Sworn to Protect Page 2

  She ignored him because she knew if she stared into those dark eyes she’d lose the ability to speak and then she’d inevitably embarrass herself.

  The tall, built-like-a-goddess woman with pale blonde hair he was with smiled widely at Athena. “Only if you don’t mind,” she continued, nodding at the drinks. “They look so good.”

  “Ah, you can have this one. I made an extra for the lush here.” She tilted her head at Lizzy with a half-smile. Athena had planned to drink the second one herself but didn’t trust her hands not to shake if she made another. She couldn’t believe Quinn was standing right in front of her, looking all casual and annoyingly sexy in dark jeans and a long-sleeved sweater shoved up to his elbows. Why did his forearms have to look so good?

  “Ha, ha.” Lizzy snagged her drink as Athena stepped out from behind the bar. “Athena, this is Quinn Brody and Dominique Castle. They both work for Red Stone but Dominique is almost as new as you.”

  Forcing a smile on her face, Athena nodded politely at both of them—and tried to ignore the way Quinn was staring at her. She’d had no freaking idea he worked for Red Stone. He looked a bit like a hungry wolf. Just like on their last date—two months ago. When he’d decided she was too much trouble, being a virgin and all. Jackass. “It’s so nice to meet you both.” She did a mental fist pump when her voice sounded normal. “I promised Belle I’d help out inside but I hope to see you both around tonight.” Liar, liar.

  “Me too. Thanks again for the drink,” Dominique said cheerfully while Lizzy just gave Athena a strange look.

  Athena wasn’t sure what Quinn’s expression was because she’d decided to do the mature thing—and studiously ignore him. When she looked at him it was just a reminder of all those intense kisses they’d shared. He’d lit her body on fire like no one ever had. They’d gone on half a dozen dates and she’d thought they were on the same page, had wanted the same thing. Obviously not, and she thought she’d been over it.

  No, she was over him. She simply needed to get it together before she saw or talked to him again.

  Lord, talk about totally unexpected.

  Since she didn’t know everyone at the party it was easy enough to make her way inside without having to make small talk. She hurried to Belle and Grant’s bathroom, not bothering to use one of the guest ones. Not when she just wanted a couple minutes of privacy and she knew her cousin wouldn’t mind.

  As she shut the bathroom door behind her, she leaned against it and let out a stupid rush of breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. The man should not be able to affect her at all. Not two months after…the hottest dates of her life. She’d been so sure—

  No. Just, no.

  She would not think about those midnight dark eyes of his and the dirty things he’d whispered to her as he’d nibbled along her jaw, making his way to that sensitive spot on her neck.

  When she suddenly wondered if he and Dominique had come here tonight together, as a couple, it was as if she’d been doused with that clichéd ice water. That certainly cooled Athena’s thoughts down. Those two probably were together. Worse, they looked perfect together too. Both tall, sleek and too sexy for mere freaking mortals like herself.

  Sure, Athena might be named for a goddess but she wasn’t some siren. Ugh, and she’d worn a boat-neck cashmere sweater, jeans and ballet slipper type shoes. Super sexy, she thought sarcastically, wishing she’d opted for heels at least. Even if she did think heels were ridiculous. At five feet two, she could use a bit of height but she liked her feet too much to constantly subject them to torture. God, just seeing him here, with someone so seemingly perfect for him, made Athena feel like that chubby girl in high school again. The girl with the big personality. The girl everyone wanted to be friends with. But not date.

  She tried to shake off the old insecurities. Gritting her teeth at herself, she took a deep breath and opened the door. She wasn’t going to hide in her cousin’s bathroom and berate herself. She’d had a few dates with the man. It hadn’t worked out. No big deal.

  She was going to get another glass of champagne, enjoy herself and get to know her new co-workers. The thought came to an abrupt halt as she opened the bedroom door and found Quinn leaning against the wall opposite her, almost casually. But she wasn’t fooled by his stance.

  Nothing about him was casual. Those muscular arms were crossed over his broad chest and there was an almost predatory gleam in those dark eyes. No, that look on his face couldn’t be mistaken for anything but raw lust.

  Which wasn’t exactly a shock. Their attraction to each other hadn’t been the issue.

  Chapter 2

  Seeing Athena again in person had been like a punch to all of Quinn’s senses. Everything about her was sensual and he knew she wasn’t trying. She screamed sex appeal and it was all in her big blue eyes and sultry mouth. Her bottom lip was perpetually pouty and drove him just a little crazy. He couldn’t believe she was working for Red Stone or that she was at Grant’s place. He knew she came from a huge family and seeing her again, now the resemblance to Belle was clear.

  Her lips pulled into a thin line for a moment, her expression one of annoyance before it quickly morphed into what he thought of as her fake, forced smile. He’d seen it once when a waiter had been rude to them.

  Quinn didn’t like being on the receiving end of it. “It’s good to see you again,” he murmured, the urge to reach out and…hell, touch her, was so damn strong. And insane. He had no right to touch her.

  Fake smile in place, she nodded once. “Yeah, nice to see you too.” Then her brow furrowed as she looked down the hall then back at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for you.”

  “Oh.” That smile faded only to be replaced by a look of bewilderment.

  He wanted to reach out and smooth the lines of confusion from her forehead before claiming her mouth. He was a fucking idiot for walking away from her. The past two months he’d hadn’t been on any dates. Though he’d asked two women out, he’d cancelled for both dates, claiming work as an excuse. After Athena everyone else was too bland, too…not Athena. He didn’t want anyone other than her and that was disturbing.

  She’d left her long, espresso-colored hair down in big waves he wanted to run his hands through. The last time he’d seen her she’d looked the same except for a single braid she’d fashioned as a headband of sorts. She’d told him it was Bohemian.

  “Ah, I didn’t say we’d met because I thought it might be weird,” she continued.

  He’d figured as much and he’d been too stunned at seeing her to say anything. He forced his gaze from her delicious mouth to her eyes. “When did you get hired by Red Stone?”

  She lifted her shoulders in a jerky, awkward shrug and flicked a glance down the hall, as if she was biding her time to escape. “A little while ago. My first official day’s not until Monday. Is Red Stone the same company you’ve been with the last six years?”

  He’d told her that he was in private security but hadn’t mentioned the name of the company and she’d been understanding. His rule was not to tell women who he worked for unless things turned serious. Things had never actually turned serious enough with anyone for him to be open about who he worked for. “Yeah. Listen, I’m sorry about the way things, uh, the way I…” Damn it, he’d never been tongue-tied around a woman before. Not even as a teenager. Looking at Athena now, he couldn’t believe he’d been dumb enough to walk away from her. When he’d realized how innocent she was it had freaked him out, to put it mildly. Had made him feel guilty for the dirty things he’d said to her, wanted to do to her. With her—

  Her annoyed voice cut through his thoughts. “I really don’t want to talk about it. It’s not a big deal.” But her stiff stance and almost neutral expression said the opposite.

  In his limited experience with her, her expressions had always been so open and animated. Now it was clear she was putting a wall between them. Even if he deserved it, it still irked him.

  �
�Okay.” He didn’t really want to talk about it either. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Dominique is my cousin.” For just a moment out by the bar there’d been a flash of something in Athena’s gaze. Maybe he’d read into it, maybe not. Either way, he wanted it clear that he wasn’t with anyone else. Not that he was sure it would matter to Athena one way or another.

  For the briefest moment, relief flared in those Mediterranean blue eyes. God, those eyes. She wore a soft-looking pale blue sweater that made her eyes seem even brighter against the hue of her skin. Even though it was February it seemed she had a sun-kissed look all year. He wanted to run his hands over all her soft curves, pull her close and devour her mouth. Damn it, he needed to get his thoughts under control. He’d already fucked up with her before, he didn’t need to sport a hard-on right now. That’d go over real well.

  “She seems really nice,” Athena murmured, taking a step into the hallway and away from him.

  It took a second for it to register what she was saying as he was mentally ordering his dick to stay down. What. The. Hell. He’d always been in control of his body. Always. Being around Athena again reminded him of why he’d run. Well part of the reason. The virginity thing had been an excuse he’d used to convince himself to end things. Because he’d known that after her, he’d be turning in his bachelor card forever. There was something so sensual and raw about her that called to him on the most primal level he’d just known she could be it for him. Quinn hadn’t thought he was ready for anything serious or to settle down.

  Seeing her again, he couldn’t believe he’d actually walked away. Over the past two months he’d tried to convince himself he’d built her up in his head. No such luck.

  It was clear she wanted to head back to the party and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable so he tilted his head toward the end of the hallway. “Want to grab a drink?”

  “That sounds good.” A real smile touched her lips then, fleeting, but long enough for him to feel the effects of it through his entire body. “It was kind of a jolt to see you out there,” she said softly as they headed down the hallway.

  Something eased inside him at the slight shift in her tone. “Yeah, no kidding. You look like Belle, I can see the resemblance now.” She was a little shorter than her cousin, but they were both knockouts.

  She lifted her shoulders, no awkwardness there now. “Our fathers are brothers.”

  “On Monday I’d like to take you to lunch,” he blurted. They’d reached the end of the hallway and he knew his time with her was limited. He didn’t think she’d want to stand around talking with him much longer even if she did seem more relaxed. “Since it’s your first day,” he tacked on, even if it was a lie. He’d make it seem casual even if that was the last thing he felt.

  A tactician by nature, he was going to play things right this time. Or give it his best shot.

  “Ah…” She trailed off as they reached the end of the hallway.

  It emptied into the oversized foyer where Grant, Belle and Carlito Duarte, a detective for the Miami PD, were talking.

  Carlito—good-looking bastard—smiled at Athena with a familiarity that grated against Quinn’s nerves. “Hey, Quinn. Athena, I didn’t know you’d be here,” he said, moving in to give Athena a hug like he had every right in the world to do so.

  For all Quinn knew, the guy did. Athena didn’t spare Quinn a glance as Carlito hustled her off toward the kitchen where the sounds of the loud partygoers filled the air.

  “Who died?” Belle asked, drawing his attention to her.

  Blinking, he looked at Belle and Grant to find her watching him curiously and Grant with an almost knowing expression on his face. “What…oh, I just need a drink.”

  There was a loud knock on the door, making Belle push out a laughing breath. “I’ll get it,” she said nudging Grant with her hip. “Go find a drink for Quinn and get me one too while you’re at it.”

  Grant dropped a quick kiss on her mouth before clapping Quinn on the back. “I recognize that look,” he said as they entered the half-full kitchen.

  Quinn decided to play dumb as he made his way to an ice bucket filled with beers. He grabbed two, handed one to Grant. “What look is that?”

  Grant just snorted as he took the beer then set it on the nearest counter. “She’s my wife’s cousin and a new employee. Tread carefully.” There was an unexpected warning bite to his friend’s statement as he pulled a half-empty champagne bottle from the same bucket and began to pour a glass, presumably for Belle.

  Maybe the tone shouldn’t be unexpected. Grant would consider Athena family. “I will.”

  “Good. Then we won’t have a problem.”

  Quinn took a long swig of his beer, surveying his friends and co-workers talking, eating, laughing. It was good to see everyone having such a good time. Which was the whole point of this party. He’d heard that it had been Belle’s idea even though she didn’t work for Red Stone. She’d told Grant they needed to have another party to welcome some new employees and to let everyone get together away from work. Various people from work had barbeques often enough but this was different, more organized.

  “Where’s your dad?” Quinn was going to circle back to the topic of Athena—who must have gone outside with Carlito—but wanted to ease into it.

  Grant snorted and leaned against the counter, picking his beer back up. “Watching his grandson—with his girlfriend.”

  Quinn joined him against the counter. “Keith’s dating someone?” He’d known Grant’s dad a lot longer than the last six years he’d been with Red Stone. He and Harrison went back all the way to their Marine Corps days and he’d met Keith during a leave.

  Grant nodded, amusement on his scarred face. It was good to see him so happy and relaxed. “Lana Gonzalez.”

  “From the community center?” Keith would have about fifteen years on her but yeah, Quinn could see it.

  “Yep. I think he’s gonna propose.”

  That was definitely a surprise but it made Quinn smile. “She’s good people.”

  “Hell yeah.” Then Grant lifted his shoulders. “Besides, she makes him happy and he deserves it.”

  “Anyone who puts up with you and your brothers definitely deserves it.”

  Grant just laughed in agreement before taking a sip of his beer.

  Screw it, Quinn needed to know what he was up against. “So, Athena and Carlito? They together?”

  Grant glanced at him, beer halfway to his mouth, which split into a huge grin. “I was wondering how long it would take you to come back to that.”

  Quinn gritted his teeth. “So?”

  “I should make you sweat it, but they’re not together. I heard her tell Belle he’s too pretty and too much of a player.”

  A bark of laughter escaped. “That sounds like something she’d say,” he muttered. As soon as the words were out, he inwardly cringed.

  Grant’s eyes narrowed a fraction as he took another pull from his beer. “How would you know?”

  Crap. “We went on a few dates a couple months back.” Six dates to be exact and he’d been like a man possessed. Right about now, thinking of her outside talking and flirting with Carlito, he wanted to kick his own ass. Being tied to someone like Athena wasn’t a bad thing. But some fears ran deep, especially after his only real relationship died a fiery, bitter death.

  Now Grant’s expression morphed to one of amusement and something else Quinn couldn’t define. Shaking his head, a ghost of a smile flickering across Grant’s mouth, he picked up the champagne glass and moved away from the counter. “Watch your junk, man.”

  Frowning, Quinn started to ask him what he meant but the back door opened and the sound of Athena’s laughter filled the air, rolling over him and wrapping around him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Grant headed toward Belle but all Quinn’s focus was on Athena. Who was unfortunately still talking with Carlito.

  That was okay. Quinn would bide his time. If he could get her to agree to go out with him again, he wo
uldn’t make the same mistake twice. No way in hell.

  * * *

  Glenn White stared at the most recent email message then closed the program on his phone before tossing it onto his kitchen counter. Another fucking rejection letter. This one generic. At least the company had responded at all. Some never did.

  Finding work was hard enough but with his prison record it was proving impossible. Any type of law enforcement or security was out because of the crime he’d been charged with. That thought brought up a wave of rage.

  He was lucky he’d had family to watch his finances while he was in prison but his money wouldn’t last forever. He needed a damn job.

  And not something menial. Before he’d been put away he’d been respected. Now, most of his former friends wouldn’t talk to him.

  They just didn’t understand. Almost no one did. If his slut of a wife hadn’t pushed him, hadn’t talked or looked at other men so often he wouldn’t have had to punish her, keep her in line. It was her fault. She’d sometimes gone out of her way to provoke him. He knew it with utter certainty.

  If it wasn’t for her and Quinn Brody he’d never be in this situation.

  Glenn’s hands balled into fists as he jerked open the refrigerator door. A beer would take off the edge and after six long years of shitty prison food, he was going to eat and drink whatever the hell he wanted. The only good thing about being locked up was that he’d had a lot of time to work out. He was in better shape now than he’d ever been.

  His wife—ex-wife if you wanted to get technical—would never cheat on him again. He’d make sure of it. If he could just find her. It was like she’d fallen off the face of the earth. He’d find her eventually though. He’d never stop searching. At least Quinn wasn’t hiding.

  That bastard was just living his life, not a care in the world despite what he’d done. Not for long though. Glenn was going to make Quinn suffer first.