I smothered that thought before I could go any further. Riley is my client. I never mixed business with pleasure, especially when a client was vulnerable like this. She didn’t need shit to get messy with blurred boundaries. She needed clarity, personal space. And a man who didnottreat her like a fucking piece of meat.
Looking apologetic, Riley sidled up next to me, clasping her hands in front of her.
“So, I don’t mean to be rude, but…you’re kind of…scaring people. Lurking over here in a corner like this.”
I shrugged.
“Good. That’s the point.”
She gave me an exasperated look. I sighed.
“What do you want me to do?”
Riley beamed. My traitorous heart clenched at her joy and the way her smile lit up her whole face. One day, I hoped her ex realized what a treasure he fumbled by cheating on this woman.
She hooked an arm through my elbow, pulling me into the fray.
“Just carry heavy things and put them where I tell you to. It couldn’t hurt to turn that frown upside down while you’re at it,” she added, playfully poking my cheek.
“Don’t push your luck, twinkletoes,” I said.
Riley laughed.
“Twinkletoes! I love that.”
I let her boss me around for the rest of the evening, using her friendly personality to soften my hard edges. People seemed hesitant around me at first, eyeing me warily. I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t exactly give off warm and cuddly vibes.
But when they realized Riley and I were a team, and she wasn’t afraid of me, that put people at ease. After I carted in twofolding tables and set them up along one wall, Riley patted my shoulder for a job well done. A little spark of pride warmed in my chest. I had no right to it though, and I tamped it down.
Then she froze and her smile vanished. Her eyes darkened with dread. Her entire demeanor dimmed.
I turned to see a husky man enter the town hall on the prowl, wearing a stained gray hoodie, and his lip curled in a snarl. I recognized him from the picture Riley had provided—her ex, Chett Kramer. She inched closer to me instinctively, nearly bumping against my shoulder.
I placed a hand at the small of her back for reassurance. Kramer spoke to someone in the hall briefly then turned around and walked out. Riley released an audible breath of relief, but she still had a tinge of green around the gills.
“I hate this,” she mumbled. “I just want to enjoy Christmas but…”
She trailed off with a vague gesture at the door where Kramer had disappeared. I scrubbed a hand over my mouth, weighing my options. I couldn’t do much to him since he hadn’t approached Riley in any way. But I had other resources and friends who owed me favors that I could call in.
“Try not to think about it,” I said. “He won’t get anywhere near you.”
She nodded, but I noticed that Kramer’s brief appearance had punctured her enthusiasm like a pin jabbed into a balloon.
“Maybe I should stay home until he forgets about me,” she whispered, examining her hands.
“Don’t do that,” I replied. “Keep living your life. It pisses off guys like him. Trust me.”
Riley turned her brown eyes up to me with a tentative gleam of hope. My throat grew thick at that look. Why did I suddenly have the urge to tighten my hold on her? To pull her close andgrowl in her ear,that fucker will never harm a single hair on your pretty little head, I promise.
It wouldn’t be professional or appropriate.
A woman called for Riley from across the room. I watched her go, fighting some primal urge in my gut that I couldn’t afford to feel—to have her as my wife, to put my baby in her belly, to see her pregnant and glowing.
The way Riley looked at me didn’t help either. I recognized it instantly. I’d given her a glimpse of a future where her ex no longer haunted her. I’d given her a glimpse of someone who actually cared about her safety and happiness.
In this line of work, it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to fall in love with me. Adrenaline ran high. Prolonged stress tended to generate questionable choices. And I was the opposite of the men my clients sought refuge from. I appealed to their instinctive nature to seek out a guardian who shielded them and their family.
I was willing to protect them, to step in front of a bullet if it came to that.
