Page 1 of Protected by the Loner (The Men of Ghost Security #2)

OWEN

W here the hell is Kane?” Knox demands, checking his watch for the third time in five minutes. “Meeting was supposed to start twenty minutes ago.”

I keep my eyes on my laptop screen, reviewing the security assessment proposal for Thursday’s client meeting. The Ghost Security conference room feels smaller when we’re all waiting around, but Kane’s perpetual lateness is nothing new. I’m not going to waste time when I could be working.

“Probably stuck in traffic from that lunch meeting with Harley over in Raytown,” Jake suggests, settling back in his chair and checking his phone.

His fiancée, Izzy, just returned to Los Angeles to work on her new album after a short visit here.

Jake has been glued to his phone like a lovesick teenager ever since.

The man should have taken time off and gone with her, given how distracted he is right now.

“Give him another ten minutes,” he adds, finally looking up from his phone.

“I bet he’s knocking boots with Morgana,” Zane laughs.

I roll my eyes. Everyone knows Kane and Morgana are close friends, but everyone but Kane and Morgana can see how much they should be together. Though I’ve seen the way Kane looks at her, and even I can see there’s something there.

“Ghost Security’s been doing well this year. We’ve got the resources to take on bigger projects,”Knox mentions, glancing at our quarterly reports. “Marlon will be happy with these numbers. He’s been making noises about opening up a new office.”

“How’s Hayden doing, Jake?” Reed asks, leaning back in his chair.

Jake smiles as he looks at his phone, then turns it over and places it face down on the conference table.

“Really solid, man. He needs a cane occasionally, but he’s walking again, which is more than he thought he would do.

He was asking if we might have a place for him here, and I’m going to talk to Marlon about that.

Obviously, most fieldwork would be out for him, but he’s great tactically, and he has some computer skills. ”

“He’d be a good addition to the team,” Knox says, glancing at me.

I’m territorial about my work, so I’m not sure how I’d feel about bringing someone else in.

Although we’re busier than ever, so basic common sense says we need more than one person with critical knowledge.

But no use worrying about future possibilities.

If it happens, I’ll deal with it then. I have other things I need to focus my attention on.

Reed props his feet up on the table, studying me with obvious amusement. “Owen, what happened to your wall of energy drink cans? I can’t remember a time your office wasn’t full of stacked empties.”

I don’t flinch because I know exactly what he means—the empty shelf where I used to stack cases of Monster is bare now. “I switched caffeine sources.”

“Those coffee cups from Daily Brew are becoming a regular feature.” Jake grins. “Along with those little white pastry bags. You’re going to have to spend more time in the gym if you’re going to eat pastries daily.”

“I like their coffee,” I say, not looking up from my screen.

“You like...their coffee .” Knox’s tone suggests he’s not buying it. “Man, for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve preferred those high-octane energy drinks. I never even saw you drink coffee before that coffee shop moved in.”

The truth is, I’ve been running on fumes since theFerdinandassessment. But mostly? I like seeing Vivian. It’s the highlight of my day, always. The way her face lights up when she sees me does something dangerous inside me, but I’m helpless to stop myself from going to Daily Brew.

“Look, I’m just saying,” Zane leans forward with that predatory grin he gets when he spots attractive women, “the owner is sure pretty. Maybe I should swing by, introduce myself properly. Ask her out.”

A hot and territorial reaction surges through me. “She’s off limits,” I say, snapping my eyes up to glare at Zane.

“Off limits, how ?” Zane’s eyebrows rise with interest. “You got a claim on her? Because hate to break it to ya, but this is the twenty-first century, and women don’t take kindly to that.”

“She deserves a man who won’t treat her like a disposable fuck toy.

” My tone is flat, hard enough that the air in the conference room stills and vibrates with tension.

I know he’s teasing, but the thought of Zane circling Vivian makes me see red.

I’d fight alongside the man, but the way he treats women is appalling.

“I’m wounded! Wounded!” Zane laughs, clutching his heart like he’s having a heart attack and falling backward.

The room goes silent. Jake and Knox exchange one of those loaded looks, while Reed grins like he won the lottery.

“Well, well,” Jake says slowly. “Sure looks like Owen has a crush.”

“I don’t have a—”

“Oh, you absolutely do.” Reed leans back in his chair, arms crossed. “Protective, possessive, and getting defensive about a woman you see once, maybe twice, a day. Man, do you even know her last name?”

Before I can formulate a response, Kane bursts through the door, backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Sorry, guys. Lunch ran long, then I got stuck behind a three-car fender bender.” He drops into his chair and immediately pulls up files. “What did I miss?”

“Owen defending the honor of the coffee shop girl,” Zane says cheerfully.

Kane blinks. “Coffee shop girl?”

“The owner of Daily Brew,” Jake explains. “It’s the coffee shop that opened earlier this year on the corner.”

“Ah.” Kane nods like this explains everything. “I’ve been there. Good coffee, and if you’re talking about the woman I think you are, she’s cute.”

“Not as cute as Morgana…” Zane teases, and Kane’s cheeks flush with anger.

Kane takes a deep breath and turns to face Zane. “How many goddamn times do I have to say that we are…”

“…just friends,” the rest of us chorus and laugh.

I hold back the growl in my throat. Listening to the team dissect my and Kane’s love lives – or lack thereof – isn’t high on my priority list. “Can we focus on actual business now?”

“Fine,” Knox says, though he’s not hiding his smirk from watching Zane and me. “Garafalo protection detail first. Their daughter’s boyfriend is still triggering security concerns, but background checks came back clean. Looks like overprotective parents rather than actual threats.”

The meeting shifts into familiar territory. Business assessments, security upgrades, client updates. This is comfortable ground—logical problems with clear solutions.

But my attraction to Vivian has no clear solution. I want to ask her out more than anything, but I know damn wellthat when it comes to relationships, I’m poison.

When I get to Daily Brew for an afternoon coffee, Vivian is pulling shots while checking something on her laptop. Her honey-blonde hair is pulled back in a messy bun, loose tendrils catching the light, making herlook like an angel.

When she spots me approaching, her entire expression brightens.

“Owen! This is a nice surprise. You don’t usually come in during the afternoon.” She finishes the drink she’s preparing, then turns her full attention to me. “Large dark roast, black?”

“Please.” My voice is steady, but inside, the way her smile curves has me fantasizing about a future I know is impossible. “I’m staying late to work on a client project. Figured I could use a caffeine boost.”

“I can certainly help you with that!” she says, giving me a megawatt smile.

It’s these moments with her that keep me coming back here over and over.

Hell, I didn’t really drink coffee before Daily Brew opened.

“Working hard or hardly working? Though knowing you, you're definitely working hard. You’ve never struck me as a slouch.”

“You’re correct on that score. The project is...” I pause, choosing my words carefully. Client privacy matters, but so does not sounding like a bragging asshole. Few tech guys can do what I can, but nothing good comes from gloating about it. “Complex. Multiple moving parts that need coordination.”

“Sounds important.” She slides the coffee across the counter. Her fingers brush mine, and a spark of desire shoots straight to my cock. It triggers my fantasy of her on top of me in bed, her golden hair falling onto me and tickling my face as she rides my cock with wild abandon.

Coughing and shifting to hide the erection growing in my jeans, I deflect. “It’s a pretty normal day for me.”

I’m pulling cash out of my wallet when the lights in Daily Brew flicker.

Then, the espresso machine dies with a mechanical whine, and the lights go out.

“No, no, no. Please save, please save...” Vivian says frantically,rushing to her laptop, which is sitting open on the back counter.

I watch as she jabs at the power button, but the screen stays dark. Whatever she was working on is gone. I cringe, knowing firsthand the pain of data loss.

The mood in the coffee shop shifts instantly. Confused murmurs build to frustrated complaints, everyone wondering aloud what happened to the power.

Then, a high-maintenance woman, if ever I saw one, pushes forward from where she was waiting for her order. Her voice cuts through the chaos like nails on glass.

“This is completely UNACCEPTABLE! You’re telling me I can’t even get my soy latte?”

She slams her palm on the counter, making Vivian flinch backward. My protective instincts are instant and absolute.

“Ma’am.” My voice comes out steady, edged with command. I will not allow anyone to talk to Vivian like this. “Step back. Now.”

The woman whirls toward me, face flushed with indignation. “Excuse me? Who do you think—”

“Someone who doesn’t waste time on tantrums.” I move closer, not quite stepping between her and the counter, but close enough to tower over her and make her look up at me.

“The power’s out. That’s infrastructure, not incompetence.

The exits are clear, and if you want to blame someone, talk to the construction crew next door.

They might have something to do with this.

The staff can’t operate espresso machines without electricity,” I continue, eyes locked on the woman, whose face has gone pale.

“You can wait, or you can leave. Those are your options.”

She opens and closes her mouth twice before she steps back, then turns and leaves.

I turn to find Vivian staring at me, lips parted, cheeks flushed. Not fear. Not embarrassment.

“How did you do that?” she asks, her voice soft with wonder. “That woman is always so difficult.”

“Basic crowd management.” I shove my hands into my pockets before I do something reckless, like touch her. “Most people just need someone to acknowledge the problem and give them direction.”

She’s still looking at me like I’ve performed magic. Up close, I catch the flecks of gold in her eyes, and my mind is back on the fantasy of her in my bed.

“Thank you,” she says, putting her hand on my arm. “I was about to completely lose it. The reports I was working on... they’ve taken me days to compile, and now it’s probably all lost. I know I don’t save as often as I should, but... I didn’t need to be yelled at for something out of my control.”

“You lost important data?” My protective instincts flare again, different this time. Less physical, more primal—this is something I can fix. “What kind of files?”

Her face falls slightly. “Mostly spreadsheets, for inventory and budgeting. Nothing I can’t recreate, but...” She shakes her head, forcing a rueful smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “It’s fine. I’ll figure it out.”

The way she hunches her shoulders tells me it’s not fine. Before I can offer to help with data recovery, the lights flicker back on. The espresso machine hums to life, and everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.

“Thanks for being patient, everyone! We’re lucky it was only a brief outage.” Vivian turns to me, and a beautiful smile graces her face. “This one’s on me. Thank you again for your help!” Then she turns back to the customers lined up behind me.

As I watch her help other customers, an overwhelming protective instinct rises in me.

What is it about this woman that makes me want to break my rules about dating?