Protective Love (Hidden Secrets) Read online

  For the first time in a long time, as I held this woman in my arms, I had a feeling of peace come over me. Something about this woman called to me. She wasn’t the normal type that I took to bed when I was frustrated. She was different. I can’t put my finger on why, but I wanted to get to know her better; a lot better. She wiggled and her breasts rubbed against my chest and I had to bite back a groan. I knew it had been a while since I had been with a woman but this was ridiculous. No woman has ever affected me like this one. Instead of making me want to run away, I wanted to get closer.

  Jeez, you fucking pervert!

  A soft, delicate hand reached up and started to brush the hair out of her face. Just as she had the hair out of her face, she looked up at me and said, “Thank you.” I was stunned all over again. She had amazing blue eyes, like the water at the base of the glacier. I was immediately lost in them. Everything about this woman stunned me. For a minute there, she seemed to be just as struck with me as I was with her. My eyes dropped to her mouth. She had lush, kissable lips; I wanted to kiss her. The urge to taste her lips was almost overwhelming. I almost started leaning in to kiss her, when I felt her start to tremble. Something broke through my lust for her and told me it was fear causing her to tremble. Slowly I started to set her on the ground.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral.

  She shook her head slightly and stepped back onto the foot that still had the shoe on and wobbled. Without hesitating, I reached and pulled her against me again. She just felt right in my arms. She pushed against my chest and I slowly let her go. I didn’t want her to fall and frankly, I just loved the feel of her in my arms against me like that.

  “I’m fine. Thank you. I was trying to get this shoe off,” she said, squatting down to mess with it before she sighed in frustration. “I think I will be forever in this heel.”

  I reached out for her foot when she jumped and fell to the ground. I hurried next to her, but she put her hand up stopping me.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. You scared me.”

  “I was only going to try and get your shoe off for you.”

  When I looked in her eyes, I could see the fear plain as day. The look pulled at something in my chest; I wanted to protect her, hold her, and let nothing or no one hurt her again.

  Son of a bitch! Where the hell did that come from?

  “Sure, you were,” she said so low I almost didn’t hear her.

  Something had this woman scared to let men close; or maybe it was just people in general. I don’t know why, but I wanted her to trust me. I wanted to get close to her. I cleared my throat and began with the formalities.

  “My name is Jason Gold. I am a detective for this fine city,” I grinned and added, “I’m also an expert buckle smith in my off time.”

  I hoped that joking with her would help make her, trust me a little easier or at least to let her guard down enough to get to know her. What I wasn’t expecting was a laugh. Not just any kind of laugh either, this laugh was light, sensual, and wrapped around me like a warm blanket. This woman was incredible.

  “Okay, as long as you’re an expert,” I could still see the fear in her eyes, but she giggled again and said, “My name is Kayla Williams. I’m a vet. I was actually on my way back to work when this happened.”

  She sighed. Talking like that seemed to be keeping her calm while I worked on her buckle, so I continued our banter.

  “I love animals - dogs more than anything, but I’m an animal lover all the same.”

  Damn, she really did break it.

  “Dogs are amazing creatures. I have a Husky named Cara. She is two now, but I’ve had her since she was six months old. She was thrown from a car on the highway and was badly injured, as I’m sure you can imagine. I fell in love with her right away. It took three surgeries and six months of rehabilitation, but she is healthy now.”

  She frowned then, and her beautiful eyes clouded with sadness. Something about that look made it feel like a rock settled deep in my stomach. I needed to clear that look as soon as possible.

  “Huskies and German Shepherds have always been my favorite breeds.” I smiled.

  If I wasn’t mistaken, her breathing faltered, then, but I wasn’t sure. Finally the buckle came loose as I said, “I would love to meet Cara. Maybe I could come by sometime this week.”

  When her eyes widened and she quickly climbed to her feet, I knew I shouldn’t have said it. There was just no way of stopping myself from asking it. I wanted to see her again, talk to her more, and get to know her better. It was strange, but I had never felt this way about anyone before; I had never felt such urgency.

  “I have to go. Thank you, Jason.”

  Hearing her say my name made my chest hurt and my cock jump in my pants. I had images of her naked beneath me, screaming my name in ecstasy. She brushed her hands down her dress and extended her hand to shake mine. As I took her hand in mine, a shock went through me and straight to my groin, making me harder than was comfortable.

  What is this woman doing to me?

  “It was very nice to meet you, Kayla. I do hope we see each other again.”

  The last sentence was out before I could stop it. Just as I expected her to do, she pulled her hand away and turned to leave. I watched her walk away as her dress shifted back and forth on her very appealing ass. The silk-like hair was moving on her lower back as she walked. For a moment, I wondered what it would feel like to run my hands in her hair as I kissed her and held her against me, claiming her as mine.

  Damn! Where are these thoughts coming from?

  I stood there and watched her walk to her car. As she opened the door, she looked at me with that sad expression on her face that made my insides hurt. Something was going on there, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. She slid into her car and drove off. I watched her car disappear from sight, and wished I knew how to get a hold of her. With a sigh, I turned and faced the Williams’ house.

  All I could think about was how glad I was that my mom had made me go there. Even though I had no clue when I would see her again, I had at least met her, and that was what mattered.

  I walked into the house to find Mr. and Mrs. Williams, walking through several rooms before ending up in the backyard. I spotted them right away; Kayla looked just like her mother. As I walked up, I flashed a smile.

  “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Williams. I’m Sally Gold’s son, Jason.”

  “Yes, dear, I know who you are. Is your mother here?”

  “No, ma’am. She was too sick to make the flight here. I was sent to let you know that she has gifts coming here for your daughters, something for the two of you and to let you know she couldn’t make it.”

  “Thank you, dear. I’ll have to call her later and find out how she’s doing. Please stay and enjoy the party. My kids are all roaming about.”

  I just nodded my head. When really I wanted to run out of this place to see if I could find Kayla, but there was no way to do that without being rude. So, I walked around for a little bit not really talking to anyone, but keeping up the appearance that I was mingling.

  Just as I was about leave a man approached me. I would have ignored him, but I knew right away that he closely resembled Kayla and decided to see what he had to say.

  “Hey. I’m Jake.”

  “Jason.”

  “I saw you talking to my sister outside.”

  I nodded my head because no response was really required.

  “You like her. I could see the way you looked at her. Really what I want to do is beat the living shit out of you, but I can’t.”

  I wasn’t going to respond, but his statement made me curious.

  “Why?”

  “Because you were able to get close to her. You were able to help her. We can’t even do that. She likes you.”

  I snorted.

  “She ran from me when I asked to see her again.”

  He turned serious and angry.

  “There’s som
ething going on there…”

  He stared off for a minute, then shook his head and looked back at me.

  “She likes you. I know she does. If you want to see her again, swing by Second Chances. It’s her clinic. She works herself to death so it will be the best place to catch her. I will just say, if you hurt her… you’ll be sorry.”

  With a huge smile on my face, I promised to not hurt her if I can at all prevent it. As I walked out of the house, I silently thanked the Williams’ for their beautiful daughter. For the rest of the day, I felt as if I was on cloud nine. I’d just met her, but felt like I had known her for years. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. That wouldn’t have been so bad if it didn’t make me so uncomfortably hard doing so. I had to see her again; it was a must. There was no way I could just let someone like that affected me the way she did go and not regret it for the rest of my life. I wasn’t sure at first if going to her work was going to be a good idea, but the more I thought about it, it was my only option. I needed to see her again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ~KAYLA~

  There was no sleep for me the following night; every time I closed my eyes I saw Jason. I would see his light hazel eyes and his dirty blond hair that fell loosely over his forehead, and feel his strong warm arms cradling me. The feeling of his hard, muscular body pressed against the length of mine could still be felt over every inch of me. He was at least a head taller than me, but it felt… perfect.

  I shook my head and sat up in bed. There was no way I was feeling that way about a guy. There was no way I was going to think about a man that way. As I walked to the shower, I still couldn’t shake his image or the feel of him holding me. That was not me; it was not how I acted. Once I finished the shower, I grabbed a piece of fruit and filled a travel cup with some orange juice.

  “Cara, come. It’s time for us to go to work.”

  Cara was a beautiful Husky. She had bright blue eyes that really stood out from the black and white of her fur, which was quite thick, and her tailed curled around to touch her back. Looking at her you couldn’t tell she had, at one point, been fighting for her life.

  We walked out the door and I’d turned to lock it when I heard the makings of a growl from Cara. It grew louder and began to echo off the walls of the stairwell. I could feel the fear start to run up my spine. I knelt down next to Cara and tried to keep my voice calm.

  “What is it girl?”

  There was no way to hide my edginess. My heart rate spiked, my breathing quickened, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Cara only ever got defensive when one person was around. It was not in her nature to growl, but somehow Cara knew that Alex was bad news. Whenever he came around Cara did her best to guard me. I was always thankful for her protection; however, it never stopped him.

  A shadow moving in the hall caught my attention and I immediately froze.

  “Hello again, Kayla. You ran so fast out of the party yesterday, we never had a chance to catch up.”

  He moved toward me and I fell backwards trying to keep the distance between us. I swallowed hard and finally found my voice. It was quiet, but strong.

  “Leave me alone, Alex! I will call the cops this time! I am not letting you make me into a helpless woman anymore. I am not the twelve year old girl you abused and destroyed beyond belief. I am stronger now. I will not let you control my life anymore.”

  His laughter filled the stairwell, echoing off the walls. A chill ran up my spine again as I stared in fear. He lunged for me, and Cara lunged back. He managed to get one hit across my face before he pulled back to get out of Cara’s reach. I held my hand to my cheek and willed myself not to cry.

  Panting, he said, “You make it sound like you have a choice. I told you when I first nailed your ass… You. Are. Mine. If you don’t start listening, your punishments will get worse until you do! You don’t have a fucking choice! If you think pretty boy at the party will stop me you’re wrong! No one can stop me… and no one touches what’s mine.”

  His voice bounced off the walls and right into me until my stomach practically dropped to the floor. There was a noise from the floor above and it caused Alex to start backing up. He was turning to run down the stairs when he stopped and stared at me.

  “We will see each other again, Kayla. You can count on that.”

  Once he was gone, I let out the breath I was holding. I sagged against the wall and put my head in my hands. I was already so exhausted, and still I had to walk to work not knowing where he was at. Dropping my head against the wall, I took a few deep breaths.

  There is no way I am going to let him continue to run my life.

  I looked at my apartment door.

  It looks like I am moving again.

  I had just stood up when Mrs. Bradshaw spoke.

  “Oh, Ms. Williams. How are you and Cara this morning?”

  “Good Morning, Mrs. Bradshaw. We’re getting ready to head off to work. How’s Mr. Bradshaw doing?”

  “He’s getting better, my dear. They say he should be able to start moving around in a couple of weeks if he keeps up with his physical therapy. We are so grateful for you, that robber could have taken him from me that day.”

  “It was nothing Mrs. Bradshaw. I was just in the right place at the right time. Glad he is doing better. We must be going now. Have a good day. Tell Mr. Bradshaw we said hello.”

  The walk to the clinic was stressful. Every noise, every male, every shadow had me picking up my pace and hauling ass to get inside the clinic. What I told him in the stairwell was a flat out lie. It was me wanting to believe in something that over the years was ripped from me. I had no strength; I had only fear. My one safe haven as a kid was summer camp. My one safe haven as an adult was the clinic. Surprisingly, Alex had never come to the clinic. I couldn’t figure out why, but the fact remained that it was my safe haven - at least during the day.

  The office was busy when I walked in. Trainers, assistants, clients, and animals all scurried about as they normally did. It was like a whole new world inside my clinic. I spent as much of my time there as I possibly could.

  “Second Chances, please hold,” Jenny said.

  Jenny was my assistant. She was as good as they come. Struggling to keep her house after her divorce, she came in with no experience and needing a job. Working hard over the course of time, she had proven herself invaluable. I called her the librarian because her dyed blonde hair was always pulled back in that tight bun and she wore black glasses over her dark brown eyes. So much shorter than myself, I had to purchase a special chair so she could sit comfortably at the receptionist counter. If for any reason I was unable to come in, the clinic would be just fine in her hands. She worked just as hard as I did, plus she was going back to school to become my assistant in surgeries and help with checkups.

  “Today is going to be a catch up day for you, Doc. There are only a couple of appointments for you on the board. You might be able to escape this place some today.”

  Jenny was like an overprotective sister. She always worried about me working so much. It was always the same speech: “You’re too young to be so consumed with work. You need to go out and have some fun, and live a little.” I wanted to go out and “have fun.” Hell, I wanted to date, but with Alex lurking around every fucking corner there was no way I was going to risk another man’s life to have that.

  That made me think of Jason. In my heart, I kept thinking that he would save me - that he was sent to me for a reason, but my mind was telling me to not drag him into my hellacious life. That would be exactly what happened if I had any more contact with him. For some reason, that thought had my chest hurting. Sighing, I said my goodbyes after Cara got her treat from Jenny and headed toward my office.

  “A quiet day, huh girl? Quiet days scare me…”

  I walked into my huge office. My desk was right as you walked into the room in front of one of the windows, with bookshelves on either side of the window and the wall to the right of my desk. Off to the left was
a couch with enough seating for eight with a coffee table in front and an end table on either side.

  I set my things down on my desk, and out of the corner of my eye I could see a figure near my couch. The scream escaped me before I could stop it, and I backed into my bookshelf, knocking a picture down on my head.

  “Son of a bitch!” I said as I rubbed my head.

  I looked up at Elijah, who was moving toward me.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Eli?”

  It wasn’t that I hated him, but he never showed up at my clinic, so I know that either he needed something, or something was wrong. Considering I had not heard from my other siblings, I knew nothing major was wrong, so I guessed he needed something.

  “Are you okay?”

  He reached up to check my head and I pushed his hand away.

  “I am fine. What brings you here?”

  I busied myself at my desk so maybe he would make the trip a brief one. It was too hard to have him around, even though I longed for our closeness again. Eli was the one I ran to for everything. He and Jake were my heroes. I loved them both with all my heart, but it just hurt too much to have them close knowing that when I needed them the most they were never there It hurt equally as much to not have them close to me anymore. It was all so confusing and painful, I resorted to just keep my distance from everyone.

  When I looked up, Eli had a sad expression on his face as he stared at me, making me uncomfortable. Eli was a handsome man, and we all looked a lot alike. He had wavy brown hair while mine was curly, with crystal blue eyes. He had chiseled features, that friends have confessed make you want to reach up and trace every line and every dip of his face. He was tall - much taller than me, and about the same height of Jason.

  Whoa, where the hell did that come from? I seriously need to stop thinking about him.