The Bodyguard (13 page)

And maybe she hadn’t. Not for the first time, Luke wished he could have met Richard Ashton in another century, when a man could defend a woman’s honor on a dueling field. He would have loved to challenge the monster to a duel for the brutal way he’d used and abused this kind, beautiful, caring woman.

Her hand stilled on his abdomen and she looked at him uncertainly. He realized his thoughts of vengeance against her former husband had made him tense. He forced himself to relax and give her an encouraging smile.

Her tentative smile answered his, and soon she was killing him again with the warm slide of her hand across his heated skin. She seemed particularly fascinated with the vee formed by his abdominal muscles and how the dark line of hair disappeared beneath the sheet.

He’d worn his jeans to bed, to preserve her modesty. If he hadn’t, there’d be no question on her part about how much he wanted her right now.

She slid up in the bed until her lips were close to his again. “Luke, may I...kiss you?”

“Carol, you can do whatever you want.”

She let out a puff of laughter. “Okay, then I’d really like you to take off your jeans, and maybe take a
little
bit of control—because I feel silly now and I don’t know what to do next.”

He brought his hands down from behind his head and gently cupped her face. Then he slowly, carefully, pulled her down to him, with her on top, in control, and pressed her lips to his.

He kept the kiss gentle, soft, or at least he tried to. But he’d wanted her for so long that the feel of her softness against his had him shaking with need. He deepened the kiss, and when her lips parted, he swept his tongue inside, teasing, tasting, teaching her to kiss him back.

She moaned deep in her throat and dug her nails into his shoulder as she half covered him with her body, her breasts pressed against his chest, burning him through her thin nightgown. Suddenly she pulled back and stared at him, her blue eyes nearly black in the dark room, but wide as if she was stunned.

He reached up and traced his thumb over her full bottom lip. “Are you okay? Do you want to stop?”

She shook her head, her hair bouncing across her shoulders. “I don’t want to stop.” She reached down between them and tugged at his waistband. “But we aren’t going to be able to do much more with you still wearing these.”

He arched a brow. “I’ll take mine off if you take yours off.”

She arched a brow in response. “I’ll see your bet and raise you, sir.” She rolled off him and stood on her side of the bed. Suddenly her white nightgown fluttered down on top of him, covering his face.

He pulled it off his face just in time to see her fully nude body diving beneath the sheet. She lay back on her pillow beside him with the sheet pulled all the way up to her neck.

Her shyness was his reminder that he was going to have to take it slow.

This was going to be an agonizingly long night. But he was going to enjoy every minute of it. And he was going to make sure
she
enjoyed every minute of it.

He slid out from under the covers and was about to shuck off his jeans and underwear when he realized he didn’t have any condoms. He stood in indecision.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, sounding worried that maybe he’d changed his mind about wanting her.

He briefly closed his eyes, his body in agony at the thought of what he was going to have to
not
do. “We can’t do this,” he said, even as he pulled out his wallet, hoping against hope that there was a condom in there. But since he wasn’t in the habit of one-night stands and his last long-term relationship had ended over a year ago, he didn’t hold out much hope.

“Oh. I see. Well, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed you wanted— That is, I...” She let out a deep breath. “Just forget it.”

His head jerked up.

She rolled over and faced the other wall.

He cursed himself for being an idiot. He rushed to the other side of the bed and squatted down at eye level. “It’s not that I don’t want you. Never, ever think that.” And just to be sure she believed him, he kissed her. And this time, he didn’t hold back. He pressed her against the pillow, half reclining on the bed, his mouth covering hers as he poured all his desire for her into that one hot, wet kiss. He stroked her tongue with his and she moaned deep in her throat again, shoving her hands into his hair and pulling him harder against her.

When they broke apart, they were both gasping for air. He felt her heart slamming in her chest against his, which was racing just as hard.

“I don’t...understand,” she said between deep, rasping breaths. “Why can’t we, you know...?”

“Because I don’t have any protection,” he whispered, bending down and lightly sucking the side of her neck.

She arched off the bed and panted his name. “Protection? You showed me your gun earlier.”

He laughed against the side of her neck. “Not that kind of protection, love. I don’t have a condom.”

Her eyes widened and then she laughed. He thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

She pulled him to her and this time
she
kissed
him.
It was even hotter and wilder than the last kiss. By the time they broke apart, his jeans were so tight he thought he would die.

“You’re wicked to tease me so mercilessly when we can’t go any further,” he complained.

“Oh, we’re definitely going further. You’re going to get some condoms.”

He shook his head. “No, can’t risk leaving the suite. It’s late now. The odds are much higher someone would notice us and might recognize you. Earlier, there were other people in the lobby and we were able to blend in.”

“Us?
You
can go downstairs and get what we need. I assume they have them in the men’s bathroom? I’ll just wait here.”

“No. I’m not leaving you. End of discussion.”

She arched a brow and shoved him back. Then she slowly and deliberately pulled the sheet down to rest beneath her breasts. Her perfect, mouthwatering, beautiful breasts with little pink buds just begging for his kisses.

“You’re not being fair,” he groaned, unable to even pretend to lift his gaze from her bountiful display.

She chucked him under the chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Condoms. Find a way.”

He wrenched his gaze from her body and looked around the room. He practically dived at the phone beside the bed. He pressed every button he could find in the dark until someone answered.

“Room service. What can I help you with, Mr. Johnson?”

He winced at the unfortunate last name he’d used as their alias. “Condoms. I need a box of condoms. Right away.”

Silence met his request.

Carol started giggling.

He frowned at her. “There’s a hundred-dollar tip if you get them up here in the next two minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” the clerk said, suddenly sounding eager. “Right away, sir.”

Luke hung up the phone. “Johnson. I had to name myself Johnson, then call room service for condoms.”

Carol howled with laughter and fell back against the pillows. Luke followed her down, punishing her by tickling her ribs. He followed his hands with his mouth, nibbling and sucking his way across her skin until he settled right where he wanted to be.

She stilled beneath him, her body tensing. “Luke? What are you—”

He fastened his mouth on her.

She gasped and bucked beneath him.

He raised his head. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Don’t you dare,” she ordered rather forcefully.

He laughed and focused on the delicious task at hand, delighting in the way she moaned and writhed beneath his careful attentions. He was forced to stop when room service knocked on the door. He cursed and grabbed his gun and shoved his shoes on to protect his feet from the broken glass at the door.

“Hurry,” Carol panted.

It nearly killed him to leave her for the few seconds it took to throw the money out the door and grab the box from the startled-looking attendant. Luke shoved the door closed, locked it and propped the chair under the knob. Then he ran to the bedroom, shucking his shoes, jeans and underwear as he went.

He dived onto the bed, making Carol laugh at his eagerness. But her laughter quickly turned to sexy mewls of pleasure when he used everything in his arsenal to make her feel beautiful, sexy, cherished. He couldn’t make up for five years of hell, but he could take her to heaven for one night.

And that was exactly what he did.

When they were both sleepy and sated and wrapped in each other’s arms, she pressed a soft kiss against the side of his neck and settled against him.

“You’re an incredible man, Luke,” she mumbled, sounding half-asleep. “And not just because you’re an amazing lover. You’re incredible because I can trust you. You’re honest and keep your promises, and I know I can count on you never to hurt me in any way.” She kissed him again and was softly snoring a few seconds later.

The warm glow that had filled him after their thoroughly satisfying lovemaking began to fade as her words filtered through his mind. Moments ago he was picturing the two of them after the case was over—going to movies together, taking trips to the mountains, doing everything happy couples did. But now he wasn’t sure a happy future was possible. As her bodyguard, he’d made a decision back at the mansion, a decision he’d felt he had to make to try to figure out the identity of the person who was trying to hurt her. It was his primary duty to protect her, so by giving the video card to Alex, that was what he was doing—protecting her.

But as her lover, he knew she wouldn’t see his decision as his duty. She would see it as him lying to her, as a betrayal. He’d told her he never broke his promises, and that had always been his policy. But this one time, he’d broken the one promise because she’d be safer if he did.

Now he wondered if he had made a horrible mistake and whether she could ever forgive him for breaking her trust.

Chapter Thirteen

Carol shook her head as she peered out the living-room window of the hotel suite at the horde of vans and reporters eight floors below in the parking lot.

“I don’t understand how they always find me.”

“Secrets always end up getting out one way or another, especially where money is to be gained.” Luke plopped their bags on the table by the door and double-checked that he’d gotten most of the glass from in front of the door. He couldn’t get all the little shards without a vacuum cleaner, but he’d done the best he could. “I think that’s everything. Ready to go?”

She dropped the curtain and grabbed the baseball cap Luke had bribed off a passing guest in the hallway. She twisted her thick blond ponytail on top of her head and shoved the cap over it. “I look good, right?” She turned around for his appraisal.

In those tight jeans and that curve-hugging T-shirt she looked so good it hurt, especially since she was smiling and acting so happy this morning, when he knew her happiness would come crashing to a halt as soon as she found out what he’d done.

Maybe he should call Alex and tell him to forget the whole thing. But knowing Alex, he’d probably already started sorting through the video. He wasn’t one to put important things aside, especially if it meant possibly catching a killer. Luke should have waited, should have just destroyed the video card in the first place.

“Luke?” Her smile dimmed.

He crossed to her and, unable to resist, swooped in for a quick kiss. She clung to him and was grinning when he pulled back.

“I guess that was a yes,” she teased.

His head was still spinning from the kiss. “Yes what?”

She lightly punched him on the arm. “Yes that I look good, of course.”

He crossed his arms. “You look way too good, actually. And since we sneaked into the hotel with you in jeans, whoever told the press you were here is probably on the lookout for you in jeans again.” He glanced around the suite, then hurried to their bags. He dug in his and pulled out the lightweight jacket he’d packed in case it rained. “This might help disguise those curves a bit. Hopefully that and the cap will be enough to let us make it outside.”

She shrugged into the jacket. “Are we going out front again?”

“We’re going out a side entrance, either through a delivery area or the kitchens, depending on which one has fewer people around. We’ll have to hoof it from there for a few blocks.”

“Then what do we do? Walk around Savannah all day?”

“No. I called Trudy while you were getting dressed. She’s going to meet us in another rental car.”

“Trudy?”

He cleared his throat, not relishing the idea of telling her a former prostitute was running his business while he was gone. “She’s my, um, office manager. She’s filling in because of...Mitch.”

Her smile faded. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” He put the luggage straps over his shoulders, as usual keeping his hands free. Then he peered out the peephole to make sure it was clear.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Just a second.” He grabbed the phone. When he saw who was calling, he said, “I’ll just be a minute.”

She gave him a quizzical look as he headed into the bedroom and closed the door. “Luke here,” he said into the phone.

Alex tossed a few choice curse words at him.

“Nice,” Luke said. “I didn’t even know you knew those kinds of words.”

“I want to claw my eyes out to unsee everything I saw on that video you gave me. There were months of surveillance on that card because it only recorded when someone came into the room. You do realize what was on that card, don’t you?”

“Yes, unfortunately, I do. I saw a little of it.”

“Well, I saw it
all.
It was horrible. Richard Ashton deserved to die.”

“You won’t get any arguments from me on that. Please tell me you found something that might help with the investigation.”

“All right. Your hunch was correct. I found something.”

* * *

G
ETTING
OUT
OF
the hotel undetected was easier than Luke had expected. They’d gone through the kitchen and no one had tried to stop them. Just a few startled looks from the cooks, and he and Carol were racing out the side door.

Trudy had been their biggest problem. Luke had given her the keys to the Camaro in the parking garage so she could drive it back to the office, while he’d taken the keys from her to the Mustang GT she’d rented for them. If Trudy had been Mitch, she would have made the trade and hurried on her way, letting Luke take his client and get her out of danger.

But Trudy wasn’t Mitch, and Carol wasn’t a typical client. She’d refused to get into the car until she sat on the curb and let Trudy talk to her about how much she missed Mitch and a host of other complaints. It had nearly killed Luke not to grab Carol’s arm and haul her to the car. But regardless of his good intentions to keep her safe, he couldn’t stomach trying to boss her around or force her to do something she didn’t want to do.

Finally, Trudy headed back to the hotel and Carol got into the Mustang. Luke drove through the historic district, keeping an eye on his mirrors, doubling back several times until he was convinced no one was following them. Then he drove into another parking garage. When he turned off the engine and twisted in his seat to face her, Carol was watching him with wary eyes.

“Why are we here?” she asked.

“We need to talk.”

“That sounds ominous.” She offered him an uncertain smile.

He held his hand out, palm up. As had become her habit, she didn’t hesitate. She entwined her fingers with his and they held hands on top of the console between their seats.

“Carol, I need you to keep an open mind. I need you to listen to everything I say before you make any judgments or decisions. Can you do that for me?”

“Okay, now you’re scaring me. Just tell me whatever it is that you need to say.”

“I need your promise first, to listen until I’m finished explaining everything. You’re going to be mad, hurt, but I need you to keep a clear head. Don’t jump out of the car or do anything that would put you in more danger.”

She bit her lip, her eyes widening. “If this is the ‘letʼs be friends’ speech, spare me. It was just one night. It’s not like we made a commitment or anything.”

In spite of her flippant words, he heard the pain in her voice. He cursed. “I can see I’m making a mess of this and I haven’t even started. What I need to tell you has nothing to do with last night, which was completely amazing and wonderful, by the way.”

Her hand tightened on his. “Okay. If it’s not about...us...then I don’t see how it can be that bad. Go ahead.”

The way she’d said “us” had him silently cursing in his mind. Carol was special. Whatever fledgling relationship they’d begun to build was too new, too delicate to survive what he was about to tell her. But he couldn’t keep her waiting any longer. Waiting, wondering what he was going to tell her, was even more cruel than what he was about to say.

“I gave the video card to Alex Buchanan.”

She froze, as still as a deer staring at the rifle that was about to end its life, unable to move or do anything to protect itself. And damn it if Luke wasn’t the hunter pulling the trigger.

“I’m sorry, Carol. I know you wanted me to destroy it, but it was evidence. I was worried we might ruin our one chance of finding out who had been in the house, who’d broken into the safe. If they were on the video then we’d have a suspect. Cornell doesn’t seem to have any decent leads. Alex’s investigator hasn’t found anything useful. Every hour that passes makes it less likely we’ll catch the killer and more likely your life is in even greater danger. I gave it to Alex so he could—”

“You promised,” she whispered. She jerked her hand from his and scooted across the seat until her back was against the passenger door. “You promised me. You said you never, ever break your promises.”

He dug his fingers into the console to keep from reaching for her. “And I never do, except this once. Listen to me. I asked Alex to look for evidence, something that would give us a lead so we could tell Cornell—”

Her gaze whipped back to his. “Cornell? You gave him the video card, too?”

“What? No. No, no, no. Alex still has it. I’m not giving it to Cornell unless you give me permission. That’s what I need to talk to you about. Alex saw—”

“Everything,” she finished for him. “He saw my shame, my humiliation. Did he tell you all the sickening details, Luke?” Tears streamed down her face. “Did he?”

He shook his head. “Carol, listen to me. I need to explain.”

“Did he tell you how Richard taught me lessons whenever I displeased him? And how he beat me and raped me over and over? Did he tell you Richard made me apologize to him for the imagined wrongs I’d done, and how he made me tell him over and over again that I loved him, when all I wanted to do was scream at him and tell him how much I loathed and despised him? Did Alex tell you that? Did he?”

His arms ached with the need to pull her to him, to hold her and protect her from the memories and the hurts she’d suffered. He wanted to wipe the tears away and erase the hurt, accusing look on her face, but he knew she wouldn’t welcome his touch right now.

Maybe not ever.

“Alex is an extremely private person. He didn’t know what was on that card when I gave it to him. I promise you he would never show it to anyone else or even tell them what’s on it without your permission.”

She laughed harshly. “You promise? Really?” She shook her head. “How do I keep doing this to myself? First Richard, then you. How do I keep attracting the same kind of men?”

Luke stiffened. His chest tightened and for the space of a few heartbeats he could barely breathe. “You’re comparing me to the man who beat and raped you? The man who ruptured your spleen and almost killed you?” he rasped.

She opened her mouth several times as if to say something, but then she turned and looked out the passenger window.

Luke stared through the windshield, wondering how he’d become her enemy when all he’d ever wanted to do was to protect her. They were both silent for several minutes, then he started up the car.

“You have a choice to make,” he said.

“And what’s that?” she asked without turning to look at him.

“Alex saw someone on that video card. They went into the master bedroom and opened the wall safe. They took out a stack of papers. From what he could see on the video, Alex believes you may be right, that the papers were a will. That person knew or at least suspected your husband had another will. And when they found it, they took it so no one else would ever see it. There’s a good chance they might be the killer.”

She slowly turned and looked at him. “What’s this choice that I have to make?”

“Whether or not to give the video to Detective Cornell as evidence.”

She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Without the video, we have no way of pointing Cornell to the person Alex saw, no way of pointing him toward another suspect.”

“We have to find another way.” She swiped at the wet tracks on her cheeks. “Who’s in the video?”

“Leslie Harrison.”

She gasped. “No, it can’t be. It doesn’t even make sense. She was his lawyer. She would have a copy of any will he had, so why care about the one in his safe?”

“Because she didn’t want anyone else to see that copy. Because it was a will she had no intention of ever filing. If she filed a fake will, then she had to destroy any copies of the true will before someone found them. And there’s something else to consider, something Alex mentioned on the phone. Someone had to tell Richard about the cottage you rented. Leslie is the only person besides you who knew about the cottage.”

Carol pressed her hand to her throat. “Oh my God.”

“We need to give the video to Cornell.”

She shook her head. “No. We need to go see Leslie. I want to give her a chance to explain. If she hadn’t helped me, if she hadn’t given me the strength and encouragement that I needed to escape, I’d have died from that last beating. She was a good friend. My only friend. She deserves a chance to tell her side of whatever is going on here. Letʼs go talk to her. She should be at her office.”

“That’s not a good idea. If she’s guilty of wrongdoing, even if she’s not the actual person who pulled the trigger, she’s got everything to lose. When people are cornered with no way out, it makes them dangerous. We need to call Cornell and let him handle it while I take you someplace away from all this once and for all and we wait there until the investigation is over.”

“She’s a friend, or at least she was until I turned away from her. I want to talk to her.”

Her anger at him was clouding her judgment. Somehow he had to get through to her. He was about to try again when his cell phone buzzed in the holster at his hip. He frowned when he saw the number on the screen but quickly answered.

“Detective Cornell, what can I do for you?”

His hand tightened around the phone as he listened. “Okay. Yes, I’ll tell her. Thank you.”

He ended the call and put the phone away.

“Tell me what?” Carol asked.

He scrubbed his face with his hands before answering. “I’m so sorry. There’s no easy way to say this. Leslie Harrison is dead.”