Caiden (A MacLaughlin Family Novella Book 2) (2 page)

No smile. No sparkle in the eyes. Just a look of weariness.
Damn it. I’m going to find out who is bothering her.

He nodded to her and waved to Pete. Then made his way back to his car. There was a coffee shop in town where he could sit and work up the estimate. It wouldn’t take long and then he could coax some information out of her at dinner. Maybe there was something he could do.

2

Lina parked in front of Bob’s Seafood Bar & Grill. The clock on her dash said 7:39pm. Hopefully he wouldn’t hold those nine minutes against her. She liked Caiden MacLaughlin. She’d been so scared when he approached her car that afternoon on the highway. The shotgun was a reflex now, she didn’t go anywhere without it or the 45mm glock in her purse.

She hated always looking over her shoulder and wondering if Luke was watching her or had sent someone else to harass her instead. He’d done all of that, but the police couldn’t hold him. Lack of evidence.

Cole, one of her father’s managers and friend, had called during the building inspection and said they released Luke.
Fucking hell.
She thought they’d finally had him for something. Some stranger named Aaron Trent had admitted to following her for Luke, but according to Cole had been involved in a car accident and was now dead.

Testimony from a dead man didn’t help.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

A cute young high school guy holding hands with a pretty blonde opened the front door for her. She told him thank you and slipped into the crowded restaurant. She could enjoy herself tonight. Luke didn’t know where she was and couldn’t have gotten here this fast anyway.
Right?
She was just a girl out on a date with a really hot guy, who was sweet enough to stop on the highway to help out a complete stranger. That didn’t happen often anymore. It wasn’t safe for anyone to be alone. There were too many crazy freaks out in the world.
Like Luke Gellar.

“How many?” The hostess asked.

Lina looked up, took a deep breath, and gave the friendly young woman the best smile she could muster. “I’m meeting Caiden MacLaughlin, does he already have a table?”

She waited while the hostess scanned a paper.

“Yep, follow me,” the hostess chirped.

She walked through the beautifully decorated restaurant. Slate floors, dark wood accents, white tablecloths, divider walls were elegantly carved wine racks or stone accents. Classy chandeliers hung above each table. It was not quite what she’d expected and made her feel a tad underdressed in her jeans, ropers, and black turtleneck sweater.

A moment later she was face to face with Caiden. He was still wearing his jeans and a button-up casual blue dress shirt. Maybe her clothes were fine.

His dark curls were a crazy tangle on his head and hung down a little past his ears. He reminded her of the sexy actor who played a demon hunter in a popular TV show.
That’s exactly what I need —a personal demon hunter.
I wonder if he’s available to hunt stalkers?

“You look beautiful,” he paused, “sorry that wasn’t professional. But you do.” He flashed a grin and stood, waiting for her to sit in the booth opposite him.

“Thank you.” The compliment warmed and relaxed her. He was interested in her, not just the job. But Luke would ruin this too. He’d been ruining her life for the last two years. Any guy she showed even the slightest interest in was subtly harassed until they left her alone or disappeared altogether. But the police could do nothing.

He slid into the booth across from her, his knees grazing hers as situated himself. “Glad you made it. I was worried you might have changed your mind.”

“No, I’m so sorry I was late. I didn’t me—”

He waved a hand to stop her apology. “You don’t owe me an apology, sugar. I’m the lucky one who gets to eat dinner with a beautiful woman.”

Sugar?
Sugar was what her dad called her. But, it took on a whole new meaning coming from Caiden MacLaughlin’s lips. With everything going on in her life right now, that label coming from him should feel invasive, but it didn’t. She liked it. She wanted to move to his side and sit next to him, tucked against his broad chest, and feel protected by his strong arms.

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she glanced down at the table. It wasn’t fair. Not to her or to Caiden. She couldn’t get attached or lead him on. Luke would make his life miserable.

“What’s bothering you? I can see the wheels turning in those big brown eyes.”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just want to forget it and enjoy the evening with you.”

He was out of his seat and sliding onto the bench next to her before she could open her mouth to object. He smelled so good. His aftershave was piney and clean. A moment later he’d wrapped an arm around her and was hugging her tightly. She stiffened in surprise, but relaxed quickly.

“You looked like you needed a hug. I hope it was okay.” His voice rumbled up from his chest and she sighed as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“I did need one. Thank you,” she whispered into his chest.

“You’re welcome.”

“Good evening, are you two love birds celebrating anything special?” An overly perky voice broke the moment and Lina quickly put a little space between herself and Caiden.

“I…no…”

“Been a long day, ma’am,” he answered, “Can you bring us two bowls of the lobster ravioli and some fresh bread?”

“Of course. Would you like anything to drink besides water?” The waitress asked, filling the two goblets already sitting on the table.

“A glass of chardonnay, please,” Lina said, finally finding her voice.

“Ice tea for me, thank you.”

“My name is Kayce, let me know if you need anything else and I’ll get that right out for you.” She scurried away.

Caiden nodded and then turned. Lina’s core warmed under his stare and she raised her gaze to meet his. He was looking at her like she was the last woman alive on the planet. Would they even make it through the dinner before she was begging him to come back to her hotel room? She’d never even considered sleeping with someone so quickly, but she couldn’t fathom not spending the night with this man who could heat her body with a mere look. He squeezed the top of her thigh under the tablecloth.

A shudder ran up her spine and she licked her lips. Maybe she imagined it, but she was pretty sure she heard him groan. Who needed to eat food when a delectable buffet of gorgeous guy sat only a few inches away?

He turned for a second and took a quick sip of water from one of the goblets on the table. She glanced around the room and sighed. Pinned between him and a half stone wall-divider was nice. Nobody was going to bother her with him blocking out the world.

“So tell me about your family.”

“My family?”

“Family is what shapes a person. It’s the core of who we are.”

“I don’t have much. It’s just my dad and me. Mom died of cancer when I was five. I don’t remember her much, but Dad says I look just like her.”

“I’m so sorry. I understand losing a parent, but not at such a young age. My father passed away almost six years ago. My brothers and I were all grown and my sister was a senior in high school. It was the worst year of our lives, but at least we have memories of him.”

“Dad has home movies of her and I watch those a lot to keep the memories I do have present. I remember her playing with me in the yard, and cooking together. She loved to make cookies. I remember the kitchen always smelling like gingersnaps.” She smiled. “They were her favorite.”

“She sounds like a good mom.”

“What about your mom? What’s she like?”

He flashed a big grin. “Mom is great. She took Dad’s death hard. We lost him in a car accident. But, she was the glue that kept us all together. My brothers and I run the family business and Lizzy…well, Lizzy runs to the beat of her own drum. She graduated last year and now has sunk her teeth into obtaining a masters in English.”

His face lit up when he talked about his family. It was nice to find someone who truly valued those relationships. In a world filled with broken homes and skyrocketing divorce rates, they were gems.

“What about your brothers?”

He relaxed and leaned back in the booth. “Trevor just proposed a month ago to a girl he’s been in love with since high school, probably since middle school.” He chuckled. “But, he’ll never admit it.”

“That’s sweet.”

“Yeah, she’s just as crazy about him, too. My other brother Harvey, is a ball of energy and has this obsessive need to entertain. Mom and Lizzy say his heart is fueled by other people’s laughter. I think he’s just a knucklehead.”

“Awww,” she murmured. “You are lucky to have siblings. They sound like a fun bunch.”

“They are.”

“Are you the oldest? You sound like a proud older brother.”

He laughed. “I am. You’ll have to come over and meet them while you are in town.” His eyes glazed for a moment. “How long will you be here?”

“I’m just staying for a while to get the new stores up and running.”

“But that could be months.”

She nodded. “I know. But, I needed to get out of town for a while. Dad and Cole thought it would be sa—”
Damn. Damn. Damn.

“Safe from what and who is Cole?” Caiden’s demeanor hardened. He sat up straight and glanced at the door then back to her. “Lina?”

“It’s just this guy back home…”

“Cole? Are you with someone?”

“No!” She took a deep breath and quashed the tears trying to well in her eyes. “Cole Nighthawk is a friend. I’ve known him since kindergarten. We grew up together. His mother was my mother’s best friend.”

“He likes you doesn’t he?”

“He a manager for my dad’s company. He left the reservation when he turned eighteen.”

“You didn’t answer me.”

“He has always liked me, but I don’t feel that way about him. He’s always been like a brother to me.”

“Is there someone else? I don’t like being lied to.”

“I’m not with anyone you big oaf! My dad sent me down here to oversee the contracts with you because I have an asshole stalker who won’t leave me alone. They thought distance would discourage him, but Cole thinks he’ll follow me here and wants to know where I am.”

“That was the phone call you had earlier?”

She nodded.

“I told Cole not to come, that Luke would just follow him, but I don’t think the blockhead listened to me.”

“You know the stalker?” he growled.

“Yes,” she sighed, “I went on one date with him. It was weird. He was odd. And I refused to go out with him again. At first he just sent flowers and gifts once or twice a week. Then it was everyday. Then dead flowers started showing up on my dad’s porch. Dead animals.” She shuddered, remembering the strangled dog she’d found one morning going out for the newspaper.

“The police won’t do anything?”

“I was able to get a restraining order, but he rarely shows himself. He sends other people to drop things off. He arranges it so that they don’t know who he is, just where to leave the package. The police have questioned several of them.”

“What about cameras?”

“We tried that too. He found a way to knock the power out at the house before he got close enough to be seen.”

“But he’s never hurt you physically?”

“Not yet. But it feels like it could escalate there. That’s why I left. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be piling all this on you. It’s my problem and I don’t need to drag anyone else into it.”

“It’s not your problem. And you can tell, Cole he doesn’t need to come. I’ll be the one watching over you.”

“You barely know me.”

“I plan on getting to know you much better.” He brushed a silky strand of black hair from her face. His knuckles grazed her cheek and she leaned into his touch. “I think you’re on board with that plan, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“Good, then it’s settled. If I’m not with you, you’ll be staying with my mom in Fort Worth.”

Her eyes flew open and she pushed him away. “Absolutely not. I’m not dragging your family into the middle of this. He could be dangerous.”

“Lina, my brothers would kick my ass if I left you alone after finding out what’s going on. Not to mention Mom would probably tan my hide.”

She giggled. The image of any woman attempting to spank the giant grown man next to her was
hysterically funny. He easily stood about six and a half feet tall and was as solid as a mountain. A mountain she’d like to climb. God, she had it bad for him.

“What could you possibly find funny about this?” He crossed his arms and glared.

She burst into another fit of giggles. “You…being…spanked.” More laughing commenced and this time he joined her.

“She would though.” He chuckled.

Their food arrived and they moaned in unison at the tantalizing smell of dinner. She glanced sideways, wondering if he was going to move back to his side of the table.
Nope. His butt was firmly planted.
He took a bite of his ravioli and smiled at her. At least he was right handed so they wouldn’t be sword fighting with their elbows.