Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) (34 page)

“Introduce me,” Shane said.

“Sure.” Beth headed toward her office, Shane right behind her. She opened the door, and they stepped into the room.

Mary’s gaze was fixed on Shane with a great deal of interested speculation.

“Mary, this is Shane McIntyre,” Beth said. “This is my co-worker, Mary Reynolds.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mary,” Shane said, shaking hands with the woman.

Shane guessed Mary to be in her early 50’s, even though her hair was entirely white. She was petite – not much over five feet tall – and quite fit, as Shane surmised by the strength of the woman’s grip in his hand. Her hair was cut in a short, boyish style, giving her an appealing elfin appearance. When she smiled, her brown eyes crinkled at the corners.

“So, you’re Beth’s new admirer,” Mary said to Shane. “I’m happy to meet you.”

“Likewise, ma’am,” Shane said.

Mary held onto Shane’s hand with a tight grip as she eyed him intently, a blatant challenge in her steely gaze.
Don’t you dare hurt this girl.

Shane squeezed Mary’s hand in return, acknowledging the unspoken message. Mary Reynolds would make a good ally inside the library.

The inner office was situated against a solid wall, the other three sides made of glass, giving the occupants of the office a clear view to the rest of the Special Collections area. Besides the two desks, Shane made note of the usual office paraphernalia: computers, phones, a fax machine, a printer. There were a few filing cabinets in the room and some plants. It was a quiet, cozy space.

Shane was pleased to see that there was lock on the office door, but with three glass walls, the office couldn’t offer much in the way of protection under true duress.

“Where does that lead?” he said, pointing at a door in the one solid wall in the office.

“That’s our packing room,” Beth said. “We pack and unpack shipments of books and other materials in there.”

Shane walked to the door and opened it, peering inside. He flipped on a light switch and surveyed the room – it was little more than an oversized closet, with a work counter, two metal shelving units filled with flattened cardboard boxes and countless rolls of packing tape. The room itself was a dead-end, which was good. That meant there was no way into the Special Collections area other than through the electronically secured door. The only problem was that the door to the workroom didn’t have a lock – he’d have to see about rectifying that. If it had a good lock, the packing room would make an excellent panic room, if the need arose.

Shane closed the door to the packing room and returned to Beth, where she stood by her desk.

“I guess I’d better let you get to work now,” he said, reaching out to cup the back of her neck. He pulled her close and kissed her. His mouth might have lingered perhaps a little bit longer and a little bit deeper on hers than was appropriate in front of a perceptive audience, but he wanted to make sure that Mary Reynolds understood he was far more than simply an “admirer” of Beth’s.

When they ended their kiss, Shane glanced at Mary, who was eyeing them keenly. She obviously felt some affection for Beth, and perhaps a bit of maternal protectiveness.

Shane fished a business card out of his wallet, then grabbed a pen off Beth’s desk and wrote his private number on the back of the card. He handed the card to Mary. “Here’s my contact information,” he said. “In case you ever need to reach me.”

Mary nodded.

“Can I program my number into your phone?” Shane said.

“Sure,” Mary said, handing him her phone.

“Don’t ever hesitate to call me if Beth ever needs
anything
,” he said to Mary, as he keyed in his information.

Shane handed Mary’s phone back, then turned to Beth. “Have a good day, sweetheart,” he said to Beth. “I’ll call you later.”

He kissed her one last time, and then he let himself out.

* * *

“I didn’t realize things had gotten so serious between you two,” Mary said, propping her hip on the edge of Beth’s desk. “The last thing you said was ‘we’re just friends.’”

Beth dropped onto her desk chair, looking a little shell shocked. Shane had given her one surprise after another since they’d awakened that morning. She powered on her computer, then glanced up at Mary, who was eyeing her expectantly.

“I guess things have progressed a little since then,” Beth said. And wasn’t that an understatement, considering what he’d done to her a little more than an hour ago in her bed. That wasn’t something ‘friends’ did to each other, was it? She squirmed in her seat, as if she could still feel the residual tingles from the startling pleasure his finger had generated in her backside. Jeez. She’d had no idea that was an erogenous zone!

“I like him,” Mary said, returning to her own desk. “You have my approval, not that it matters.” Mary shook her head. “I’ll bet he’s amazing in bed. All that controlled intensity. And my God, he’s hotter than hell.”

When Beth’s face turned bright red, Mary smiled at her. “Don’t ever play poker, Beth. You’ll lose every time.”

Chapter 31

The rest of the week passed in a blur for Beth. Shane called her a couple of times each day just to say ‘hi’ and tell her he was thinking about her. They texted and e-mailed each other, and Beth enjoyed feeling connected to him. He slept over with her on Wednesday night, and he took her to Clancy’s Friday evening for some quality book browsing time.

“You know not to judge a book by its cover, right?” Beth had said when he suggested a couple of erotic romance novels he thought looked interesting.

“Well, they look pretty damn good to me,” he’d said, eyeing the scantily clad couples on the covers.

After the visit to Clancy’s, they went back to Beth’s house for another sleepover. Shane left her house Saturday morning to go to his office for the day to catch up on work before their big evening at the hospital fundraiser that night.

They’d decided to go back to his apartment to get ready together for the benefit. She’d had all day to worry about what could go wrong, so she was a nervous wreck by the time Shane picked her up at five-thirty.

“You look beautiful,” Shane said when he stepped through the front door. “Who did your hair? Did you do this?”

“Gabrielle did it.”

Shane reached out and gently touched one of the curling tendrils that fell to her shoulder, letting it wrap around his finger. The rest of her hair was up in a simple, yet elegant braided twist.

“I’m going to enjoy messing that up later,” he said, planting a kiss on her lips.

When the elevator arrived at the penthouse floor, they stepped out into the foyer and found Cooper waiting for them, dressed in black jeans and a black button-up shirt. Her eyes went to the black gun in the holster strapped to his chest. He was leaning against a wall, using a pair of chopsticks to fish out the last bite from his carton of Chinese take-out.

“Hello, Beth,” Cooper said, smiling as she stepped out of the elevator.

She returned the smile. “Hi, Cooper.”

Cooper looked at Shane. “What time do you need to be there?”

“We should arrive at the hotel at seven-thirty,” Shane said. And then to Beth, he said, “Cooper’s driving us tonight.”

“If you’re getting all gussied up, we’ll take the Mercedes,” Cooper said. “It’s gassed and ready to go. We leave in one hour.”

“Cooper has a gun?” Beth said, as they walked down the hallway to Shane’s suite.

“Yes. All of my employees carry guns. Being armed comes with the territory.”

“Oh. Do you carry a gun?”

“Yes, usually.”

“Why haven’t I ever seen it?”

“Because I keep it concealed. I didn’t want to freak you out.”

When they reached his suite, Shane set Beth’s overnight bag on the bench at the foot of his bed. “I had your dress dry cleaned for you,” he said.

Beth glanced at her dress, stockings, and garter belt laid out neatly on Shane’s bed, and the butterflies in her belly took flight. She started to feel queasy. Crap! What had she been thinking when she agreed to go to this thing with him? She hated crowds! Like really, really hated them. She avoided crowds like the plague, and now she was about to attend a very high-profile social event. What if she had a panic attack at the benefit? The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass Shane in public.

“What’s this?” Shane said, indicating the small tote bag she held with a death grip.

“My shoes.” She pulled out the pair of Manolo Blahniks and set them on the floor beside the bed. “I’ve been wearing them a little bit each day, to break them in.” She stared at the shoes.

“Sweetheart, is everything okay?”

She looked up at Shane, not sure how to answer that. It was a little late for her to be getting cold feet. They were supposed to be leaving within the hour.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he said, taking her into his arms. “Would you like a drink?”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her forehead on his chest. “Yes. A little liquid courage sounds good.”

“Come with me.” Shane led her over to the bar and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He poured them each a shot and filled her glass with Coke. “Here, sit down before you fall down.”

Beth sat on the sofa and sipped her drink.

Shane sat on the coffee table facing her, his own drink in his hand. “Now, talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Her eyes were glued to her glass. “It’s nothing.”
I’m scared.

He reached out and tipped her face up. “Beth.”

“I’ve never been to anything like this,” she said. “I won’t know how to act.”

“Just be yourself,” he said, caressing the curve of her cheek.

She leaned back in the sofa, pulling away from his touch. “I don’t do well around a lot of strangers, Shane. I freeze up. I might have a panic attack.”

“I’ll be right beside you the entire time,” he said. “There’s nothing to worry about, I promise.”

Beth took a long drink, her eyes watering when she finally caught her breath.

Shane set her glass on the coffee table beside his and took her hands. “You don’t have to go tonight if you don’t want to,” he said, kissing her knuckles. “You can stay here and relax, and I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can. Cooper can stay here with you, to keep you company.”

Beth looked at him, searching his beautiful eyes, wanting so desperately to take him up on his offer. But she couldn’t bail on him now. He’d gone to such trouble buying her the outrageously expensive dress and shoes, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. “I’ll go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”
No.

Shane leaned forward and kissed her, his lips gentle as they clung to hers. “You don’t have to go,” he breathed against her lips. “Honestly.”

She straightened, mentally berating herself for being a coward. “I’ll go.”

“Well then, let’s get dressed before Cooper comes looking for us.”

Beth had showered before Shane picked her up, so all she needed now was a quick trip to the restroom to freshen up before slipping into her outfit. They both went into the bathroom and brushed their teeth. Beth fiddled a little with her hair, until Shane came up behind her, put his hands on her arms and planted a kiss on the nape of her neck.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

Beth rolled her eyes at him and made a dismissive sound.

“I can’t wait to see you in your dress,” he said, playing with a tendril of her hair. “Come, let’s get you dressed.”

Shane led Beth to his bed, where her garments were neatly laid out. He glanced dispassionately at the pale blue chiffon dress. “I still think it looks like a nightgown. Every man there is going to take one look and picture you in his bed.”

She slipped her arms around his waist. “I think you’re a little bit biased.”

“I am not. I’m a man. I know how men think.”

Shane pulled off Beth’s top and helped her out of her shorts, leaving her in only the lacey panty and bra set that Sylvia had given her. He ran his index finger along the top edge of the bra cups, and she shivered.

“Remind me to thank Sylvia,” he said. “I owe her for this.”

Shane picked up the garter belt and held it up to Beth. “I’ve been fantasizing about seeing you wear this since Sylvia gave it to you.” He helped her don the garter belt, then held each sheer stocking for her to slip on her legs, clipping each one to the garter belt.

Shane stared at her legs. “This evening is going to be sheer torture.”

Then he slipped the dress over her head and watched the soft layers of fabric cascade fluidly down her body.

Beth slipped on her shoes. “I’m all ready,” she said. “Now it’s your turn.”

Shane held up his index finger. “Not quite. I have something for you.” He grabbed a small velvet box off the top of the dresser and handed it to her.

Beth gazed down at the box, her eyes going right to the Cartier logo.

“Open it,” he said.

She opened the box and stared in awe at the necklace inside, a delicate gold chain with a diamond and pearl pendant.

She touched the luscious pearl pendant topped with a gold cap inlaid with dozens of tiny diamonds. It was simple and elegant, and it complemented her dress perfectly. She smiled up at him. “It’s beautiful.”

He removed the necklace from the box and clasped it around her neck. “I chose this because it’s delicate and lovely,” he said. “Like you.”

Beth turned in his arms and went up on her toes to kiss him, her arms going around his neck. “Thank you, Shane.”

“You’re very welcome, sweetheart.”

“Now it’s your turn to get dressed, and I get to watch,” she said, grinning.

Shane’s closet was larger than Beth’s entire bedroom at home. It was an organizer’s dream with all the racks and shelves and drawers. The closet was vastly underutilized, though, she quickly realized. Shane didn’t seem to be much of a clothes horse. There was a rack of suits, perfectly pressed white dress shirts and ties, as well as one of jeans, casual shirts, and sweatshirts. She saw two pairs of well-worn sneakers on the floor, a couple pairs of black loafers, and several pairs of scuffed boots.