On His Honor (7 page)

Violet saw JD’s shoulders stiffen. “Stop playing big brother. She’ll be fine with me.”

“Cade…” Sophie touched his arm. “I don’t understand why men have to talk trash to each other.”

JD grinned down at her. “If you had brothers you’d understand.”

“Or if you’re the only girl with two brothers,” Violet added. “Let’s just say it’s a matter of survival to toughen up.”

Cade nodded. “Jenna would completely agree with you, though I have no idea why.”

JD chuckled. “Yeah, ’cause all of you treat her with such kid gloves.” He glanced at Violet. “You have brothers?”

“Sadly, yes,” she answered. “Both of whom think they need to tell me how to run my life.”

“What else are older brothers for?” Cade asked.

“Mine seem to agree.”

They shared a smile.

“You ready?” JD asked her.

“Absolutely.”

“See you two later,” JD said.

“When will you—” Sophie stopped abruptly.

“I won’t keep her out late, Mom.”

“I’ll keep her too busy to notice curfew,” Cade promised.

* * *

“T
HIS
PLACE
IS
BEAUTIFUL
,”
Violet said. They were two miles into the run, and he was impressed to see that her breathing remained steady.

“It’s a dedicated wilderness area, but it’s nice because it’s still in the city and easy to access. We’re lucky, though, that it’s not jammed with people today.” He glanced over. “The heat bothering you? Please speak up if it is.”

“I’m fine. I like hot weather.”

“That’s good. You’re lucky it’s only May. It gets worse…way worse. August is a special kind of hell.”

“How about some interval work?” she asked.

“Yeah?” He was delighted. And impressed again.

She checked her monitor. “I don’t know how you usually do it, but how about twenty-second bursts every two minutes?”

“I’m game, except—” He looked her over dubiously.

“You don’t think I can keep up with you?”

She’d surprised him so far. Her endurance was good. “No, but my stride is longer. I don’t want to get ahead.” He’d been pacing himself thus far, but the shorter strides didn’t come naturally.

“I don’t mind if you get ahead.”

“Uh-uh. I’m your bodyguard, remember?”

“You said you’re not a real bodyguard.”

“If you think I’m facing Sophie after something happens to you…”

She grinned in response.

“I know. I’ll run backward.”

“Please. Don’t be insulting.”

“Okay, how about I run around you during the burst? That’ll keep my heart rate up but keep me nearby.”

“So you can tell your buddies you ran rings around me?”

He laughed. “Yeah. I kinda like the sound of that.” He winked. “Seriously, though, no insult intended. You can’t help it that you’re smaller.”

She watched him carefully, suspicion in her gaze.

He crossed an X over his heart. “I promise I won’t talk out of school about you, to anyone.” That wasn’t a stretch, not exactly. He didn’t owe the task force personal details. They were only interested in her for her access to Lofton…unless she was somehow involved.

But he’d already decided she wasn’t. Undercover work meant you listened to your gut, and his was telling him she was clean.

Not that he wouldn’t remain vigilant. He didn’t want to think a beautiful face could sway him or that he was too starstruck to see her clearly. There was much he still had to learn about the woman beside him, and he would pay attention.

But he wouldn’t be spilling secrets no one needed to know.

She was watching her monitor. “No circles. I’ll keep up. Ready?”

He had to appreciate her resolve. “You bet.”

She kicked it into gear, and he did the same. After they’d completed two intervals during which he’d shortened his stride, he decided he wanted to see her smile again. On the next one, he kicked his pace higher again and went past her, then circled around in tiny steps, chanting, “I can run circles around Violet James, uh-huh, oh, yeah.”

She laughed as he closed on her and kept pace. “Nobody warned me you were a brat.”

He chuckled, and they kept running.

CHAPTER SIX

“I
AM
STUFFED
TIGHT
AS
A
TICK
,”
Violet said, patting her belly.

“Told you beef barbecue was better,” he said.

“You are asking me to betray generations of my ancestors, you realize,” she drawled. Good grief, her Southern accent was sneaking back in. Not that she was ashamed of where she’d come from, not one iota, it was only that to play a full range of parts, she’d had to work hard to rid herself of the extreme Tennessee drawl she’d grown up with.

“If they’d eaten at the County Line, they’d be in full agreement,” he argued. “You have to admit that.”

“Anything else for y’all?” the waitress asked. “More hot washcloths? These have cooled off.”

“Naw,” JD answered. “She’s doing fine licking her fingers.”

Oh, good gravy, he was right. She’d gotten so relaxed with him she hadn’t realized she was doing exactly that. “Um, a couple more would be great.” She wanted to look up and smile at the woman, but she’d kept her cap on and pulled down over her forehead.

“Right away.”

“Oh!” She’d nearly forgotten. “Could you bag up those bones, please?” The waitress nodded, and Violet turned to JD. “Surely Sophie will let Skeeter have some, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know…she treats that dog like her baby, so she might not.” He grinned. “But you can bet the farm Cade will.”

The waitress came back with their check, more cloths and a bag with the bones. JD reached for his wallet.

“No, please, let me buy dinner,” Violet said.

He shook his head. “I’ve got this.”

“It’s not a date, JD, and you won’t let me pay you for your time.”

His face screwed up in disapproval. “I’m doing a favor for a friend.”

“You’ve given me hours of your day, you’ve provided transportation.” Men were so touchy. For heaven’s sake, she was a wealthy woman, and he lived on a cop’s salary. She sighed. The eternal conundrum of her situation.

“You got cash? ’Cause they’re going to see your name on the credit card.”

She smiled. “This ain’t my first rodeo, cowboy. The card has my production company name on it.”

“Smart girl. You don’t even sign with your name?” He paused. “Is Violet James your real name?”

“It is. But for the card, I use my middle name…and I scribble.” She placed her hand on his. The immediate zing made her realize—yet again—just how real he was, how alive and how seriously sexy.
No way,
she thought.
Don’t go there.
Quickly she removed her hand. “Please, JD. This day has been such a gift. It’s the very least I can do. Please.” She waited for the reactions she was more accustomed to, either the happy acquiescence of a man who was attracted to her for her money and fame, or the injured pride of a man who knew she was richer than him and resented it.

But JD only smiled. “You won’t try to pay every time, right?”

She stilled. “We aren’t doing this again.”

“Of course we are. We’ve barely scratched the surface of the glories of Austin, and anyway, you need a running partner. Can’t have you getting soft. It was nearly too late already.” Mischief shone in his grin.

She smiled in response, then narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be running rings around you before you know it.”

He laughed. “You talk mighty big, sugar. I think I can see how you came to be so successful.” He glanced at his watch. “Oh, man, we gotta hurry.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you out so long. Do cabs come all the way out here? I could catch one and you could go on.”

He studied her. “I said
we,
Violet. There’s one more thing we need to do, though you’ve probably already seen it.”

“What?”

“The bats. But you might have already watched them from your room.”

“Bats?”

“There’s a bat colony that lives under the Congress Avenue bridge, about a million and a half of them. They swarm out at sunset, and it’s quite the sight. I’m surprised Sophie didn’t mention it.” He smiled. “Maybe she thinks you’re too sophisticated for that.”

She liked that he didn’t. “If you don’t argue and let me pay, we can be out of here sooner.”

“Go for it,” he said easily. “But we have a deal, right? My turn next time. Oh, but first you have to tell me your middle name.”

“I don’t know you well enough.”

His eyebrows rose. “A mystery. I love a good puzzler.”

“You’ll have to work for this one.” She placed her card on the bill and signaled the server, still keeping her head down. This dim corner booth had been a blessing because few people could see her, but she wasn’t going to push her luck. These last couple of hours had been just what she’d needed.

When the receipt lay on the table, she signed quickly, using her other hand to hide the name on it from him, the way she had in school to keep someone from copying from her. This was too crazy. JD made her feel like a teenager again.

She jumped up and waited for him to rise from the booth. As they walked out, she kept her head turned toward him, and he drew her closer, one hand on her hip.

His touch was a warmth she couldn’t ignore, caused an awareness she didn’t want.
Just a bodyguard,
she reminded herself.
He’s doing a favor for a friend, that’s all.

But she’d had more fun today than she’d had in months. Only now, contrasting JD’s warmth to Barry’s cool distance, did she realize what a desert her marriage had been. How she’d deluded herself because she’d needed to believe that she could find a real love that lasted.

“Almost there,” JD murmured as they approached his truck. He hit the key fob to unlock the doors, but as he’d done before, instead of going around to his door, he opened hers.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Are you kidding? My mom would tan my hide if I didn’t hold a door for a lady.”

Southern manners. She’d missed them. “Well, we wouldn’t want to upset your mom, now would we?”

“You got that right.” He smiled. “Come on, Robin. Let’s head for the Bat Cave.”

She chuckled and climbed in.

Thirty minutes later, they were on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, tucked in a relatively secluded spot away from the crowds gathered on boats and on both shores flanking the bridge, yet still with a view that should give her a good look at the bat flight.

Violet’s eyes went wide and she bounced on her toes at the sight of the boiling cloud swarming out of the roost, her childlike pleasure getting to him in a way he couldn’t afford to let it.

“That’s amazing!” She swiveled toward him, her gaze alight with wonder. “I can’t believe this has been happening every evening, and I’ve missed it. Thank you so much!”

Her delight warmed him, and he realized with a start that her outrageous beauty no longer gobsmacked him because her personality was even more magnetic.

Whoa, boy. Don’t go liking her so much you forget why you’re here.
She’s a means to an end, a key to your case.
But that felt wrong in a way he’d never experienced on the job.

Then Violet turned to him again, joy beaming, and their eyes locked. Held.

When she finally looked away, he wanted to stop her, to stop time, to have the luxury of simply enjoying being with her. She was nothing like he’d expected. She might be a fantasy for millions, an idol, a dream lover…but he wondered how many people knew the real Violet.

And why in the hell any man would even notice other women existed if Violet belonged to him. Bastard.

No. Oh, no.
This was
not
personal, could not ever be. He had a job to do, and he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted from his goal—bringing down the trafficking ring and saving lives. To keep himself from making a big mistake, he dredged up mental images of the bodies he’d seen only a few nights before, the young, innocent victims who were the reason he was here at all.

While his fingers itched to draw Violet close, instead, he made himself back away, put a step between them.

A job. She’s just a job.

Violet noticed the distance and looked back. “You okay?”

Face grim, he nodded. “I have to go.”

The light went out of her. “Oh. Of course. I’ve taken up enough of your day.” She put additional space between them and started toward where they’d parked.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I—I have an appointment I can’t miss.”
Very smooth, JD.

“I understand. You’ve been terribly kind to give me so much of your time.”

He could sense the hurt his abrupt excuse had caused. Damn it. This was an intolerable position to be in, and he hadn’t even probed for information on Lofton yet. “I had a great time, Violet.” That much was true, though he had no business having fun.

She angled her head partway toward him. “I did, too. I appreciate your going to so much trouble, even if it was only for Sophie’s sake.”

Man, he’d made a hash of this. He gripped her elbow and turned her to face him. “I might have said yes because Sophie asked, but Sophie’s not here now. I meant what I said. I like you.”

A smile of scant mirth. “And that surprises you.”

“It shouldn’t. I know how much more complex Zane is than his reputation, and he’s as famous as you.”

“But?”

He shrugged. “No buts.” He wished he could separate business from pleasure with her. That might be the strongest reason to get to the bottom of her relationship with Avery Lofton, so that he didn’t have to keep walking this line that made him feel like a fraud.

Hell, he was a fraud, who was he kidding? He never got confused about his role undercover, ever.

But this time was different somehow. Because this woman was different, unique.

Not because she was famous or beautiful—though God knew looking at her was no hardship—or probably rich enough to buy and sell him many times over, but simply because something in her spoke to something in him at a level he hadn’t experienced before.

It scared the crap out of him. He couldn’t do his job if he felt something for her, if she became important.

He needed to back off nearly as badly as he wanted to draw her close; he needed to be near her nearly as much as he wanted to run away.

The job. Focus on the job. Save wondering about the rest for later.

He didn’t have the information he was here to obtain, it was that simple.

That complicated.

“Is your dance card full tomorrow?” he asked with a lightness of tone he didn’t remotely feel.

She studied him for a long moment. “No, but I’ll be fine. You have a job and a life. I appreciate the day, but you’ve discharged your duty to Sophie, and I’ll tell her that.”

Neither the cop nor the man wanted to hear that. “So if I called you tomorrow, you wouldn’t even consider another adventure?”

She appeared torn. “Why would you want to?” When he didn’t answer immediately, she went on, “I mean, yes, I’m Violet James—” here she made air quotes with her fingers “—but I’d hoped we were beyond that. Are we?”

He felt her slipping away. “I thought we were, and I’m sorry as hell if you can’t see beyond your position as queen of the universe.”

Her jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, hell.” He rubbed his forehead. He was so damn tired. “I didn’t mean that. Most people think of me as easygoing and that’s generally true, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a temper. My family would tell you that it doesn’t make an appearance often, but when it does, it’s evil. I’m really sorry about that.”

She subsided. “It’s okay. I know I sound paranoid and probably whiny when I have no right to complain, given all my blessings, but…” She sighed. “It’s just…I try to believe the best of people, to remember where I’m from and the world view I was brought up with. But sometimes I get fooled by those I let in, like the assistant who took some of my lingerie and sold it on the internet.”

He couldn’t help a bark of laughter.

Her expression was rueful. “I know. It sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But would she have done that to a friend? She never even thought of me as a real person who could be embarrassed. It hurts when I think people like me because I’m a celebrity, not because I’m me. And boy, doesn’t that just make you want to puke, hearing me complain when many have it so much worse in life?”

“You had every right to feel embarrassed and hurt.”

She sighed. “I try really hard not to get out of touch, to remember what’s real, but…” She lifted her gaze to his. “I’m the one who needs to say I’m sorry. Let’s try this again.”

She took a deep breath. “I had a lovely day, and I’m grateful you would take time out of what is no doubt a busy schedule to squire me around, especially after how I behaved last night. If, after you leave and have a chance to think about it, you decide you’re up for more punishment—” here she smiled wryly “—at the hands of a woman who clearly has issues.” She shook her head and gave a self-conscious laugh. “Then, yes, please call me tomorrow, should you find yourself with more time to spare. But don’t do it for Sophie, okay? I’ll make sure she takes you off the hook. And I will absolutely understand if you aren’t available.” Then she flashed a genuine grin that made him like her even more. “Or interested, for that matter. I do get that I’m not without my negatives.”