Guarding Their Valentine Read online

  I shut it down and share a look with my friend. If we get this kind of resistance now, I can’t wait to tell her we will be live-in security detail until she finishes her code and is no longer in danger.

  By far it’s not our normal method of protection, but Valentina is as special as the case she is involved in which requires equally special handling.

  Established for five years as the best private securities and bodyguard firm in L.A., Ash and I recently expanded our services beyond the Hollywood starlets with dogs in purses and fetishes for sprayed on sun tans for political figures and high rollers with hidden adversaries on the east coast.

  But long before guns and bulletproof vests became part of our uniforms, we were childhood friends connected at the hip from day one. Naturally, when Ash enlisted in the U.S. Marines I joined the next day. Five years later almost to the day I took shrapnel to the leg after an IED went off. But that wasn’t the end for us. Soon after leaving the employ of the U.S. government, we formed ARC Securities. Built it from the ground up with the help of a few military buddies who stayed back west while we forge new alliances and set down roots. Going private was just the next step for us and a lucrative one.

  Only we never imagined a woman like her would cross our desks and now the one rule we have between us is in danger of being broken. No touching.

  I grimace.

  Fuck that. We’re about to smash it all to hell and I for one won’t be looking back after tonight.

  Before we signed the lease on our first headquarters we agreed on no personal connections. No weak links that could be used against us. We were okay with that, accepted that we would never have a family that could be used against us and gave into a life filled with a string of one-night stands.

  Not the most romantic, I admit. Especially on a day like today.

  From the second we saw her picture all it took was one look between Ash and me and we knew our solitary lives would never be the same.

  Probably made us bastards wanting a woman not old enough to drink the champagne she is eyeing.

  We are nearly twice her age if not more. Neither I or my friend have any business eyeing such a sweet little thing, but fuck if either of us can control it.

  Valentina is walking fucking sin in red silk and my cock hasn’t stopped throbbing for over forty-eight hours.

  Gorgeous, curvy in all the right places, and smart. Make that Ivy League brilliant.

  Brains and beauty are a wonderful combination I have a hard time ignoring and I know for a fact Ash loves in a woman. From the second we opened her file we knew she would be ours. Showing her will be the fun part.

  “Well, I guess you think that settles that?”

  I enjoy watching her cross her arms over her chest. It makes the large globes press high and the view is striking.

  She doesn’t seem all that impressed anymore. “So what now? Do I walk and you both shadow me? Or should I walk between you? How exactly does this work?”

  I try not to look happy we ruined her plans for the evening. I know she would be down here all of five minutes before making a dash for the safety of her father’s office or some other room where she can hide given the chance.

  She physically looks uncomfortable around so many people and a deep part of me wants to find a way to fix it for her.

  Her vivid honey eyes lock on mine.

  “If you’re supposed to protect me twenty-four hours a day does that mean you’ll be sharing everything with me? House, bed, shower? Yours or mine? Will that be one of you at a time or both? Wait, I don’t even know your names. For this to even work I at least need to know your first names? Or is it simply Mr. Reed and Mr. Porter? I’m Valentina, by the way. I guess you already know that. Ugh. I think I need a drink.”

  She pauses long enough to drag in a lung full of air and I’m afraid she’s gearing up for round two. Ash’s hand slides down his face and he throws me a sideways look probably fearing the same.

  The thing is, my dick gets harder the longer she talks, and the way her face colors the slightest of pinks when she mentions taking two of us in the shower damn near knocks me over.

  She undermines her bravado and sassy talk with the shaky hand she uses to reach up and straighten the thin black-framed glasses that make her look like a fucking fantasy come true for any man with eyeballs in their head and a thing for librarians. Her other hand is busy pressing into her stomach and a feeling of protectiveness comes over so strong I take a moment to measure if it’s just lust and the need to touch her supple skin or something deeper.

  One thing is for sure, my thoughts about our off-limits client are totally inappropriate.

  Our princess is a talker when she’s nervous, mad or a combination of both like now.

  I keep the smile that wants to come out in check as not to make her feel bad and take her hand in mine as Ash reaches for her other.

  Together, we draw her in until our noses nearly touch.

  “We like how you think.”

  “Which part?” She huffs and the lips I’m dying to taste turn up with a sardonic smile.

  There is a strong emphasis on her sarcasm and any lesser of a man would be hurt. I only feel more turned on and I know my friend well enough to know his reaction is the same.

  She can wrap her bravado in all the smiles she wants, but she’s nowhere near good enough to keep the truth from us.

  We’re both tracing small circles on the back of her hands with our thumbs.

  “Let’s drop the formalities.” Ash brings her hand to his lips.

  The bastard is about as talkative as a brick wall most days but he’s pulled out all the charm for Valentina’s sake.

  “I’m Ash and my best friend here is Noah. You’re safe with us and we wouldn’t dream of forcing you to do anything you don’t like.”

  I pick up where Ash stops. “And you’re almost right on all accounts.” I could elaborate but opt to leave it at that. The curious little pinch of her brows is cute and I like to see her riled up a little.

  A blind man can tell she feels out of her depth with two older men standing over her like bearish animals and we need to nix that in the ass right now.

  “Noah. Ash.” She repeats our names. “You’re good at dodging straightforward questions, I’ll give you both that. How about this for straightforward. Forget what my father said. I have had enough fun for one evening and I have work to do. Looks like you guys can go home early.” She tries to pull her hands from ours.

  Digging into my memories of what her father shared, I pull up a mental file on her pleasures.

  Fear and uncertainty have her retreating. I’ve seen this kind of reaction to sudden changes a million times in clients’ eyes when faced with big crowds and soldiers unsure when they get that first taste of hand-to-hand combat.

  Battle I can do and this is the same thing just different field and ammo. I feel myself smile. “Oh no you don’t,” we say in unison, our grip tightening on her hands.

  Her father warned us she might try to flee back into her safety zone. Told us how she climbed into a shell after the death of her twin brother.

  That shit broke my fucking heart and maybe it’s why Ash and I felt so damn protective of her from the second we saw her picture.

  Lucky for all three of us, I recall what she loves most in this world after coding and her brother.

  “I have a better idea. Dance with us, princess.”

  Chapter Four

  Ash

  “Well, I can’t quite dance with both of you at the same time.”

  I purposefully try to make myself appear smaller. I turn to the side and lean down a little so she doesn’t feel so crowded.

  I’ve never felt so lost over someone as I do the beauty in front of me. I know Noah feels the draw, the connection. We felt it with only seeing a photo. The pain in her eyes called to us or some shit like that. Hell, I’m no romancing Casanova. I just know what I want and I go for it.

  Where the hell does poetry come into play in
that?

  Knowing what I want, which was staying alive and doing what it took to stay that way, kept me alive during two tours overseas and brought me home to my family.

  Before her, I thought I knew what I wanted out of life.

  Work with a little bit of downtime for some play time.

  I’m a man with my eyes wide open and never did I see her coming. Nor did Noah.

  The second her pink-tipped fingers touched mine, my soul nearly fused with hers right then and there on some primal level. Maybe it did, because for the life of me I can’t seem to break away from her.

  I lower my voice and lean forward. “Who says you can’t dance with two men? Have you never had two men at once, Valentina?”

  Pink creeps into her creamy cheeks and I bite back a smile worthy of the devil himself.

  Glittery, mischievous eyes lock with mine. She wants to play, but something is holding her back from me. From us.

  For the love of all things unexplainable in this world, I have no words for the way a simple touch from her makes me want to rip the world apart and kill every last fucking monster in it to ensure her safety.

  If a slight touch can make me feel like this, I can’t wait to have my aching cock fill her tight pussy. See her face light up with the delight we give her and her tiny, curvy body wither in our bed.

  It will be the fucking end of me, I know it.

  What the hell has gotten into me? Fawning over a woman has never been my style. Or ours for that matter. Sharing women isn’t something new to us, but Valentina is different. Sharing her will have meaning and more. What that is I don’t know yet, but I’m dying to find out.

  Noah gives me a quick, hard look over the top of her head and that’s my cue.

  I link our fingers and lead to the middle of the dance floor just in time to catch a waltz that gives me the liberty to pull her flush against my hard body with no questions asked by the gawkers.

  With every bit of self-control I have in my body I keep from throwing her over my shoulder, signaling to Noah and finding the nearest exit.

  Her body is shaking and I’m pissed she doesn’t feel comfortable in her own home. How much does she know of the additional letter her father has received? The death threats that have kept her old man awake at night as she works away on that code of hers?

  And what is it about the damn thing that is worth all the trouble.

  “Are you ready?” I husk.

  Lips between her teeth, she raises her face up to mine. I splay my hand on her bare back and until my palm is flat against her skin.

  Her eyes go wide and her body stiffens against me. “I guess.”

  I expertly lead us through the other dancers who slowly join us on the dance floor.

  Once a Marine always a Marine and all my ballroom dancing comes back to me instantly.

  The music starts and the crowd fades to the sides as I lead my princess around the floor in fluid combinations of soft turns and dips. All eyes are on us and I can feel her tiny body tense up in my arms.

  I let my attention hone in on her while my partner guards our backs.

  “Eyes on me,” I soothe. “Pay them no mind. You’re with me and that’s all that matters right now. The men are jealous of me for having such a treasure.”

  She raises her chin. “And the women? What about them?”

  I love how the little tease to her tone makes my cock throb with need. She sticks out her tongue to wet her plump bottom lip and the small movement draws my eyes. Void of lipstick all but for a fine sheer layer of gloss, she smiles.

  Slowly she relaxes in my arms and I can feel her hips sway against my hardening cock.

  I try to shove that line of thinking out of my mind with the last bits of reasoning I have, but it’s nearly impossible when her naked thigh is brushing against me.

  I know the second she feels my reaction to her body from the tiny gasp. I am not imagining the way she moves a little closer and shimmies her hips with a little more swagger. Noah is going to love that.

  I bet my life no one has seen a hot waltz like the show we are putting on.

  To pull us back on topic and away from my dick for a moment, I lean in and place my lips on the shell of her ear and whisper, “That’s easy, beautiful. They all wish they could be you. They’d love to have a man look at them the way I am right now with you.”

  Her step falters a fraction and I cover it up with a dip that makes her breasts tease the restraint of her tight bodice.

  Her breath comes out sharp. I guess she isn’t expecting me to be as straightforward as she had been with us a moment earlier.

  Heat sparks in her eyes as we fall back into a seamless movement to the sound of the melody. “I appreciate your candor.”

  “I find it cuts through all the hemming and hawing and gets to the truth of everything quicker. In the military we were taught time is someone’s life. Beat around the bushes too much and someone could get killed. I guess that mentality just stuck with us.”

  The flash of thigh and the obvious missing telltale sign of a panty line does not escape my attention as I dip her and the red material parts a fraction.

  Holding her in the dip, her exposed thigh wraps around my extended leg, I lean in and say just for her, “There’s not a limp dick in here. If you were my baby girl, I’d have you over my knee and spanking your tight ass for wearing such a naughty dress.”

  If I saw heat in her eyes before I witnessed fucking hell’s flames licking in her gaze now.

  “What, princess? Are my words too dirty for you? Hasn’t anyone ever talked dirty to you, Valentina?”

  “I’m curious. Does my best friend count?”

  I have to give her credit. I never anticipated that answer. For a moment a raging possessiveness makes me falter and for the first time in my life, I miss a step. After a couple of beats, I pick us back up while my beauty wears a smartass smirk on her lips like she won this round.

  I’m content in letting her have this small victory just to see her face light up.

  “That depends. Who is your friend and what does he tell you? I’ll reserve the right to my thoughts after I hear your answer.”

  Despite my words, I am not ready to hear the answer to my demanding questions, but I ask anyway. Hell, I’m damn sure I have no right to even ask them or feel the raging need to commit murder at the moment but it’s true.

  We sway, dip and continue for another turn around the dance floor as she considers her next words.

  There’s that damn smirk again. And this time I have a driving need to kiss it off her face.

  Her shoulders pop into a stubborn line. “There’s a lot of assumption in that question and not that you have any business looking as furious as you do, Mr. Reed.”

  “Ash. Only Ash, princess,” I correct.

  “Well then, Ash, if you really want to know. Just remember you asked for it.”

  Her eyes brighten and she can’t control the laughter that breaks out. The little minx enjoys torturing me.

  A confident yet snarky mask slips over her expression. “Just tonight she told me something similar except she said…” Valentina leans in and I lower my head.

  Her sweet voice turns devilish. “There wouldn’t be a dry pussy in the room either.”

  I inhale sharply and pause us in the middle of the dance floor. Pure belly-deep laughter throws my head back and I enjoy every second. Something I haven’t done in a long damn time.

  I tap her on the end of the nose. “You did that on purpose. I’ll remember that for when we are alone tonight and don’t have any eyes on us.”

  “Who says we’ll be alone tonight or any other night, Ash Reed? Plus, you asked for it.”

  She shimmies her hips into my already impossibly hard dick.

  “Because from here on out your schedule belongs to us. You do as we say until we are sure the risk to your life has been dealt with. Nonnegotiable.” I say, looking into her darkening eyes and try to ignore the emotionless smile that replaces all trace
s of humor.

  I can tell what I have to say rides her irritation levels, but I find no reason nor need in pussyfooting around the truth.

  “Trust, me. Us, Valentina. We would never do anything to harm you. Quite the contrary. We would give our lives to protect yours.”

  “That’s because my father is paying you to do so.”

  We sway to the beat the orchestra set and I ignore everyone around us no doubt staring. I pull her chin up until she’s looking me dead in the eyes. “You don’t believe this has anything to do with your father any more than I believe you're doing this code and software for fame and fortune.”

  She works her mouth a couple of times and her lashes brush her cheeks before she raises her gaze back up to mine once more.

  “How, Ash? Why? I’m so confused. You don’t even know me. But—”

  “But what, Valentina? What’s going through that brilliant mind of yours?”

  It looks like she wants to cry from the pure frustration of it all, but she fights them back and wins and I have a new, deeper respect for her.

  That’s our girl. Strong and a fighter.

  Silently, she meets my gaze.

  She places her hand over mine as I move to cup her cheek. “Why do I feel the truth to your words though they make no sense?”

  My words spark the reaction I am looking for and I know I’m playing with fire that could blacken our reputation and business if she doesn’t take to our advances, but deep down on a soul level I now know she feels the same thing we do. Hopefully she’s as curious as we are and we can convince her to explore it with us.

  “All I can ask from you is to trust us and trust yourself.”

  She nods in agreement. “I can do that. For some fucking crazy reason I know I can. Trust you. Both of you. I’ll just lean on that for now.”

  “Good. Now, I’ve been to tens of Marine Corp. galas but I want you to know, I’ve never seen a more graceful woman on the dance floor.” I insert us back into the gliding dancers seamlessly. “Or, flash so much skin while wearing such a sweet, innocent smile.”