Page 36 of Guarded from Sabotage

Although. He’s giving her that enigmatic smile he always uses to flirt with women. And he’s still holding her hand.

I know Nolan would never hit on a woman I’m interested in, but all he knows is that Sarah is a client. A beautiful, sexy, sweet, intelligent client. He has no idea how I really feel about her.

Or maybe he does.

Releasing her hand, Nolan gives her a little nod before turning back to me. “I guess I’d better get back to the game before Erik claims he won by default. But after, we should talk. Catch up.” A tiny smirk lifts his lips. “You guys look good together, by the way.”

He darts off, presumably to stick his nose in someone else’s business, leaving me to explain his comment away.

My face inexplicably hot, I start, “Nolan’s nice, but he can be?—”

Sarah slips her hand back into mine and smiles up at me. “He does seem nice. And I’d love to get to know your friends. But did he say something about cooking? Could you use some help?”

My heart rolls over. Squeezes.

Tugging her a little closer, I reply, “I’d love some help. Maybe I could do the steaks, and you could take the dogs and burgers?”

Her smile brightens. “That sounds perfect.”

Spending the evening with Sarah, cooking with her, and introducing her to all my friends? Yeah. That sounds just about perfect.

And it is. Once we’re done cooking—and I’m doubly glad to have the help because these guys are damn vultures—we spend the next couple of hours talking and playing games with my friends. We play cornhole and a very competitive game of extreme Jenga with jumbo-sized pieces, emerging victorious at the latter after I hoist Sarah on my shoulders so she can place the last piece.

We lounge together on one of the couches, our knees bumping into each other, laughing at the stories TJ tells about his kids and looking at cute photos of baby cows from Boone andHarley’s farm. And every so often, Sarah will grab my hand or my arm for emphasis, electrifying my skin wherever she touches it.

As the evening goes on, she moves closer and closer to me, until our legs aren’t just bumping, but pressed up against each other. We’re close enough that I can catch the soft scent of her shampoo and feel her hair brushing against my arm whenever she leans in to talk.

We’re close enough that it’s torture not wrapping my arm around her, snuggling her into my side.

It’s torture being this close and not kissing her. Not telling Sarah that I feel so much more than friendly towards her.

But I can’t. If I’m thinking about kissing Sarah, or holding her, it compromises my ability to protect her. And that’s the most important thing.

That’s what I keep reminding myself as I walk with Sarah back to the ranch. It’s after midnight, and the rest of my team is still going strong, but once I noticed Sarah flagging—eyes drooping, leaning heavily against me—I knew it was time to call it a night.

She’s perked up a bit in the cooler night air, and she’s gazing up at the bright swathe of stars overhead. Abruptly, she stops and tugs me off the path and into the yard. Just as I’m about to ask if something’s wrong, she says, “It’s gorgeous, Dante. Being in the city, I forgot. But out here… you can see so many stars.”

I tilt my head up to follow her gaze. “Itisbeautiful,” I agree. “But not?—”

Shit. I can’t say what I was really thinking. Not now.

Sarah looks at me, a cautious hope in her eyes. “Not as beautiful as what?”

“Um.” I’m tongue-tied. Me. Thirty-eight years old, almost two decades in the Army, now the leader of an elite security company, and I can’t think of what to say.

She rests her hand on my arm as she meets my gaze. “Dante…” Her voice is soft. Uncertain.

“Sarah.” I could kiss her right now. Off the path like we are, no one would see. Sarah wouldn’t have to feel self-conscious. I could take her in my arms and we could have our first kiss here, under the stars.

But my job. My responsibilities.

“I think…” She leans closer and puts her other hand on my shoulder. After a long pause, she says, “I hope I’m not wrong…”

And then.

She kisses me.

It’s just a brush of her lips against mine. But it sets my body alive.

---