Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (2 page)

No one at work
knew, except my friend Kali. I knew I could trust her to keep my secret, as we’d been friends since little school. When we were looking for a job, there were a few positions at the police station, and we thought it would be a laugh if both of us applied. I knew she would get the job. I could see it when I touched her hand. I also knew that I would get the position. Sometimes I suppose it had its advantages.

I
didn’t have much of a family. Both my parents died in a tragic accident, and my uncle Billy raised me. He was a photographer who I modelled for on occasion so he could build his portfolio. I didn’t mind doing it, but I did have an agency pick up on my photos once. Billy asked if I was interested and I said no. I tried to manage with what I had, kept my head down, and stayed out of trouble. Something inside me kept telling me this, and I thought I would like to listen to my gut for now. Instinct was a marvellous thing at times.

It
was October and bloody freezing! I chose a grey dress with tights underneath to keep me warm. I slipped on my black high heels and left my studio. The great advantage of living and working in the same area was that I didn’t have to use transport. Every day, I left my flat at ten to nine in the morning and always made it on time.

As I head
ed down the stairs, a bitter wind hit my face and left me gasping. A part of me wanted to run back up the stairs and hide under my duvet. I may have a tiny flat, but it was cosy. I made it that way. As soon as I moved in six months ago, I painted it a beautiful pastel violet and hung lots of pictures on my wall to make it more homely. They’re mainly of my mum and dad, but some were of my uncle Billy and his partner, Chris. I was only six when the accident happened, but still old enough for me to remember them. I loved them to bits and the thought that they’re now gone and unable to watch me grow up, get married, and have children fills me with sadness at times. I just hoped they’re at peace, wherever they are.

I
made it, as always, at nine o’clock on the dot and swiped my pass to get in. I said good morning to everyone as I headed for the stairs to my office.

Kali
was sitting at her desk opposite mine and greeted me with that perfect smile of hers. She was completely opposite of me in many ways. She had blonde hair and brown eyes; she was short, I was quite tall; she liked her men, I’d never had any. Not in
that
sense, anyway. I was still a twenty-five year old virgin.

Kali
really wanted me to “pop my cherry” already so we could compare notes. She understood why I hadn’t yet, though. There were a few dates I had been on and all I could see was their past encounters. That’s enough to put anybody off, I would think.

“Cassie, there you
are. I’ve been waiting for you.” Kali winked at me as I strolled in.

“I know that face
. What have you been up to?”

“Nothing
. It’s just there’s a new policeman in town and, boy, is he steaming hot. I passed him on the way in this morning and he might be my rule-breaker.”

I
shook my head, laughing at her. Kali always said that she would never sleep with anyone at work, as it could get rather complicated later. I totally agreed with her on that front. It would be a terrible situation still seeing someone every day with whom you broke up. Not something anyone wants, especially if it ends badly.

“So who is he?
What’s his name, and where can I find this hunk of a man?” I giggled a little, waiting for her answer.

With a gesture of her hand
, she pointed to the end of the office where I found another very tall man of muscular build. He had dark, wavy brown hair and sexy stubble that reminded me of Michael’s. He
was
good looking, I’ll give her that. He wasn’t as handsome as the man I couldn’t have, though—although he reminded me of him in a way. I didn’t know why, but something was making me look at him quite a bit longer than necessary. He was certainly intriguing. I didn’t know what it was, but the more I gazed upon this sexy man, the more the butterflies started. He wasn’t Michael, though, and that was certainly floating around in my head as I stared.

Just as that thought entered my h
ead, so did Michael. He abruptly stopped walking when he saw me and stared a little. With a shake of his head, he quickly broke the stare and sauntered past my desk to talk to Kali.

“I attended an accident about a wee
k ago on the Fulham Palace Road,” he began. “It involved a Nissan Sunny and a child of nine, who was on a bike. I just wanted to know if any of the witnesses have responded to the statements sent out last week.”

Kali
politely smiled at him and my stomach instantly dropped. I knew about this case…because I was the one dealing with it.

Shit, this isn’t good.

“I believe Cassie is dealing with that, Michael.”

With a
gentle wave of her hand, she pointed in my direction. I watched his head follow her finger, and my heart immediately started drumming. I didn’t think he had ever said two words to me before and now it seemed that we were about to have a whole conversation.

My hands were starting to feel clammy.
I was nervous as hell as I didn’t know what to expect. His sparkling blue eyes danced as he roamed them all over me. He had obviously gotten a haircut since yesterday as his normally longer, dirty blonde hair was really short. It suited him, made the colour of his eyes stand out even more than normal.

The way he
was staring, though, was intimidating. Everything about him was intimidating. He was a monster of a man, at least six foot five, with a body I sometimes found myself fantasising over. I know I wasn’t experienced in that sort of thing, but it didn’t stop me from thinking about running my hands all over his chest.

He sighed
, which abruptly ended my fantasy. The look was back again—the same “shit on his shoe” look. I really would love to know why he hated me so much. I’d never done anything to him, but he still seemed to look at me the same every time.

“I sent them all out last week, but I haven’t received anything back yet.”
I was gripping onto my other hand for dear life. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was around him.

He sighed
again and, just for a split second, I saw the rise of his magnificent chest. Even when I knew he hated me, I still mentally fainted at the thought of him.

“Okay
. Can you let me know when they
do
come in? I would like to read them.” He breathed out, a little undignified, which had my nerves kicking in.

“Sure thing,” I
sputtered.

He stared
at me again and, for a moment, I thought I saw something different in that stare. For a brief second, I thought I saw appreciation. It didn’t last long, though. He cleared his throat, looked away, and thanked me as he headed back out the door.

“
Wow. That was pretty intense. You look like you need to sit, Cassie.”

S
napping out of my trance, I took a seat at my desk. I didn’t even realise I was holding my breath until my lungs started screaming in protest. I let it out and looked across at Kali.

“He really get
s to you, doesn’t he? It’s written all over your face.”

“I don’t know why he does
, Kali. I wish he didn’t have this hold on me. Maybe I should try and find a situation where I can touch his hand because then this stupid, unhealthy obsession of mine will all be over with rather quickly, I should imagine.”

Kali shook her blonde curls and crossed her legs.
“Quite the cynic, Miss Johnson. He might be a very nice man underneath that scouring, growling menace of a face he’s got going on.”

“I hope that’s not me you’re talking about?”
The voice startled us both, making me nearly jump out of my skin.

“Sorry
, ladies. I didn’t mean to scare you. So who’s got a growly, menacing face?”

L
ooking up, I see Paul standing there in all his glory, smiling at the two of us. He was another good-looking cop, a little older than me, with black hair and brown eyes. He wasn’t as tall as some men in the station, but he had the right muscles in all the right places. The only problem was that he liked it rough. Believe me, I had the pleasure of seeing that in his head once. It was hard to look him in the eyes for a while after, and his handcuffs were a constant distraction. I kept wondering how many women he had used those with—and I wasn’t talking about the ones he’d arrested, either!

“Michael
. He always looks at Cassie like he wants to throw her over a balcony or something. We don’t know what his problem is.”

A
verting my eyes, I looked down at my desk. I grabbed all the accident and incident reports on top of my IN tray, just to avoid the stares.

“I don’t know what his problem is
, either. Cassie’s a beautiful young lady and should be treated as such.”

I look
ed up to find him smiling at me. I couldn’t help but return it. He certainly knew how to turn on the charm, I’ll give him that.

“That’s better
, Cassie. You have such a lovely smile. You should show it more often.” He winked at me, then frowned a little. “Listen, I’m having lunch around one o’clock. Will you meet me at The Canteen? There’s something I want to ask you.”

S
hifting in my seat, I wondered what it was he wanted to say. “Okay,” I answered.

Paul’s smile grew
even wider as he triumphantly nodded his head. “Great,” he bellowed. “I’ll see you then.”

He walked
out the door. When I looked at Kali, she was staring at me. “What?” I asked, even though I knew already.

“You
do
know what it is he wants to ask you, don’t you? Can’t you see it coming?”

I could see where she was coming from, but I was hoping I was wrong.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I highly doubt Paul wants to ask you to
play chequers with him. Unless, of course, it’s strip chequers.”

She was trying to be funny, but I didn’t like the thought that she may be right.
“Kali, he’s asked me this before and I’ve said no. I wouldn’t have thought he would ask again. Why would people do that to themselves?”

Uncrossing her legs,
she leaned over the desk a little. “When did he ask you?”

“I think within a week of us starting
here.” I chuckled, placing a hand over my mouth.

“Well, that was six months ago
. He may think you’ve changed your mind since then. Men have a short attention span, you know.”

I laugh
ed at her, but felt a little uneasy at the prospect that she might be right. I hated turning people down.

“
Psst,” Kali hissed.

L
ooking up, I saw Kali waving her thumb in the direction of the new police officer she mentioned earlier. “He’s coming this way. Act cool.”

I
immediately started laughing as I thought how ridiculous that sounded. I was
very
cool, but Kali seemed to be flustered.

“Hello
, ladies. My name is Stephen Faron. I just started today and wanted to get to know everyone. It always helps to introduce myself so I know who to come to in the future. I take it you are the traffic girls—if I can call you that?”

“Y
es.” Kali beamed from ear-to-ear.

S
hooting out of her chair a little too enthusiastically, she stuck out her hand. He took it as she introduced herself. Then he turned his attention to me.

The first thing I notice
d were his penetrating blue eyes. I had never seen eyes like that before. It was almost as if he was reaching in and grabbing hold of my soul. It made me gasp inside, but I didn’t know from where that came. Seeing him look at me like that was overwhelming. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

When I
did manage to pry my eyes away, the next thing I saw was his hand. I didn’t want to really take it. I liked the feeling of ignorance too much.

Kali
, on the other hand, had other ideas. She was frantically nudging her head toward him as I stood still. I knew why she was doing it. She wanted me to get the “gossip” on him.

I inwardly
cringed, but dutifully held my hand out to him. As his edged closer to mine, I held my breath, waiting for the almighty barrage of shit I normally saw throughout my day. But something else hit me hard—harder than anything I had ever experienced.

T
he feeling of nothing.

G
asping, I stared into his eyes, wondering who on earth this sexy stranger was. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Had I finally lost this incessant curse of mine?

“Are you okay?
You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I swear I’m not that bad.”

L
ooking into his light blue eyes, I smiled. It was actually a relief to
not
feel anything. It was nice to shake his hand and not have all his past and future memories mapped out in front of me.