Soraya Lane - Her Soldier Protector

“Tell me why you’re so scared,” he asked. “I’m guessing it’s more than just the bombings that have happened around the world lately to cause a seasoned superstar like you to panic.”

Candace nodded, sipping her water before passing it back to him.

“I’ve received threats,” she told him. “The first few to my house, then a package sent to my last tour bus and another to my manager. I was fine to start with, but it’s starting to get to me.”

Crap. He’d guessed there was more to this story, but the fact that he was head of security and hadn’t been correctly briefed was a major breach of trust from everyone involved.

Logan kept his face neutral, not wanting her to see him as anything other than trustworthy and dependable. It wasn’t her fault that not all the information had been passed along—he would save his anger for someone who deserved to be blasted. Like maybe his boss or her manager.

“I’ve worked with Ranger for five tours in warzones, so there is no chance an Improvised Explosive Device is coming anywhere near you without him detecting it,” Logan told her. “The only thing you have to do is make sure your people keep me fully briefed at all times. No secrets, no lies.”

The smile she gave him was shy, but it lit up her face, made her eyes swim to life. “Will you stay with me until I go on? I have an interview to do soon, but I’ll be in my dressing room until the show.”

“Yes, ma’am.” There was no way he was going to walk away when he’d finally seen her smile like that.

“I don’t even know your name,” she said, pushing off from the wall she’d been resting against as her entourage came down the stairs at the end of the hall, having been escorted into the building through a separate door.

“Logan,” he said. “And this here is Ranger.”

“Call me Candace,” she told him, her eyes never leaving his as they spoke. “If you’re in charge of keeping me safe, you can at least call me by my first name.”

Logan smiled at Candace and picked up Ranger’s leash, before following a few steps behind her. He might have moaned about being asked to work security by the Australian Army, but this job was turning out to be a whole lot more interesting than he’d expected. She was here to perform to a sold-out crowd and help promote Australia to the rest of the world at the same time, and being her private security detail might just prove to be the most enjoyable work he’d done in his career with the SAS.

Personally enjoyable, anyway. Not to mention it was a job that wasn’t going to haunt him in the middle of the night like his last few assignments.

* * *

For the first time in weeks, Candace was relaxed. The tightness in her shoulders had almost disappeared, and she wasn’t on edge, looking sideways to make sure no one was following her who shouldn’t be. Ever since the letters had started to arrive, she’d hardly slept and almost cancelled the last leg of her world tour, but she hated letting anyone down.

And then Logan had escorted her past the waiting crowd and into the building, and the fear and terror had slowly seeped from her body.

She’d had plenty of bodyguards over the years, usually hulking guys who could deal with any physical threat. But with the latest spate of bombings around the world and the situation with the letters, she didn’t just want men capable of brute strength around her. She’d asked for the best, and it looked like she’d received him.

“We’ll take it from here.”

She glanced across at her manager, Billy. He always had her best intentions at heart, or at least she hoped he did, but right now she wasn’t interested in doing what she was told.

“I’ve actually decided I want Logan to stay with me,” she said.

Eyebrows were raised in her direction, and she almost laughed at the stern expression Logan was giving them in response. She doubted that he was easily intimidated, or that anyone here would have the nerve to cross him, especially not with his fierce-looking dog at his side.

“This way,” Candace said, nodding toward the room with her name on it.

He followed, dog at his side, each of his footsteps covering more ground than two of hers. It was oddly comforting having his heavy boots thumping out of rhythm with the click of her heels.

“So are you in private security now?” she asked, wondering how someone who’d served in warzones was even assigned to work with her.

He chuckled. “Would you believe me if I told you I’m still SAS, but that the Australian government was so determined to have you here to promote their new tourism campaign they decided to send me here to head the security team?”

She shook her head, pushing open her door. Logan walked past her, his dog doing what appeared to be a quick check of the room.

“You’re not kidding, are you?”

“Nope. But I can’t say that I mind. After years on patrol in the middle of nowhere, it’s a nice change of pace before I retire.”

She sat down on the sofa and gestured for him to do the same, unsure of whether she believed him or not. “What do you feel like? Sushi? Something more substantial?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re ordering lunch for both us?”

“Ah, yes,” she said, not sure why he found that so unusual. “Unless you do something different at this time of the day in Australia?”

He shook his head, a wry grin on his face. “If you’re buying lunch, then I definitely have no complaints about this gig.”

“I have a bit of a ritual that I always eat Japanese food before a show. I’m thinking sashimi and miso soup, but maybe you’d like something more.”

“Candace, I’m used to eating dehydrated army food when I’m working, so if you feel like sushi, I say sure.”

“That settles it then. I’ll order.” She stood up to use the phone, ordering way more food than they’d ever consume.

Candace turned back around, eyes locking on Logan’s as he met her gaze. It wasn’t something she was used to—a man not intimated by meeting her, not fazed by the circus they’d confronted when he’d escorted her from her car. She knew that she was no one special, but men usually reacted badly to her fame or her money, and the way Logan was behaving was the complete opposite. He was just staring back at her like she was...ordinary. Although she guessed a lot of it, dealing with the crowds and stress earlier, was more to do with his training than anything else.

“Can I ask you something?”

He shrugged. “Shoot.”

“You’re the first guy in years who’s treated me like a regular woman and not a celebrity. Is it your training or just how you are?”

He leaned back, crossing his legs at the ankle and stretching out his big body. Logan was tall and fit, the T-shirt he wore snug to his athletic frame, pants stretching over his thigh muscles. She’d sure hit the jackpot where he was concerned.

“Aren’t you a regular woman?”

She felt a blush crawl up her neck and heat her cheeks. It had been a long time since a man had drawn that kind of reaction from her, but he’d said it like it was the most logical answer in the world. Which she kind of guessed it was.

“Of course I am,” she said, refusing to be embarrassed. “It’s just that men usually avoid me, look at me like I’m some freak show because they’ve seen me on television or in magazines, or otherwise they’re all over me. Even most of my bodyguards have never gotten used to dealing with the whole fan and paparazzi thing.”

“Sounds like you haven’t spent much time with real men,” he said with a chuckle. “Or maybe it’s just that Australian men aren’t so easily intimidated. A pretty lady is a pretty lady, no matter who she is, and at the end of the day, I’d rather a camera in my face than a semi-automatic.”