Her Surprise Protector Read online

  His reply flitted on wings around my heart. It would’ve been fine if she came, but I’d rather have you all to myself, if only for a little while.

  How was I going to survive a date with this man? I couldn’t even sit alone in my house and read his text messages without blushing. It was like…it was like saying yes to a date was a signal that it was okay to pull out all the stops - be as honest and flirty as he wanted to be.

  As flirty, at least. The words, honest and flirty didn’t go hand in hand, Oscar had taught me that. Still, I was more than willing to have dinner with a handsome billionaire, enjoy a rare evening out, and see where things went from there. Even if it didn’t work out, it would probably be fun. Riker and his go-getter attitude would see to that.

  Chapter Seven

  Riker

  Today, it was my turn to drive Elena somewhere.

  Before she had offered me a ride home the evening I had been out jogging, I had never let the woman pick me up first. Or second. Or maybe even third. Since I usually had the nicer cars and liked to plan lavish dates, it only made sense that I be the gentleman and pick up the lady. I didn’t mind; in fact, I preferred it that way. It felt more chivalrous.

  Elena had asked if I would like her to meet me after work at the restaurant I had chosen, and I gave her a very emphatic no. “How about this,” I suggested instead when she presented me with the option on Thursday evening. “Go ahead and drive home from work so your car will be there, and then I’ll come pick you up for dinner when you’re ready.”

  With my feet propped up on my comfortable outdoor recliner, I smiled when Elena agreed without argument. We both knew she would rather go home, shower, and get ready after a long day at work, rather than rush to the restaurant. Besides, this would give me some time to do something I hadn’t done in a while.

  The weather wasn’t right. I had too many things to do – every weekend lately something had come up, and I missed going sailing. While Elena finished her Friday afternoon at the office, I would head out to the marina and get my weekend started early.

  The Persistence wasn’t all that impressive compared to the other boats in the marina, despite what people imagined. Since I was a billionaire, most of my friends expected I would have one of the most expensive yachts money could buy. They were always surprised when I explained my dad had bought her years ago. Even though our family spent most of our time in Manhattan, we always maintained the Eagles Perch here in the Hamptons - the estate I had inherited. During my youth, we spent every summer in the Hamptons enjoying our home on the beach and sailing along the Long Island shore.

  I didn’t need a new boat. A new boat wouldn’t come with memories of my father standing proudly on the deck, and running his weathered hand over the wheel. Then, I smiled to myself, remembering how once he had cursed until Mom told him, “Hush your mouth, and watch what you’re doing, Honey,” when he ran the Persistence aground. He also had spent countless hours, teaching a younger version of me how to cast my line over the side and wait patiently for a fish to bite.

  The one time I had brought Hallie sailing, she hated it. Hated the open ocean, hated the Persistence and listened with a yawn when I told her my dad named the sailboat after my mother since she had played hard to get for months. I shook my head at the thought. Hallie had bluntly told me, “When something doesn’t interest me, I don’t want you to think I’m rude if I just ignore what you’re talking about.”

  At the time, I didn’t have a rebuttal for her remark. But I didn’t judge what she said as a bad thing, technically. It was like she was trying not to be fake… her weird way of teaching me what bored her… but she had taken it too far. More and more often near the end of our relationship, she used that excuse not to listen to a thing I had to say and randomly cut me off, talking about herself instead.

  I got up abruptly and went to get ready for an afternoon of sailing. Thinking about Hallie was a great way to kill a good day right in its tracks. Besides, I had found that for a few days now, she hadn’t been the woman on my mind, filling my thoughts whenever I had a spare minute. A certain sexy single mom with red hair was displacing her.

  I liked to have someone to think about since it kept me from dwelling on myself too much. It certainly helped that Elena was a fascinating person. She talked about Bree all the time, but I never minded – all I could do was smile. Elena had confided to me that sometimes she felt overwhelmed, raising a child alone, and that was one reason she had tried to give her ex another chance.

  I couldn’t imagine anyone giving the man I had seen push her against a car a chance… Then I remembered I was guilty of the same thing. I definitely had given Hallie way too many chances. I had learned one thing in the last few weeks since meeting Elena; a glance or two wasn’t enough to get to know a person. Neither was over a year, apparently.

  Actually, it was, that tiny annoying voice in the back of my head reminded me. There were red flags. You just ignored them.

  I told the voice to shut up. For once, it listened, and soon I was on my way to the marina. The Persistence was waiting for me, as always. Stepping aboard, I patted her metal railing reverently.

  The ocean wasn’t too rough, and the breeze favorable. I had a wonderful afternoon relaxing and planning how I wanted my date with the most beautiful redhead in the world to unfold. By the time we returned to the marina, I had discarded all thoughts of Hallie and worked up a raging appetite.

  Hey, sorry, I was busy, I texted Elena back after noticing I had missed one from her. Still on for tonight?

  Definitely, just got home.

  Great. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.

  She didn’t reply, so I assumed she had jumped in the shower, and I headed home to do the same. The water felt too cool, so I turned up the temperature, and let the steam rise around me while I ran a razor over my face.

  Elena had a head start on me; I needed to hurry. Having plenty of clothes to choose from could be a blessing or a curse. So, while I was sailing, I had decided on the look I was going for this evening. I wanted to show Elena I had put some effort into deciding what to wear, but I also wanted to feel comfortable since the restaurant’s decor called for casual attire. Of course, I carefully chose the clothes that would accent my physique.

  I ended up choosing a pair of form-fitting jeans, a casual leather belt, and a button-down shirt. Women always notice shoes, so I wore a pair of top-siders that complimented my shirt. To complete my look, I slipped on a watch. A scoop of hair gel and a spritz of cologne, and I nodded at myself approvingly in the mirror.

  Ready? I texted Elena.

  Yes. Can’t wait!

  It wasn’t until I pulled up in front of her house that I realized I had only seen her in professional attire and comfortable, wear-around-the-house clothes. I got out to knock on her door, curiously waiting for her to open it, so I could see how Elena dressed when she went out.

  Elena did casual and professional so well… What would in-between look like?

  I shouldn’t have bothered to ask myself that question. The woman who opened the door was flawlessly beautiful, just like every other time I had seen her. Elena’s high-waisted jeans barely touched the bottom of her crop top, leaving a sliver of skin showing when her hips swayed as she walked. Then the top teasingly hid what it had just revealed when she stood still. Boots with heels gave her a few more inches of height, and she walked in them effortlessly. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion that Elena would fit perfectly under my chin right now…

  Staring is rude. I didn’t remember who or what had told me that. But it was true, so I stopped. “You look incredible.”

  Elena’s cheeks tinged with pink at the compliment. She must not be used to hearing them often… I would have to fix that. “I have you to thank for that, for getting me out of the house. I don’t usually dress up for Bree.”

  “Where is Bree this evening?” I asked, holding the door open for her as she grabbed her purse and stepped toward me.

  “I ha
ve a friend, Payton. She’s a single mother too, and we like to foist our kids off on each other occasionally. But she doesn’t know it’s you I have a date with.” The corner of her mouth twitched, and her eyes sparkled.

  “What?” I asked, aware of some joke that existed which I wasn’t privy to.

  “Payton has some, uh...strong opinions about you,” Elena said. “I told her about the dog and meeting you again at work.”

  “That’s fair,” I admitted, unsurprised. Elena had the right to share those opinions, and I just counted myself lucky that she didn’t, hopefully, hold them against me. “What do you think?”

  “I’m still making up my mind.” She flashed me a bright white smile, her eyes a vibrant blue even in the soon-to-be-setting sun.

  Despite lots of back-and-forth texting and chatting on the phone, I had wondered how this date would go. Elena had struck me as being eager to please, a little quiet, very polite and quick to apologize for anything she believed she had done in error.

  I needed to use what I had already learned on the drive to the restaurant to write a poem about not judging people based on first impressions. All these opinions I had formed about Elena were just…wrong. Wrong in a good way, but wrong.

  First and foremost, I had been on the nose with polite, but Elena was not quiet or shy in the slightest. She probably had only come off that way because I had yelled at her twice. On the way to the restaurant, I stopped to get gas. As soon as I opened my door, Elena hopped out too and continued chatting with me. She couldn’t resist cracking a quick, good-natured joke about a rich man getting his own gas.

  I chuckled at that. “What? Did you expect me to have a chauffeur?”

  “Maybe so,” she admitted. “Ooh, your dog is so cute!”

  Engrossed in inserting my credit card the right way, it took me a moment to realize she wasn’t talking to me and looked up. A man with grizzled gray hair scratched the head of his yellow lab, which was sticking its head out the back window of the man’s truck as he gassed up the vehicle. “He knows it, too. Don’t let him fool you. He’d steal your dinner fast as you can say cute.”

  “May I pet him?” The man agreed, of course – what man wouldn’t let a sexy redhead pet his dog?

  With a wry grin, I swallowed the words I had been about to say and put the nozzle in the gas tank. We hadn’t even made it twenty minutes into our first date, and I had already lost Elena to a guy with four feet and a tail.

  “Sorry, I’m a sucker for puppers.”

  “Puppers” hadn’t been the word I had expected at all, and I almost choked on my laugh. “He is pretty cute. I promise I don’t hate dogs. I was just surprised on the beach that day.”

  “I didn’t think you did hate dogs. You can be a bit scary, but not dog-hater scary.” Elena grinned saucily and popped back into the car as I closed the door to the gas tank.

  This girl, man. I had to be on my toes 24/7 to talk to Elena. Otherwise, I would find myself left in verbal dust.

  We reached the restaurant without any further incident – not that anything counted as an incident so far, really. But when we turned into the place and parked, Elena grew quiet. “What’s up?” I asked, worried that I had again misjudged her.

  “Uh…is this where we’re eating?”

  I glanced at the restaurant a bit anxiously. The Fishhook was a Mediterranean place that boasted some of the best seafood in East Hampton. I figured it was perfect for a first date. “I was planning to, yes. You told me you liked seafood.”

  “Yes… but that’s not it,” she protested. “It’s just…this place is very expensive.”

  I almost laughed as I pushed open my car door and walked around to open her’s. When Elena began getting out without waiting for me, I went with the flow and stepped back - allowing Elena to show me she valued her independence. “Relatively speaking, I suppose, but since I’m paying, it doesn’t matter.”

  Elena just stood in the parking lot for a moment, chewing her lip. “You don’t feel obligated to do this, do you?” she asked suddenly. “I mean, this isn’t your way of trying to apologize, is it?”

  In reply, I did something I had never done before; I touched Elena. Her hand was cool in mine despite the warm sun, and I remembered that she had been resting her arm on the center console between us. I should have made a move then because now that I held her hand, I never wanted to let go. “No.” I pushed up the sunglasses I had worn to drive so she could see the honesty in my eyes. “I genuinely wanted to go on a date with you, Elena. I already said my apology. I also didn’t want to spend Friday evening alone,” I admitted, letting a smile break through my serious expression.

  Elena didn’t remove her hand, but she did turn toward the restaurant. “Then, this restaurant is perfect.”

  I let her give me a tug toward the front doors, both so I could watch her walk and take a moment to collect myself. God, now that I had done it once, I wanted to keep touching Elena, again and again, moving from her hand to places that I needed not imagine in public…

  “Two?” a waitress asked when we stepped inside. Her voice helped ground my desire, reminding me that I didn’t want things to move too quickly. That had been one of my problems in previous relationships. I charged ahead when I became interested in someone, reacting to dating milestones as a bull does to a matador’s red cape. Slow, sweet build-up was something I had never tried. But somehow, I knew that I didn’t want it any other way with Elena.

  “Yes, please,” Elena answered before I could speak. “Thanks,” she said politely as soon as the waitress showed us to our table covered by a crisp white tablecloth, surrounded by two sky blue chairs.

  “Can I get you anything to drink aside from water?” she asked, pen ready.

  “Um…” Elena glanced to me for an answer to that question.

  “Can we have a bottle of your best red wine?” I asked, trusting the staff to make a selection. I could choose my own wine well enough, but I didn’t want to spend a single second with my face buried in a wine menu when I could be talking to Elena.

  “Absolutely.” Her confident answer put any doubts I had to rest. “Let me get that for you.” The waitress made her way expertly between the tables.

  “Brave guess, not everyone likes red wine.”

  “You do, though.”

  “Well, yes, but you didn’t know that.”

  I grinned across the table. “Well, actually I did. I saw a bottle of red in your kitchen…and I’m assuming it didn’t belong to Bree.”

  Elena laughed loud and clear, and I realized right then and there that I loved her laugh. People usually didn’t laugh just once. They strung laughs together to make laughter – more than one laugh, in other words. Elena did that too, but each and every laugh was its own clear, sweet sound. It was unique and beautiful at the same time, and I found myself more charmed than ever.

  The date progressed as any first dinner date should. We ordered, we ate, and we drank, both of us growing flirtier as the wine hit. Halfway through a sip, Elena stopped and eyed the rapidly disappearing contents of the bottle. “Uh…don’t you need to drive home?”

  I feigned surprise as I stared at her. “No, didn’t you see my chauffeur in the back seat earlier?”

  For once, my words flustered Elena, and she fumbled for a reply. I let her think for a moment, then dropped the act. “Kidding, kidding. I’m being careful, don’t worry. And I was kind of hoping we could walk down to the docks and talk for a while before taking you home.”

  “Sure.” She didn’t have to give my idea a second thought before agreeing, and that was just another thing to like about Elena. I had told her part of the plan for this date and granted, it wasn’t anything too crazy. But she didn’t mind that I had added something she wasn’t expecting. I liked a woman who didn’t need to know everything about everything and didn’t have to share everything with me to check that it was okay.

  Spontaneous, that was the word I was looking for. Elena was able to step outside a schedule or a
plan and enjoy things as they came.

  Our plates scraped clean, a generous tip on the table, the check paid, and the bottle of wine empty; we finally stood to leave. I chanced a glance at my watch and raised my eyebrows at the time. We had spent over two hours in the restaurant, just talking.

  Elena and I ended up spending another two on the docks. For a while, we walked and talked, but neither of us wanted to walk for long with full stomachs. The pale, round moon rose to find us sitting at the end of the quiet pier, letting our legs hang above the water as we watched the shifting ocean shimmer in the moonlight.

  Five minutes in, I reached for her hand. Ten minutes, I shifted closer. Fifteen found my arm wrapped around her waist, holding her to my side.

  Twenty found us locked in a passionate kiss.

  A few dark clouds raced over the moon, but it didn’t matter, and I closed my eyes, surrendering to bliss. A single glance at Elena’s face would be enough for anyone to remember every single detail.

  Now, I could feel her soft, forgiving lips respond to my own, touch the hair I so admired, and brush my hands across her cheek to bring her closer.

  Then a few moments later, I realized this evening didn’t belong to me alone and what by body wanted might not be what Elena wanted. So I broke the kiss, pulling away but staying close beside her. “Thanks for going out with me tonight,” I whispered, my lips just touching hers while I resisted the urge to move in for another kiss. But if I kissed her again, I didn’t think I could ever stop…

  “I had fun. A lot of fun.”

  Elena’s soft hands touching my arms were driving me crazy, so I leaned away. “I’m good to drive now,” I said truthfully. Over the years, I had gotten very good at judging my limits, and I felt totally fine…just a little heady due to the proximity of a certain redhead.