Page 30 of Protect My Heart

Jim glanced around at the six-foot security fence which looked intact, but he would make a more thorough inspection of that before they left. “It’s time to look at the security video.”

The manager gave them a nod, jumped in his golf cart, and drove off.

Jim stepped up behind Liz. Her arms enveloped her torso. She trembled. He didn’t think it was from the cold. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “It’s a mess. Can you tell if anything is missing?”

“No, but it doesn’t look like it. If it was a robbery, why didn’t they take my grandmother’s silver?” She pointed to the wooden box that lay open in the corner of the unit, flatware still inside.

He leaned his head against hers. “I have to call it in.”

She nodded and took a deep breath, pulling it in so deep Jim felt her chest expand under his arm. With a shuddered sigh, she let it out. “I know. CJ will find out. Titi, Tio, and Mami, too.”

“Yeah, but I won’t leave you to handle it alone,” he whispered.

“I don’t know what’s worse?”

Jim felt her shake, but she remained silent, no sound escaped her lips. “Sorry. I know I’m not what you want.”

“No.” She turned in his arms. Her hand cupped his face as her eyes locked with his. “I wasn’t talking about you. I meant I don’t know which was worse, dealing with the stalker or my family.”

“CJ would be hurt to hear you prefer a stalker over him.” Jim’s hand slipped up to her hair. “But he would understand if the choice was between the stalker and your Aunt Joy.”

The snort of laughter that came from Doc was anything but cute, so what possessed Jim to lean down and kiss her nose?

She froze. Her eyes turned from laughing to serious, but the shine in them had Jim pulling her closer. The cold wind did nothing to cool the heat churning in his gut. He wanted to claim her lush lips, to taste her, drink her in and get drunk on her. He wanted it bad, but standing in front of her ramshackled storage unit with snowflakes in the air was not the place. His lips rested on her forehead. He savored the floral scent of her hair before he pulled back. “The manager should have the video queued up by now.”

“Yes, we should...” Her voice dropped low, and she stepped from his arms.

The rush of cold that filled his body at the loss of her touch caused a shiver to race down his spine. He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

He opened the truck door for her. With Doc inside, he rounded the truck. Lust and the need to tear a new asshole for the piece of shit who trashed her stuff warred inside him. A quick adjustment to his pants, and some stern self-talk had him calmer by the time he climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.

Jim glanced at her before he put the truck in gear. He had better find this stalker soon, because he didn’t know if he could stop his lips from touching hers the next time. He could be encased in an iceberg and one touch from Doc would have him standing in a puddle with a cloud of steam. Good thing he was in the fish house, Tigger was a bed hog but Jim didn’t have to worry about his dog breaking his heart. One last glance at Doc had Jim sure she would.

Chapter 10

Liz walked into the house and dropped her purse on the floor. Most of her things had been destroyed. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Her antique dresser from Abuela, the lovely mahogany with brass knobs, photo albums from her father, and her Winnie the Pooh collection. Slashed. Smashed. Gone. A hiccup caught in her throat. They were only things, she reminded herself.

But why? Who? She balled up her fists and rubbed her eyes. Damn it! If Jim hadn’t been there she would have dropped to the ground and wailed like a newborn at feeding time.

He wasn’t here now. She slid down the door, pulled her knees to her chest, and felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. As the first tear dropped, she heard a scratch at the patio door.

She froze. Pulling her legs in tighter, she reached for her purse. The sound grew louder as her fingers touched her phone. Beads of sweat broke out on her face. She tapped the screen to life. Her finger depressed the nine when a bark rang out.

Tigger? She heaved a heavy breath and uncoiled. She kept her phone in her hand as she crossed to the patio door. A happy Tigger sat wagging his stub tail. Liz opened the door and let him in.

“You scared the snot out of me, pup.” He leaned against her, and she rubbed his beautiful head. “You here for a treat?”

Tig followed her into the kitchen and sat by the counter.

“Jim has you trained pretty well already. You can’t be that old. What are you? A year?”

“Not quite.” Jim leaned against the patio door watching her before he pushed off the wall and strolled towards her. “You really should lock the door.”

“I will next time.” She pulled a piece of cheese out of the refrigerator and tossed it to Tig. “Thank you for coming with me today.”

“I wish we could have gotten a better photo of the guy who broke in and trashed your unit.”

The video was grainy and the person wore layers of clothing making it hard to tell if they were a man or a woman.