Bodyguard Pursuit (20 page)

Unable to stop, she leaned back and came up against him. Oh wow. His solid presence was like a safety blanket of warmth she’d never forget. She wanted to tip her head back, rest it on his shoulder and tell him everything, to extinguish the lie she’d told and lay out their past. Only that would never happen. Knocking that idea out of her head, she straightened. “Does Whitehall Shipping have a big fleet?”

“Twelve ships in total, but The Idle Dream was my mother’s baby. It’s reserved for family holidays each year. She passed away two years ago, and my father four. I don’t usually speak of them, but--” He slid his fingers through her long hair. “Are you sure we didn’t have more than a single date? I feel a level of comfort I can’t explain.”

Her thoughts swirled to the past, to those last moments she’d had with him a year ago. He’d been dressed all in black, shirt and jeans, and her heart had fluttered in her chest. They’d become so close over the ten days they’d been together, but now he was leaving. Tyler had dropped his bag in the trunk of his car and sauntered toward her.

She’d moved in his direction, and Jay had raced past and wrapped his arms around his legs. Tyler had hunkered down and hugged the boy. “I’m sorry buddy, but the rules are the rules. I can only do a ten-day rotation, but Brigs is here to look after you and Lee now.”

Jay’s jaw had quivered. “Could you push me on the swing one last time?”

“Sure.” Tyler was such a sucker for Jay.

“But after Lee does.” Jay shot a mischievous look her way.

Yeah, Jay would draw Tyler’s departure out, and she understood why. Jeffrey Lawntree, his busy politician father, paid him so little attention. Tyler was a breath of fresh air for Jay, and had never left their side since his arrival. Jay loved that. She did too.

She led Jay to the old oak tree where his grandfather had knotted a tire over a high, sturdy branch.

Jay wriggled into the tire and dangled his legs over the rim, ready to go. He giggled, barely sitting still. “Go, Lee, push.” Lee was his nickname for her, one she adored. Even Tyler had adopted it. Only the two of them had ever done that. So special.

Pulling both Jay and the tire, she backed up and let go when she was certain the tire would swing nice and high as Jay liked.

“It’s wet, Lee,” Jay yelled and laughed as he flew.

She clapped a hand against her mouth as water sloshed inside the rim. Oh no. She’d forgotten to check it first. It had rained the night before and she should have tipped it out.

“There’s water in Poppa’s tire and my bottom’s getting wet.” Jay sailed through the air, giggles exploding from him as his red shorts stained darker.

She laughed at his silly grin. “I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t believe you forgot.” Tyler’s blue eyes sparkled as he beckoned her to him. “Come and say goodbye to me.”

Such husky words she couldn’t ignore. “Are you finally off the clock?”

“Yes, but you’re still a client.”

“And a bodyguard doesn’t get physical with his client?”

“It goes against the rules, Lee. It obscures our point of view.”

“Rules are meant to be--” At a heavy scraping to her right, she turned. What the…

A man in green and brown camouflage gear and scraggly black hair trailing out from under his black balaclava scaled the high slatted perimeter fence. Beady black eyes sunken within yellow skin, the gaze of Johnny Taita’s murderer, drilled into her. The killer from the high profile hit-and-run she’d witnessed was back. Oh hell. No way.

“Lydia.” Tyler gripped her arms, dragged her back from her terrifying memories.

“I’m okay.”

“Where’d you go?”

She rubbed his warm hands. Tyler was here. He was alive. He had survived.

“What took you away from me?”

“Um, bad memories. It happens sometimes. Don’t you ever have those?” How could he not remember the horror of that day? It haunted her and would never leave.

“Life is too short for that sort of thing.” He caressed her back. “There’s something about you. You said the dinner was nice, but how did our date end?”

“Ah, it ended badly. You never called.” She stepped back, only she bumped into the bunks. Then he followed her, and boxed her in. “What are you doing?”

“Go out with me again.”

Go out with him for real? Could she do that?

She’d never had the chance back then, and now she was in The Program, one she wasn’t leaving anytime soon. But he wasn’t her bodyguard anymore. Well, not officially, and not that she would ever tell him.

“Say yes.”

She looked into his eyes, and his heat radiated to every inch of her. Oh boy, she was in trouble. “I’ve moved on. Haven’t you?”

Lies though. It was all she could offer him, no matter his answer.

“No. I have a feeling I’ve been waiting for you.”

Her pulse tripped over itself, her heartbeat hammering out of control.

Impossible.