Defiance (The Protectors #9)(66)

Something I’d buried along with David’s body years earlier.

I knew my feelings for Nathan were growing exponentially with every minute I spent in his presence, but I was helpless to stop it.

“So the plan is to head to Charleston tomorrow?” Nathan asked as he finished up his food. My own mouth felt dry, like it had been stuffed full of cotton.

“Uh-huh,” I managed to get out as I reached for my coffee and took a healthy swallow. When it felt like I could breathe again, I said, “I’m going to have you send some emails today confirming your appearance at the rally. I’ll make it look like the emails are coming from an internet café in Charleston. We want it to look like you’re still being careful, but that you’re starting to feel more comfortable with coming out of hiding.”

“And we’ll stay in a motel the night of the rally?”

I shook my head. “No, I’ve decided we’re going to go back to your house.”

“Won’t that be harder to secure? I mean, there are so many ways for him to get into the house.”

“Ronan’s got some men in the Metro D.C. area. I’ll have them help me secure both the rally and the house.”

Nathan nodded and turned his attention back to his food.

A wave of uncertainty went through me. It was an unfamiliar and hated sensation, and I could feel the edges of another episode of panic creeping in.

“Nathan,” I said, and waited until he was looking at me.

“When we’re there, you do everything I say. Without question.”

He must have sensed something in my expression, because he quickly nodded and then he reached his hand out to cover mine where it was resting next to my plate.

“I will, Vincent. I promise.”

It wasn’t until he began stroking his thumb over my skin that I felt any measure of relief.

Fuck, I’d always been so confident about my decisions, but knowing what was at stake - that it wasn’t just my own life on the line – had me on edge. And on edge people made stupid mistakes.

I forced myself to finish the omelet, even though it tasted like sandpaper going down. When I was finished, I reached for my plate, but Nathan waved me away. “Go do your thing. I’ll take care of this,” he said as Mickey appeared and then jumped on his lap. I automatically searched out Minnie and was surprised to see she was sitting on the floor next to Nathan’s leg, rubbing up against it.

The strangest sensation of rightness came over me as I watched him sitting there at my kitchen table, eating my food, playing with my cats.

God, what I wouldn’t give to go back in time and tell Dominic Barretti I would take him up on his job offer. I had to believe that even if things had been different all those years ago, my life still would have led me to this moment…to this man. I knew it was unfaithful to David to not be thinking about him as part of that life after I’d chosen what Dom had been offering, but in my gut, I knew I would have lost David to his demons no matter what. I’d lost him the moment the military had rejected us.

“You okay?” Nathan asked.

I nodded and pushed my chair back. “Just have a lot to do,” I said.

“Let me know what you need me to do, okay?”

“I will,” I agreed and then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, I leaned down and kissed him. Because even if it was only temporary and we were just playing house, I was damn well going to pretend it was real for as long as I could.

I’d deal with the consequences later…once Nathan was gone and I had to go back to the way things were.

The way they’d always be.



“No, tell me you’re not…a channel flipper,” I groused as I watched the image on the TV screen switch a mere second after the channel was changed. Not even long enough to figure out what show was on the screen.

“Shut up,” Nathan murmured as he elbowed me.

Somehow, we’d ended up sitting side by side on the couch, despite there being several different pieces of furniture for us to spread out on, and we’d migrated toward one another until Nathan was leaning against my side.

Just before dinner, Nathan and I had sent out the agreed-upon emails to his assistant, campaign manager, and the rally organizers, telling them Nathan was feeling well enough to attend the rally on Saturday. I’d embedded code into each email that would allow me to tell anytime it was opened and by whom, so we’d know if Nathan’s assailant was watching them or not. So far only his campaign manager and the rally organizer had viewed the email, so I’d settled in with Nathan to watch something on TV while we waited for the final email to be viewed before heading to bed. Our plan was to leave for Charleston in the morning. We’d spend the day at Nathan’s house getting Ronan’s men installed so that some were watching the house from the outside while one secured the inside. I’d have a couple more men backing me up at the rally. As soon as I’d told Ronan what I’d needed, he’d gotten it for me within a matter of minutes. Even with five men at my disposal, he’d told me he could get more to me within a matter of hours if I thought it was necessary.

I didn’t.

But it sure as hell felt good to know Nathan’s safety now lay in the hands of several capable men instead of just mine.

“How about this?” Nathan asked.

I glanced at the TV and barely refrained from rolling my eyes. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”