Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

Paul rolled off his makeshift bed, stifling a groan. He had slept in much worse situations, but he still felt every day of his thirty-five years and old injuries not sleeping in a real bed.

He stood and stretched, looking at the bed. Shay was curled on her side, her eyes closed, her breathing rhythmic. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Last night had been torture keeping his distance from her. When his lips had brushed her temple, her cheek, her jawline, and then she turned and their lips had brushed, he'd known he had to stay in control. It had never been so difficult. All he'd wanted was to cradle her close and drink in her warm, alluring lips.

He eased to the open door and hurried out. It had been hard enough to fall asleep last night, especially when her breathing hadn't evened out and he'd suspected she was awake. Did she know how tempting she was? How could he keep up the ‘little sister' farce?

He checked his phone for messages as he hurried to the spare bedroom shower. It was after ten. He hadn't slept that late in a long time, but it was still only six hours of troubled sleep.

Aiden checked in; no updates. Clint texted that Easton would bring lunch over and give them a schedule of when they could go explore and not risk running into anyone. That would be nice. Stuck in a cabin for five days, even a beautiful spot with fabulous views, would be rough. Especially if he had to keep reminding himself why Shay was off limits. She was the first woman he'd been drawn to like this. Why did she have to be Darian's sister?

He climbed in the shower, debating what they'd do with themselves. He'd had assignments where he had to sit and monitor, but they weren't his favorites. Now he was stuck in a cabin with the most appealing woman he knew, and he couldn't act on his yearning for her. What a nightmare.

He dressed and walked back out into the loft. How long would Shay sleep? She deserved a good, long sleep after all she'd been through. He peeked through the open master bedroom door; she hadn't moved.

He paced, hopefully quietly, and waited and waited. Should he eat something light or just wait for lunch at this point? He definitely should stop staring into the master bedroom with every rotation and letting his gaze feast on Shay's face relaxed in sleep.

His phone rang. He'd turned the ringer on last night so it would wake him this morning if anything urgent came up.

Shay's eyes flew open and she sat up, staring out the open door at him. He silenced the ringer.

"Good morning," he said, trying to keep his voice even and not study her firm and tan shoulders. "Sorry I woke you."

"It's chill. I'm chill. "

He smiled. He didn't feel ‘chill'. He felt warm all over.

"Who's calling you?"

"Oh. It's …" He pulled out his phone and smiled. "Autumn. She'll need something. Do you want to sleep some more or shower?" He glanced at his phone. "It's eleven-fifteen and Clint's brother Easton is bringing lunch over at noon. I thought we'd just wait and eat lunch, but I'm sure Mama Millie has plenty of food for us in the kitchen if you're hungry."

She studied him. "Does Autumn call often?"

"Yes." That was an odd question to his diatribe. "We've worked together on a lot of ops."

"Oh."

"Come down whenever you're ready. If you want to rest some more or shower, there's plenty of time. I'm not sure what we'll do today." He knew the Colevilles had a gym and sparring ring at the back of the main barn. Maybe they could schedule a workout with Easton when he brought food.

Why hadn't he thought to request they only interact with Walker? Easton's twin was much less flirtatious and charming. Yet Walker with his slow cowboy grin and thoughtful nature … he was probably more than enticing to women. Paul didn't want either of the handsome Coleville twins around Shay. Clint was different. He may be a ‘hot Sheriff' or ‘hot cowboy', but he was obviously closed off, an impenetrable wall.

Shay gave him a thin smile. "Yeah, being in protective custody can get stale."

"I bet." He didn't tell her that guarding someone in protective custody could be the same. It was difficult to stay alert when nothing happened. He wondered if that was what had happened with her FBI agents. They'd relaxed and then they'd been surprised and overpowered. "See you soon. "

He walked out of the room and headed down the stairs, pressing the call back button.

"There's my favorite and most handsome pilot. Do you miss me?"

He chuckled. "I always miss you, Autumn." He walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was stocked with fresh fruit, veggies, meat, eggs, milk, and juices. He pulled out a carton of apple juice. "Did you need something or just wanted to tease me?"

"I always love teasing you, my hot pilot. But no, I want to talk to Shay Cannon."

"Why?" Word traveled fast. He'd thought they were keeping Shay on the down low.

"Well, first of all I'm a huge fan, but second of all I've been assigned by Aiden to get with you and see what she knows and see if we can make a connection from Big T to Benjamin Oliver."

"Gotcha. We'll call you when she comes down."

"You were up late, I take it."

"We didn't get settled until four a.m."

"Ah. Well, you have fun getting cozy with Shay Cannon and we'll chat soon."

"Thanks."

Paul pocketed his phone. He wished he could get cozy with Shay Cannon. A protection detail and Darian's sister. Off limits. He closed the fridge and turned with the juice in hand. Shay was standing in the living area, watching him. He almost dropped the juice.

"Hey," he said. "I didn't even realize you followed me down the stairs." Some security guard he was.

"You were busy with your phone call," she said, folding her arms across her chest .

"Autumn wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Something with the case." He shrugged.

"Oh, I see."

What had happened during the night? Shay was no longer using any teenage slang and seemed closed off, maybe even angry. He'd thought they parted on very good terms last night, or early this morning. Too good of terms for keeping his desire for her under control, but he'd slept on the makeshift quilt bed to help her feel safe and comfortable.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No."

"Are you all right if we call her now?"

"Might as well get it over with."

"All right." Paul wasn't a man who read into things, but something was off with Shay and this whole conversation. He set the juice on the counter and pushed Autumn's number and the speaker button. Shay walked over to the counter.

"Hello again, my favorite and most handsome pilot," Autumn said.

Shay lifted her eyebrows.

"That's me," Paul said, smiling at Shay. She didn't return it. "I've got Shay here with me now."

"Shay Cannon," Autumn exclaimed. "I'm Autumn Cardon and I'm a huge fan. Huge! Your flip turns are a work of art; it's like watching a graceful dolphin. Hopefully someday soon we'll meet in person."

Shay softened slightly. "Thank you. I'd like that."

Interesting. Shay seemed almost … jealous of Autumn, which made no sense. Autumn flirted with him, but it was definitely platonic on both sides .

Autumn surprised him as well. The two of them had worked with the famous actress Eva Chevron and Miles Coleville not long ago. Autumn had been her usual vivacious, teasing self with Eva, but not gushing like this. Shay was nowhere close to Eva's level of fame.

"I swam in high school and college, and I watched you kill it in the World Aquatics Championship almost every year. Incredible. I'm so sorry you had to miss the Olympics last time with your shoulder and this time because of that scuzz-bucket Big T."

"You and me both," Shay said. "Thank you."

Autumn settled down and asked Shay questions about the murder she witnessed, her FBI agents, and what the men had said to her last night. Paul gestured to the juice and Shay shook her head. He got her a glass of ice water and she mouthed her thanks and took drinks between answering questions. He slowly drained his juice, keeping his focus on Shay. Was this hard on her emotionally? She and Autumn were talking about deadly serious things, but Shay started throwing in teenage slang and Autumn started teasing like usual, giving Paul a hard time.

"All right. This will help," Autumn said, finally wrapping up the conversation. "We'll chat soon, my college self's idol. Okay, still my idol. You're fabulous, my friend."

Shay sputtered at that. "You're gucci and a tough female bodyguard. I doubt I'm your idol."

"Ah, I am gucci and tough. But it's true, I hope we get to meet someday. Take care of Paul. He needs some tender, loving care." She dropped her voice and said, "Well, he needs something. A kick in the pants or a kiss. Since I'm not there to keep him in line, I hope you can help me out."

Shay looked frozen.

Autumn gave a throaty chuckle. "See you both soon. "

"Bye." Shay stared at Paul, and he wondered if she'd give him the kick in the pants or the kiss. "She's fabulous."

"She is. Are you hungry? I think Easton will be here any moment, but there's plenty of food." He gestured to the fridge and then the counter where baked goods were lined up. His stomach growled thinking about Mama Millie's sweet bread and cookies.

"I'll just take more water." She walked around the small bar. Using the fridge to fill up her water, she glanced sidelong at him. "Is Autumn beautiful?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Her gaze darted around, not meeting his. She drank more of her water. "Well, I guess I'll go shower and get ready for our exciting day."

"Very exciting. Would you want to swim before you shower?"

"Swim. Where?" Her voice pitched up.

"There's a lake on the property. It'll be cold—it's fed by a mountain river—but at least you could swim."

"I'd love that. A cold lake sounds incredible after swimming in a small, hot pool in Arizona. Thank you for thinking of it."

"For sure. When Easton gets here, we'll ask when we can swim."

Shay grinned at him. A real grin. She looked more herself than she had all morning. "I'll go see if there's a swimsuit in the closet for me. I should've kept my swimming suit, but after … I just left it in the plane bathroom. That was rude of me."

"We'll find you a suit," he said.

"If not, I'll swim in this."

Paul wasn't sure which was more appealing: the pajama set or a swimsuit or the fitted dress she'd put on last night on the plane. No matter what she wore, it was difficult to keep his promise to himself to keep his distance. He passed a hand over his face.

A loud rap came at the door.

Paul hurried through the living area, looked through the high glass panes on the door, turned the deadbolt, and swung the door open.

"Hey!" Easton Coleville stood grinning on the other side, wearing his traditional cowboy hat, T-shirt, jeans, and boots. He held a tray of food in his hands.

The house alarm beeped a warning.

"You got that for me?" He tilted his head to the security panel.

"For sure. Good to see you."

"You too." Easton sauntered past him as Paul turned to type in the code and shut the door. "Well, hello, beautiful," Easton drawled out. "You look exactly like my next girlfriend."

Shay laughed at that.

Paul's gut tightened. He hurried after Easton. The cowboy set the tray of food on the counter, stepped back, took his hat off, and ruffled his hair. He extended a hand to Shay. "Easton Coleville. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Shay Cannon."

Shay shook his hand, her cheeks reddening at his obvious interest. "Meeting you hits different."

Easton grinned like that was a come on. Paul honestly wasn't certain what it meant.

"Meeting you slaps," Easton returned. "No cap, it is fire ."

Shay's playful grin made her look even younger than she was, and Paul's stomach rolled. He'd been afraid these two would hit it off.

"I have to admit you have rizz, bruh. "

"I'm oozing with rizz." Easton eased in closer to her and Paul was helpless to do anything but watch. "Since I was dragged out of bed at two a.m. to get your cabin ready for you, I've been thinking …"

"Thank you for doing that," Shay said sincerely, her teal eyes beguiling. "Getting the cabin ready, not the thinking." She winked, and Easton grinned.

"I wasn't salty at all, especially when I heard this morning I was going to meet one of swimming's top athletes."

"Ah, thank you. Are you an athlete as well?" Her gaze traveled over his well-built body, his biceps and triceps on display as he held the cowboy hat with both hands, probably knowing it helped pop the muscles.

"I am, ma'am. I try to share humbly, but I'm one of the top bull riders in the world."

Paul held in a guffaw. Easton was one of the top bull riders but hadn't known humble a day in his life.

"Back up the bus," she cried out. "I love bull riders. You are bussin', bussin'!" Shay did some cute little dance to emphasize the odd words.

"Thanks for lunch," Paul interrupted. "Do you have the schedule for when we can get outside without running into your other protection detail, or do you want to just text it to me?"

They both looked around as if they'd forgotten he was standing there.

"Oh … Sorry, Paul. I got distracted." Easton winked at Shay. She smiled back at him. Paul's neck was tight and hot. "We've never had to do a schedule before. We usually only have one protection detail at a time. Papa thought it would be easiest to just have you text what you want to do and we'll make sure it's clear and one of us is available to come along and help you keep an eye out. I'm sure Shay would prefer me to Clint, Walker, my papa, or any of the ranch hands." He glanced at Shay, obviously hoping she'd confirm.

"That'll work, thank you," Paul said before Shay could respond. He wondered how he could request anyone besides Easton. "Shay would like to swim in the lake after we eat lunch. Can we make that work?"

"For sure. I've got an appointment to work with my trainer and the bulls this afternoon. Sorry I can't come."

"Not a problem," Paul reassured him, relief whooshing through him.

"That is going to make me salty," Shay said. "I won't be able to curve and subtly reject you."

Easton chuckled and stepped right up to Shay. Paul was tempted to throw something at the bull-rider's smug smile. She'd just said ‘subtly reject' him. That was the only good news at the moment. When would she do that?

"You would never give me the curve," Easton said. "Would you now?"

Shay shrugged, obviously having fun flirting with Easton. "We'll have to see, won't we now?"

Easton tilted his chin up to her. "Maybe I'll have to flex for you and have you come watch me ride the bulls."

"I'd love to see that."

"We'll plan on it." Easton grinned and walked around her to the door. "I'll leave you low-key thinking about me. See you soon, beauty."

"Bye, bruh," she said.

"Thanks, Paul. I'll send Walker over in about half an hour."

"Thank you." Paul followed him to the door, typing in the code to disarm the alarm as Easton opened it .

Easton stepped onto the porch, put his hat on, and lowered his voice. "Clint says there's something between you two. Is that true?"

Paul grimaced. What to say? There shouldn't be something between him and Shay, but he felt there was. Yet the way she'd just flirted with Easton, maybe Paul had no chance and it was a moot point. "We grew up together. Her brother was my best friend."

He chanced a glance back into the kitchen area. Shay was uncovering the lunch dishes and didn't seem to be listening. But who knew what she could hear?

"If you're … together." Easton lifted his hands. "I apologize for flirting. Shay Cannon. Incredible lady and athlete. Even more beautiful in person, and I had no idea she was so funny."

Paul could only stare at him. Shay and Easton made a lot of sense. Both elite athletes. Both famous in certain circles. Teasing, flirting, throwing around teenage slang.

"So … are you together?" Easton asked.

"No," Paul admitted.

Easton's blue eyes lit up. "Thanks, man."

"She's here for a protection detail, not a date," Paul shot back, probably too harshly.

"I know. Doesn't mean we can't flirt and have some fun, right?" Easton grinned, touched the brim of his hat, and jogged down the porch steps and across the walk to a horse tied up to the porch railing. He swung on, looking like a male cowboy model. "See ya soon." He turned the horse with a click of his tongue and rode off.

Paul pushed out a heavy breath. Easton and Shay. It made too much sense. He hated it. Easton was a charming playboy. The bull rider had flirted shamelessly with Autumn as well. Should Paul warn Shay off? Did he have any proof Easton was a playboy? Not really. He was just being defensive for Shay's sake.

He couldn't think of the last time he'd felt jealousy stirring in his gut like this. He wanted to call Autumn and ask what he should do, but he didn't want the razzing from his friend.

Turning back into the house, he caught Shay staring at him. Their gazes caught and held. The longing in her teal-colored eyes made his heart miss a beat. Was he seeing that clearly? Why would she flirt with Easton if she longed for him?

Why was he being so selfish? He couldn't be with her, so he should be happy she seemed to have a connection with Easton.

He wasn't.

She turned back to the food. "This looks delicious. Are you hungry?"

"Starved," he managed to answer. He shut and deadbolted the door and armed the security. The truth was, his stomach was churning so much, he didn't know that he could eat.