Ann Peterson - Secret Protector

“It’s not important. I’m not going to show them to him, let alone sell them.”

He would have to find out who this dealer was, although he wasn’t sure how to go about that at the moment. He sensed if he badgered her about a name, she’d get suspicious. He didn’t want to ruin the easy rapport that had bloomed between them. But there was another thing he was curious about. “So I can talk you into letting me have a peek?”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. “What, are you a secret art collector?”

“No. But I have a certain interest in the artist. I’ve heard looking at an artist’s work is the best way to get to know her.” He knew it sounded like he was playing her, but he wasn’t. Not really. The truth was, he really was interested in seeing Natalie’s paintings. He was interested in learning everything about her. At least everything he hadn’t already seen by following her around for the past month or so.

Maybe that was his fascination. Nothing had happened in the past weeks. Natalie shopping. Natalie going to and from work. Maybe his thirst for a bit more adventure than this was fueling his need to get closer to her. Or maybe he’d spent so much time watching her, he was developing a bit of a crush. Either way, this was the most alive he’d allowed himself to feel in a long time. “What do you say? Will you show me?”

“That’s a pretty intimate request for a first date.”

“Did I cross a line?”

She gave him a little smile. “No harm in asking.”

“I could think of a more intimate request.” He didn’t even hope she would grant him what was in his imagination right now, but he didn’t try to hide the interest in his voice.

“Can you? And what would that be?” She looked at him straight on, a mischievous glint in her green eyes.

He almost shook his head. “Man, I love a woman who ups the ante.”

She arched her brows. “Well?”

He was tempted to tell her exactly where his thoughts were leading, but he sensed that might be pushing things too far. He couldn’t afford to come on too strong and risk scaring her off.

Or even worse, she might take him up on the offer. He could just imagine what her brother’s reaction to that would be. “No harm in asking.”

She laughed, the sound drawing him in as it had in the parking garage. If this was a real date, he’d lean over and kiss her. He could imagine how she’d taste. Sweet and light and spiced with Thai curry and a touch of coffee.

Instead of giving in to the urge, he grabbed the check folder off the table. “I would like you to let me buy.”

“That’s your intimate request?”

“Not intimate enough?”

She canted her head to the side. “I have an expense account here. And no, letting you buy lunch is not all that intimate.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” He slipped cash into the folder and handed it to a passing server. Then he looked into Natalie’s cool, green eyes. “Okay, if you want something more intimate, may I escort you home after work tonight?”

“To see my paintings?”

“To make sure you get there safe and no one is waiting inside.”

“Really?”

“After last night? Yeah, really. I’m worried about you.”

“You hardly know me.”

“True. But what I know, I really like. I want you to stay safe so I can get to know more.”

She picked up her coffee cup and gave him a smile over the rim, as if he’d said precisely the right thing.

THE ENTIRE WALK BACK to Kendall Communications, Natalie mentally pinched herself. Since the moment she’d opened her studio door and found the room in shambles, she’d felt so violated, so vulnerable, she didn’t think she’d ever feel strong and happy again. All night she’d been convinced someone was watching her from the darkness outside, even though the estate had been swarming with police. She could have sworn someone was trailing behind her on this morning’s commute to work. She’d even felt the hair on the back of her neck rise while she was waiting for the parking ramp’s garage door to open. So how was it possible that she felt so carefree and radiant after a simple chat over lunch?

Love was an incredible thing.

She turned away from Gray for a moment and smiled to herself. She wasn’t in love, of course. She knew she was getting ahead of herself. Way ahead. But it was nice just to entertain the fantasy for a moment. To have found someone who made her feel giddy and warm and safe and sexy all at once. To have a future before her filled with love and family and happiness like Devin and Ash did. To plan her own wedding and know her husband would be there to share coffee with her in the evening and hold her warm and safe all night.

An old dream. Maybe an impossible one. But a good one all the same.

Jolie’s warning flitted through her mind. She’d promised her friend she would call off today’s lunch with Gray. But when it came down to telling him she had to cancel, she’d changed her mind. She was glad she had, despite having now lied to her best friend. Sure, Jolie was probably right. Sure, Natalie didn’t really know Gray. Sure, her fantasies could come crashing down at any moment. But at least the dream would last over the lunch hour. After last night’s trauma, she needed to hold on to this great feeling as long as she could. “So, we’ve talked a lot about me during lunch. Tell me about yourself.”

Gray chuckled. “Believe me, you’re a lot more interesting.”

“I can’t help liking that you think so, but beyond the trauma of last night, I’m afraid my life is pretty dull.”

“There is nothing about you that’s dull.”

She let out a laugh. “You flatter,” she said dryly.

He shot her a smile.

They reached the end of the block, and Gray held out his hand, preventing her from stepping into the street without him checking it out first. Natalie had to admit that if one of her brothers had made that move, she probably would have felt he was hovering. From Gray, it made her feel nothing but special. “I have to admit, compared to having my cottage broken into, dull is looking pretty appealing.”

“I’m with you there. I’m just relieved you weren’t hurt.”

Footsteps shuffled behind them. Natalie resisted the urge to spin around and look. She shouldn’t have brought up last night’s break-in. Just a single mention and she was back to hearing things and feeling threats where none existed. She was walking down a public street, for crying out loud. Not only that, but anyone would be a fool to mess with the strapping man beside her, at least in a violent sort of way. Now, in a sexual way …

“What’s so funny?”

Oh, God, she’d been grinning at her own joke. “Nothing.”

“You sure about that? It looked a lot more interesting than nothing. And not dull at all.”

She let out a giggle despite herself. She sounded like a teen with a crush. Hell, she felt like one, too. And she had to admit, it was kind of divine.

“Beautiful,” Gray said under his breath.

Now it was her turn to be confused. She shot him a look. “What’s beautiful?”

“The sound of your laugh. I like it. I want to hear more of it.”

She laughed again. “You’re just being sweet.”

He gave her a playful wink. “On you? Maybe a little.”

She wanted to hold on to his words. To run them through her mind and focus on the warm feeling spreading through her chest.

Man, she wished she’d met Gray years ago. Or at least a couple of months ago, back when her life felt more normal. This lunch hour would be perfect if not for the anxiety humming along her nerves like the buzz of a mosquito she couldn’t swat.

She could still sense the person behind her, still there, still walking too close. Turning her head to the side, she caught a reflection in a store window. A powder-blue sweatshirt, large and slumpy enough to land whoever was wrapped in it a spot on What Not to Wear .