Rescuing Erin (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Red Team Book 5) Read online

  “She taught you well. Everything is delicious.”

  “Thanks.”

  The conversation continued to be strained through the rest of the meal. I asked her questions, and she kept her answers as succinct as possible. Her disinterest wasn’t hard to miss. When I offered to clean the kitchen, she couldn’t get away from me fast enough, going into the other room to watch TV. Again, this should’ve made me extremely happy, instead it was a kick to the gut. I didn’t want her being so uncomfortable she couldn’t stand being in the same room as me. With the dinner dishes cleaned and the counters wiped down I joined her on the couch.

  She was mindlessly flipping through the channels. I couldn’t take it anymore. I hated seeing her so miserable.

  “I think you owe me a thirty-minute shoulder rub.”

  I lowered myself to the floor and pushed my way between her legs, sitting with my back to her.

  “I believe it was five minutes.”

  “It was. But we shot five more targets after that, and I won each time.”

  I was pushing her buttons on purpose. I’d much rather see her full of piss and vinegar than forlorn and beaten down.

  “Yeah. That’s not how it works, friend.”

  “Friend? Is that what we are, Erin, friends?”

  “Turn of phrase, smartass.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Are we friends?”

  “No. You’re my bodyguard. You’ve made it clear that’s all you are.”

  “I’d like us to be friends.”

  Erin rested her hands on my shoulders, and my cock twitched. Yes, the simple touch made me react like a horny teenage boy. It was inexplicable and in no way should’ve happened, but my body was well aware of hers.

  “Friends, huh?” Her grip tightened to near pain as she dug her thumbs into my shoulder blades, causing me to wince.

  “Yep.”

  “So, what, like, you wanna gossip about past boyfriends?” She purposely clutched harder and gave up all pretense of an actual shoulder massage. “You wanna exchange stories about growing up, dreams, plans for the future?”

  She was goading me, and I wasn’t going to bite. She was shit out of luck, if she thought being a bitch was going to stop me.

  “Why don’t you tell me how you got into 4-H shooting?”

  The shoulder rub was forgotten and her hands stilled. “What?”

  “4-H? You were state champion, right?”

  “You knew? Before we went to the range and you asked me if I’d ever shot a gun, you already knew I had.”

  “Yep.”

  Okay, so I was being a bit of a dick.

  “What else do you know about me?”

  “I think the better question is what don’t I know about you.”

  “That’s right, I forgot, there is a nice little dossier on me. A neat and tidy record of my life for anyone to peruse. I mean, why bother asking me anything? Just read the White House file on Erin Anderson and you’ll know everything you need to know.”

  “Not everything, Erin. The file may list the facts and highlight your accomplishments but it says nothing about the woman you are.”

  “Accomplishments? I haven’t accomplished anything.”

  I didn’t like that she thought so little of herself. I’d studied her life inside and out and was impressed at what I’d found out about her. She was extremely giving of herself and her time. She was on the board of several charities and volunteered countless hours. I had to admit I’d judged her harshly before I knew her. I still thought she had issues with people telling her no, but maybe there was more to her rebellion than simple overindulgence.

  “Who was the man in the guesthouse?”

  “Willy?”

  “Yes. William Shradder.”

  “If you already knew his name, why are you asking me who he is?”

  “I want to know who he is to you.”

  “He’s a friend.”

  “You get naked in front of all your friends?”

  Simply thinking about that night infuriated me.

  “No!”

  “So? He gets special perks?”

  “Don’t be an asshole, Colin. Why do you care anyway?”

  There was the million-dollar question. Why did I have a personal interest in who Erin got naked in front of? Why had I thought about William Shradder more than I cared to admit?

  “I just do.”

  “Not good enough. If you want to be friends and you want me to answer your questions, I expect honest answers from you, too.”

  Well, damn, Erin had no problem calling me out on my lack of sharing. I’d have to reevaluate why I proposed a friendship.

  “I care because you kissed me. Then you dropped the virgin bomb. Then I found you naked in a room with a man. I’m curious how that happened.”

  That was all the honesty she was getting from me. I wasn’t about to tell her that feeling her lips on mine was an experience I wished I could repeat. Or that I’d liked how her body felt pressed up against mine. Or that the visual of her perky tits and toned body were forever seared into my memory. And there was no chance in hell I’d ever admit my dick hardened at the mere recollection. Lastly, I’d certainly never acknowledge there was something about her as a person that called to me so deeply, I did shit on purpose to push her away.

  “I’ve known Willy for a long time. He’s an artist and has his first gallery show coming up soon and needed to finish one last pencil sketch he’s displaying. It wasn’t the best timing, but I figured we only needed about fifteen minutes and no one would notice I was gone. So, we used the guesthouse.”

  “I’m not tracking. What does that have to do with you taking your clothes off?”

  “He sketches nudes.”

  “Come again?”

  “Nudes. You know, he draws men and women without clothes. Nudes.”

  “What in the actual fuck, Erin? You cannot have someone draw you naked.”

  “And why the fuck not, Colin? I’m an adult, in case you’ve forgotten. I can consent to anything I want.”

  Was she insane? There were plenty of reasons I could give her. None of which would matter, but the biggest one was I didn’t want anyone seeing Erin naked, let alone a gallery full of people. What if someone purchased the drawing and displayed her fully exposed in their home? Hell no!

  “Your father for starters. You have a responsibility—”

  “I’m aware of my responsibilities. They’ve been shoved down my throat so often, I couldn’t forget them if I wanted to.”

  She sounded bitter she couldn’t parade around with no clothes on for the world to see. That pissed me off.

  “You obviously forgot because you posed for him.”

  “Whatever, think what you want. It never matters what I say anyway.”

  “Don’t do that. It’s not what I think, it’s what you did. He drew you naked.”

  “He did. Numerous times. He also took pictures.”

  I was getting ready to blow my stack. Zane and Tom would have a shit hemorrhage. Zane had looked almost as angry as I’d felt when I’d shown him the pictures I’d confiscated from the man’s camera who’d been outside the guesthouse that night. And now there were more.

  I slowly stood up and tried to keep my temper in check. “You let him take pictures?”

  “Jesus. Stop yelling.”

  I guess I didn’t have as much control as I’d hoped.

  “This isn’t yelling, sunshine. Where are the pictures?”

  “Hanging in the gallery, I suspect.”

  “I’m gonna wring his fucking neck.”

  “What? Why? Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

  “Overreacting? Have you lost your damn mind?”

  “No. But you certainly have. What the hell is the big deal?”

  “Let’s see. The First Daughter of the United States posed nude for not only pictures, but drawings as well. I’m shocked the tabloids haven’t gone crazy over the story yet.”

  “Maybe bec
ause I’m not an idiot. You can’t see my face.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, Captain Drama. The pictures are from behind and I’m sitting so you can’t even see my ass. Just my back. And the sketches don’t have faces. No one will ever know they’re me. How stupid do you think I am?”

  “I don’t think you’re stupid. I think—”

  “You didn’t think. You didn’t ask for details. You assumed. You do that a lot when it comes to me. I’m sick and fucking tired of it. You’re no better than anyone else in my life. I can’t wait for this to be over. For my father’s last year as president to be done. I’m going to slink away into anonymity and finally live my life the way I want. I’m going to bed. Have a good night.”

  She didn’t stomp away like I expected. She didn’t say anything more about me being a presumptuous asshole, which I deserved. She simply walked away with her shoulders slumped forward.

  Shit. I fucked up. I needed to stop making snap judgements about Erin. She’d proven time and time again she was an intelligent woman. Why the hell was I so irrational when it came to her?

  Chapter 5

  The last few days had been tense, even worse than the preceding week had been, and I hadn’t thought that was possible. I wasn’t permitted to go anywhere alone, not that there was some place to go. At least I was allowed outside, and even that took some cajoling on my part. I swear, if Colin had his way I’d be kept in a windowless room with an armed guard at the ready.

  I stepped on something in the dirt and looked down at the green, plastic Army men. Some were still standing, facing each other like they were in the middle of some sort of action figure combat zone battling it out. Story of my life, just like the toys, I was always locked inside some battle—only mine was internal. My love for my dad and how proud I was of him for all the good he’d done for the country, and the guilt and selfishness I had at wanting him all to myself. My mom, too. She was the best first lady. Supportive, altruistic, intelligent, and loving. And I wanted all of her attention. My mother was the very definition of class, a true lady. It was a pleasure to watch her work a room. Most would think it was all for show, but when my mother asked you how you were doing, she genuinely wanted to know. I missed her.

  As I knelt down to pick up the toys, the back door opened. I didn’t have to turn around to know Colin was scanning the area. He did it every time we went anywhere. It seemed a tad ridiculous to do it in the backyard, considering the man who’d lived here before had more cameras than the pentagon. Colin had shown me the monitor with all the different views of the property and explained Fletch was security conscious. I called it batshit crazy, but what did I know? Until I’d seen the pictures of me Colin had lying across his desk the other day, I’d thought all of them were a little nuts. Now, even I couldn’t deny something creepy was going on.

  “What’d you find?” Colin asked, stopping beside me.

  “Little men with guns.”

  “Annie must’ve set them up and forgot about them.”

  “Guess so. What’s going on?”

  “I was wondering if you’d like to go out to lunch.”

  “Go out? Like, leave the house? God, yes.”

  Colin smiled, and I swear I’d never get over how the simple up tip of the lips could change his whole demeanor.

  “Come on, we’ll go anywhere you want.”

  “Anywhere?”

  “You’re gonna pick sushi, aren’t you?”

  One night, shortly after I’d first met Colin, he’d expressed his dislike for raw fish. I tried to tell him there was more to sushi than the raw stuff, but he’d refused to try it.

  “Yep.” I looked at the toys in my hands and asked, “Do you think Annie would want these?”

  “Probably. I’ll give them to Fletch the next time I see him.” He reached out his hand, and, for a second, I was confused. Butterflies hit my belly, and I’d stupidly thought he wanted to hold my hand. Then I remembered the Army men. “Ready?”

  “So ready.”

  I dropped the toys into Colin’s hand, and, much to my surprise, he used his free hand to grab mine. “Let’s go get you some uncooked fish and rice.”

  I was too shocked to answer. I simply followed him into the house. He dropped the Army men on the counter, grabbed his keys, and walked us out the front door to his car. Never letting go of my hand.

  What the hell is this about?

  On the drive to the restaurant he told me his team was still looking into who had taken the pictures and was trying to track down the woman who I’d remembered coming into the meeting room. Unfortunately, she didn’t work for the hotel and had somehow avoided the cameras in the lobby. There was a street view of her, but she’d donned a baseball cap and most of her face was obscured. Colin explained that told them a lot. She obviously knew what she was doing, and it would help narrow down the suspects, of which there weren’t any.

  We were in a holding pattern waiting for them to make the next move. I hated there wasn’t an end in sight, but Colin promised me everyone was working hard to figure out who was following me.

  “What’s changed?” I asked when we exited the car.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Suddenly you’re freely giving me information about what’s going on.”

  “I heard what you said the other night about not being in control of your own life. You were right, I’m no better than everyone else. I’ve kept you in the dark and I thought about how I’d feel if my life wasn’t my own. I’d be just as pissed and fed up as you are. I was wrong. You not only deserve to know, but you need all the information. It’s the only way you’ll take these threats seriously. I can’t protect you if you don’t trust me.”

  “Trust, huh? Is this part of the whole friendship thing?”

  Maybe I should’ve held on to my anger a little while longer, but holding a grudge wasn’t going to make my time with him anymore pleasant. And I was tired of walking on eggshells around him.

  “I guess it is. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and when it comes to you, there’s plenty I’ve been wrong about. I’m sorry for that.”

  “Apology accepted. And I’m sorry for calling you a douchebag prick.”

  “You’ve never called me that.”

  “Sure I did. Hundreds of times, in my head.”

  “Good to know.” He chuckled.

  “You know, your eyes change color when you smile, or maybe it’s when you’re happy.”

  His smile faded, and I wished I could pull my stupid comment back.

  “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “They’re a stormy blue, but when you forget to scowl at me, they brighten and become lighter.”

  “Is that what you think? I scowl at you.”

  “Normally, you do. Well maybe not scowl, but the look certainly isn’t friendly.”

  A loud bang and crunching of metal sounded and Colin grabbed me around the waist and jerked me to his body, turning us so my back was against the car and his large frame crowded me.

  “Shit. Sorry.”

  Car doors slammed in the distance and I could hear men yelling, but I was riveted by the man in front of me. He hadn’t given it a second thought, he simply moved to protect me. Even though it was from a fender bender more than a hundred feet from us.

  “Thank you,” I croaked, overcome with emotion.

  In all the years I’d had bodyguards and the secret service following me, never had I felt so safe. Which was strange because I knew those other men, like Colin, were all paid to watch over me. But this felt different, personal, and maybe even a little intimate the way his body was contoured to mine.

  “You never have to thank me for keeping you safe.”

  He said keeping me safe, not doing his job. For some reason, in my mind, there was a clear distinction.

  Colin brushed my hair away from my face, the touch sending chills down my arms. “You know, your eyes change color, too.”

  “No, I didn’t know that.” I used his
words from earlier and tried not to smile.

  “They’re a pretty honey brown.” His hand slid to the nape of my neck. “But right now, they have flecks of red. It looks like they’re on fire.”

  God. If he only knew. My eyes weren’t the only thing on fire due to his closeness.

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “Oh, yeah, sunshine. It’s a very good thing.” The arguing motorists’ voices got louder, breaking the spell. “Come on, let’s get you some lunch.”

  “Okay.”

  He made no effort to move, and neither did I. As a matter of fact, I was no longer hungry, not for food anyway. I could’ve spent the rest of the afternoon pressed against the car, cocooned by Colin, and been perfectly happy. I wasn’t clear about what was happening between us, but there was no way I was alone in my thoughts. Not when I could feel his very stiff erection resting against my stomach.

  Sadly, we hadn’t spent the rest of the afternoon leaning against the car. We did, however, eat lunch, and Colin still refused to try sushi. He opted for a huge bowl of noodles and a double order of teriyaki chicken. Which led to a conversation about how much he worked out. There was no way any person could consume that much food in one sitting and maintain the body Colin had. Not that I’d seen it, but I’d sure felt it. He told me he normally worked out twice a day, a habit from his time in the Army. He hadn’t said much about his service but he wasn’t evasive either.

  The conversation had been light and friendly, talking about favorite movies and the like. He’d asked me more about growing up and what it was like being the president’s daughter. Now that I wasn’t on the defensive and feeling like I was being treated like child, I told him about all the good parts about living in the White House—and there were a lot. Most of the time it had simply been home to me. But there’d been times when the gravity of where I’d lived and what I’d gotten to experience had struck me. Usually when I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t have a normal teenage party, or have people over, or go to someone’s house and sleep over. There were security checks, and background investigations to be done. It was invasive, and, unless the parents of my friends were already involved or wanted to be in politics, they frowned on the government digging through their lives. I’d lost more than one friend over it. I’d also learned that most people weren’t truly genuine in wanting to know me. They just wanted an invite to my house.