Secret Protector. Ann Voss Peterson

me during lunch. Tell me about yourself.”

      Gray chuckled. “Believe me, you’re a lot more interesting.”

      “I can’t help liking that you think so, but beyond the trauma of last night, I’m afraid my life is pretty dull.”

      “There is nothing about you that’s dull.”

      She let out a laugh. “You flatter,” she said dryly.

      He shot her a smile.

      They reached the end of the block, and Gray held out his hand, preventing her from stepping into the street without him checking it out first. Natalie had to admit that if one of her brothers had made that move, she probably would have felt he was hovering. From Gray, it made her feel nothing but special. “I have to admit, compared to having my cottage broken into, dull is looking pretty appealing.”

      “I’m with you there. I’m just relieved you weren’t hurt.”

      Footsteps shuffled behind them. Natalie resisted the urge to spin around and look. She shouldn’t have brought up last night’s break-in. Just a single mention and she was back to hearing things and feeling threats where none existed. She was walking down a public street, for crying out loud. Not only that, but anyone would be a fool to mess with the strapping man beside her, at least in a violent sort of way. Now, in a sexual way …

      “What’s so funny?”

      Oh, God, she’d been grinning at her own joke. “Nothing.”

      “You sure about that? It looked a lot more interesting than nothing. And not dull at all.”

      She let out a giggle despite herself. She sounded like a teen with a crush. Hell, she felt like one, too. And she had to admit, it was kind of divine.

      “Beautiful,” Gray said under his breath.

      Now it was her turn to be confused. She shot him a look. “What’s beautiful?”

      “The sound of your laugh. I like it. I want to hear more of it.”

      She laughed again. “You’re just being sweet.”

      He gave her a playful wink. “On you? Maybe a little.”

      She wanted to hold on to his words. To run them through her mind and focus on the warm feeling spreading through her chest.

      Man, she wished she’d met Gray years ago. Or at least a couple of months ago, back when her life felt more normal. This lunch hour would be perfect if not for the anxiety humming along her nerves like the buzz of a mosquito she couldn’t swat.

      She could still sense the person behind her, still there, still walking too close. Turning her head to the side, she caught a reflection in a store window. A powder-blue sweatshirt, large and slumpy enough to land whoever was wrapped in it a spot on What Not to Wear.

      Natalie shook her head and directed her attention to the busy intersection ahead. The chrome exterior of the Kendall building rose over the surrounding cityscape, nearly blinding in the bright sun. Only one more block and her lunch with Gray would be over. There must be something wrong with her. A riveting man by her side dishing out compliments, and all she could focus on was paranoia and some woman’s bad fashion choices.

      They reached the end of the block and stopped at the crosswalk.

      “What is it?” Gray glanced around.

      She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

      He gave her a relaxed smile, scanning the cityscape. “You sure?”

      His muscles were tense, alert, but Natalie sensed a strange calm coming from him that belied her jumpy nerves. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just being paranoid.”

      “In light of what happened to you last night, I don’t think you can call it paranoia.”

      “That’s nice of you to say.”

      “I mean it. You feel scared, whether you think it’s real or not, you just let me know. Okay? I’m here for you.”

      A flutter lodged under her rib cage. He really was too good to be true. Something she’d have to keep in mind. She gave him a smile. “Thanks.”

      “Being here for you is not a problem. Trust me.” He looked straight into her eyes.

      A flush of heat started to pool in her cheeks. The mix of brown and green of his irises mesmerized her. The sincerity in his expression made her ache to step into his arms. She looked at the cars streaming past, not wanting him to see her melt. The curb under her toes felt like a cliff, one step and she’d be head over heels. And despite the fact that she didn’t know Gray well, despite Jolie’s warnings, despite all the disappointments she’d weathered in the past, Natalie was tempted to look back into his eyes and let herself fall.

      Something hit her hard in the back and shoved her forward, into the street. She hit the pavement hard, the force jarring her knees and shuddering up through the heels of her hands.

      All around her tires screeched and cars swerved.