Page 8 of Liam (R.I.S.C. Delta Team #5)

The next afternoon…

“Watch me, Mommy! Watch me!”

Liam couldn’t help but grin as he sat in one of several lounge chairs positioned around the pool. With her long, blonde hair, eyes the color of the sky, and a set of dimples that matched her mother’s completely, it would be easy to convince himself that Madeline Gallo was her mother’s clone.

“I’m watching, sweetie,” Allison assured her daughter from the seat beside him. “I promise.”

He, too, kept his focus on the little girl as she put all her effort into a slightly crooked, underwater somersault.

“Way to go, Maddie,” he called out loud enough she could hear. “I give it a solid eight.”

The little girl squealed with delight before challenging herself to do better.

“I’m going to do another one.” She bobbed up and down excitedly in the indoor pool’s shallow end. “Only this time, I bet I get a ten!”

“A ten, huh?” Liam playfully winced, pretended to doubt the child’s claim. “I don’t know,” he let his voice trail. “Only perfect somersaults get a ten.”

“I can do it! Watch!”

He was watching her, all right. Both her and her tantalizing mother.

How a plain, one-piece bathing suit could be so damn tempting, he’d never know. Maybe it was the whole mystery of it all. Or perhaps he’d inadvertently stumbled upon some deep-seated mommy issues he never knew he had.

Nah. Definitely not that.

Either way, Liam had lost track of how many times he’d snuck a quick peak at her from the corner of his eye. Whatever the number, it had to be huge.

“Let’s see it.” He ignored his primal attraction toward his client and encouraged Maddie to give it another shot.

The look Allison swung his way was accompanied by an ominously arched brow. “You do know she won’t stop until she gets a ten, right?”

His smile only grew wider. “Got yourself a little perfectionist on your hands, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

His deep laugh echoed throughout the thick, humid air as Maddie began her second attempt. When her dimpled smile broke the water’s surface, he lifted both hands in the air, stretching out all but one finger.

“Oooh, so close.” He feigned a highly exaggerated state of disappointment.

“Nine’s better than eight,” Maddie called out from her place not far from the pool’s edge. “I’ll get it this time.” She lifted a hand to her tiny button nose and gave it a tight pinch. “Ready?”

“Ready!”

Water splashed as she tucked her body into a ball, her little legs kicking with all their might as she spun in an almost perfectly submerged somersault. When she was upright once again, Liam didn’t hesitate to give her a perfect score.

“Way to go!” He stretched out all of his digits that time. “That was a perfect ten if I ever saw one.”

The squeal of joy that escaped her lips momentarily drowned out all the other sounds that surrounded them.

“I did it! I did it!” Maddie yelled. “Did you see, Mommy? Were you watching?”

“I was watching, baby girl.” Allison chuckled. “You did great.”

With the somersault challenge having been deemed a success, Maddie moved on to swimming in random patterns around the nearby area.

“Man.” He blew out a breath with a smile. “Wish I had half her energy.”

“Yeah, you and me both.”

A natural lull in conversation ensued as they sat beside one another, watching the tiny blonde do her best impression of a magical mermaid. To anyone else, they probably looked like a typical family enjoying each other on a relaxing afternoon.

It would be so easy to imagine that to be true. That he was a loving husband and father. The exact opposite of his own.

Keep dreamin’, dumbass. You know you’re not destined for that kind of life.

“Thank you for this.” Allison’s soft voice broke through the much-needed reminder.

“For what?”

She tore her gorgeous eyes from the water only long enough to offer him a smile. “Everything. The hotel, the clothes…” Her gaze fell to the simple black swimsuit she wore before returning to a splashing Maddie. “Mostly, I’m grateful for the way you’ve treated my daughter.”

“You sound surprised by that.”

“Because I am.”

Liam waited for more, but after several seconds later, he realized it wasn’t going to come.

“Why does my being nice to Maddie surprise you?”

“I don’t know.” Allison’s bare shoulder lifted and fell with a shrug. “I guess when I pictured a professional bodyguard, I envisioned a stoic man in a black suit and tie standing guard somewhere in the background.”

Glancing down, Liam took in the loud, Hawaiian print swim trunks he’d purchased online the day before. Thanks to same-day delivery, he’d been able to get a few new outfits for the girls, along with the other necessities they’d been lacking.

“The background, huh?” His breathy huff of a laugh escaped into the humid air as he used a thumb to point to the room’s interior glass door. “I mean, I can go stand over there if you’d rather not have me?—”

“No!” Allison’s blurted interruption appeared to take her off-guard. “Uh…I mean, that’s okay. You’re good here. Unless you don’t really want to do all of this.” She waved her hands around as if referring to the lounge chairs and hanging with her by the pool.

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Nearly choking on the unexpected thought, he swung an incredulous stare her way. “Are you kidding? This is great.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“No, really.” Liam shifted his body to look at her more directly. “Trust me, this is much more my style than a suit and tie. And I’ve never really been one to stand alone in a corner.”

The dimple on this side of her profile deepened as the corner of her kissable lips curved upward with a smile. “No, I don’t suppose you would. But for the record”—Her blue eyes landed on his—“I think you’re rocking the flowered look.”

Liam’s heart kicked against his ribs, unable to break whatever spell had just been cast. He tried like hell to name what he found sparkling behind her gorgeous gaze, but a second later, Allison blinked it away.

“Five more minutes, Maddie,” she called out to the little girl, effectively ending the awkward interaction they’d just shared.

The sudden change in her demeanor was initially confusing. But then he noticed a new, pinkish hue settling into her cheeks, and realized?—

She’s embarrassed.

But of what? A silly, off-handed compliment she probably didn’t even mean? That didn’t make any sense.

Doesn’t it?

Liam considered her reasons for coming to his team’s office the day before, and all he’d learned about her dick of a husband. When he did, her skittish behavior made total sense.

He’d seen it before and should’ve recognized it for what it was. Assholes like Tommy Gallo tended to gaslight their women into always thinking they were wrong. Wrong clothes. Wrong hair. Wrong friends.

And when another man is involved—even one as unfamiliar and platonic as Liam— everything the woman did was shoved beneath a microscopic lens. Something as simple as an innocent compliment was automatically deemed to be flirting…or worse.

“Got it.” Maddie raised a tiny thumbs-up just above the water’s surface.

“Wow.” It was Liam’s turn to blink. “That was easy.”

“Well, we’ve been here for almost three hours now, and she didn’t hardly anything at the hotel’s breakfast buffet,” Allison explained. “My guess is, she’s starting to get a little?—”

“I’m hungry.” Maddie pushed herself up and over the pool’s tiled edge. “Can we get pizza?”

“You were saying?” He shot the girl’s mother a crooked smile.

Rather than respond, she sat up straight and reached for a hotel-provided terrycloth towel. Without a word, Allison began drying the dripping water from her daughter’s drenched form.

“Can we, Mommy?”

“Can we what?”

Maddie’s round eyes grew wide with a pointed look sent in her mother’s direction. “Get pizza.”

“Oh. Right. Um…I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Delivery is expensive.”

The child’s face fell with disappointment, but it was quickly replaced with what appeared to be hope.

“Maybe the hotel has a coupon.” Maddie helped her mom wrap the towel around her small form. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

The comment was like a giant fist reaching into Liam’s chest and squeezing his heart. For her to jump to that option so quickly gave him a deeper insight into the life she and her mother had been living.

“I like pizza, too.” He spoke directly to Maddie, unable to let either of them worry about their next meal a second longer. “What kind is your favorite?”

“Pepperoni.” She didn’t so much as hesitate. “But Mommy likes veggies on hers.”

Liam reached for the phone he’d left on top of his folded towel. Opening an app for a nearby pizza delivery, he announced, “Two pepperonis and a veggie, coming up.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Allison shook her ponytailed head.

“We all have to eat, right?” He winked.

“Yeah, Mommy. We all have to eat.”

A laugh bubbled its way out before he could think to stop it. He didn’t have much experience with kids, but damn. This one, he liked.

“I have some cash in my purse,” the sexy blonde shared. “Tell me how much it is, and I’ll pay you as soon as we get back to the room.”

“No need.” He confirmed the order before picking up his towel and pushing himself to his feet. “Any food we get while you’re under my protection is considered a business expense.”

“Right, but I still need to?—”

“It’s a write-off, Al.” The shortened version of her name just sort of slipped out. “Really. It’s no big deal.”

Though she looked as if she wanted to say more, Allison clamped her lips closed and gave him a nod. “Thank you.”

“It’s all part of the job.” He smiled, shifting his focus down to Maddie. “But it’ll be here in about forty-five minutes, and I’m guessing you need a bath before you eat.”

“But I’m already wet.” The cutie pie frowned.

“True, but you should wash off the chemicals that are in the pool water.”

“What are chemcicals?”

“Never mind.” He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get you and your mom back to the room.”

Ninety minutes and several slices of pizza later, the three of them were sitting in the living room area of the suite he’d gotten for the girls.

“You really do like pizza, huh?” Liam motioned to the empty paper plate in Maddie’s lap.

Her long, damp locks slid up and down her upper arms with a nod. “It’s my favorite.”

“Mine, too.” He grinned.

“Are you finished?” Allison motioned toward the food that was left.

Patting his midsection, he nodded with enthusiasm. “Oh, yeah. I’m good.”

“I’ll see if I can figure out a way to fit what’s left in the fridge.”

“Here, let me.” Liam started to stand but stopped short when she waved him away.

“No, you sit.” She ignored his offer and continued gathering the leftovers. “I’ve got it.”

“I’ve been sitting pretty much most of the day,” he countered.

“Can I watch cartoons?” Maddie plopped joyfully down onto the couch before asking, “Can I watch cartoons?”

“For a little bit.” Allison nodded as she continued to clean up their dinner mess.

With the remote in her hands, the little girl turned her big eyes his way. “Can you help me?”

“What do you say?”

At her mother’s reminder, Maddie added a drawn out, “Pleeease?”

Who can say no to that face?

“Absolutely.” Liam stood and went to sit next to the pleading child. Taking the offered remote from her small hand, he pointed it toward the TV and pressed the power button. “Okay, let’s see what we can find.”

It only took minutes for Maddie to snuggled up on one end of the semi-comfortable couch. Her eyes were growing heavier by the minute, but she fought sleep to continue watching an animated show about a group of talking dogs.

Really? This is what kids are watching today?

“Okay.” Allison returned from her task of taking care of the food. “I got the veggie pizza in our fridge, as well as a couple of slices of the pepperoni in case she gets hungry later.”

“Sounds good. Thank you for taking care of that.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled, but then a flash of something akin to nerves came over her. “Um, it wouldn’t all fit, so I had to put the rest in your fridge. I hope that’s okay?”

Their rooms were adjoined, and they’d agreed to keeping the door separating the two spaces open during the daylight hours. Though Liam would have preferred to keep them that way twenty-four-seven, he’d finally given in to her suggested compromise.

They’d keep the pathway between the two rooms fully open during the day, but at night, the doors would merely be cracked. He’d still have full and immediate access to her room should she need him ASAP, but Allison wouldn’t feel quite so “exposed” while she and her daughter slept.

“You filled my fridge with my favorite midnight snack, and you’re asking if it’s okay?” Liam teased.

Her smile was shaky, her look of relief more than a little obvious. It was also confusing as hell. But when Liam replayed the interaction back in his mind, he finally understood why his laid-back response had taken her by surprise.

She thought he was going to be upset. Maybe even expected him to blow up at her for having gone into his room without permission. And why?

Because that’s exactly the kind of reaction she probably would’ve gotten from her douchebag husband.

And speaking of Gallo…

Liam glanced over to where Maddie was laying and saw that she was sound asleep. Taking advantage of the sweet girl’s current state of unawareness, he figured it was as good a time as any to broach the topic of why they were here.

He got up from the couch and walked toward the suite’s small kitchenette area. As he passed by the woman he’d been hired to protect, he quietly asked, “Can we talk?”