Page 12 of Hunted Hearts (Black Heart Security #6)

T he black SUV rumbled along the winding gravel drive, headlights cutting through the pitch-dark night. Juliette was silent in the back of the vehicle that picked them up at the private airstrip.

Theo didn’t introduce her to the driver when he ushered her inside. He just jumped into the front and they headed to their destination without speaking a word.

She leaned her forehead against the cool window, watching fields and shadowy fences roll by, her mind still spinning from the whirlwind of the past twenty-four hours.

They’d boarded the private jet so fast she hadn’t even processed that they were flying until they were airborne. And the bigger shock than flying private was the name on the side of the aircraft.

Malone.

She knew mega stars who didn’t own their own jets, and yet Black Heart Security had one on standby like it was just a company car?

She was only just beginning to understand the operation wasn’t some small-time protection detail. If they could pull a jet and a convoy together in an hour, they had to have office branches everywhere, maybe in every major city.

It was staggering…and a little humbling.

Her family had an aristocratic title and old money, the kind that built empires back in the day.

But decades of higher costs of living had caused it to dwindle.

Her father kept up with the estate home in France with shrewd investments, and Juliette never lacked for a single thing during her childhood.

But they didn’t have own-a-private-jet money.

She glanced sideways at Theo. His broad shoulders were broader than his seat despite the SUV’s size. He was watching the dark road ahead, arms crossed, his jaw shadowed and tight in the faint glow from the dashboard.

Rugged bulk and military discipline—that’s what she’d first seen in him. But now? The way he’d handled the chaos of her life—steady, calm, deliberate—even as flames and smoke eddied around them told her everything. He was more than the uniform. More than the muscles.

There was depth there. A quiet strength she hadn’t even scratched the surface of yet.

It made her own reputation of a prissy, rich, pampered violinist with her name in lights feel paper-thin in comparison. No one ever looked beyond the surface with her, not really.

But maybe Theo had. Or maybe she just wanted him to.

The SUV turned a bend, and suddenly, light splashed across the night. The sprawling ranch house came into view, a warm yellow gleam spilling from the windows. Strings of golden bulbs draped along the wraparound porch.

And the yard was filled with people. A whole crowd had gathered despite the late hour, waving and smiling as the vehicle rolled to a stop.

Her stomach flipped. She was used to audiences, used to crowds—even used to the flash of cameras. But this was different. Personal . These were Theo’s people. His family .

The door opened, and cool air charged in. Juliette smoothed a hand over her hair and stepped out. She tucked her sweater around herself, her heels crunching on the gravel as her gaze darted over the waiting group…

Then flashed to her name in neon lights anchored on the porch railing.

Just her first name, in the same script as all the signs that traveled with her to various concert halls. The neon pale blue cast a circle on the shrubbery, and across the rough leather boots of several men standing there waiting to greet her.

She was so out of her element, standing here in a long gown and high heels. The only thing country about her right now was her favorite cardigan sweater wrapped around her, and even that was cashmere.

A woman with a glossy sheet of dark hair stepped forward first, her smile easy and warm. “We don’t have a balcony for Juliette,” she said, voice lilting with humor, “but we do have a really nice porch.”

Juliette blinked. Shakespeare. Of course.

She turned her head in time to see Theo pinch the bridge of his nose. Their gazes met, and they groaned in unison.

“Thanks, Willow,” Theo muttered. “Juliette, my sister Willow.”

Willow’s grin widened. “I’m so thrilled to meet you. Of course I’m a big fan, but you probably hear that all the time.”

Juliette found herself smiling at the woman’s genuine warmth.

“Actually, the sign was Aspen’s idea. She does all the special touches for fancy moments—she’s got connections like you wouldn’t believe . She and Colt are still in Tahoe, but when she heard Theo was bringing you here, she had this whole setup rush-shipped.”

Juliette’s brows shot up. “How…? Who even has those kinds of connections?” Her assistant would love to get her hands on whoever this Aspen person was. If she could pull together a reception like this in a few hours, she could probably solve world hunger by breakfast.

One by one, Theo introduced his brothers and sisters-in-law, but no way could she keep track of everybody’s names.

It was…a lot. A warm welcome, yes, but overwhelming. Juliette had already spent the entire day in a blur—evacuation, security briefings, the private jet. Now here, in a world so far from hers it may as well have been another planet.

By the time Theo guided her inside and down a long hallway with a polished wood floor to a guest room, she was barely functioning. He set her bag by the dresser and turned to her.

“You’ve got to be pretty beat. But you can relax. You don’t have to worry about security here.”

She nodded but only once, because the room was starting to spin from her exhaustion.

He raked his fingers through his hair and murmured something about sleeping as long as she liked, but she barely heard him. The bed looked like heaven, and the second her body hit the mattress, sleep claimed her.

The sound of thumping woke her what felt like only minutes later—low, rhythmic, deliberate. She blinked at the soft light seeping around the curtains. Dawn filled the sky.

It took a moment to process the sound. Hard rock music blasted through her wall, along with the tap of feet on the floor.

Theo was jumping rope.

Of course he was already awake, already working his body like they hadn’t both crawled off the same flight after surviving the same chaos. Was he human? Or some kind of relentless automaton wrapped in muscle?

Her phone screen glared brightly up at her when she reached for it, the time far too early for her liking. She groaned and opened her shopping app, half on autopilot as she found the item she was searching for. But when she went to check out, she realized she didn’t even know the ranch’s address.

Frustration pushed her out of bed. She threw a silk robe over the panties she slept in.

The scent of coffee drifting through the house lured her down toward the kitchen, where another woman stood at the counter, dark-haired and poised, pouring sugar into her own steaming mug.

The woman turned, her smile bright. “You must be Juliette.”

She gave her a gracious smile and nodded.

“I’m Aspen.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m surprised to see you awake. You must have gotten in really late.”

“We did.”

“I see you made it through the insanity.” She reached for another mug from a shelf filled with coffee cups of every size, shape and color. “Coffee?”

“I’d love some, and yes, we made it through the insanity.” She let out a soft laugh. “Somehow. Thank you for the welcome last night. The sign was such a big surprise. It was so much more than I expected.”

“I’m glad it arrived before you did. It wouldn’t have had the same effect otherwise.”

She passed her the mug with a friendly grin, and Juliette cradled it, letting the warmth radiate into her fingers. Then she remembered her reason for getting up in the first place. Theo and his infernal early-morning workout.

“I was hoping you could tell me the address here. I was trying to get something delivered and realized I have no clue where I even am.”

Aspen rattled off the address with ease while Juliette typed it into her phone to complete the order later. Right now, she just wanted to savor the rich flavor of coffee. It grounded her, just a little.

“Thank you. I’m just going to take my coffee back to bed.”

Aspen offered her a smile. “We’ll catch up more later.”

Juliette returned to her room, clutching the mug like a lifeline.

And stopped dead when she reached her door.

Theo was there. Standing in the doorway, his T-shirt damp and clinging to the hard lines of his torso. His gray sweatpants hung low on his hips, his rope still coiled in one hand.

He spun the second he noticed her, his reflexes sharp, those steel-gray eyes flashing toward her. “I was looking for you,” he said, voice a little rough. His gaze flicked to the coffee in her hand. “Looks like you found the kitchen.”

Heat rolled through her unbidden. Her robe gaped just slightly as she shifted, and she saw his eyes dip—brief, but unmistakable—before he stepped closer.

“You’re going to catch cold like that.” He reached to draw the fabric closed at her collar. His fingers brushed her skin, warm despite the chill lingering in the hallway.

Something inside her snapped, quiet but unalterable. She set her coffee on the dresser just inside the door, her pulse loud in her ears. Without taking time to think of what he might do, she reached out and clasped the tiny ties holding up his sweats.

She tugged each end a little to adjust his clothing the way he just adjusted hers.

Except her fingers didn’t want to move away. They caught the waistband of his sweatpants, her fingers curling lightly in the soft fabric as she tugged him closer.

His eyes darkened, flicking from her eyes to her mouth.

In one step, he was with her, his arm banding around her back, yanking her up against the hard wall of his body as he ducked his head and claimed her mouth.

The kiss hit like a spark to dry tinder—hot, fast, consuming. His hand slid to her jaw, anchoring her as his mouth took hers, firm and unhurried, like he wanted to feel every second of it.

A moan gathered in her throat. Sparks of heat zipped along her nerves.