Page 6 of Patrick’s Seduction (Scanguards Vampires #19)

6

“ H e said no?”

Fallon’s heart sank. She was out of options. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Anita. During their talk at the station, the blonde detective had asked her to call her by her first name, and she’d felt a connection to her, knowing they could become instant friends if the circumstances were different.

“What am I gonna do now? I’m scared.”

“I have one last idea.” Anita took a deep breath. “You’ll have to talk to him yourself to get him to take your case.”

Confusion spread in Fallon’s chest. “But you just said he won’t talk to me.”

“He will if he has no other choice,” Anita said cryptically. “We can still catch him.”

She felt Anita’s hand on her arm and allowed her to usher her to the door leading into the hallway, leaving the luxurious lounge, where a buffet of food and drinks of all sorts invited the guests, behind. It looked like the lounge of an exclusive hotel, or the first-class lounge of an airline—not that she’d ever flown first class.

In the hallway, Anita stopped, forcing Fallon to stop too. Anita turned to her and lowered her voice.

“He should be coming out of that door any moment now,” Anita whispered. “Let’s just pretend that we’re still discussing things, so that it doesn’t look like we’re waiting for him.”

Fallon felt odd about this situation. She didn’t like to trick people, and had she not felt that desperate to get protection against Cameron, she would have never taken part in what Anita was suggesting now. But she was desperate. She was afraid of Cameron, and the thought that she’d once believed that their relationship was a promising one, made her sick to her stomach. In the three months that she’d dated him, she’d been carefree and happy. They’d had fun together, and the sex had been hot. She could admit that to herself, although now she shuddered at the thought of Cameron ever touching her again. Disgust rose in her. No, she would never again allow a man like Cameron to touch her.

“Just act natural,” Anita said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Am I causing trouble for you?” Fallon asked. “I mean, he’s already told you that he won’t take my case. Why would he change his mind?”

“Because it’s harder to say no directly to a person who needs help rather than an intermediary like me. Trust me.”

Before she could say anything else, the door Anita had indicated opened, and a young man stepped out. The door fell shut behind him.

This couldn’t be Patrick Woodford, the boss of Scanguards. For starters, he didn’t look older than twenty-five, and he was far too handsome—with model-like looks to be exact—to be running a large company like this. Anita hadn’t told her much on the drive over here, only that this was one of the best security companies in the US, and that her husband was a bodyguard here. In addition, Anita had divulged that Scanguards had a large contract with the City of San Francisco acting as an additional law enforcement organization.

“Patrick,” Anita said. “I was just showing Dr. Doyle out.”

Fallon knew that her words were simply meant for Patrick Woodford to know who she was, and for Fallon to be introduced to him. Stunned that this man was truly the Scanguards boss who’d declined to take her case, she stood there, paralyzed. Her eyes were the only parts of her body moving—yes, those, and her thundering heart.

Patrick wasn’t just romance-novel tall, dark, and handsome—and definitely her type—no, there was something else about him. There was a poise in him, a self-assurance, a presence that she was surprised to see in a man so young. He was dressed in dark pants and a casual shirt that didn’t hide his muscular torso. Somehow, she’d expected the Scanguards boss to wear a suit and tie to project the authority of his position when his age was definitely not lending him that attribute. But to be honest, she couldn’t imagine him in a suit and tie. There was something about him that didn’t seem to belong in a suit. He had an untamed, rugged look about him, something that seemed to be more at home in the dark streets of an urban jungle. It was an odd thought, but she couldn’t shake it. Mesmerized, she let her eyes roam, taking in every inch of this man. And with every inch, her heart beat faster and louder, her pulse drumming beneath her skin, making it prickle with anticipation.

When she heard the clearing of a throat, yet Patrick hadn’t moved or spoken, she realized that Anita had been the one bridging the silence between them. How long exactly had she been staring at him?

“You’re Dr. Fallon Doyle?” Patrick asked. His voice carried a surprised undertone.

She noticed something else now. He was running his gaze over her in much the same fashion she’d done before. Was he assessing her now? Wondering if she was worth being protected from her ex-boyfriend?

This was the opportunity Anita had spoken of. This was her chance to change his mind. And if she had to use her feminine wiles to achieve that feat, she wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Or maybe she would, because just looking at this man, at his virility, his intensity, she wanted him to be the main character in her dreams, helping her chase away her fears, making her forget the last few months entirely. He would keep her safe, if only she could convince him that the danger she faced was real.

“Mr. Woodford,” Fallon started. “Anita said you can’t take my case, because you’re short-staffed.” She took a step closer to him, while he still stood there, not having moved an inch.

“Mr. Woodford is my father. Please call me Patrick,” he said to her surprise.

He didn’t smile, didn’t move, made no attempt at extending his hand, yet his voice was an invitation to something. She just didn’t know to what.

“Patrick,” she said, letting his name roll over her tongue. “I wish you would reconsider. I don’t feel safe anymore. If I could move away from San Francisco to get away from him, I would. But I just received a large NIH grant, and I can’t leave. My research…”

She looked down at her feet, feeling unshed tears brim in her eyes. She’d worked too hard and too long to get this far. And she wouldn’t allow a man to destroy all of this. But she had to pull herself together. No man liked a crying woman. She had to be stronger than that. She swallowed away her tears and marshaled all her strength.

When she looked up again, she noticed that Patrick was now standing only two feet away from her. She hadn’t heard or felt him approach. But now she did. It was as if a breeze of a warm Santa Ana wind was sweeping into the corridor, heating the air around them.

“I’m sorry, I’m not normally someone prone to tears, but I’m at my wit’s end. I’m afraid of what Cameron will do next.”

Patrick’s hand was suddenly on her forearm. “Why don’t we sit down and talk?” He motioned to the door of the empty lounge that she’d just exited with Anita.

Did this mean that he would help her, or would he let her down softly without any witnesses to her humiliation and disappointment?

“Anita, thanks, I’ll take it from here,” Patrick said, dismissing Anita without turning his head.