Under His Protection (11 page)

Moving quietly, he slipped on his gloves, then unlatched the fence. He had a mask to pull over his face, but wasn’t putting that on yet. There wasn’t much of an excuse if he got caught wearing it. A quick glance out told him no one was there and the neighborhood was relatively quiet except for a few barking dogs in the distance. At least the one next door had finally quieted.

The flash of headlights made him freeze. He stayed still as the lights swept over the fence briefly.

Her neighbor was pulling into the driveway. He took a step back into the shadows of Julieta’s backyard, easing the fence door shut behind him, but not fully closing it. He needed to know if her neighbor had seen him.

A car door shut. “Yeah, I just got home… No, I need to shower and change then I’ll meet you. Yes, I’ll be quick…” The woman’s voice trailed off as she likely headed inside.

Not wasting any more time, he opened the fence and hurried toward the side door. The second key he tried slid easily into the lock. He twisted it to the side and smiled at the sound and feel of it unlocking.

After another glance around, he eased the door open, his palms sweating in his gloves.

An alarm started beeping, making him jerk in surprise. It continued beeping, giving him time to turn it off—if he knew the code. Damn it! She had an alarm system? There were no signs in her yard or stickers on her windows.

He could run now, or take another risk. The alarm company would contact the police who would then dispatch an officer, but that could take some time. Maybe ten minutes at the most, depending upon how close an officer was. He was betting on seven minutes to be safe. It was possible one of her neighbors would come check but if that happened, he’d deal with the problem then.

Taking a chance, he ducked inside and shut the door behind him just as the alarm started blaring. He pulled out his black cloth mask from his back pocket and tugged it on. Moving through the house, he quickly scanned her lower floor before racing up the stairs. Two bedrooms were empty, one looked like a guest room and the other was clearly hers.

His heart pounded out of control, his cock heavy between his legs when he saw her big bed. He wanted to fuck her there, make her scream in pleasure and pain for him right where she normally slept.

The alarm blared, the piercing sound making him edgy as he hurried to one of her dressers. He opened the top drawer and found sports bras and what looked like work-out T-shirts. Not what he wanted. He went to the other dresser and tugged open the top drawer.

Bingo.

All her panties and lingerie. He picked up the top piece, a sheer red scrap of material, and held it up to his nose. It smelled like a floral detergent.

His rage grew, detonating inside him, clawing at him. That wasn’t what he wanted. He threw it on the ground.

Moving to her attached bathroom, he quickly scanned the room, looking for dirty clothes. Everything was neat and tidy. He opened a door to what he guessed was a linen closet and felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest when he saw a small wicker laundry hamper tucked under the bottom shelf, sitting next to a scale.

With shaking hands, he yanked it out. Delicate feminine underthings were the only thing in the hamper. He knew women liked to hand wash stuff like this so that must be why it was separate from wherever the rest of her laundry was. He grabbed out a black thong and green sheer bra and shoved them in his pocket.

Sweat covered his forehead and upper lip as he backtracked the way he’d come. How long had he been upstairs? He couldn’t remember. The alarm made him anxious, the effect of the noise giving him a pounding headache.

Were the police nearby?

Instead of heading out the side door, he went through the kitchen’s other open entryway and into a living room. Blinds covered the sliding glass door.

His hands were trembling out of control as he lifted the security latch and yanked the door open. Cool Florida air rushed over him, making him clammy as he stepped out into her backyard.

He paused, looking around. He couldn’t see anyone. Sirens blared nearby, spurring him into action. He sprinted across her backyard and scaled the fence. He yanked off his mask and shoved it into his other pocket.

Taking off his hoodie, he wrapped it around his waist and made his way back through the neighbors’ yard to their sidewalk. With his hoodie tied and tennis shoes on, he looked as if he was out for a run. Keeping his pace steady, he started a slow jog, scanning his environment as he did.

Smiling, he half-waved at a woman walking her dog a few houses down. She smiled back and didn’t give him a second glance, which told him he must look normal enough.

It didn’t matter that his heart was an erratic beat inside him and he could barely contain the urge to pull out Julieta’s thong and shove it against his face, he at least looked normal on the outside.

As he came to a four way stop, he jogged in place, keeping up the pretense, as two black and white police cars zoomed by, only slowing briefly at the intersection.

Oh yeah, they were definitely headed to Julieta’s place.

Once they passed, he jogged across the street and somehow managed to keep his pace slow and steady instead of full out sprinting like the fear inside him demanded. He’d been smart so far, he wouldn’t get caught because he couldn’t keep himself under control.

The alarm was a problem, but it just meant he’d have to take her another way. Her workplace had security, but if he could catch her alone during one of her lunch breaks or directly after her work day, he would be able to take her, even if she struggled.

Tonight he’d outline his plan for his next move, but only after he stroked himself off with her thong. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, but it had touched Julieta and soon he’d be rubbing it all over himself.

* * *

Julieta glanced at Ivan in surprise as he steered into the parking lot of
La Playa
Grill. “You sure this is where you want to go for our first date?”

Ivan nodded. “Your brother told me this was one of your favorite places.”

She bit back a smile. “It is, but…did he also tell you that he’s part owner with my oldest brother? And that a lot of my family will be here tonight?”

Ivan snapped a quick look at her before pulling into one of the only open spots. “He might have forgot to mention that.” His voice was wry.

“We don’t have to eat here. Seriously, there are a dozen places we could pick on this strip.” While her parents’ place was more reminiscent of the type of food you’d find in her grandmother’s kitchen, her brothers’ restaurant served seafood with a Cuban flare. There was more variety, which was perfect since it was close to the beach. But she wasn’t sure how she felt about Ivan meeting more of her family, especially when she knew this thing between them was just casual.

He shut off the engine. “We’re eating here. Sandro can’t scare me off that easily. Or at all,” he murmured before getting out of the SUV. He seemed more relaxed now that they were away from her shop.

Ever since he’d returned to her store, he’d been hyper vigilant and alert, his anger at her latest text a palpable thing. He’d barely relaxed until she’d decided to beg off work early and let Ruby and Sandro close up.

She hadn’t wanted to, but with Ivan at her shop, edgy, like a caged lion, she figured food and some space was what they needed. Plus she wasn’t letting some psycho dictate her life. She was excited about this date with Ivan—even if it was at her brothers’ restaurant. Wasn’t like her parents would be here or anything, and with Sandro at her shop that meant Montez would be even busier in the kitchen.

She had nothing to worry about. Still, her gut twisted at the thought of Ivan meeting more of her relatives. She appreciated all his help, but she didn’t want to give her family the wrong idea about their relationship and if she kept bringing Ivan around, they would. She wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject without sounding like a bitch.

Julieta picked up her purse from the floorboard and had just taken off her seatbelt when her door opened. Ivan was all about the manners, something she loved. It had been a long time since she’d been out with someone, much less someone so respectful. Taking his hand, she let him help her out of the vehicle and was surprised when he pressed her up against the side of the SUV, his mouth crushing over hers in a breath stealing kiss.

Grabbing her hips, he hoisted her up higher against the side of the door so that she was more level with him. On instinct, she wrapped her legs around him, not caring what kind of display they were potentially making. She’d never felt like this before, so physically consumed that she wanted,
needed
, to feel Ivan inside her. It was probably better that this thing between them was casual, otherwise she’d turn into a complete sex maniac and never get anything done.
Right.
That was what she’d keep telling herself.

His tongue danced with hers and he let out a groan that sounded almost frustrated. Just like that, her entire body heated up even more, as if her nerve endings had been doused in accelerant and he’d lit a match. She arched against him, sliding her hands up his chest and linking her fingers together around the back of his neck.

He nipped her bottom lip, biting down a little more than just playfully, the action taking her off guard and making her nipples tighten. Why were they going to dinner again? They should be back at her place and naked. Unable to stop herself, she slid her hand up the back of his neck and through his short hair. He’d looked so sexy with his hair rumpled this morning and she wanted to see it that way again.

Suddenly Ivan pulled back, breathing hard as he let her go. She let her legs fall from around his waist and straightened her dress as he moved in front of her, blocking her body with his. They were in between his vehicle and another, with a wall at the back of his SUV since he’d reversed into the spot. She automatically tensed at his rigid stance until she heard voices.

That must have been why he’d stopped, but it was just a man and woman laughing as they walked across the parking lot, talking about how good the food had been.

“I’m sorry, Julieta,” he murmured as he turned to her. The sound of the voices were already fading as the couple walked farther away.

“Why?” She smoothed a hand down her dress more to calm her nerves than anything else.

“I shouldn’t have done that out here, not with… There’s no excuse for my losing control like that.” His expression was carefully neutral, so unlike the passionate man she’d been kissing moments before.

Her lips quirked up and she trailed her fingers down the middle of his chest. “I’m not complaining.”

At that his expression softened a fraction. “I want to keep you safe. I should have waited until our surroundings were more secure.”

That protectiveness made her like him even more. She took a deep breath. “Listen, Ivan. Would you mind if we went someplace else tonight?” Her stomach was too in knots to think about eating at her brothers’ restaurant, no matter how much she’d tried to mentally convince herself that it would be fine.

The change in subject seemed to take him off guard. “Meeting your family doesn’t bother me.”

“It’s not that. I just… Look, this thing between us is clearly intense,
physically
, but I know… I know that this is just casual for you. It’s not fair for my whole family to meet you when this isn’t going to last. I don’t want them to think there’s more to this than there really is.” She bit her bottom lip, feeling strange just putting the words out there, but she needed to be honest. She knew she was making an assumption, but he also wasn’t correcting her.

Which was telling all by itself. He stared at her for a long moment and she thought she saw the briefest hint of hurt in his icy eyes, but it was gone so fast she must have imagined it. His jaw tightened and he nodded once before palming his keys. “We can go somewhere else.”

She started to respond when her phone buzzed in her purse. Normally she wouldn’t answer her phone while on a date—though she wasn’t even sure this was a date anymore—but with everything going on and the fact that she owned her own shop, she was basically on call during working hours.

It wasn’t the store number though, it was her security company.

A heavy ball of dread settled in her stomach. They only called for one reason. Since she used the same company for her store and home, she knew something bad had happened.

Chapter 10

Ivan stood next to Julieta at her kitchen table with his hand on her back as she spoke to Detective Duarte. He could feel the tension humming through her even though it was clear she was trying to remain strong.

“Like I said, I don’t see much missing except…undergarments.” Her voice cracked on the last word, but she continued. “I’ll need to check through everything again, but wouldn’t my alarm have scared the intruder off before he could have taken much?”

The detective nodded, his expression grim as he flicked a glance at Ivan. “Yeah. It’s odd that he came into your house at all once your alarm went off. Ninety-nine percent of the time, alarms scare intruders away. They want easy targets. Are you sure you locked all your doors?”

Julieta jerked at that. “My mother is crazy vigilant about that stuff and raised all of us to check doors and windows every night. And I’m a single woman living in Miami. No matter how good of a neighborhood this is, I didn’t leave my freaking sliding glass door wide open or my kitchen door unlocked.” Her voice vibrated with rage, a tremble snaking through her body that Ivan felt under his fingertips.