Page 34 of Corbin
She blinked then sharpened her gaze. Her full lips went from surprised to flat-lined. She walked her feet back until they were under her where she could stand.
Yanking her arms from his hold, she shoved the strap of that big purse back up on her shoulder and ordered, “Keep your hands off me.”
He held his hands in the air. “I have no intention of hurting you. I kept you from falling back onto those rocks.”
Rubbing her arms, she looked around to see where a small pile had been stacked up on one side of the path in an intentional arrangement. Probably kids from the area who had been playing in the woods. A refreshing thought when many stayed indoors with technology.
Shoving hair off her face, she panicked and looked around.
He spotted her hat hanging on a branch and stepped over to retrieve it. Then he found her sunglasses under a bush. Turning back to her, he offered them. “Looking for these?”
Her expression changed to embarrassment. She took the hat and shoved it on her head but held onto the sunglasses.
That’s when he lost all sense of time and purpose while staring into gorgeous aqua-blue eyes. How could a pair of eyes take him back years to being a shy and gangly boy of seventeen? His heart rate had remained steady while racing to catch her, but that organ now banged in his chest like a honey badger trying to escape.
With one deep inhale, her sweet scent struck a blow to any thought of his initial goal. How was he going to do his job for Adrian when he still felt a deep attachment to her?
“You’re ...” She seemed to catch herself. “Why are you stalking me?”
He thought for a moment she recognized him, but her question slapped that idea away. Facing a pissed-off woman was one thing. Facing a furious female shifter put him on his heels while he scrambled to reply. “I’m not, uh, stalking you. I’m with your security team. My partner and I were called in this morning. I was sent to protect you.”
No surprise crossed her face, only irritation when she asked, “Who are you?”
She knew. She had to know.
That she wouldn’t acknowledge him cut deep. Corbin gave her a roundabout answer. “I work for my partner who said a man named Beckham had contracted us.”
Looking up at the sky, she shook her head, muttering, “He broke our contract. Humans only.” Drawing a quick breath, she stopped suddenly. After two slow breaths, she narrowed her eyes. “Are you who I think you are?”
Ah, she did recognize his scent after all but not his face. The beard, long hair, and glasses were working, plus being older than a teenager. He snorted out a chuckle in no hurry to make this easy for her. “Who do you think I am?”
She hadn’t found that amusing based on her scowl. Drawing herself up in a regal way that contradicted her disheveled look and cockeyed hat, she said. “You were with that other guy standing at the back of the theater earlier. That means you must have heard me tell Brody, the head of my security, that I wanted no one to accompany me when I left.”
“I heard you.”
“Then what the hell did you think you were doing chasing me through the woods?” Her fisted hands were more about frustration than aggression.
He felt a smidgeon of sympathy for her. She likely lived under a microscope of humans and shifters judging her every movement.
Ares said,You lied to Adrian. You like this one.
Guilt flooded him when his wolf pointed out what he’d tried to ignore. He had to get back into character, but he refused to give Ares an inch.As usual, you offer no help at all. Just be quiet.
You hate when I am right. Ares, getting the last word again.
Corbin shrugged. “You could have been running from a threat.” He folded his arms over his chest. That was possible, so not technically a lie. “Why would you be sneaking out the back of a retail store if you weren’t escaping someone?” He waited to see if she’d lie.
Leaning forward and proving she was not intimidated by him, she said, “I am not under threat. In case you forgot, I’m a shifter. I don’t run from the everyday threats. I merely wanted a chance to stroll through the woodsin private. Thanks for screwing that up.”
He swept a slow gaze down to her feet and back up to her face. “You aren’t exactly dressed for hiking. You were moving so quickly when we collided that you lost your hat and sunglasses. Aren’t there some safe parks you could jog through without getting your clothes ripped and your skin scratched?”
She ran a hand up her left arm where several surface scratches were in the process of healing.
Sliding both hands into the pockets of her pants, she took on an unperturbed stance. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”
“Afraid not. I have orders to ensure your safety.”
“Fine. Why don’t you walk me out of here and give me a ride back to the theater?”
