The Bride's Bodyguard

“Like you think I’m some pampered diva.”

“Aren’t you?”

She growled and snatched her wrist from his grip. “Can I at least use my cell phone to call my family and make sure they’re safe? Let them know I’m all right?”

Jake rolled the tension from his shoulders, knowing how his answer wouldn’t be received. “No. Cell phones can be tracked. In fact…give me your phone. We have to get rid of it.”

Paige sputtered, her eyes wide. “Get rid—But all my contacts are on—”

He seized her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “Listen to me, and listen good. You saw what those men were capable of. This is no game. I can keep you alive and help you figure out what is going on, what you have that they want, but you have to trust me. You have to do what I tell you without question. All right? ”

She opened her mouth, but immediately snapped it shut again. Fear and defeat crossed her face, and her muscles slackened beneath his hands. When she nodded her understanding, instead of feeling he’d won her cooperation, he felt a sense of loss.

“Where’s your phone?”

She pointed to the floral suitcase. “In my purse. I packed it for safekeeping during the ceremony and reception.”

He lay the suitcase flat on the floor and opened it. He handed her the handbag that had been tucked in one corner, and Paige fished her cell phone out. With an irritated huff, she handed the phone to him. He tucked the phone in his pocket and strode to the empty living room. After glancing out the front window, he lowered the blinds. “I’m going back out to get us a few things for tonight. Clothes for me. Food. Cash for later. I’ll pick up a prepaid phone while I’m out, and you can use it to call your family. Okay?”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll be seen?”

He scoffed. “Give me some credit. I’m a SEAL. I know how to avoid being spotted.”

Paige wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her bare elbows, despite the stuffy heat inside the house. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Stay out of sight. And try to think what you have, what Scofield might have given you or hidden in your suitcase that terrorists would want. Make a list of everything he’s given you in the last few months. We have to figure out what the hell this bead is.”

Paige stared at him, looking dazed, overwhelmed.

He crossed the room to her and cradled her chin in his palm. “Hey. You all right?”

“Guess I have to be. Don’t have much choice.” Ducking her head, she muttered, “As usual.”

Jake frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She shook her head. “Never mind. You go do what you have to.”

He lingered another moment, debating whether he should press the issue, deciding whether he should insist she go with him. In the end, he decided he could move faster and more discreetly without her in tow. She’d be safer here, stashed in the vacant house until he got back. But, just in case, he pulled his pistol out from under his shirt at the small of his back and wrapped her hand around it. “Keep this with you. Only put your finger on the trigger if you intend to fire.”

The color drained from her face. “I can’t… I’ve never—”

“Just aim, two hands, and squeeze the trigger.” He tweaked her chin and lifted a corner of his mouth in a grin intended to calm her. “Just be sure before you fire that it’s not me coming back from my supply run. Got it?”

She gaped at the pistol as if it were a venomous snake and hurriedly set it on the kitchen counter.

He headed out the back door they’d come in through, brushing aside the small curtain on a side window to look out first and check for neighbors who might see him leaving.

“Jake?” she called, stopping him.

He faced her. “Yeah?”

She hesitated, her expression puzzled and her gaze fixed on the ring on her left hand. “Never mind. It will keep.”

“What is it, Paige? Tell me.”

She sighed. “Well, I was just wondering… Am I married… or not?”

Chapter 3

Paige thumbed the elaborate ring Brent had insisted she have, and nausea swirled in her belly. “I mean, we said our vows, but I never finished giving Brent his ring, and the minister never declared us man and wife.”

She glanced up at Jake, who frowned, rolled his shoulders and shifted his weight. He’d been undaunted when they’d been under fire, running for their lives. So why did her simple question make him uncomfortable?

Then another, more ominous thought occurred to her. “I don’t even know if Brent survived the attack. How do I know I’m not a widow?”

Jake jutted out his chin. “Don’t borrow trouble or get hung up on worst-case scenarios. Until we know otherwise we’re going to assume Brent is alive and will be fine. Got it?”

He jammed his restless hands in his pockets and narrowed his eyes. “Did you sign the marriage license?”

Her pulse tripped. A weight seemed to lift from her chest, and the tension screwing her muscles in knots loosened. “No. We were supposed to do that after the ceremony, before the reception.”

“Then I’d say, in the eyes of the law, you’re not married.”

He had a point. She nodded her agreement and exhaled silently, determined not to show him her relief.

“Why?”

She jerked her head up to meet his querying gaze. “What do you mean, why? Wouldn’t you want to know if you were married or not?”

He shrugged. “Depends on if I really wanted to be married in the first place. Otherwise, the technical question of whether I’m married or not is moot.” His incisive dark eyes scrutinized her. “Even without the legalities in place, your intentions to wed are still valid, your love for your fiancé is unchanged, the commitment you’ve made to each other is unbroken. Signing the license is a mere formality, in my view.” He lifted an eyebrow and angled his head. “Right?”

Paige grabbed the edge of the counter behind her as her knees wobbled. “O-of course.”

“But…” Jake stepped toward her as his knowing gaze homed in on her. “If, by some chance, you were having second thoughts about getting married, if you weren’t as committed to your intended as you let everyone believe…”

Paige squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “Just what are you implying?”

He lifted a dismissive hand. “I’m not implying anything. I’m saying I saw your expression before Trench Coat busted in. I saw the doubt in your face. I saw your reluctance.”

Nervous energy shot through Paige, and she suppressed a tremble. “Don’t be ridiculous.” When she heard the lack of conviction in her tone, she cleared her throat and added, “You saw nothing more than typical jitters over being in front of a crowd. Or a…a moment of…reflection as I considered the… importance of the day and—”

“Bull.”

She gasped and shot him an affronted look.

“You can tell yourself that if you want, but I know what I saw.” His steady, keen gaze rattled her. “The SEALs trained me to read people, read body language, read subtle clues in facial expressions.”

Paige swallowed hard and pressed a hand over the riot of acid in her gut. “You’re wrong. I had every intention of marrying Brent before.” She flicked her hand, knowing he could fill in the blank.