Page 5

S prawled on the comfortable couch, Chaz’s eyes kept threatening to close. He rarely stayed up later than midnight nowadays. Usually, he was in bed, tossing and turning, by eleven. At some point, he must’ve drifted off for a few minutes because the moment he heard the key turn in the lock, he popped up off the couch.

“Shit,” he murmured, wiping away drool at the corner of his mouth, and doing his best to look wide awake.

Lottie rushed inside, closing the door quickly and engaging the lock with rapid, uncoordinated movements. He didn’t miss the way her hands trembled as she set the keys and her purse on the side table.

Striding over, the protector in him flared to life. “What’s wrong?”

“I…um…” Tears glistened and she broke down crying.

Dammit. He didn’t hesitate, just gathered her trembling body in his arms and held her close. “Lottie, sweetheart, what happened?” His big hand stroked up and down her back in a soothing gesture and he wondered what had made her so upset. Had some random asshole hit on her at the bar? Offended her? Been rude or demeaning? He’d hunt the fucker down and kill him with his bare hands.

She sniffed against his chest then looked up, fear swirling in her bright blue eyes. “Someone ran me off the road. I-I think they did it on purpose.”

His expression turned thunderous, his voice lowering to a deep growl. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

She nodded, her attention flicking over to the bedroom.

He knew she wanted the babysitting SITREP, so he momentarily throttled back his anger, his face softening. “She’s sound asleep. Been a perfect angel all night.”

“Did she wake up at all?”

“There was a brief extraction from the crib when she started crying. We sat in the rocking chair and I read her a story about a cow who hated her spots. She fell asleep and has been quiet ever since.”

Lottie’s shoulders sagged. “Thank you. I’m going to bake you more cookies.”

“How about you tell me what happened and why you’re still shaking?”

She swallowed hard then nodded. “Can we sit?”

“Yeah, of course.” He reluctantly released her and they sat beside each other on the couch.

Smoothing her hands down her jeans, she turned sideways to face him, her knees lightly touching his. “For the last few weeks or so, I’ve been getting a lot of hangups and voicemails, but no one leaves a message. It’s just…breathing.”

His gut tightened and his nostrils flared.

“Not in a sexual way,” she added. “It’s more…menacing.”

His jaw clenched. Why would anyone want to scare or intimidate Lottie? She went out of her way to be kind to everyone. He couldn’t imagine her having enemies. “Go on.”

“And sometimes it feels like someone’s watching me. I can’t say for sure, and maybe I’m imagining it, but I swear I’ve caught glimpses of someone in the shadows. It hasn’t been more until tonight, so I didn’t want to bother you. But I was driving home when a car rammed into me then forced me off the road.”

“Jesus, Lottie.” His entire body tensed, frustration pulsing through him. She should’ve told someone—him, Brand, somebody . Instead of judging her, though, he decided to table it. He didn’t want to make her feel bad or scare her any further. “Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No one. That’s why I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

His mind raced, trying to understand. “What about the nugget?”

She blinked in surprise. “Reya? You think someone would want to hurt her ?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m asking.”

“No, of course not.”

Although he knew it was none of his business, Chaz needed to know all the facts in order to understand what might be happening. “What about her father? Is there any reason—”

“Her father isn’t a part of our lives,” she interrupted. “By his choice.”

What an idiot. The two most amazing girls in the world and he walked away. The guy deserved an award for biggest fool alive.

“His loss,” Chaz stated gruffly. His attention landed on her hands, which she kept twisting in her lap. He laid his big hand over hers, stilling the nervous movement. “Nothing is going to happen to you or the nugget. I’m going to find out who’s harassing you. I promise, it’ll be the last thing they ever do.”

“Please, don’t do anything reckless. I don’t want you to end up getting in trouble or, God forbid, winding up in jail because of me, Chaz.”

“Hunting down bad guys is what I do, Sunshine,” he said easily. “It’s what the whole Motley Crew does. Trust me when I say you’re in very good hands. No one is going to lay a finger on you.”

“Thank you, Chaz.” She pulled in a steadying breath, her head dropping. “Sometimes it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, and even though I’m doing my best, I’m not superwoman.”

“You are in my eyes.”

He realized his index finger was absently making circles on the back of her hand. Their gazes locked, and it would be so easy to lean in and kiss her. His attention briefly dropped to her glossy pink lips before he forced himself to release her small hand and scoot back a little.

The last thing he wanted was for her to think he’d take advantage of the situation. She was in a damn vulnerable position and, although he’d never considered himself much of a gentleman, he certainly didn’t want her to think he was looking for some sort of payment for protecting her. Because that’s what he was about to offer. His absolute and total protection until they figured out who was fucking with her.

“You aren’t safe here by yourself,” he stated, voice firm.

“I can call my mom and ask her to come back early.”

“No offense, Lottie, but two women and a child living together isn’t going to deter anyone with bad intentions.” She frowned and he continued. “You don’t have a security system. The lock on the front door is hardly adequate, and, not to scare you, if someone wanted in here, it wouldn’t keep them out. And I assume you don’t have a gun in the house?”

“No,” she whispered, looking stricken.

“We can fix all that. But in the meantime, I think you and your baby need to be somewhere safer. A more secure place where nobody is going to bother you.”

“Like a hotel?”

“Like my house.”

The moment he said the words, her mouth dropped open. Hell, he might’ve even shocked himself if it were last week or even yesterday. But right now, he couldn’t stand the idea of Lottie and Reya being alone and in danger. Knowing someone out there wanted to hurt them, or God forbid worse, filled every fiber of his body with anger. If something happened to them, he’d never forgive himself.

He was a protector. And, dammit, he was going to protect them.

She closed her mouth and he fixated on those gorgeous pink lips. God, he’d never wanted to kiss anyone so badly.

And, yeah, maybe this all went against his disdain for relationships. But he listened to his gut, always had, and right now it was screaming at him to stay close to Lottie. To guard her and keep her safe from whoever was threatening her.

“You want us to move in with you?” she practically stuttered.

“Exactly.” His offer seemed to throw her for a loop, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. If Lottie was in danger, he was the man who would protect her. With his life.

“Chaz, that’s very generous of you, but I couldn’t possibly impose like that.”

“Not an imposition,” he assured her gruffly. Then the worst thought crossed his mind. “Are you seeing someone?”

Some asshole he didn’t fucking know about?

“Um, no.”

Thank Christ. His shoulders slumped in relief. “Then what’s the problem?”

“Well…” Her voice trailed off as she seemed to scramble for an excuse. “You don’t need me and Reya getting into your personal space, turning your whole life upside down. As much as I appreciate the offer, I don’t want to be a bother or upset your bachelor lifestyle.”

“There’s only one thing upsetting me right now—knowing you could be in danger. And don’t be too worried about upsetting anything. It’s been a while since…well, since I’ve had any guests.”

“Oh,” she murmured, cheeks flushing, catching on to his meaning.

The truth was Chaz hadn’t hooked up with a woman in…oh hell, far longer than he cared to admit. But sex with someone else had been off the table since meeting Lottie. No one else even came close to measuring up to her. Besides, he’d been way too busy obsessing over her to notice another woman.

“It’s late. You should get some sleep. We’ll talk about it more in the morning.”

“Okay.” She gave him a shaky smile and stood up. “Thank you again for tonight. I guess I’ll see you in the morning and…”

Her voice trailed off when he didn’t move to get up.

“There’s no way I’m leaving you alone. From now on, I’ll make sure you’re safe,” he said, voice a little rough and unrelenting. He glanced around her small apartment before looking back up at her. “Now, do you have a spare blanket? Because I’m staying the night.”

◆◆◆

Fifteen minutes after giving Chaz a blanket and leaving him to sleep on the couch—which was way too small for him to get any kind of meaningful rest—Lottie was laying in her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, wide awake. She’d offered him her mom’s bed, but he’d politely declined. He said he didn’t plan on getting much sleep, anyway, since he wanted to remain alert in case there was any trouble.

At this point, the only trouble was her reaction to him and how every fiber of her being wanted him in her bed. You have enough problems to deal with , she reminded herself. Don’t add unrequited love to the list.

But after the way he’d reacted tonight, she couldn’t help but wonder… What if his reaction was more than simply a protector wanting to protect? What if her feelings were reciprocated?

God, that was a loaded question. One she wasn’t sure she wanted to explore yet. Okay, maybe she could admit Chaz might be attracted to her. She’d definitely caught him checking her out at work with more than just idle curiosity. And she thought there’d been a moment earlier in the night when he almost kissed her. But that didn’t mean he wanted to jump into marriage and fatherhood.

Was she capable of a physical relationship with him without expectations? Could she keep her heart locked down and understand it would only be sex and nothing more? Shut her emotions off and just enjoy the pleasure he could give her?

She let out a lusty sigh, knowing what a slippery slope that would be. Because when it came to love, she wanted it all. You deserve it , she reminded herself. More importantly, Reya deserved a man who wanted to step into the role of a father figure. At least, eventually.

She played the evening over in her head. Chaz said he wanted them to stay with him, but only while he figured out what was going on. It was a magnanimous gesture, something she hadn’t expected, and though she appreciated it greatly, she had to remind herself it would be temporary.

“Stop overthinking it,” she muttered.

And stop thinking about the big, muscular former military man in the other room, sprawled out on your couch.

That proved much easier said than done.

Sleep finally came, but it was a long time coming. It felt like her eyes had just closed when she heard rustling sounds from the crib. Lottie rolled onto her side and saw Reya standing up, looking at her.

“Good morning, pretty girl.” She glanced at the clock. Since she hadn’t gotten much sleep, six AM felt awfully early at that moment. “I don’t suppose you want to lay down for another hour or so and let your mom sleep in a little?”

Reya grinned at her. “Up, Mama!”

Yawning, Lottie propped herself up on an elbow, slowly working herself awake, and then remembered Chaz was out in her living room. Her pulse sped up and she bolted upright.

“We have a guest,” she whispered to Reya. “A very big, burly, rugged guest who would probably like some breakfast.”

She got up, scooped Reya from the crib and changed her into her big girl panties and a cute outfit covered in daisies. “You stayed dry all night!” she exclaimed, tossing the dry diaper. “Yay! I’m so proud of you.”

Reya clapped her hands. “Yay!”

“Okay, let’s see if Chaz is awake yet.”

A quick glance in the mirror and Lottie frowned, smoothing a hand through her wild curls. She didn’t have time to primp, but she and Reya went into the bathroom to use the toilet and quickly brush their teeth. The second she opened the door, Reya toddled off.

Leaning against the door jamb, she watched as the little girl went straight up to Chaz. He was sitting on the couch, looking down at his phone, when Reya grabbed his knee and started chattering away.

“Is that so?” he asked, looking thoroughly engrossed, not shying away at all or looking uncomfortable from her attention. He was so natural with her. If she didn’t know better, Lottie would’ve said they’d been best buds forever.

And, damn, if that didn’t make her heart sing.

“Good morning,” Lottie said, stepping into the living room.

Chaz looked up, green eyes bright. “Morning, Sunshine.” His attention went back down to Reya who kept asking him something about ‘chee-chee’s and a nana.’ Uncertain, he shrugged a big shoulder, clearly needing a translation. “I’m not sure what she’s saying.”

“She’s asking if you want Cheerios and a banana.”

“Ohh, that’s it.” He grinned. “Sure, Nugget. Sounds good. Some caffeine would be nice, too.”

“I have plenty of that.” Lottie walked into the kitchen and pulled the highchair over to the table. When she turned and saw Reya grab onto Chaz’s finger and lead him into the kitchen, her ovaries may have exploded.

For someone who claimed they weren’t good with kids, he played along like a pro. Without hesitation, he scooped her up and sat her down in the highchair. Images of him doing that every morning teased her. But could it ever be a reality?

“I can make the coffee while you get her breakfast ready,” he offered. “Just show me where it is.”

As they began their separate tasks, crossing paths, sharing smiles and small snippets of conversation, Lottie took a moment to appreciate how seamless and right it felt. Waking up with Chaz in her home, the three of them starting their day together, it all felt incredibly normal. Something she could easily get used to with very little effort.

And that was a very dangerous thought. Especially when they sat down and he looked across the table and said, “I think we need to tell everyone you’re my girlfriend.”