Page 25 of Protected Hearts

At her entrance, he turned to pierce her in his stare. Suddenly, the memories of how hard and warm andsafehe felt surfaced. She also realized his hair was darker, wet from a hasty shower, and he sported clean jeans and a T-shirt with a gray flannel shirt wrapped around his hard body.

The gray matched his eyes.

She blinked as she felt that warm gaze roam over her.

“You don’t have anything to change into.”

She shook her head.

“You need a shopping trip.”

Relief inundated her system. Shehatedasking him for anything. After the debacle of her last relationship with William, she never wanted to receive another gift from a man. They came with too many strings.

She nodded at Oaks’s statement.

“Well, that’s easy enough.” He swung toward the cabinet and pulled out a clean mug. He set it on the counter and pointed at the full coffeepot.

Blessed caffeine. Her veins were begging for the liquid gold.

“Get yourself some coffee and one of these muffins.” He nudged a platter across the granite counter. “I’ll go talk to Layne about getting you what you need.”

With coffee and blueberry streusel muffins in her system, Shiloh felt a lot more human. When Oaks walked back into the kitchen and announced they were taking a trip to the shopping center in town with Layne as a sidekick, something close to a smile teased the corners of Shiloh’s lips.

Oaks stared at her for a beat. “Got some breakfast in you?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Let’s go then.” He twitched his head for her to follow, and she did. The borrowed sneakers were a bit too snug on her toes, but she would endure. She was still too relieved to be rid of the feather wedding gown and high heels to really mind.

Outside, a black SUV was pulled up next to the porch, its engine running. A blonde head in the back seat told her that Layne was ready to go.

As Shiloh slipped into the passenger seat, Layne breezed out, “Good morning, Shiloh.”

“Good morning.”

“I hope you’re ready for shopping with a Malone man.”

Oaks only grunted in response and drove. Luckily, nobody expected her to make small talk during the ride, and she relaxed a little more with each mile. When they pulled into a strip mall, she took note of how each store had a different front, each as quaint as the last.

Even so, this was no ordinary shopping trip. She was a hunted woman, and her bodyguard wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.

As Oaks came around to her door, she caught the weapon he wore in a holster along his torso, concealed by his flannel shirt.

Her chest welled with gratitude and a small warmth that she couldn’t explain.

Shopping with a Malone man proved to be easier than she anticipated. Oaks was just a guy buying clothes for his new “wife.” He whipped out his credit card without batting a steely gray eye. And Layne was a pleasant companion on her own mission to restock the bulk of her shoes that were lost in the move.

As Shiloh flipped through a rack of jeans, Layne pulled out her phone and texted someone.

Seeing that she was watching, Layne smiled at her. “Carson asked how everything is going.”

She slid her gaze to Oaks standing two feet away at all times. He was as impressively stoic as one of those celebrity bodyguards while looking like he could handle a rowdy bar fight.

“Why didn’t Carson come with us?” she asked, selecting a pair of jeans in her size.

“Somebody’s gotta hold down the ranch.” Oaks’s deep voice sent a ripple through Shiloh.

“He knows I’ll make it up to him later.” Layne looked at Oaks when she spoke.

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