Guarding Me (2 page)

Getting transferred to this smallish town sucked. Levi leaned back in the booth and stretched his legs. He’d planned on spending the rest of his time in the service on an active base. Amanda had wanted to leave the noise and bustle of the base for a smaller setting. Being totally in love with her, he agreed and left Cincinnati for Mansfield. All the times they’d argued and all the times she’d made him sleep on the couch came to mind. He’d been the “savior,” helping her with her five-year-old son and putting a roof over their heads. He’d been the guy to step in and help rear the kid when his ADHD got out of hand. He took the kid to the doctor visits. He’d been the dad Tyson never had.

But Amanda hadn’t been happy. Less than six months after the move, she left him. The pay, the benefits weren’t enough. His love certainly wasn’t enough.

Levi snorted. And here he’d thought he’d marry her. What a crock of shit.

The waitress stood at the display case, her dyed blonde hair twisted on top of her head. He’d always had a thing for blondes, but her smile got to him. Should he be looking so soon after a break up? Probably not, but convention in his love life hadn’t served him for shit up to this point. He thought about what he’d said to her.
I’ve never been here before. Hope it’s good.
Christ. He’d heard better pickup lines from sailors.

When the waitress brought his drink, she plopped down opposite him. “You’re my only table.” She folded her hands. “What brings you to Ontario?”

“The Guard. I work air traffic control over there at the base.” He removed the paper from the straw and dunked the plastic tube into his drink. “I’ve been there for six months, but this is the first time I’ve ventured over to Ontario. I usually work nights and don’t have time to explore.”

“I’m glad you did.” A bell dinged, grabbing her attention. “Your food is ready.” She strolled away from him and he couldn’t help but gaze at her ass. Enough for a man to grab, while still being toned. Did she work out other than what she did at the diner? He could sure use a workout partner.

He choked on his soda. A workout partner. Geez. If she went for any of his unintended lines, he’d be shocked. Amanda just saw the suit. She’d wanted a flyboy. What did this woman want?

The waitress returned with his food and the scent of hot chips wafted around him. His stomach growled and his mouth watered. When she placed the plate in front of him, he damned near drooled. The sandwich was huge and when he glanced over, he got a perfect view of her jean-clad crotch. He shouldn’t be looking at her like she was the sandwich, shouldn’t be ogling her and wondering what her skin felt like. Maybe he’d been lonely for too long.

“My name is Maya.” She sat down opposite him again. “I’ve been in this town all my life. My former high school is about three miles north of here, and my grandparents are buried south of town in the main cemetery. It’s not thrilling here by a long shot.” She averted her gaze. “I shouldn’t have told you all that. I’m sure you didn’t want to know.”

“I like it.” He picked up the sandwich. “Other than the guys I work with, I don’t have too many people around here I know. I’m honored to make your acquaintance.”

She dipped her head, but he could’ve sworn she blushed first.

“Maya, I’m Levi, like the jeans.” He offered his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” She gasped his hand, not hard, but firm. “You’ve been with the Guard a long time, I assume?”

“Fifteen years.” He took a bite and chewed. “I did ground work and humped hoses for a while until I could get into the ATC division. It’s hard, but it’s fun coordinating where planes need to go.”

“I’ve never flown. Heights aren’t my thing.”

“You should. It’s fun.” The food didn’t fill him up nearly as much as the conversation. “One of these days you should come to the airport. I’ll give you a tour.”

“I’d like that.” She frowned, then stood. “I’m needed in the kitchen. It was nice talking to you.” With a smile, she strode off to the back.

What a woman! Maybe it was too soon to be attracted to her, but the blonde woman had made an impression. He finished his food and slurped the rest of the soda. Another waitress, this one with silver hair captured in a bun, placed the check on his table.

“Marty needed her in the back.” The waitress didn’t leave right away. Just watched him. “You’re one of the soldiers, aren’t you?”

“I am. Master Sergeant. Don’t like military men?” Lord knew he’d run into plenty of those types, people who weren’t fond of career military. “I don’t bite.”

“No.” She glanced to the kitchen, then stood close to him. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Maya seems to find the assholes of society to date. I’m not saying you’ll date, but I don’t see a wedding ring. Anyway, if you’re a jerk and you go out with her, prepare to have your legs broken. Got it? I protect my friends.”

“Understood.” Quite frankly, he liked her moxie. “If I’ve learned anything in the military, it’s how to treat a lady.” And how to have a woman stomp on his heart.

“Good.” Her overall appearance brightened. “She’s going to the Rusty Nail tonight. It’s her one night to go out. If you happen to be there, well I’ll leave what happens up to you.”

“Thanks,” he said and placed the money and tip on the bill. He nodded and then headed out of the restaurant. The Rusty Nail—the only non-smoking bar in Ontario—was another stop on his adventure. Levi hadn’t planned on going there so soon, but now that he had a good reason to go he’d be there tonight.

Levi parked in the lot next to the Rusty Nail and checked his look in the mirror one more time. He shouldn’t be so nervous about a potential meeting with Maya. Christ. He barely knew anything about her, and yet she’d managed to turn his head. He kept picturing her soft brown skin, the way the hazel in her eyes danced when she smiled and the way she smelled—yes, part of it was the scent of the diner food, but there was an undercurrent of flowers. He snorted. His time working on the planes had honed his sense of smell, and here he was using it on a woman.

Jesus.

He blew out a long breath and gripped the door handle. Normally he felt so confident. Getting a date or fuck friend never took much work. Women saw the muscles and when he turned on the charm, they melted. He had the feeling Maya would make him work for her affections. That was, if she wasn’t dating someone. Talk about a huge-ass wrinkle he hadn’t considered. He didn’t intrude on another man’s girl, no matter how hot.

Levi finally exited his truck and headed into the club. He paid the cover charge and then made his way to the bar. One of the bartenders, a blonde with breasts damned near popping out of her skimpy top, smiled at him.

“What’ll you have?” She leaned over the bar, giving him a more than ample view of her cleavage.

Your boobs
, he almost replied. “Pale ale.”

When she returned with the bottle she waved her hand. “On the house.” A piece of paper was wrapped around the beer bottle.
Candy 555-6789 Ready when you are.

He smiled at her, then turned away from the bar and shuddered. Levi could only imagine how many men she used the exact same line on. Dancers bounced in the middle of the dance floor and country music with a techno flair blasted on the speakers. Not his taste in music, but he hadn’t expected much when he came to the club.

A couple of the girls on the dance floor winked at him. One curled her finger in his direction. He shook his head, held up his beer and continued his quiet observation. He’d almost given up on finding Maya when he spotted her. Ringed by what he assumed were her friends, she had her arms folded, and her hair obscured his view of her face. Part of him warned him to stay put and leave her alone. The rest of him wanted to talk to her.

Levi made his way across the room to where she stood. Time to change his fortunes a little bit.

Maya blinked back tears. Damned pregnancy hormones. Of all the things for Nicky to leave her with, he had to knock her up. Okay, so yes, part of the blame rested on her shoulders. She should’ve been more vigilant with the condoms. The birth control pills were good, but a second line of defense never hurt. Now any defense didn’t make any difference.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the funk. If she had to take responsibility, then so should Nicky—the ass.

Tia, her sister, draped an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll get you through this. Momma didn’t raise quitters.” She rubbed Maya’s arm. “My two can’t wait for a cousin to come along. Hell, Adaline will probably beg for a girl so she’s got someone to play with besides Drakon.”

Maya massaged her temples. Girl, boy...didn’t matter. She didn’t need a kid in her life right now. Having Tia’s twins was enough. What about her dreams? What about what she wanted to do with her future? How the hell was she going to get her head out of her ass and worry about what mattered, not the past she couldn’t change?

“I need to get some air.” Maya detangled from her sister and strode to the cooler air of the patio. Thankfully the breeze wrapped around her. She rolled her eyes and tried not to get weepy yet again. She hated tears and weakness but seemed to have both in spades. No, she’d work herself through this crisis and push forward like she did the rest of the time.

“I didn’t know you’d be here.”

She knew the voice. Maya glanced over her shoulder into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Levi. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach flip-flopped. From the baby or him? She wasn’t sure.

“You okay?” Levi motioned to the picnic tables. “Want to sit?”

She nodded. “I’m—” She could lie or be brutally honest. Honesty won out. “I’m pregnant.”

“Congratulations.” He didn’t dart away or excuse himself to leave. No, Levi stayed beside her. “Is the father in there passing out cigars?”

“No.” She folded her arms. “He’s in California following his dream to become a rapper.” She shook her head and laughed. “I should’ve known it was a lie because Nicky was never good at honesty. I saw him tonight. He’s down in Geneva at a club. He might be rapping, I don’t know. I never heard him, but I know he was working the females in the room. I never was enough for him and I knew it, but stupid me, I thought he’d change once we found out I was pregnant. I should’ve known.” She glanced at Levi from her peripheral vision. “I bet you didn’t want that version, did you?”

“I don’t mind.” He downed the last of his beer and then tossed the amber bottle in the nearest recycling bin. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing. How far along are you?”

He hadn’t said much, but his words soothed her. “I’m not usually the one to open up to strangers. This is the second time you’ve managed to get me to talk.”

“I’m a good listener.” He draped his arm across the tabletop, then hesitated.

“I could use a strong arm around me right now.” She leaned into his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. “Rosie told you to come here, didn’t she?”

“Why’s that?”

“She’s always trying to hook me up. According to her, I’m a good girl looking for a not-too-bad boy. I think she’s nuts.”

“I don’t know. Any guy who would walk away from his kid is pretty stupid to me.”

“I’m four months along, and Nicky never had much patience. Standing still took a lot of thought out of him.”

“You should be just about out of the woods danger-wise. My sister never told anyone about the girls until she was four months along. Brother-in-law loves those girls.” He kept his arm around her, but he didn’t sound thrilled. He shouldn’t be thrilled. She knew how men worked. Levi wanted a date and hearing her talk about her ex and a baby wasn’t going to win him over.

Maya tensed. She couldn’t really blame Levi for being irked or Nicky for wanting out. The relationship had been dead for a while. He’d done what he needed to do to survive—in his own twisted way. She straightened her shoulders and sat up.

“You know, this is my last night to have fun. I don’t mean go crazy, but my last night to really have a good time.” She turned to Levi. The freckles on his nose and cheeks were more evident and so were the tiny chips of green in his blue eyes. “I want to have a good time with you. What do you say?”

Maya held her breath, awaiting his reply.
Please let him say yes
. “I know I don’t know you, but you make me feel comfortable.”

“Ah, I’m like a big soft blanket?” He crooked one brow.

Damn it. She wanted to wrap herself in his arms and never let go, but boy did he go out of his way to get under her skin. “Something like that. You make me forget what’s bothering me and besides, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you were at the diner.”

“Where do you want to go?” He crooked his fingers under her chin. “You’re hurting, confused and don’t need to be alone right now.”

“Your place?” She liked the way he touched her. Confident and strong, but sexy and silky.

“Ah, just as soon as you let our audience know what you’re up to.” He nodded behind here. “Your friend? Sister?”

Shit.
Tia.
Maya scrambled off the picnic bench and stood. She smoothed her fingers through her hair. “Tia, this is Levi. Levi, this is my sister, Tia.”

He stood and offered his hand. “Good looks run in the family. It’s nice to meet you.”

Tia snorted. “You’re a smooth one, aren’t you?” She wrapped her hands around his biceps. “Strong, too.” She navigated him away from where Maya waited and talked in hushed tones.

Maya strained to hear whatever her sister was saying. Levi grinned a couple of times, then nodded. His gaze vacillated between her and her sister. After a few minutes and more nodding, Tia and Levi strolled arm in arm back to where she stood.

“I gave him my blessing.” Tia beamed. “Told him he’d be minus his dick if he fucked with you and he agreed. Maya, I think you found yourself a good one.”

“I barely know him,” she stammered. “You can’t hook me up with a guy after knowing him for five minutes.” Dear God. In a matter of minutes, he’d reduced her from a strong woman to a simpering girl.

“I’m sure that won’t last.” Tia knocked elbows with Levi and laughed. “Girls, our baby has hooked up.” She waved her hand and her friends strolled back into the club.

“That was awkward.” Maya sank onto the nearest picnic bench. Awkward and all kinds of fucked up. Her stomach lurched.

“Could’ve been worse.” Levi sat beside her. “She cares about you and didn’t tell me much I didn’t already know. Granted, I didn’t know I was being screened for a long-term relationship, but I’ll deal. It’s what
you’re
thinking that matters.”

Maya stared at him. The man was too good to be true, especially after only knowing him for one day. No one was that perfect. He cared about her, worried about her opinion and hadn’t balked when her sister pounced—not to mention the way he handled finding out about the baby. Way too good to be real.

Then again, she wanted a fantasy man. A guy to sweep her off her feet and take care of her. A man who wasn’t afraid to stand up to her, but could still rein her in. Someone like Levi.

“I want you to take me home, make me remember what it’s like to feel sexy and make me forget the shit that’s happened today. Think you can do that?”

“I’m sure I can.”