Convincing Lina: A Bachelor of Shell Cove Novel (The Bachelors of Shell Cove Romance Book 2) (11 page)

“Yep, there’s a season to everything. I appreciate you helping me out, and for staying the night.”
 

She was good at changing the subject.
 

“I could’ve gone to my mom’s house, but she worries about me. Telling her what happened tonight would’ve sent her into hyper drive. She probably would have relocated us to an underground bunker.” That stopped him cold.
 

“Lina, I’m not doing you any favors. Tell me why your mother would be so worried about you.”

“You could have left me after the police report, but you didn’t. Not every man would have made the choice you did tonight, I appreciate the whole dark knight persona you have going on.” The woman was stubborn and she had not answered his question. His adoptive mother, God rest her soul would have said Lina had moxie.

“He would if his intention is to stick around.” He would have pushed for Lina to give him an answer about her mom, except she looked away from him then, but not before he saw the flash of fear in her eyes.

 
“We should get ready for bed, I’m tired, and my new boss is a stickler for punctuality.”
 

He watched as she walked into the master bathroom. She closed the door and he heard the lock engage. He would convince her that he was a man that kept his word. He would be the man to break her fast.

 
How many times had she believed a man when he said he was with her to stay? She had scoured the “sucker” tattoo off her forehead. Those words no longer held value. Words that were too easy to disregard, forget, or abandon. She knew from experience.

She exited the master suite dressed in a royal blue cotton sleep set with capped sleeves. The v-neckline was tasteful, rather than revealing. She expected to see him stretched out on the sofa when she descended the stairs from the master suite. Gideon was organized, so it was odd to think he required extra time in the bathroom. Her graphite color couch was unoccupied.

Crossing to the darkened kitchen area, she hesitated a moment outside of the guest suite. She gave a quick rap on the door and waited.

 
“Come in.” Gideon’s voice hit her ear in a perfect amount of base. Her body vibrated like a tuning fork. She pushed the door open with two fingers and regretted it instantly. Her eyes widened, probably popped out of her head, and she felt her tongue hanging. His skin was damp, the shadowy light from the bedside lamp created a glistening effect on his torso. He wore loose cargo pants, with the perfect blend of tanned ropes and corded muscle covering his back. She’d barely caught her breath when he turned then, giving her a full frontal assault. A silver cable chain hung around his neck, a thin white metal band ring dangled from it between his well-defined pectorals. A network of scars crisscrossed his right chest wall up to his collar bone. Her eyes stopped. Seeing the evidence of his flesh and blood sacrifice for his country shot her sexy man meter to the danger zone. The best looking pajama set she’d ever seen on display. He was a graduate of Defined and Sculpted Muscle University with a doctorate in body psychiatry. She certainly felt the mood elevating effects of this visual therapy session. His wrinkled dress shirt and slacks hung on a hanger hooked around the closet door. Organized Marine, to the core.
 

“Man, you’ve got to put some clothes on if we’re going to stay in this house together.” Lina shook her head trying to dislodge the image of him half-dressed from her royalty free stock photos.
 

“Stay in this room together,” he responded as he pulled a loose black, cotton t-shirt over his head. She shook her head
no
in earnest for three reasons. First, to rid herself of the new image of thick biceps above his head as the t-shirt fell over his muscles. Second, to reprimand her inner naughty nurse into putting her cap back on and zip up her dress. And third, no way was she sharing a bedroom with him.
 

“Listen Clark Kent,” because this casual look was uber sexy, “you checked the place out. So did the cops. We’re safe.”

“Are you my Lois Lane?” He smiled. Her breath hitched.

“Did you hear anything I said?”

“Yea, I’m your Superman.” Oh goodness, her panties were moist.
 

“I’m ignoring you.” She pointed to the door. “You are welcome to the couch.”
 

“Unless you are on the couch with me that is not going to happen.” The steel in his voice had her bristling and melting in equal measure.

“We are sleeping in this room, together,” he said pointing at the glass door leading from the bedroom to the balcony. “There is a balcony entrance to every room in this place. It’s like a miscreant’s dream,” he grumbled.

“Hey, easy with the labels. I pay a mortgage on this miscreant paradise.”
 

“I have to be able to get to you before the threat. I can’t do that if there is a wall between us and the stalker has direct access to your bedroom.”

“I’ll take the bed. You sleep there tonight,” Lina gestured to the eggplant colored chaise adorned with atomic silver pillows.
 

They looked at it, then at each other. Half his legs would dangle off that thing. He raised an eyebrow at her with a slight smirk to his lips.
 

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll position the chaise in front of the balcony doors. You take the bed, and I will sleep on the floor,” he said.
 

“Yeah, that can work, too.”

“Thanks, I try to offer reasonable advice when I can.”

“Don’t rub it in.” After a pause she added, “I’ll iron your clothes in the morning.”
 

He raised an eyebrow in question.

“Cooking is off the table, but you’ll iron my dress shirt.”

“Even civilian nurses appreciate a hard crease in their uniform scrubs.”
 

“Touché. In exchange I’ll make you breakfast.”

 
“Cute and domesticated.” She approached the opposite side of the bed, turned down the covers and climbed in. She observed as he rearranged the room, then settled on the floor between the glass door entry and the bed. He was doing more than staying with her, he was protecting her.
 

“You’re a keeper,” she said, before she closed her eyes.
 

“You can count on it.”
 

“Gideon?”

“Yeah.”

“I can take care of myself, but do you have any idea how I should proceed?”

“We will figure it out together. I’m not going to leave you, Lina. Sweet dreams.” Sincerity rang out in his voice. There was a time when Jace’s voice was similar, and Troy before him. Words were not to be trusted.
 

As she drifted off to sleep, visions of candy hearts with Gideon
hearts
Lina danced around her. Maybe, her blood sugar was too low?

During the night, Lina awoke to a thrashing sound near the floor. Her first instinct was to bolt for the door, but then the scent of mountain air tickled her nose and she remembered Gideon was beside her.

“Stay down Sergeant,” he bellowed and Lina tensed. He was remembering an attack in theater. He quieted, but his lips still moved. It sounded as if he muttered a name. Did he say
Torres stay down
? His pitch dropped lower before she could decipher all his words. He was having a nightmare.

As a psychiatric nurse she was trained to avoid touching a patient experiencing a traumatic episode. It was paramount to protect yourself and the patient from physical injury. But she disregarded her training to help Gideon. Tentatively, she moved closer to the edge of the bed. Remaining on her stomach, she lowered her left arm toward the floor until she made contact with the fabric covering his chest. Delivering feather light strokes, she rubbed across his chest listening in the dark room for any sounds of increasing distress. Her touch had the opposite effect of what she saw with her patients. He quieted. With her upper body one quarter off the bed, slowly she inched her torso more fully into the bed. The room had fallen quiet once more. She stilled the hand on his chest. Sleep had claimed him. Gently she lifted her hand away, not wanting to disturb his rest. His powerful fingers curled around her hand. Instinctively, she tried to pull her hand free of his unrelenting hold. Though he was not hurting her, she tensed, squeezing her eyes closed. Anticipating the moment when his closed grip around her smaller hand would inflict pain.

The pain never came. She released a sigh of relief, then slowly opened her eyes. Lina found Gideon’s storm gray eyes trained on their joined hands. Knowing better than to look at him, she raised her eyes anyway. Desire smothered in his eyes, then caught fire when he raised her fingers to his mouth and kissed each digit. Another of Bernadean James’ warnings rang out in her head.
Keep your hands to yourself
.

He watched Lina from his concealed vantage point in the dense forest cover, as she entered the condominium unit and closed the door. It was too dark for him to distinguish the color of her dress, but there had been enough light to showcase her womanly curves. She’d matured into a beautiful woman. His body had pulsed with pent-up need. He took a deep breath reminding himself that she would be his soon. He would punish her for allowing another man to touch her. Anger coursed through his veins when the man, probably a date, dared to touch her skin. She belonged to him. She was a beautiful woman and he loved watching her. But watching her savor that man’s kiss had fueled the barely contained rage coursing through his veins. She shouldn’t let any man touch her. He hated knowing other men had touched her.
 

He hadn’t seen her with this man before tonight. He could feel the predatory energy surrounding this new man. He’d lingered after Lina entered her house, instead of getting into his car and driving away. Now he was in there with her. This guy would be trouble. Lina sang when she was happy. He’d left his favorite look out point to conceal himself on the balcony because he wanted to see her face when she discovered his gift. Her voice had carried through the kitchen window that she never closed, smooth and soulful like the woman herself. She hadn’t sung in a long time. Balling his fist in anger, knowing that this guy made her sing fueled his rage at not having her. He cracked the knuckles on each hand. He must remain focused.
 

He’d watched her for months, planning for this night. His plans had been ruined by this man who looked like a businessman, but moved like a trained killer. Only
he
was supposed to hear her cry out at the message he’d left on her bed. No one else. His chest filled with joy at her screams, that’s how he missed the initial banging on her front door. He had barely gotten back to the parking structure underneath her unit when he heard the larger man’s voice through the kitchen window.
 

Her bed would have been perfect for their first time together. Her sweet scent clung to the sheets. He’d pressed his face into the round purple pillow she held to her chest when she read at night. Careful not to stain her favorite pillow with his gift, he inhaled deep, pulling her essence deep into his lungs. Purple was her favorite color. A strappy, off the shoulder gown with layers of violet lace awaited Lina’s generous curves in his private apartment. Not even the boss knew of its location. He’d been prepared to take her tonight, but it would have to wait. He would make that guy pay for ruining his plans for tonight and for touching Lina.

Abandoning his hiding place, he moved closer to the building. Her place went dark thirty minutes ago and the man hadn’t left. Fury gnawed at his insides that Lina had settled in for the night with that man. This was definitely trouble for him.