Page 6 of Too Guarded to Love

Nic looked at Olivia. The temptation to answer her siren’s call smoldered under his skin. He couldn’t. While his Casanova title had been well-earned, he was first and foremost an officer and a gentleman who put safety first. “Go inside and wait for the tow truck there.”

“What happened to letting me lead?”

“Lead all you want, as long as you lead yourself inside the house where it’s secure and dry.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m not helpless.”

“Never said you were.” Helpless didn’t turn him on.

Joe stepped between them. “Okay, you two. Enough. I’m the one with the badge, so I outrank you both.”

Nic bit back a snicker. Joe had been there the day he’d lost his leg. He knew about the bionic steel under Nic's rain pants. He had no idea, though, that a simple thought could fire a deadly laser the team had dubbed a V-Strike from any of the six-hundred-plus points in Nic’s super arm or leg.

Joe shot his thumb to Nic. “I’ve known this guy for years. I trust him with my life. You should wait inside. The tow truck will be a while thanks to the bridge accident.”

Indecision and wariness warred in Olivia’s gaze for two, three heartbeats. Her shoulders sagged as if the fight left in her circled the drain.

Today’s funeral, followed by hours at the tavern, had exhausted Nic too. Only the punches he didn’t deserve, but willingly took, made him feel alive.

So had meeting a beautiful woman in a storm.

He moved to the driver’s side of the vehicle and reached for the duffel bag on the passenger seat. The light floral scent he’d caught on the wind earlier teased his nostrils. He inhaled the fragrance he’d uncork later when he woke from a nightmare and scrambled for something to ground him in the present.

Handing the bag to her, he glanced at the bungalow across the street. “The door is open. Tell Mrs. Alvarez who’s watching us from her porch that I checked her gutters this morning. They’re fine.”

Olivia took the bag and nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” He spun on his heel and met Joe by the parking meter. “You all right?”

“Fuck no. You?”

“No.” Nic glanced at Olivia. He’d ignored the irritation on her flushed face when he’d called her a mermaid. Ignoring the sway of her hips as she hurried across the street proved impossible.

Joe chuckled. “I can tell you’re not right. Know how I know? Because that woman isn’t in your bed yet even though the chemistry between you practically dried my uniform. The obvious is a given, but what else is wrong? What aren’t you telling me?”

Nic dropped his gaze to the ground. The cell phone he’d seen Olivia hurl to the pavement lay at his feet. He bent to retrieve the smashed device and slipped it into his pocket. As he straightened, Joe clasped his shoulder.

“Listen, Nic. You and me? We’ve known each other a long-ass time. That was my baby sister we buried this morning. If whatever has you on edge has to do with her murder, I deserve to know.”

He did deserve to know, but sharing his gut feeling with Joe about who sliced Stella’s throat was pointless until he had proof. Once he had intel, he’d enjoy hunting down whoever was responsible and making them pay, and hope to God Joe and his family would forgive him for his role in Stella’s death.