Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) (25 page)

Beth looked into his eyes, trying to read him. She was so afraid of reading too much into what he was saying.

“It matters this time,” he said. “You matter.” And then he kissed her.

It was a hungry, scorching kiss, and before she knew it, he had her pressed up against the building, his hand cradling the back of her head to protect it from the rough bricks. She could feel his erection prodding her belly. His mouth ate at hers as he kissed her ravenously, his tongue seeking hers and then stroking it. Her arms went around his waist, and she held onto him tightly.

“Damn,” Shane said, pulling back. He was breathing heavily, his eyes hot with arousal. It took him a moment to get himself under control, and then he pulled her away from the wall and tidied her hair, which he’d mussed pretty thoroughly. “Come. There’s something I want to show you.”

He took her hand, and they resumed walking.

“My office building is just ahead,” Shane said a few minutes later.

He needed to tell Beth about Howard Kline. He needed to come clean. Showing her his building and telling her about his work would be a good way to lay the groundwork for a conversation he was dreading. And then maybe over lunch he could start to go down that road with her. The truth was, he was afraid to tell her. He was afraid she’d bolt.

“Here’s my building,” he said, pulling her to a stop in front of a building situated on a corner.

Beth looked up at the modern glass and stone building, roughly 20 stories tall. The front of the building boasted a two-story glass atrium. Through the glass, she had a clear view of an impressive lobby, the front desk, and two banks of elevators.

“Nice building,” she said, looking up. And then her eye caught the name engraved in stone over the entrance: THE MCINTYRE BUILDING.

“Oh, my god,” she said. “Why is the building named after you?”

Shane chuckled. “Because it’s my building. I own it.”

“You own the building?
The whole building?
”

“Yes.”

Beth looked at him, dumbfounded. “You own this entire building?” she repeated, peering up at the towering floors.

“Yes,” he said, chuckling. “My company takes up the top half of the building. The bottom half is leased out to other businesses.”

When she looked at him like he was crazy, he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the front doors to the reception desk, where an older man dressed in a security guard’s uniform was seated behind a granite counter. He had salt-and-pepper hair and wore small, wire-rimmed glasses.

“Good afternoon, Mr. McIntyre,” the man said.

“Frank, will you please tell Miss Jamison that I own this building?”

The man looked at Shane, his expression perplexed. But when Shane stood there patiently, clearly expecting a response, the guard straightened in his seat and said, “Um, yes, sir.” The man looked directly at Beth. “Mr. McIntyre owns this building, miss.”

Beth glanced around the spacious lobby, noting the security guards positioned at all the doors. The floors were polished marble, and there was a seating area where a black leather sofa and several matching chairs were positioned around a coffee table. A credenza held a single-serve coffee maker.

The lobby’s center aisle led to two banks of elevators. One of the elevators opened and two men dressed in jeans and t-shirts walked out, heading across the lobby for the main doors. They both greeted Shane by name as they passed, and Shane greeted them by name as well.

“All right,” she said. “I believe you.”

“Do you like Thai food? There’s a great Thai restaurant just a block from here.”

“I love Thai food,” Beth said. “And all this walking is making me hungry.”

Shane sent a quick text message, and they were off.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Shane said, squeezing her hand as they headed for the restaurant.

Beth looked at him. “It’s a lot to take in,” she said.

“What is?”

She shrugged. “The whole weekend, I guess. Last night and this morning. And now I find out you own a rather sizable chunk of downtown Chicago real estate.”

“Is that a problem?” he said.

“I don’t know,” she said, answering him honestly. She was just starting to realize how little she knew about him.

“Hey.” He stopped her on the sidewalk and clasped her hands. “I know it’s been a bit of a whirlwind weekend, but it’s all good, right?”

She nodded, but Shane was far from convinced. He knew Beth had trust issues. Maybe he was pushing her too fast, but the thought of backing off didn’t sit well with him either. He wanted to push forward. He wanted to cement their relationship before she found out about his involvement with her brother. Before she found out about Howard Kline’s parole. He wanted to be the one responsible for her protection, and for that to happen, she needed to trust him.

They stopped in front of a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and Shane opened the door for Beth. Inside, several couples sat on wooden benches waiting to be seated.

The young blond woman standing behind the host’s podium waved at Shane. “Good afternoon, Mr. McIntyre.” She grabbed two menus and waved them forward. “Your table is ready, sir. If you’ll follow me.”

“I texted ahead and made reservations,” Shane explained, seeing the surprised look on Beth’s face.

They followed their host to the rear of the restaurant, where she seated them at a small table for two in a quiet corner. Several potted trees and a freestanding wooden screen provided ample privacy. Beth picked up her menu and began studying it with an unwavering degree of concentration. Shane watched her quietly for several moments, and she never once looked up.

“Beth?”

“Hmm?”

He gently plucked the menu from her hands and laid it on the white damask tablecloth. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Beth shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong.” The truth was, she was overwhelmed.

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. “You’ve hardly said a word since we left the office building. Talk to me.”

She took a deep breath and shrugged. “I hardly know anything about you,” she said.

“That’s not true.”

She looked around to see if anyone was within hearing distance. “You own a very expensive office building and a penthouse apartment in a very prestigious building, and you didn’t even blink when you spent nearly four thousand dollars today on a dress and a pair of shoes. You’re obviously rather wealthy. What else don’t I know about you?”

Shane squeezed her hands. “I’m well off financially, yes,” he said, frowning. “Is that a crime?”

“No, of course not,” she said. “It’s just... I’m not used to that, Shane. I was raised by a single mom. We had what we needed and we were comfortable, but I just can’t relate to that kind of money. I guess I should have realized how wealthy you are after seeing your apartment on Lake Shore Drive. That apartment is prime real estate.”

He grimaced. “In the spirit of full disclosure, I should confess that I own that building, too.”

She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, and suddenly she was queasy. “You own the whole apartment building?”

“Yes. It’s a very lucrative commercial investment,” he said, sounding almost apologetic. “I reserve the top five floors for my employees, and the penthouse floor is mine. The rest of the units are leased out at full market rate. Two of my brothers and one sister also live in that building.”

“Do you own other property as well?” she said.

“Yes. I have a house in Kenilworth.”

“Is that it?”

He nodded. “That’s the extent of my personal real estate holdings. But the business owns a number of properties in the U.S. and abroad. We have a number of offices around the world.”

Beth felt the blood drain out of her face. He was so out of her league.

Their server arrived at their table to take their drink orders. Shane ordered a bottle of beer, and Beth ordered a Coke.

Beth pulled her hands from Shane’s and dropped them in her lap.

Shane frowned as she looked away. “I’m not going to let you run, Beth.”

“I’m not running,” she said, looking at him. “I’m just – ” She stopped, at a loss for words.

“You’re just
what
?”

“I’m just trying to take it all in,” she said. “It’s a lot to process.”

“You can have all the time you need, sweetheart, just as long as you don’t run.”

Beth shook her head. “I don’t want to run.”

But in truth, that’s exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to go home and be alone with her thoughts. She needed to try to make sense of the whirlwind past forty-eight hours.

Shane handed Beth her menu. “Let’s eat, and then we’ll go home. Back to my apartment.”

Their server returned with their drinks, and they ordered a sampler platter of sushi to share and two curried rice dishes. Beth sat quietly, preoccupied with her own thoughts as she sipped her Coke.

Shane sat back in his chair and watched Beth intently. Her eyes were everywhere but on him, and that made him nervous. Actually, it scared the hell out of him, and that was an uncomfortable first. Nothing scared him. But the thought of losing her… damn it!

“Tell me about your job,” he said, hoping to pull her out of her reverie and back to him. If the fact that they didn’t know a lot about each other yet bothered her, then he’d rectify the situation.

She glanced up, seemingly surprised by his question. “I work in the library at Kingston School of Medicine.”

“That’s in Hyde Park, right?”

“Yes. It’s not far from my home.”

Of course he knew where she worked. He knew just about everything about her, but he needed to get her talking.

“I’m a reference librarian in Special Collections,” she said. “I manage the schools collection of rare and antique medical reference materials.”

“Do you enjoy your job?”

She shrugged. “I love books. Working in a library seemed like a good fit for me. I couldn’t afford to do what I really wanted to do.”

“And what’s that?” Shane said.

She smiled, her eyes lighting up. “I’ve always wanted to own a bookstore. That’s my idea of heaven.”

“Why don’t you?”

“That’s way beyond my means. I have college loans and a car to pay off.”

Their server arrived with their appetizer and drink refills, and while they were sampling the assortment of sushi rolls, their entrees arrived.

“What about you?” she asked. “What’s your dream job?”

“I have my dream job. I protect people and eliminate their problems.”

“That’s a very admirable profession,” she said.

Shane kept her talking as they ate, encouraging her to tell him about her job at the library. The more she talked, the more she seemed to relax. As they finished the meal, their server returned with the check, and Shane handed over a credit card. Then he texted Cooper and arranged for a pick-up.

On the drive back to Shane’s apartment, Beth’s curiosity got the best of her and she pulled out the gift-wrapped package Sylvia had given her. She laid it on her lap, smoothing her hands over the soft tissue paper. She grabbed one end of the ribbon and pulled.

“Oh, my god, they’re beautiful!” Beth said, and then she laughed. “I guess Sylvia didn’t think my plain old cotton bra and panties were up to par.” She arranged the exquisite silk and lace lingerie set in the palest cream on her lap, stroking the delicate fabrics.

Shane held up the dainty lace garter belt, admiring the dangling stocking clips. “Sylvia’s trying to kill me.”

Beth laughed as she snagged the garter belt from Shane’s hands.

He turned in his seat to face her. “You could model all this for me at the apartment... just to be sure it fits.”

Beth grinned at him. “Maybe I will,” she said, fingering the silk undergarments.

Shane smiled at her. Was she actually flirting with him? Unable to help himself, he leaned over and kissed her. He’d meant to keep it light, a teasing, seductive reminder of their previous night together, or a hint of what was to come. But the thought of seeing her in that lingerie made him slightly crazed.

He imagined peeling the sheer silk stockings off her long, coltish legs, and it made him hard. He imagined kissing his way up her legs to the apex of her silky bare inner thighs. He wanted to nuzzle the crotch of those dainty silk panties and breathe in her warm, earthy scent. Then he wanted to strip those panties down her legs, spread her wide, and bury his face between her thighs.

His thoughts went somewhere dark when he realized she’d be wearing the lingerie underneath her fuck-me sex-kitten dress at the hospital fundraiser. Men would be looking at her in that dress, undressing her with their eyes and imagining what was underneath it. Just the thought of other men seeing her in that dress made him a little crazy.

What had started as a gentle kiss quickly morphed into something hungry and slightly out of control. Shane abruptly released his seat belt and leaned into Beth, pressing her back in her seat. His mouth opened over hers, firm and insistent, and she gasped as his tongue pushed its way inside her mouth.

His hand went to her breast, cupping and kneading it through her blouse, and he reveled in the feel of the soft, pliant mound beneath his palm. His other arm wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her against him.

Beth was kissing him back just as eagerly, and they were both breathless. When his thumb and finger sought her nipple through her blouse and lightly pinched the little tip, she whimpered into his mouth.

Her eager response had the same effect on him as throwing gasoline on an already raging fire. His hand skimmed down her legs to the hemline of her skirt and burrowed up underneath it, skimming up her bare legs, seeking the warmth between her thighs.

He pressed his fingers against the warm, damp crotch of her panties as he sucked at her mouth, his tongue stroking hers. Capturing her lower lip gently between his teeth, he gave her a tiny little bite, and then he licked the spot soothingly.

His index finger slipped inside her panties to find her already flushed with moist heat. When his finger delved into her damp curls and found her clitoris, she cried into his mouth, the sound startlingly loud in the enclosed space of the car.