Page 82 of Armed ’N’ Ready

If she let him touch her again, she seriously doubted the emotional walls she’d begun rebuilding around her heart wouldn’t crumble into a pile of emotional rubble, and when he left her—which he would—she’d only have to rebuild. That, she couldn’t take. Never again.

“Any sign of him?” Bennett asked.

“Negative.” Nick shook his head. “I just called his cell. No answer.”

A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. His face was tight. Between his uniform, body armor, and all the equipment clipped to his belt, she imagined he was suffering from the blazing sun just as Saxon had to be.

At the sight of Andi, Saxon’s tail wagged, and she reached down to give him a quick pat on the head. “He’ll show,” she reiterated, although deep down she was beginning to wonder if he really would.

Nick arched a brow, and his lips curved into a doubtful expression. Back in the conference room, she’d sensed his irritation when she’d asked him to protect her ex. It had struck her as jealousy, and she didn’t understand the source of it. Nick didn’t have real feelings for her, so why should he care?

He turned to stare intently out the glass door, his eyes flicking right, then left. Despite what had gone down between them, she deeply regretted extracting that promise from him to protect Joe. When he’d said with my life, it had frightened her because she knew he would do exactly as he’d promised. He was that kind of man. Duty and honor were ingrained in him down to the cellular level.

Nick clicked the microphone on his lapel. “Is the roof secure?”

“Ten-four,” a voice she didn’t recognize said. “Window washers are standing down until we give them the all-clear.”

Andi heard a faint buzzing, and Nick yanked the cell phone from his pocket. He swiped the screen to take the call. “Myer. Where are you?”

Edging closer, she hoped to hear some of the conversation but couldn’t. What she did get was the scent of Nick’s aftershave, bringing with it bittersweet memories of making love with him in the woods.

Taking in a shuddering breath, she realized the futility of it all. No matter how much she tried banishing them, those memories would stay with her until the day she died.

Nick’s jaw went rigid. “Not a chance, Myer.”

“What is it?” Bennett stepped closer.

He hesitated, clearly not wanting to repeat whatever Joe had said. “He won’t show unless Andi is out there curbside when he pulls up.”

“So, do it,” Bennett said. “You said so yourself, there’s too much riding on his testimony to risk him taking off again.”

He turned on Bennett. “The hell I will. It’s bad enough that she’s here at all. She stays inside.”

“Nick.” She rested her hand on his arm, instantly regretting the contact. The mere feel of his warm skin was enough to dent her resolve. “It’s okay,” she said, quickly letting her hand fall to her side. “I want to do this. You and Saxon will be right there with me. Eric, Kade, Matt, and all those other agents will be watching. I’ll be safe.”

“Make it happen, Sergeant.” AUSA Bennett glared at Nick.

His jaws clenched so hard his cheek muscles flexed. “Five minutes,” he barked into the phone, then ended the call and stuffed the phone in his pants pocket. He clicked his mic. “Five minutes,” he repeated. “All teams acknowledge.”

Six men came back with “all clear,” and Andi thought she recognized Eric’s, Matt’s, and Kade’s voices among them.

Nick draped Saxon’s leash over the dog’s back and began unbuttoning his shirt. When he’d gotten it off, he all but threw the shirt at Bennett. “Hold this.” Then he began unstrapping his Kevlar vest. The Velcro straps made hissing sounds as he yanked them open. Then he turned to her and began fitting the body armor over her torso.

“No!” Horrified, she pushed the vest away. “Then you won’t be protected.” No matter what he’d done, the thought of him injured because he’d given her his vest was unthinkable.

“No time for a spare.” He winked, then grinned. “Humor me.”

His body was so close to hers that she glimpsed the silvery flecks in his beautiful gray eyes. It hit her how easily he’d shed his own protective vest to safeguard her life. He didn’t have to do that. But he had.

Not waiting for her assent, he resumed fitting the vest to her body. Knowing it was a compromise of sorts, she didn’t say another word, but felt his touch everywhere as he tugged the two pieces of material tighter to her body then adjusted the straps.

As his fingers grazed her bare arms, goose bumps paraded along her shoulders and back, and she was overwhelmed by the heady scent of his aftershave. For as long as she lived, she’d never forget the wonderful way he smelled.

The vest was large for her slim frame, covering her entire torso. Given how bulky it was, the Kevlar wasn’t as heavy as she expected, but it was warm from being wrapped around Nick’s chest.

She watched him grab his shirt from Bennett then put it back on and tuck it in. “Let’s go,” he said to Cox and the other agents. “Make a circle around her”—he nodded to Andi—“and keep it tight.” When he faced her, his tone softened. “Stay in the middle of us as we walk to the curb. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”