Page 21 of Too Guarded to Love (Project VIPER #3)

O livia’s breath caught at the feral look in Nic’s gaze before he turned to the kitchen counter.

She hadn’t meant for him to be the someone she needed.

Any of the others in the room seemed capable of answering her questions, especially Ryan and his three laptops, yet her gaze had collided with Nic’s.

Unlike the beach, she didn’t swerve from the collision.

Christ, she really needed Gran to wake up and tell her this connection was all in her head.

Nic turned and handed her a cup of coffee. “Come with me. You can meet Hudson and his family, and Scarlett too. We’ll discuss what’s on your mind on the way.”

She nodded, unable to yank her attention from the outline of the harder-than-steel abs she’d traced not even an hour ago.

Simple attraction and nothing more.

Or maybe it had been the smell of the coffee that had drawn her to him. She’d go with the coffee explanation.

“I’ve got video footage from bingo.” Ryan looked at Kane. “Want to review it with me and see what happened to Gran?”

Kane’s gaze ping-ponged from Ryan to the door, no doubt deciding between meeting Beth or looking for clues about who attacked Gran.

Olivia didn’t envy his position. Even though she’d been the one shot tonight, Kane was the one to receive back-to-back phone calls about her and Gran being hospitalized.

And now he was worried about Beth’s safety.

A sharp pain lanced Olivia’s heart as memories of the phone call no child should ever receive invaded her mind.

“Olivia.”

She turned from the full-length mirror in her friend’s bedroom, the blouse she’d been holding up to her body against her breasts. “What do you think, Mrs. Green? Should I wear this color to the dance?”

Mrs. Green wiped a tear from her eye. “I, uh…” She looked at the phone clutched in her hand as another tear fell. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. Your grandmother just called. Your dad…”

Mrs. Green choked on a sob, but Olivia didn’t need to hear the rest. Her dad wasn’t coming home from his latest deployment. Ever.

Squeezing her fists, Olivia strangled the memory of another call a few months later, that one from Gran, who couldn’t hide her tears.

Kane had also received the same phone calls about their father’s death and then their mother’s. Tonight, he’d received two more that could have delivered equally devastating news if Nic hadn’t shoved her away from a bullet faster than a phantom, and Gage hadn’t given Gran CPR in time.

Fighting the pull to throw her arms around Nic and thank him for saving her life and sparing her brother the loss of his twin, she turned to Kane.

He shot her a grin. “Please tell Beth to come right up as soon as she’s back.”

The stabbing burn in Olivia’s chest morphed to a warm glow at the anticipation in his eyes. Her parents had loved each other with every fiber of their hearts and every grain of their souls. It seemed Kane had found what they’d had.

What she longed for.

Her gaze drifted to Nic. Not with him, though. Gran needed to wake up and tell her VIPER’s playboy wasn’t the man of her dreams.

Edgar cleared his throat. “We’ll reconvene after everyone is settled.”

Kane slid to her side and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” He looked to Nic. “Keep her out of trouble.”

She slapped Kane on the shoulder. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

Glaring at her brother, she took a sip of coffee. The contents were as heated as the look Nic and Kane exchanged.

“Let’s go.” Nic cupped her elbow and guided her to the door.

Once outside, she jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “What was that look about? Some sort of bro code?”

“Something like that.”

“Does that mean you’re the lucky one in charge of me now?

” Since she’d entered VIPER headquarters, she hadn’t been alone.

A man named Gage, who looked like he could snap her in two with his bare hands but had tears in his eyes when he gushed about how Gran had adopted his daughter as her own grandchild, had escorted her to Gran’s room.

Even when Olivia changed into her boots and jeans, Patience had been there to assist.

Edgar hadn’t been kidding when he’d explained VIPER was a classified facility and, for the sake of her and the program’s safety, access to the building would be restricted and she’d be escorted everywhere she went.

She’d thought her hometown had been like life in a fishbowl.

In the space of one night, she’d jumped into a shark tank.

Nic shook his head. “I’ve been in charge of your safety since I saw you crash your car.”

The hard cut of his jaw said he wasn’t thrilled about the responsibility. “I didn’t ask for your protection.”

“Yet you needed it.”

“Didn’t you hear me back there? I didn’t ask for any of this. Now start explaining. You can begin with what Kane meant by ‘several forces at play.’ Does it have something to do with what he said earlier in the conference room about me getting caught up in a vendetta someone has against you?”

They stopped in front of the elevator doors. “Maybe.”

“Maybe is not an acceptable answer to my multitude of questions.”

He pressed the call button. “I read a book a few weeks ago about a sirena who lured a man to the sea and made him a bargain.”

“You read fantasy books about mermaids?”

“Don’t judge. My friend Valentina dared me to read it and now I’m hooked. The mermaid one wasn’t that great, but the one we’re buddy reading now makes me wish dragons were real so I could ride one.”

Damn, picturing Nic on the back of a dragon, sword down his back, letting out a battle cry as he soared through the sky would be difficult to get out of her brain.

As if the super soldier himself wasn’t tough enough.

She stared at the rock-hard profile of the man who defined masculinity. Somehow, knowing he read romantasy novels with someone named Valentina, whom she may or may not be feeling unjust jealousy toward, made him more masculine.

More desirable.

More likable.

Freaking adorable .

Just great. More fuel wasn’t needed to fan their blazing connection. Not when she pictured Nic as a magical hero who could make a woman orgasm three times in one chapter.

“I like romantasy books too. Sorry you’ll never get to ride a dragon. Have you ever ridden a horse?”

He smiled. “Yes. Veterans Affairs has an equine therapy program. Linc and I go once a month or so. Linc grew up riding, but I’m catching on quickly. My instructor says I’m a natural.”

She sighed. “I miss my horse. His name is Captain, and he’s prettier than you.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “You think I’m pretty?”

“In an annoying, macho kind of way. Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Too late.” The elevator dinged its arrival. He pushed off the wall. “What else do you do in your spare time besides fawn over your horse?”

“Nothing. Jonathan talked me into trying mountain biking when we first started dating. I wound up with a broken clavicle, so I’m sticking to horses.”

“You mentioned you’d broken it when you were in the hospital. You do realize a thousand-pound-plus animal is much more dangerous than a bike, right?”

“Do you realize a bike isn’t a living thing? I can sense a horse’s emotions and know when there’s a problem. I can’t sense when a stupid chain is about to break.”

“Fair enough. So, no dance class or soccer?”

“I didn’t want to do anything that took me away from the stables.

I just wanted to enjoy them. My plan was to be a veterinarian, but in high school, Kane’s friend was thrown from a bull during a rodeo.

His legs were so mangled, his family was told he’d never walk again.

The day I saw him walk into my living room, I decided I wanted to be the kind of doctor who defied the odds. ”

“Nice.”

She beamed at the respect in his voice. “How about you? I bet you were some sort of sports legend in high school.”

“I played baseball from the time I could hold a bat until I was a freshman.” One side of his lips tilted up in a smile. “I was the catcher. The one who controlled the game, and I was damn good at it until…”

The melancholy in his voice broke her heart. “I’m sorry for whatever took it away from you.”

He jerked his head so slightly she might not have noticed it if she hadn’t been studying him like he was a tragic painting in a museum.

A wide smile graced his face as he glanced back at her. “Let’s get back to the bargain part in the mermaid book. In it, the mermaid tells the sailor who falls for her that she’ll answer every question of his if he answers one of hers.” He extended his hand. “You game to give it a try?”

She shook on it. “Fine.”

He pulled her into the elevator and into his chest, careful not to jostle her injured arm. “Tell me about the deal you were going to propose when we were in Gran’s room.”

Panic tightened her throat. “You agreed to forget about that.”

“I lied. Now we’re even.” He backed her against the wall.

“I didn’t lie.” The breathless words didn’t sound very convincing, even to her own ears.

He braced both hands next to her head. “We’ve already had a conversation about your deceit. Now we’re moving on to another discussion. I’m only going to say this one more time. Present your deal.”

Something jolted alive at his threat. “I was going to suggest we prove that what’s between us—this unwanted attraction—is nothing.”

“Trust me, I’m not happy about what’s going on between us either.”

“Good.” She pushed her palm against his stomach, unsure if she was mad at him for agreeing or if she wanted to feel his rock-hard body again. “Then move and stop being so damn?—”

He bent his head toward hers. “Sexy? Super? I get that a lot from the senoritas.”