Page 4 of Protect Me

I sit her on the reclining chair, and she pushes herself up against the back, breathing in and out slowly.

The familiar ring of my phone catches my attention.I glance at the table where my cell sits… and see her brother is calling.

I pick up quickly.“Hey, man.”

“Where the hell have you been?I have an emergency.”

“I was in the shower.But if you’re calling about Talia,” I say, glancing over to catch her staring at me, wide-eyed behind her black-framed glasses, “package arrived safely.”I can’t stop myself from winking at her.

And her cheeks flush a pretty pink.

“She was supposed to let me know she was safe,” Tate grumbles.“She’s in trouble.She called from her lab and said someone was after her.”

I narrow my gaze, not liking the sound of that at all.“I’ll get to the bottom of it,” I promise, knowing my friend is in China and will be worried sick about his sister.

“Keep in touch,” Tate demands.

“Will do.”I disconnect the call and look at Talia.

A woman I haven’t seen since high school because, although I was good friends with her brother, Talia and I ran in different circles.

We always had.

A year younger, the little brainiac who tutored me in chemistry my senior year saved my ass and enabled me to graduate.Too bad I was stupid enough to kiss her as a thank you, then shove my tongue down her throat and my hand up her shirt like she was a horny cheerleader and I was the football captain, copping a feel.Which I was.

But she wasn’t that kind of girl.She deserved better.No wonder she pushed me away and slammed the door in my face, avoiding me afterward.Then life took us our separate ways.

But now she needs me, and I find irony in that.

I wrap the towel around my waist and tuck the corner in to keep it in place.Folding my arms across my chest, I pin her with my most serious gaze.

“Tate says you’re in trouble.And I can’t help you unless I know the extent of it.So let’s hear it,” I say, getting down to what I do best.

Business.

Because if I keep staring at her porcelain skin, big brown doe eyes, and silky, chocolate-colored hair falling haphazardly and adorably out of a bun on the back of her head, my cock won’t go down, and this situation will remain embarrassing.Apparently, she still makes me lose control just as she did years ago.

She pulls her jean-clad knees up to her chin, doing her best to keep her gaze on my chest and above, but she keeps glancing down at the towel.And my dick likes the attention and stands in awareness.

Shit.

“Situation?”I bark at her, in a tone my ex-wife would have shrunk back from.No matter that I’d never take my frustration out on her.She wasn’t the strong, silent type a cop needed for a wife.

Talia doesn’t flinch.“I’m working on a treatment for a congenital heart defect.I found the answers, and today when I showed up at my lab, everything was gone.Wiped clean.And a big, burly guy was talking into his cell phone about trapping me in the lab and asking for backup before I left the building.”

My senses go on alert.Big pharma means big money.Those people don’t play around.“If whoever is after you now has all your work and research, why do they need you?”I ask.

She bites down on her full bottom lip.“It’s a long story.”

I can’t tear my stare from that puffy pink flesh.I want to draw it into my mouth for a taste.I frown at the direction of my thoughts.

If I am going to help her, I need to focus.“Were you followed here?”I ask.

“I don’t think so.”She shakes her head, fingering a locket around her neck nervously.

“Not good enough.Come on.I’ll get you something cold to drink, and I’ll get dressed.”I extend a hand, and she grasps it so I can pull her to her feet.

I didn’t anticipate the jolt of awareness on contact, and I clear my throat.“From there, we’ll go to my office and work out a game plan.”