Page 64 of Dreaming About Forever

Great. They’d either recognized her or were just plain creepy, and she didn’t love either option. She pretended to browse the racks, but her attention kept flickering to the men. She inched her way closer to Jordan, but she could feel his keen attention. He was excellent at his job, and that eased the tension in her shoulders.

The men wound through the racks, making their way toward her. She picked up her pace in the slow move toward Jordan. The men reached her at the same moment Jordan appeared at her right.

The man in the coat tipped his chin at her. “You’re Alicia Carver.”

She was used to strange greetings. People rarely used hello or even an introduction when meeting her. The media coverage of her life led people to believe they knew her, and by extension, she should know them too.

“Miss Carver isn’t signing autographs right now,” Jordan said low and carefully controlled beside her.

The two men turned to Jordan, finally noticing his imposing frame. They must have been really focused on her to have missed her towering bodyguard.

“This ain’t about you, man,” the guy in the coat said.

“It’s about me when you’re bothering Miss Carver while she’s trying to shop.”

The man scoffed. “I’m trying to get a phone number, not an autograph. Buzz off.”

Alicia’s shoulders turned in. She’d never give her phone number out to a stranger, but the man must not have any instincts. Jordan was torqued and ready to strike. She could feel the anger rolling off him in waves.

Jordan took one step toward the men, and they both backed up. He leaned down, looming over the strangers and whispered, “This is your last chance. Run.”

One man glanced at his friend while the other didn’t hesitate. He turned and booked it for the exit. The remaining man got the hint and followed.

Alicia let out a heavy breath. “Thanks. I’m not sure they were dangerous, but–”

“I overheard them talking about you when they first walked into the store. You weren’t in any danger, but they were.”

Jordan’s jaw was so tight, she could see the muscles taut in his neck, and he’d barely taken his focus off the door where the men had fled.

“Um, I’m not going to ask what they said–”

“Good.” Jordan finally looked at her, and the stern set of his jaw eased a bit. “You can shop in peace now.”

Alicia nodded. She’d dealt with lots of people who had no regard for her personal space or privacy, but she’d gotten used to being anonymous here, and the intrusion had seeped into the perfect bubble she’d been living in.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He jerked his chin toward the back of the store. “I think Caroline is trying to get your attention.”

Alicia looked, and sure enough, Caroline stood in the doorway of the fitting rooms wearing a violet dress and waving her hands in the air.

Alicia swallowed, still trying to get her bearings after the intense altercation between Jordan and the men. “Okay.”

She’d witnessed his fierce intimidation before, and Jordan was great at his job. If Jordan hadn’t overheard whatever inappropriate things they’d said about her, she might have entertained a conversation with the men just to be nice.

Caroline twirled in the dress. “What do you think of this one?”

“It’s beautiful. It looks great with your skin tone.”

Caroline’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. There were a couple of men hanging around, but Jordan took care of them.”

Caroline chuckled. “He has a lot of practice running men off. He scared away half my dates in high school.”

The image of Jordan being a protective big brother only made her love him more.

A shock jolted in her chest as warmth spread up her neck. Love. She loved him, and that made this careful dance they were doing incredibly dangerous.

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