Unbreakable Hearts (15 page)

He snickered as he headed back to his mom’s hopi
ng he could make a business transaction out of this. The guy was probably some flunkie who worked for another photographer, so maybe he could wind up getting a deal out of the whole thing by being given a gig or two to keep his mouth shut. Yeah, he could so work with that.

***

Damn. Oz knew Tilly was hot, he just hadn’t realized how hot. And it wasn’t anything blatant. It was subtle. Understated. And he loved it. He knew that when he drew that passion of hers out, it’d mean so much more.
Had
meant so much more just then, as he watched her teal eyes darken with thoughts unknown. And, oh, how he wished he could get inside that head of hers to see what she’d been thinking. Hell, wished he could get inside of
her.

He was just ab
out to ask if she wanted to get out of there when his cell phone rang. His eyes remained on hers as he reached inside his jacket for it when suddenly her phone made a beeping noise as she received a text. He answered his phone then watched as she pulled hers out of her purse, checking it and frowning.

“Mr. Maxwell? This is HSI. I’m calling to see if everything’s okay?” a tech asked him.

“This is John Osby of Citadel Executive Protection, but my number is on the account. What’s happened?” Oz asked back.

“
I’ll make a note of your name, sir. Your alarm has been activated at your residence, sir,” the tech informed him.

Tilly
stared at him as he spoke to the security rep. When he hung up, he said, “We need to get to your house.” He stood up and pulled his wallet out of his coat.

She nodded, standing up
also, knocking her glass over in the process. “Oh!” she exclaimed as she righted the glass then took her napkin and blotted the tablecloth with it.

Oz threw three one-hundred dollar bills on the table
then returned his wallet inside his coat. “Tilly?” he asked as she continued wiping the stained cloth. “
Tilly
,” he tried getting her attention again.

She looked up at him
as she continued moving the napkin on the table, seeming confused, which he recognized as her probably being in a mild state of shock at getting the text about her alarm going off, making thoughts of the prior break-in fresh in her mind, he was sure.

He walked to her side and took her ha
nd, making her release the napkin. He leaned down and said in a soothing tone, “Baby, we need to get to your house.” He picked up her purse, handing it to her then wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her to the coat check area. He helped her put her coat on then led her outside where he hailed a cab.

In the cab,
Tilly sat in a stupor staring straight ahead as he kept an arm around her, rubbing his thumb softly on her arm. His phone rang again, Jeff calling to make sure he’d gotten the message, telling him that there actually had been a break-in. Oz told him they were on their way and Jeff said he’d see them there.

Halfway to her house, Tilly finally “woke up.”

“Did I just read what I think I read?” she whispered.

He p
ulled her closer to him and nodded. “Someone tried breaking into your house again,” he said softly.

She pulled
away, looking at him saying, “My text said my alarm had been activated, but I’m finding it hard to believe. Maybe something went wrong with the wiring?” She looked at him hopefully.

“That was Jeff, Tilly. There’s been an actual break-in.”

And now she lost it. “Oh, my God! This is going too far, John! I just know it’s Doug! It has to be!” She sucked in a breath and he heard her voice waver as if she was trying not to cry. “But if it’s not him… that’s… even scarier… I can’t live this way anymore… I… just… can’t…”

He pulled her
close to him, pissed that whoever was doing this to her was getting away with it, and pressed his lips against the side of her head. “Shhhh. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

She’d told him about
her suspicions of Doug earlier. He figured she was probably right, his being the spurned boyfriend and all. Well, he’d definitely be making a visit to the little prick to set some things straight.

Her breath caught.
“How? How can it be okay when someone’s getting into my house?” she whispered. With one hand she grabbed his shirt, burying her face in his neck as she gave in to her tears.

“Baby, it’s gonna be fine. We’ll get things sorted and find out who’s doing this,” he mumbl
ed into her hair that smelled subtly of raspberries.

Damn it.
This shit had to stop. He needed to find the fucker who was behind this and use him for target practice.

They arrived at her house to see three police cruisers out front. Jeff met them just as they got out of the cab.

“They broke the back window to get in,” Jeff said. “Then strolled out the fuckin’ back door.” He looked at Tilly seeing that she’d been crying and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, Till, it’s okay,” he whispered. “We’ll get the bastard.” After several seconds, he looked down at her. “You good?”

“I’m… I’m okay,” she pulled back and told him. “I have to be.”

Oz gave a small smile as he saw her tough side coming out. Thatta girl.

“
Gimme your keys,” Jeff said. “We’ll go in and look around.”

She frowned then dug her keys out of her purse handing them to him. Then she and Oz stood back, watching as Jeff talked to several of the other officers then they moved to various positions on the porch and around the house as Jeff unlocked the door, gun drawn. She gasped
as she watched him take the lead, the others following him inside. Oz wrapped an arm around her pulling her into him, her front to his side. She grabbed his coat sleeve and buried her face against his arm trying not to think about her dad and Uncle Tim. When Jeff finally came to the door motioning them inside and telling them it was all clear, she realized she’d been holding her breath the entire time.

Oz looked down at her. “You ready?” he asked quietly.

She looked up at him then at her front door, nodded, grabbed his hand in hers (which he so totally loved right then), and walked up the steps but hesitated at the door.  She gave him a grateful smile when he squeezed her hand then led her inside.

Oz looked around
, not really seeing anything out of place, but he’d only been in her house the two times, so he definitely was no expert on the situation.

“Uh, everything seems okay
,” Tilly muttered as she looked around the living room.

Oz and Jeff followed her, keeping sharp eyes out for anything that seemed amiss, but it wasn’t until they got to her studio that they heard her gasp.

“Oh, God. My laptop’s gone!”

“Fuck,” Oz mumbled.
He’d hoped it’d been a false alarm, that whoever’d broken in had gotten scared and run off.

Jeff led the crime scene techs into her studio a minute later and they instantly started dusting for fingerprints
like they had the first time.

Tilly looked through the drawers in her desk and in her cabinets
making sure nothing else was missing when she stopped and looked at Oz then at her brother, the anger showing clearly on her face. “Swear to God, Jeff, I’ll beat the shit out of him! I know it’s Doug! Who else would do this?” she shrieked.

Oz saw t
he crime scene techs stop what they were doing, first looking at her then at Jeff who nodded for them to proceed. Oz took her by the elbow and led her out of the studio back into the living room while Jeff followed. “Gonna take her to my place for the night,” he said to Jeff who nodded in agreement.

It took Tilly a few seconds before she figured out that h
e was talking about her. “But… No! I’m staying here. I’m not going to let this asshole intimidate me!”

“You’re staying with me,” Oz said.

Tilly looked up at him, confused, and shook her head. “I’m not going to run away from this, John. I’m staying here!”

Like hell she was.
“You’re not,” he replied.

“I am too!” she said,
scowling at him, her chin jutting out in defiance.

His lip
s tipped up at the sides and he put a hand to his chin, rubbing his fingers slowly over his goatee. “You’re not.”

Jeff
watched this exchange and snickered. “You tell her, man,” he said to Oz, clapping him on the shoulder, which got him a dirty look from his sister. Then under his breath he said, “You’re what she needs. Been with that fuckin’ weasel for too damned long. She needs someone to take care of her. Take care of her, Oz.” He walked away to leave them at it.

And now
he had her brother’s blessing. Best friend’s approval, check. Brother’s, check. He was on a damned roll here. Now if he could get her to comply, he’d be good.

Tilly
blew out a breath then looked up at him, her eyes flashing dangerously, hands on her hips as she leaned into him. “John Osby, just because I’ve been in love with you for ten years, and now you waltz back into my life it doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do. I know you’re a badass security guy and hotter than anyone should ever be allowed to be, but that doesn’t mean you get to boss me around!”

Fucking hell.
Did she know what she’d just admitted? He remained calm and stood looking at her, not about to give in to her then watched in amusement when it finally dawned on her what she’d just said in her rant and he saw her eyes spark again.

God, so fucking cute.

His lips twitched again then he raised an eyebrow and bent down to get in her face
, using her full name as she’d done to him. “
Tilly Maxwell
, because you’ve haunted my fucking dreams for the last ten years and I’ve finally found you again and want to see where this goes with us, I’m not about to let you stay in a house that was just broken into. Now, we’re going to your room for you to get your things then you’re coming with me to my place.” He stood back up to his full height and watched as she processed that.

After several seconds, she looked up at him, and whispered in disbelief,
“I’ve haunted your dreams for ten years?”

“You’ve been in love with me for ten years?” he asked back, arching his brow.

She sputtered for a few seconds and he just barely held back his grin when she turned and stomped to the stairs then stomped all the way up to her room while he followed. He knew he was a shit for enjoying the way her hips swayed back and forth in the tight skirt she wore, but he really didn’t care right then because the view in front of him was spectacular.

At her room, h
e leaned against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest, watching her gather a bag then throw some things into it, all the while mumbling about how ridiculous it was that she had to go with him, and couldn’t she just go to Quinn’s or get a hotel for the night, or better yet she’d just go over to Doug’s and kick his ass now then she’d be able to come back to her
own
house and sleep in her
own
bed and be done with it all.

“Th
at’s it,” she snapped when she finished packing, zipping up the bag and turning to glare at him.

“Good,” he
said, holding back a chuckle as he strode over picking it up from her bed then putting his hand to the small of her back, guided her out of her room.

As he walked down the stairs behind her, again getting a terrific view of her ass, h
e didn’t know if it was the smartest idea he’d had or the dumbest in taking Tilly to his apartment only to have her be in his bed while he slept on the couch wishing the entire time he was lying by her side. Christ.

At the foot of the stairs, he
had her wait then went to Jeff letting him know they were leaving.

“I’ll
have someone come to repair the window immediately so tell her not to worry,” Jeff said. “Wasn’t kidding about what I said earlier. She’s closed off but I think you can change that.”

Oz nodded and shook Jeff’
s hand then turned to go back to Tilly. When he saw her standing at the base of the stairs, frowning at him and looking sexy as hell, he didn’t know how he’d survive the night.

“God
help me,” he muttered before he got to her. Then they walked together to the front door and out into the night.

Chapter 15

The
ride to John’s apartment was loads of fun.

Tilly
was livid that she was having to leave her house. Oh, and she may have been
totally friggin’ mortified
that she’d professed her love for him and then he’d called her on it. EEP! Why her stupid mouth kept blurting all her thoughts about him she had no clue, but, God, she was definitely suffering from an acute case of JohnOsbyontheBrainitis and the damned cure was nowhere in sight. Awesome.

But w
hat really unsettled her now was that he’d only smiled at her pronouncement then told her he wanted to see where things would go between them.

What the heck
did that mean?

At least
he could’ve replied, “I like you too, Tilly,” or, hell, she’d have taken, “You’re pretty special to me too, Tilly.” But nope. He’d uttered nothing of the kind. All he’d said was she’d been in his dreams, which was something she guessed, and it did let her know that she’d been on his mind over the years. But then again dental floss could’ve been on his mind over the years, so what did it all mean?

             
Ugh. She ordered herself to stop thinking, to put the walls around her heart back up and focus on just getting through the night then leaving in the morning where she’d hop a flight to South America and never have to face him again. Sounded legit.

So now, a
lthough she was curious to see where he lived, it didn’t really matter since there was no future there, and the silence hung heavy between them. Well, on her side it did. He didn’t seem to be bothered in the least as he sat with his arm draped over the back seat behind her and chatted with the driver about some basketball game that’d been on TV that afternoon. When the cab dropped them off at a high-rise, she walked with him inside, his hand at the small of her back (which she loved but she wasn’t going to let him know that), still not saying a word, still stewing about having to leave her house and being made to feel like a fool for what she’d said. She rode the elevator in silence to the seventh floor where she followed him to his door, which he opened, reaching inside to flick a light switch then held his hand out for her to enter first. She huffed, which made him give her that sexy half-grin again and made her want to smack him, but when she walked inside in front of him, she let out a small gasp. Dang. His place was awesome!

“You like?” he asked as he came in, closing and locking the door behind him.
He set her bag on a chair then helped her take off her coat, hanging it on a hook by the door and doing the same with his own.

She looked around at the gorgeous cherry hardwood floors of the loft apartment that was decorated
contemporarily, a big, brown leather sofa facing a TV the size of a movie theater screen. Okay, that was exaggerating a little, but the thing was humongous. The walls of the apartment were a warm tan that gave a homey feel to the space. There was a kitchen area with a bar, and to her right was a frosted screen with opened doors that spanned between two walls creating his “bedroom.” She couldn’t help but blush when she saw his huge bed inside.

“It’s very nice,” she said after clearing her throat.

He grinned at her. “Thanks. I’ll put your things in the bedroom. There’s a master bath, so you don’t have to worry about sharing.”

She frowned. “I can’t take your bedroom, John. I’ll take the couch.”

He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. “Bedroom.”

“It’s not like I’
m a real guest and I’m not going to put you out. I’ll take the couch.”

“Didn’t know any better, I’d think your specialty was debate instead of photography.
You’ve got the bedroom, Tilly. End of conversation.”

She looked at him for a few seconds between narrowed eyes then decided it wasn’t worth it to argue anymore. God, he was stubborn.
“Fine.”

S
he saw him grin again as he picked up her bag and she followed him into his bedroom where he placed it on the bed then turned to her. “Since we didn’t get dessert at the restaurant, got some tiramisu in the fridge I didn’t get to eat from dinner last night. Would you like some?”

She frowned
at his grin. God, he was bossy but then he was so sweet too, but, again, it really didn’t matter now did it. “Sure. Would you like some help?” she asked following him out of the bedroom to the kitchen.

“Plates are
in that cabinet,” he pointed, “and forks in that drawer,” he said, nodding toward the counter before opening the fridge and getting out the box of dessert.

She watched as he set
it on the counter and opened it. “You got this all for you?”

He shrugged.
“Had Piccoli’s deliver. And you can’t
not
get tiramisu when you eat at Piccoli’s.” She was staring at him. “What?”

“I love Piccoli’s,” she murmured. “Their tiramisu is fabulous.
You’ve got good taste.”

“Only the best for me,” he said with a chuckle
as he placed pieces of the cake on plates. “Wine? I’ve got a moscato that’s pretty good, or if that’s too sweet I can make coffee?” he asked as he opened a cabinet waiting to hear if he should get glasses or mugs.

“Moscato sounds great.”
She carried the plates over to the bar then sat down, watching him moving about the kitchen, looking so sexy in his jeans and dark shirt, so in control of his body like the athlete he still was. When he opened the door to the refrigerator, she watched his back muscles stretch against his shirt when he reached in to grab the wine. Damn, he was built nicely. He turned to place the bottle on the counter and caught her looking at him, and the way he looked back at her made her suck in a breath. If those weren’t bedroom eyes he’d just flashed at her, she had no other way to describe them. God, had she thought he was dangerous? He wasn’t just that, he was freakin’ lethal. She looked away quickly to break the contact between them.
Focus, Tilly, damn it!

“So tell me
more about your business,” he said as he reached into a drawer and got a corkscrew out, opening the bottle and pouring their drinks. He brought them over then sat next to her.

Tilly proceeded to tell him all about how she’d gotten started, telling him some funny stories about shoots she’d had
, making him really laugh when she told him about how she’d made Jeff pose for her portfolio when she was still in college and he’d practically cried the entire time.

“I’m sure he enjoyed every minute of it,” Oz said with a laugh as
he took a bite of the tiramisu.

S
he’d never been jealous of an eating utensil before as she watched his mouth, but right then, she so envied his fork. Looking down and shaking her head, she chuckled to herself at her ridiculous thoughts then took a bite of her own and noticed it’d suddenly gotten quiet. She looked up to see his amber eyes piercing hers, which, again, made her suck in a breath. Jeez, if this kept up, she was going to faint for lack of air.

“What?” she whispered.

“You’re stunning, Tilly. Really never thought I’d see you again. Hoped I would, but I’m thanking whatever god it was who brought you back into my life.”

“John…” she whispered again, dipping her head down
, embarrassed, then reminded herself that he wasn’t serious about her. He just wanted to see where things went between them, which she now concluded that with the way he was acting it just meant he wanted to get her in bed.

He put a finger under her chin, bringing her head back up. “Beautiful,” he said, then leaned over and kissed her.

Wow.

H
e tasted fantastic, the mixture of sweets on his tongue touching hers, and he felt so good as he gently cupped her chin, kissing her so passionately it awoke everything that’d previously laid dormant inside her. Dear God. She knew at that moment she’d never experienced this kind of passion before, never had any man even come close to drawing it out of her. And so caught up in the thrill of it all, she threw herself wholeheartedly into that kiss, her hands moving up his chest, grabbing hold of his shirt at his shoulders as she pulled him closer, pressing her lips harder to his, and without realizing it, moaning loudly as her tongue continued twisting with his.

The kiss
went on for mere seconds or maybe an eternity, she couldn’t say, and when his arms wrapped tightly around her and he pulled her hard against his chest as he muttered, “
Fuck
,” she really went wild, her hands at his shoulders clawing to bring him even closer as she pressed her breasts into his chest. God, she could kiss him forever, it was that good.

And then she came to her friggin’ senses
, pulling away and looking up at him in shock. Gah!

“Oh,
my gosh,” she whispered, her eyes big as she gaped at him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. God!” She buried her face in her hands mortified that she’d literally just mouth raped him. Ugh.

But, holy crap, she wanted him.
So much for him being the dangerous one.

Well, m
aybe she
could
do his whole “see where this is going” thing. She’d sleep with him then walk away tomorrow.

And t
hat flight to South America just sounded better and better.

***

Holy fuck. Tilly was a goddamned wildcat. He knew it. Behind that reticent, demure demeanor was a woman just waiting for a man to bring out her wild side. And he was going to be the one to take her there.

“Baby,” he murmured, pulling her hands away from her face. When s
he kept her head down, he cupped her jaw, pulling it up to get her to look at him. “Tilly.”

Her eyes were closed and he couldn’t help but chuckle at her being so embarrassed. She finally opened them and looked at him as if humiliated. And he didn’t like that.
She shouldn’t feel that way about what happened.

“Hey, what’s going on in there?” he asked with a concerned frown, putting his finger to her temple.

She twisted her mouth to the side and pulled her lip between her teeth, as she looked anywhere but at him. He moved his hand down and cupping her jaw once again, used his thumb to pull her lip out from between her teeth then proceeded to run it over her bottom lip.

Tilly took a deep
breath, letting it out slowly then smiled weakly at him. “I didn’t mean to get so caught up in our, uh, kiss. You have to know that I’ve only had two lovers, so I’m pretty inexperienced and don’t really know what I’m doing.”

He looked
at her knowing she had no clue how wrong she was. He got that she felt that way, but she was all woman, and he hated that she felt self-conscious about what’d happened between them just then.

“Gonna be honest with you, Tilly. You may think you’re inexperienced, I’ll give you that
, seeing as you’ve only been with two other men, but, babe, you know what you’re doing even though you think you don’t. Telling you right now, I want you in my bed. Thought it in high school and know it now.”

She
jerked her head back and raised her eyebrows in surprise before she remembered to be embarrassed and a blush covered her lovely face.

He moved his hand to the back of
her neck, pulling her closer to him as he leaned down, looking into her eyes. “Want you, Tilly.” He was no longer the scared kid in high school who had to get drunk to tell her how he felt. He was a grown man who knew what he wanted, and it was her.

A small gasp escaped her as her eyes went wide. Then she whispered, “You scare me, John.”

Well, shit. That was definitely something he didn’t want her to be. He slowly removed his hand from her neck and sat back as he studied her for a second. Then he gave her his half grin, which made her eyes get even wider. “Nothing to be scared of with me, Tilly.”

Damn.
He’d have to be smart and take it slow with her. Let her go at her own pace. And try not to scare her off in the meantime.

“I—I think I’ll get ready for bed now,” she said quietly as she nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

He leaned back toward her, taking her hands in his. “You know that, right? You don’t have to be afraid with me.” He looked into her eyes to see a woman who looked terrified. “Tilly?”

She licked her lips
and his eyes immediately went to her luscious mouth, wanting them on his again. God, she was going to kill him with her subtle little habits she had. Surprisingly, she reached a hand out and ran her fingers over his goatee. “So strange,” she murmured. At his questioning look she explained, “We’re adults. It’s so strange to see the boy I once knew all grown up.” She smiled softly then repeated, “I think I’ll get ready for bed. Good night, John.”

She got off the stool, taking her plate
and glass to the sink then walked to his room, turning to give him what looked like a sad smile then slid the frosted doors closed behind her. He watched her go then stayed seated at the bar finishing the rest of his wine and thinking about how much they really had changed from their high school days. He’d gone from being a damned felon to serving his country to someone who now saved the world from bad guys; he chuckled to himself at that grandiose thought. Then his thoughts went to Tilly. The only way she’d changed was that she was even more beautiful now than she’d been at seventeen. But he knew from that last smile she’d given him that she needed to feel comfortable with him and able to relax. It bothered him that there was still something holding her back, scaring her about getting involved with anyone, which he thought again was probably due to the losses she’d experienced. Yeah, he’d have to take this slow.