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“I’m not. Apparently, you bring it out in me.”
“I already told him you don’t need a bodyguard.”
She scoffed. “Clearly you don’t know who you’re dealing with. My brother can give two shits what anyone else has to say. If he thinks he’s doing the right thing, then a small army wouldn’t be able to stop him.”
Maybe a bodyguard wasn’t such a bad idea. Allison would be safe, and Reid wouldn’t have to worry about her, and he could focus on the case and trying to determine if Louie had anything to do with the threats. It all sounded very reasonable, but he couldn’t stop thinking of Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. If Allison was going to defy anyone, it would be him, not some random stranger who had no idea how she took her coffee or that she threw her head back when she laughed hard.
Allison turned toward her family and, with an uneasy smile, wrapped her hand around his wrist and yanked him around the side of the house.
“What are you doing?”
“My family was starting to listen. I can’t risk them hearing any of this conversation.”
“You’re being crazy,” he said, and the fire that lit her eyes told him that was absolutely the wrong thing to say. She was always so prim and proper on air, putting on a show for her viewers, but with him, there was no show. She was just Allison, infuriating, button pushing, beautiful, sincere Allison.
He swallowed down the desire rising in him, begging his hands not to grab her and crash his mouth to hers. Devour her in a kiss that would drive them both over the edge they’d been teetering on for so long.
“If anyone is crazy, it’s the asshole who’s sending me meaningless threats.” Her lip quivered, and she turned from him.
“Hey,” he said, and this time he didn’t ignore his desire. He embraced it. He took Allison in his arms and held her close. “We will catch the bastard.”
She didn’t put up a fight, just nuzzled into his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
She shifted, blinking up at him, but staying in his arms. “I’m usually much stronger than this. I don’t let people break me. I’m just… tired.”
“Two hours not enough?” he joked.
She shook her head. “I didn’t even get that. I went to bed and stared at the ceiling, listening for every single noise and freaking myself out until my alarm went off.”
“You should have woken me up.”
“It’s fine.”
It wasn’t fine. “You’re coming home with me tonight.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“What are you going to do?” She straightened, head tilting in confidence.
“If it comes down to it? I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you.”
“You wouldn’t.” She stepped back, glaring at him.
“Test me,” he said, and a familiar smirk curved her lips before she returned to her family.
Chapter 17
Much to Reid’s disappointment, he didn’t have to carry Allison out of her family’s barbeque. She willingly left with him. Though his imagination filled in the gaps of what could have been. Her tight body pressed against his shoulder, his arm dangerously close to her ass.
“I need clothes,” she said.
“You can wear something of mine.”
“Come again?”
