allowed herself to fall in love again. There had been nice men interested in her over the years, but she said she couldn’t risk loving someone and then losing them again.

Wiping perspiration from his forehead, he pushed those crazy thoughts out of his mind as he turned around and headed back to the house. Focusing back on the mission, he finished his to-do list. He’d take a quick shower and then relieve Jenkins. Once Weslee was in the hands of a female agent, Logan would scout out the Hotel del Coronado. He needed to know exits and identify secure safe spots if he had to get Weslee out of the line of fire quickly.

He also wanted to go over the list of staff and guests Sutton had already screened. The report had come in early this morning. He’d made a cursory glance, and none of the compiled lists contained any red flags.

Slowing his pace the last few yards, Logan scanned the area around the house. The impending sunrise was lighting the sky in small increments like someone was slowly turning up a light switch dimmer.

Before climbing the porch steps, he took a minute to stretch and steady his breathing. Movement from inside drew his attention as Weslee opened the blinds and slid the glass door open.

“Good morning,” she said, stepping onto the porch.

All of Logan’s determination to stay immune to her went up in smoke. She was wearing curve-hugging camo yoga pants and a snug black shirt with the Ground Zero logo imprinted on the front.