Fall Into You (5 page)

Suddenly, all the warm and fuzzy feelings she’d been harboring toward Grant earlier
that morning dissipated into a red haze. She turned toward her uninvited guest, her
fists curling, spoiling for a fight. “Max, what the hell are you doing here?”

Her brother’s dark auburn brows dipped behind his aviators as he stepped around the
back end of Grant’s truck. “Well, hello to you, too, little sis. And I’m here to make
sure you’re all right. At least someone thought it was important to call me after
you were in a goddamned car accident, Char.”

He reached out and shook Grant’s hand and nodded in that man-to-man way that seemed
to say so much. She could read the words in the quick, silent exchange.
Thanks for calling me even though she told you not to. Thanks for handling my problematic,
always-getting-herself-in-trouble sister. I’m here to save the day now.

Her nails cut into her palms. “I’m fine. See?”

Max crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Yeah, you’re fine. Someone ran you off
the road, and your house has been broken into. You’re just peachy.”

Her lips parted. “How do you even know all that?”

“Grant called me while you were dealing with the police to update me.”

She sent Grant a betrayed look. To think she’d actually found herself trusting the
cowboy, even entertaining the fact that he kind of liked her. She should’ve known
better. She’d spent too much time around dudes to not take into account the guy-code
factor. Grant had spent his time being nice to her last night and today because she
was Max’s sister. A duty to take care of a friend.

“Max, you didn’t need to rush out here. I don’t even want to know how fast you had
to drive to get here this quickly. I would’ve called you if I needed help. I can handle
it.”

“Last time you said that, you nearly broke your neck bungee jumping.”

She rolled her eyes. “I got whiplash, drama queen. Big difference.”

He shook his head, his stance softening. “You worry me, Char. You and Donovan are
the only family I have left. It’s hard enough knowing that you’re this far away, but
I need to be able to trust that you’re not going to put yourself in danger. When Grant
called me last night and told me about the accident, I thought…”

She frowned, some of the fight draining out of her. Max had taken it the hardest when
her dad had died, and she knew he’d taken it upon himself to be the leader of their
family now, the protector. The look in his eyes said his fear for her was real. But
she also knew Max would storm in and take over if she gave him the smallest of openings.
“I’m sorry I worried you. That wasn’t my intention, but everything is under control.
Really. The police are on it.”

“Yeah, a report will be filed. They’re not going to do anything to protect you in
the meantime.” He raked his fingers through hair that matched her own, his expression
torn. He looked toward her house. “I know you think you’re on the trail of some big
story, Char. But apparently you’re poking some dangerous lions. It’s not worth it.
I don’t want you around it. I need you to come home with me until whatever this is
blows over.”

She looked at him as if horns had grown out of that ginger head. “The hell I am. I
have a job. I’m working on getting a promotion. I can’t just whisk away to Baton Rouge.
And if I drop a story because someone tries to scare me, they win. Screw that.”

“Someone tried to
run you off the road
, Char. This isn’t about pride or work. You could’ve been fucking killed.”

The thought made her shudder, but there was no way she could walk away from everything.
She’d worked too hard to get to this point. “I can’t leave.”

“Char—”

“She can stay with me,” a deep voice interrupted.

Both she and her brother turned to look at Grant, the unexpected statement silencing
their argument.

“Do what?” She must’ve heard him wrong.

Grant tipped his hat up a bit. “You can stay in the cabin you were in last night.
You’ll be safe there. And when you’re not on-site, you can check in with me by phone
so that someone always knows where you are. You’ll have a bit of a drive into work
for a while, but at least you won’t have to take time off.”

“That’s a great idea. Thanks, man,” Max said, smiling and thumping Grant on the back.
“Grant has top-notch security at his place. You’ll be protected there.”

Charli stared at Grant. He was serious? He didn’t know her from a woman on the street,
but he was going to give her a place to stay and play bodyguard. Just to be helpful?
No, she corrected herself. This wasn’t about being helpful. This was about debt. Max
had saved Grant’s life, and now there was an opportunity to pay him back. She was
a transaction. Just like the time Max bribed his friend to ask her to the prom so
she wouldn’t be without a date. Then said friend had proceeded to tell everyone he
was there with her as a favor. Total humiliation. Served up hot. “I appreciate the
offer, but no, thank you,” she said, smiling with forced politeness.

Max frowned. “Well, then I’ll call in the last of my vacation
time and move in with you for the next two weeks. I can keep watch until we get all
your window locks replaced and install a high-tech alarm.”

Oh, hell no
. She loved her brother to pieces, but sharing her tiny place with him twenty-four-seven
while she was trying to investigate her story would be a nightmare. She’d never be
able to get away without him wanting to know where she was, who she was with, and
what she was doing. Her brothers had always been protective, but since her father
had died, Max had made it his personal mission to be the most annoyingly overbearing
parental substitute ever. Two weeks of that and she’d be signing herself into the
loony bin. Or jail—for choking her dear brother.

“I’ll stay with Grant.” At least there she could be alone in her own cabin without
a babysitter. And though Grant had been the one to offer, he looked about as excited
at the prospect as she did, so he probably wouldn’t bother her much.

Max gave a triumphant smile and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “My baby
sister, always the voice of logic and reason.”

“You’re being paranoid.”

“Better than underestimating the threat and having regrets later,” Grant said quietly.

She glanced over at him, but he was staring off in the distance, hands in pockets,
as if he had made the statement to someone else.

Something flickered over Max’s face when he looked at Grant—sadness? Sympathy? But
before she could pinpoint it, Max’s attention was back on her. “Listen to what he
says. He’ll keep you safe.” He touched the tip of her nose. “Now go get packed.”

She gave him a narrow gaze.

He smiled. “Love you.”

She gritted her teeth. She loved him, too. But at the moment she was having a hard
time remembering why. She turned on her heel to head back toward the house.

What a way to cap off the most fantastic day and a half ever. All
of her story research was gone, her car was trashed, and now she was going to have
to figure out a way to live on the same grounds with a guy who made her thoughts run
into each other when he got too close.

A guy who saw her as a job, a favor.

An A-plus day all around.

“I really appreciate you doing this,” Max said as Grant secured Charli’s suitcase
in the back of his truck. “I know it’s a lot to take on, as busy as you are.”

Grant climbed down from the truck bed and slammed the tailgate shut. Max had no idea
how much this was costing him. He hadn’t planned to make the offer, but he owed Max.
And he knew Charli wasn’t going to give in and go with her brother. But as soon as
the words had fallen out of his mouth, he’d wanted to take them back.

Keeping an eye on Charli would be challenge enough, but keeping his hands off her
in the process would be downright painful. He’d spent most of the morning forcing
himself not to make a move. When she’d looked so forlorn there in the driveway, it’d
taken everything he had not to pull her against him. “Not a problem. Your family is
my family. I’ll watch out for her.”

Max’s lip curled. “She’s not gonna make it easy. You know that, right?”

“I’ll manage.” Grant glanced toward the house, making sure Charli hadn’t come out
yet.

“I know you will. I trust you.” He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I
love my sister, but sometimes her drive can get in the way of her good sense. She
thinks she can take on anything and anyone.”

Grant imagined Charli probably could hold her own more than most, but he wasn’t about
to test that theory and leave her unguarded. “I can keep my distance and still make
sure she’s safe. My property is locked down tight.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, can’t have anyone sneaking in and stealing the wine.”

Right. Because the wine was what he was protecting behind The Ranch’s gates. Not the
sexual secrets of Dallas’s elite. Not his own secrets.

Grant adjusted his hat but forced himself not to shift his gaze away from Max’s—a
trick he’d honed from years of having to lie bald-faced to enemies. “Gotta protect
those grapes, my friend.”

“Look, I’ve got to head back if I’m not going to take any vacation days. And I don’t
think I want to suffer Charli’s wrath anymore today, anyway.” He stuck his hand out
to Grant. “Seriously, thank you, man. I don’t think I’d be able to leave her with
anyone else here and be able to sleep at night.”

Grant shook Max’s hand, guilt nipping at his boot heels. Max was trusting him with
what he treasured most—his family. Now Grant had to figure out if he was worthy of
that kind of endorsement. Though, with the way Charli had looked at him when she’d
realized he’d called her brother, he may not have to worry about it. She wasn’t exactly
president of his fan club at the moment.

A few minutes after Max left, Charli stepped off her front porch with a bright red
scratch on her cheek, her hair falling out of her bun, and a blue plastic carrier.
She headed down the driveway and looked toward the end of her street. “So Mr. Save-the-Day
is gone?”

Grant eyed the blue box warily. “Had to get back to work.”

“Sure he does. The chicken.” She handed him the carrier and it
hissed. “Tom Brady doesn’t like to travel. He may throw up by the time you get back
to your place.”

“Now, wait a second.” The box jolted and the cat made some noise that sounded like
it was in its death throes. “I invited
you
to stay, not…quarterback kitty.”

“We’re a package deal, cowboy. You should’ve listened when I told you not to call
Max. Now he’s thrown a kink into both of our worlds.” She leaned against his truck,
eyebrow cocked. “You know you can still back out. I won’t tell him.”

“Not a chance, freckles.” Grant cringed when the carrier jolted again, and he yanked
open the passenger door, setting the hissing beast inside the cab. “I know you’re
upset I called, but I would’ve wanted him to do the same thing for me if the roles
were reversed. And I made him a promise. I don’t make those unless I intend to keep
them.”

“Come on, you know this is ridiculous. I’m a grown woman. I’ve taken self-defense
classes. Do I look like I need a babysitter?” She pushed off the truck, standing to
her full height, which would probably be eye to eye or above most men. Too bad for
her, he was six-seven and not afraid to use the advantage.

Before she could blink, he grabbed the crook of her elbow, spun her around, and hauled
her against him, locking his arm around her waist and pressing his other thumb against
her neck, mimicking a knife blade. She struggled, tried to stomp on his foot, but
a few self-defense classes were no match for CIA training. “First rule of combat:
hubris will bring you down every time.”

“Let me go.” She struggled for another second, but when she realized she wasn’t going
to escape, she stopped fighting him. Her muscles softened beneath his hold, her chest
rising and falling with quick, choppy breaths—breaths that could indicate fear. But
when he glanced down her body and saw the tight beads of her nipples pressing against
her shirt, he realized her reaction was anything
but. His cock stirred at the sight, and he quickly released Charli, stepping back
before she could feel exactly how much she affected him.