Under His Protection (27 page)

Silence again. He was having a quiet panic attack,
Julie realized with concern.

He cleared his throat again. Julie waited; still
nothing. “Judge?”

“
It’s not a problem,” he assured her in a very
tight voice. “There are thieves who will go to great lengths to get
their hands on highly sought after art. I am always quite nervous
about some of my holdings becoming targets. I will have the pieces
in question put somewhere safe. Give me forty-eight hours, and then
call her bluff.”

“
It’s not a bluff if you think she’ll act on
it,” Julie argued. “And if you need forty-eight hours, that tells
me you think she might. Judge, I don’t want to offend you, but,”
she paused to consider phrasing and decided to be direct. “I need
to be sure there is nothing going on I wouldn’t want to be involved
with.”

He laughed, but it sounded forced. “I’m a judge for
God’s sake. Give me some credit. I have masterpieces that certain
collectors would literally kill for. I don’t want those pieces of
my collection made public. Now do as I say, and call her
bluff.”

Bluff. There was that word again that sat all kinds
of wrong in her mind. “All right, Judge. Consider it done.”

Julie’s stomach churned with a sense of dread.
Nothing about this situation was done. Her gut said that this was
going someplace very bad, very quickly.

Chicago O’ Hare Airport

Wednesday night, two
days later

Ten minutes. That was
all Julie had to get to her gate and board. Considering the
snowstorm blasting across the state, she couldn’t afford to miss
it, as it might well be the last plane out for days. And
considering she was in charge of Lauren’s rehearsal dinner Friday
night, that would be bad. Really, really bad. That thought held
enough of a fear factor to send Julie into a half-run. She
shouldn’t have agreed to travel this close to the wedding.

She eyed the gate
numbers, spotting seven, when she needed eleven. She fought through
the pinch of her toes in the black three-inch heels that matched
her safe black travel dress, cringing at the sight of huge
snowflakes outside the wall of windows to her left. They seemed to
fall at an accelerated speed while she watched. Her gaze lifted to
the monitors and she cringed yet again at the flashing red with the
word ‘cancelled’ next to a great number of flights.

“
Please don’t
let mine be one of them,” she murmured, afraid to stop to check for
fear seconds could cost her the seat with her name
attached.

Arriving at her gate,
the empty waiting room seats emphasised just how late she was for
boarding. The doors to the entry ramp were still open, and that
meant she’d made it on time.

Eager to confirm she
was right, Julie hurried to the counter and presented the attendant
behind the counter her ticket. “Please tell me I’m not too late for
this flight.”

The forty-something
woman smiled and pushed the rims of her black glasses back onto her
face. “You’re in luck. We’ve boarded the last group, but the
flight’s been delayed fifteen minutes.”

A sigh of relief slid
past Julie’s lips. “Thank you. And you’re right. That’s luck
because I really need to be on this flight. Do you think I dare
sneak away for some food to take on the plane with me before I
board?” It was nearly eight at night and divorce negotiations had
been so heated, she’d never gotten her sandwich down.

“
If you hurry
and I do mean hurry,” she said. “Rush back.”

“
I will,” Julie
promised. “Thank you, again. Please don’t let them shut the doors
without me.”

“
I won’t,” the
woman promised. “I’m going to check in with the crew and I’ll flag
your name as present.” The women rushed away and Julie stuffed her
ticket inside her purse, ready to seek out the nearest
restaurant.

She made it all of
four or five steps before she stumbled over Lord-only-knew-what --
a cord of some sort she thought -- and nearly fell flat on her
face. She righted her ankle, thankfully avoiding a sprain, but her
briefcase took the tumble for her, sliding down her shoulder and
hitting the ground. The contents spilled out.

“
That’s why you
should zip it,” she mumbled, holding her skirt down to squat in as
much of a lady-like fashion as was possible considering the
circumstances.

“
Need
help?”

Julie froze at the
sound of a familiar male voice that couldn’t possible belong to who
she thought it did, when the tingling awareness down her spine told
her it was indeed exactly who she thought it was. Luke Walker, the
brother of her her best friend’s soon-to-be husband. Not only did
Luke and his two brothers run Walker Security, they held a number
of airport consulting contracts, including this one. She squeezed
her eyes shut at her predicament, at having the very man she’d
avoided at all cost for the last six months standing above her.

Slowly, her gaze
lifted, travelling upward in what felt like slow motion. She took
in muscular, denim-clad legs, a tapered waist, and an impressive
chest. He bent down, a wisp of his dark hair brushing his brow, his
rich, chocolate-brown stare capturing hers and leaving her
speechless.

Memories of the two of
them together, of a too short, heated affair that had happened when
he’d been on leave from the SEALS, rushed through her. It had been
a safe fling, short-lived, and without the strings and
complications that she knew from experience led couples straight to
divorce court. But he wasn’t a SEAL any more, and he wasn’t leaving
this time, and after struggling to shake off the impact he’d had on
her ever since they’d parted ways, she’d accepted that nothing
about him had ever been safe.

“
How are you
here when I’m here?” she whispered. The timing was impossible,
regardless of his contracts.

“
Luck it seems,”
he said, and those full, sensual lips she knew could be both
punishing and soothing in all the right ways, hinted at a smile. “I
had a meeting with airport officials that ended just in time to
give you a helping hand.” He reached for a large file, shoved
papers inside, and then rested an elbow on his knee to offer it to
her. “Shouldn’t you be in New York with the
bride-to-be?”

“
Yes,” she said,
stuffing the file in her bag, pretty sure her own Lady Luck was
playing games with her tonight. “I should. I got pressured into a
negotiation that I regret.” She stood up and he followed, handing
her one last file that she quickly put into her briefcase. “Thank
you for your help.”

She couldn’t seem to
think of what else to say. He was so close she could smell the
masculine spice of his cologne. She knew the brand, knew where he
sprayed it. And she knew how good it smelled when he was naked and
it was the only thing he had on. She shoved the inappropriate and
tantalising thought away and reached for something, anything, to
say. “Are you on this flight?”

“
I guess that’s
where my luck runs out,” he said, glancing at the window before
adding, “I’m on the next one out and I’m not optimistic with this
weather.”

“
You have to be
back to help with the wedding, too,” she insisted. “You’re the best
man. Can they convince someone to give up a seat for
you?”

“
The airline
tried. There were no takers. I’ll get there one way or the other
though, even if that means catching a charter flight.”

“
You can’t fly
out in some small plane in a dangerous storm,” Julie said, alarmed.
“Luke, please tell me you won’t do that.”

“
You just said I
have to get home.”

“
You do, but
safely.”

He arched a brow.
“Worried about me?”

“
Yes,” she said
without hesitation. This was one area she wasn’t hiding her
feelings. “I am worried about you. Very. I know you were a SEAL,
but don’t be macho. You can crash and die just like the rest of
us.”

“
I’m not
macho.”

“
You Walker men
personify macho.”

“
You must be
talking about my brothers,” he joked.

“
You were a
SEAL. That’s another way to spell macho.”

“
I was,” he
agreed. “But not any more.”

Julie discreetly
inhaled at the implication of those words, the silent message they
held. He was here. He wasn’t leaving this time. What was she going
to do about it? Those chocolate brown eyes of his held hers, and
the air thickened, crackling with sudden awareness. His voice
softened, turned velvety. “You know, Julie, we could-”

“
Excuse me, Ms.
Morrison,” the airline attendant interrupted. “You need to
board.”

“
I’m on my way,”
Julie said, glancing at the woman and then quickly back to Luke,
hoping he’d finish his sentence.

He hesitated only an
instant, clearly abandoning whatever he’d intended to say. “You
better go. See you at the rehearsal dinner. I’ll be there. You get
on that plane and make sure you’re there, too.”

“
Don’t take
unnecessary risks,” Julie ordered.

“
I
won’t.”

“
Promise.”

“
I
promise.”

She studied him, not
sure she believed him. “Luke-”

“
Miss,” the
attendant said, sounding urgent, “your flight is going to leave
without you. You really do have to board now.”

Julie walked
backwards. “Getting killed would ruin the wedding, Luke.”

“I know.” He chuckled,
a deep, sexy sound that tickled every nerve ending she owned. “Get
on the plane. I’ll see you there. Alive.”

She inhaled and forced
herself to break eye contact and hurry towards the ramp. She was
worried about him, and she told herself that was because of the
wedding. It was something to focus on other than what he’d almost
said. We could...We could what? It didn’t matter. Nothing was going
to happen between them. She wouldn’t let it.

So why with each step
did she have to fight the urge to turn and see if Luke was still
there. She didn’t want to know if he’d tuned her out, when she
couldn’t forget about him, which was another reason not to turn.
Luke was trouble, heartache, misplaced emotions that couldn’t end
well. She didn’t do relationships for a reason. They didn’t work.
Yet, he made her forget caution, made her want to believe in
something, she didn’t know what. Lauren and Luke’s brother Royce
made her want to believe, though. They deserved happily-ever-after.
They would be the exception. She believed that, but for most part,
love hurt. No one knew that better than she did.

***

Luke Walker watched
the only woman who’d ever rocked his world sashaying her sexy
little behind towards the plane, remembering another goodbye, and
wondering if she was remembering it too. It had been two years ago
and he’d been headed back to active duty after a month off and in
her arms. She’d taken him to the airport, even walked with him
inside. They’d stopped at security and stared at one another, long
seconds of silence heavy between them, and he’d been unsure what to
say. Their time together had been a short term thing. They’d both
been clear about that, no strings, no tomorrows, but he didn’t want
it to end. He squeezed his eyes shut, reliving the past.

Julie leaned into him,
her hands on his chest, scorching his skin through his shirt. She
pressed to her toes and brushed her lips over his and it was all he
could do not to kiss her like it was his last kiss in this
lifetime. “Don’t die, soldier,” she whispered. “The world needs
more men like you, not less.”

He’d wrapped his arms
around her and held her close. “And you? What do you need?”

She blinked up at him
and he saw the uncertainty in her face for an instant. “One last
kiss,” she said, her mouth finding his again for a featherlight
kiss that was over too soon. She pushed out of his arms and turned
away, half-running toward the exit. Regret and disappointment
filled him.

Luke scrubbed the
tension at back of his neck. As time had ticked on, one thing about
that day that day had replayed over and over in his mind. There had
been no goodbye.

An announcement
sounded over the intercom, snapping Luke back to the present. His
flight was cancelled. The doors to Julie’s plane hadn’t closed. He
had a gut feeling she wasn’t going anywhere either.

He walked to the
counter and found the attendant. “Is this flight going to take
off?”

She sighed. “They’re
trying to get clearance but it’s not looking good.”

“
If they don’t,
since you put them on the plane, will you put them up in a hotel
for the night?”

“
We won’t pay
for the room since weather is an act of God,” she said, “but we’ll
get them to a reserved room if they want it.”

“
Which
hotel?”

“
The Royal
Blue,” she said. “If you’re thinking about staying there, I’m not
sure that will be possible. The airline reserved a large block of
rooms. You should check around quickly before everyone is sold
out.”

“
Understood,”
Luke said. “Thank you.” He turned away and started walking. The
airline wasn’t the only one with a Royal Blue contract. Airport
administration and security had one as well, and he had a security
clearance badge that gave him priority reservations. He was headed
to the Royal Blue and he wasn’t giving Julie a chance to run away
to a different hotel.

He’d see her when she arrived
.

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