Catch (Coronado Series Book 4) Read online

  Catch

  CORONADO SERIES

  BOOK FOUR

  LEA HART

  Copyright © 2016 by Lea Hart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Lea Hart

  Visit my website at www.leahartauthor.com

  .

  DEDICATION

  For My Daughters, My Heartbeat

  For My Mom, My Champion

  Also by Lea Hart

  Latched

  Snatched

  Attached

  Catch

  Match

  First and Ten Series

  First Down

  Second Down

  Third Down

  (Coming in December 2016)

  SAI Series

  Vortex

  Whirlwind

  Tempest

  (October 2016)

  CHAPTER ONE

  As Chris got ready to leave, he noticed a light in the back office and wondered who else was working late. His heavy footsteps were absorbed by the thick carpet as he made his way along the corridor. Approaching the door, he saw Rachel still at her desk. “Hey, Rachel.”

  Startled, she put a hand on her chest and grimaced. “Jeez! You almost gave me a heart attack. Why are you here so late on a Friday night?”

  “The same question could be asked of you. Don’t you have a life?” Her expression closed down, and he realized he’d insulted her. Nice job, man. Made her feel like a million bucks. “What I meant to say…”

  She waved her hand in interruption. “Don’t worry about it. To answer your question, I’m finishing up some final details for the Sandbox division. Rory gave me some updates, and I want to complete them before the weekend.” Spinning around, she went back to work. “Have a nice weekend.”

  Taking a step inside, he noticed faint traces of her perfume in the air. He took a deep breath to absorb as much of the fragrance as he could and hoped she wouldn’t notice. No one smelled better than Rachel Miller. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

  She kept an eye on her computer and kept typing away. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, though.”

  Well, that was a clear brush-off. “Okay, have a good weekend. See you later.”

  She finally looked up and made eye contact. “Thanks, Chris.”

  Striding down the hall, he knew he couldn’t leave her there by herself. Max and Rory would have a fit if they found out she was here so late alone. I’ll go get my tablet out of the truck and wait for her. It would be better to have her pissed off at him than Rory.

  As he made his way down to his truck, his head filled with the memory of meeting her and how stunned he was by her beauty. Nothing had changed in the year that they’d known one another, except he liked her more each day. It had been a big mistake not to do something about it when he discovered she was single. Why had he hesitated? It wasn’t something he’d ever done in his career, so why did tiny, sweet Rachel Miller scare the shit out of him? Shaking his head, he scrubbed his hand down his face and tried to grab a deep breath. Thinking of her lavender eyes, dark hair, and pretty smile always made his heart beat double-time. Which made him extremely awkward around her. Whenever he’d tried to talk to her, something stupid would come out of his mouth. He could never step out of his own way, and it wasn’t getting better with time.

  As he grabbed his tablet from his truck a feeling of unease skittered down his back. Something wasn’t right, and he couldn’t figure it out. The sharp feeling of concern increased as he returned upstairs. Most people assumed he didn’t have feelings, but he did, and paying attention to them had kept him alive on the Teams for over ten years. Max always said that his intuition had saved the platoon more times than he could count. Chris knew that was true, so he hustled quickly upstairs.

  Jogging toward the elevator, he went up to the lobby and hoped like hell that Rachel was okay. As the doors slid open, he saw her being manhandled by a guy. A flash of hot anger rose, and he immediately shoved it down. Taking a breath with each step, he quickly gained control of his mind and body in much the same way he did when he was out in the field. As he got closer, he could see that she was scared out of her mind, but also angry. Clearly this was a situation that she was familiar with, and this asshole had threatened her before. Well, this was going to be the last time. That was for damn sure.

  He used a loud voice to jar the asshole. He wanted to shock him into letting go of her. He needed to get in between the guy and Rachel. After that it would be easy. It would be easy either way, but he didn’t want her to become more frightened than she already was. “Get your hands off my girlfriend!” When the man’s hands dropped, Rachel quickly stepped away.

  They both turned around and appeared equally shocked at his arrival. Inserting himself next to Rachel, he put his big, beefy arm around her and gazed into her eyes. Shit, she was going into shock. Her pupils were dilated, and she was taking short, shallow breaths. “Hi, baby. I told you I would come up and get you.” As he stared into her beautiful eyes, he willed her to go along with it. He gently kissed her forehead and felt her clammy skin against his lips. “Take a couple of deep breaths. I got this.” When she leaned against him in silent agreement, he silently congratulated himself. First step completed, now it was time to take care of the asshole in front of him. A tremor passed through her body, so he took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Better?” She nodded and let out a breath.

  Turning around, he regarded the asshat who was terrorizing her and gave him a hard, assessing look. The guy was built and had the appearance of someone who used steroids. He also seemed to have the personality to go with it. The guy was in ’roid rage and had seemingly lost control.

  Leaning in, he spoke with a deadly calm. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Don’t touch my girlfriend. Do you want to die early, man? You must have a fucking death wish.”

  The guy stared at him with small, mean eyes. Chris knew what he looked like, and it usually made people cross the street. He was as wide as he was tall, and his years in combat showed in his face and personality. Whoever this stupid fuck was…seemed to figure out that he was the real deal.

  “Rachel never told me she was seeing someone. I thought we were still sort of together.”

  For the second surprise of the evening, he watched sweet, tiny Rachel lose her shit.

  “Dean, you’re the stupidest man in the universe. I have a restraining order against you! We went out for two months, and you’ve harassed me and made my life miserable since I broke up with you last year. How does that make you think we’re still together?”

  She pulled out her phone and speed dialed someone. Chris leaned over and noticed that she was calling the San Diego Police Department. This had been going on for far too long and he was going to make it stop. Tonight.

  “Hi, Gus. Yeah, it’s Rachel. I’m staring at Dean, and he’s harassed me again at work. He’s violating the restraining order once more. Yes, I have a witness. I’ll send you the pictures, and you can pull the video footage from the cameras in the lobby for the file as well. Thanks. Say hi to your family.” She hung up.

  “Chris,” she said, “would you mind taking a picture of Dean and me? I need it for his file.” She handed him her phone and waited for him take
the pictures. “Did you get a couple of good ones?”

  “I did. Make sure that you like them.” He wrapped his arm around her again and swore she felt like marble. Beautiful on the outside, cool to the touch and hard as flint on the inside.

  Dean stood with his feet apart and his chest thrust forward as he bounced on the balls of his feet. He gave Rachel a cold stare and sneered. “You didn’t have to call Gus. It makes my life difficult. Why did you do it?”

  “I will not put up with this anymore. If I can make your life difficult, then I’m going to do it. All you have to do is leave me alone and forget I exist. It’s not that hard. Find something else to do with your time.”

  Chris thought it might be his turn, so he stared the idiot in the eye and made his intentions crystal clear. “Dean, you know that Rachel works for a security firm, right?” Dean nodded reluctantly. “You should also know we’re all retired Special Forces.” Now the asshole was shuffling his feet as a look of surprise crossed his face. “Good. I’m glad you understand. Rachel is family, and we protect our own. She’s also mine, and I don’t want her to be upset or unhappy in any way. So it appears that you and I have a problem, because you’re fucking with what’s mine.”

  He noticed Dean paying closer attention. “I’ve run out of patience, and I’m ready to take care of this problem once and for all,” Chris added. The man was sweating and shaking his head. “I don’t want to have to get rid of your body after I kill you. It’s messy and time-consuming, and I have better things to do with my time. So make this the last time that she ever sees your face. I don’t give second chances.”

  Dean studied him for a long moment and then turned to Rachel. “We could’ve been happy together.”

  She took a step forward, and Chris managed to hold on to her arm. “No, we couldn’t have,” she said, “because you’re unhinged. You need to stop taking the steroids. They make you crazy. You should also quit the MMA fighting. Try yoga.”

  The way he was looking at her defied description. It was a mixture of pain, anger, and sadness. Chris guessed that he was a man who never dealt with reality. He gave Rachel one long glare, then turned and crashed through the front door of the building and stalked down the street.

  They both watched him walk out, and Rachel let a loud breath escape. “Thanks, Chris. Sorry you had to see that.”

  “Are you nuts?” Chris asked.

  She took a step back and put her purse in front of her in a defensive move. “I‘m going home now.”

  She spun toward the elevators, and he caught her hand before she got in. “Hey, wait a minute, Rachel. I didn’t mean to insult you. I always seem to put my foot in my mouth around you.”

  “It’s fine. See you later.” She started trembling and seemed to want to escape.

  He continued to hold on to her hand as her body began to shake. She was going to fall apart any second, so he gently pulled her toward the front doors. “Come on. Let me buy you dinner. There’s a great Italian place around the corner.”

  For someone so small, she was surprisingly strong as she resisted his efforts. He turned back and could tell tears were going to start falling any second. He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders and finally got her to move. Guiding her out the front doors of the building, he scanned the area for the closest bench. “Let’s have a seat.” She looked around wild-eyed, and he could tell she was trying to figure out how to rabbit. Her legs started to give out as he guided her to the bench.

  “Oh, Chris…I didn’t want you to see this. I’m fine. You can go.” Her body continued to shake violently as the adrenaline drained out.

  “Sweetheart, just lean against me and close your eyes. The adrenaline dump will take a while to pass, but I have a feeling you already know that.” She nodded and kept herself as stiff as she could against him. “I want you to relax. One of the advantages of being a big guy is that I put off a lot of heat, and I want you to take advantage of that.” He wrapped his arm a little tighter around her, and she finally relaxed against him. The shaking got worse as he held her close. That was what he could give her now: his stillness and strength. Hell, he could sit here for a week if he thought that’s what she needed. Things finally didn’t seem so awkward between them. At least for him, saving people was what he did best and this was something that he could easily do for her. As long as she let him.

  Resting against him, she absorbed his heat as the shock passed through her body. What a luxury to have someone to lean on. She hadn’t had that in such a long time, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like. The fact that it was Chris she was leaning on made it even better. The heat from his body drifted into her limbs, and it was a welcome change. This certainly wasn’t how a confrontation with Dean usually ended.

  She pulled his coat tighter around her shoulder and noticed it still held his scent--a mixture of soap and the outdoors. Whatever it was smelled delicious.

  As the last of the adrenaline left her body, the tremors slowly subsided. Opening her eyes, she peeked up at Chris and was grateful as well as embarrassed. “I always think it’s over with him, and it never seems to be. I appreciate you taking the time to intervene tonight. It usually doesn’t end with him walking away.” She let his coat slip off her shoulders and started to stand up. “Thanks, Chris. I’m going to head home and have a big glass of wine.”

  He held on to her hand. “I’m taking you to dinner. Remember?”

  “That’s a lovely offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do.” She slipped her hand free and started to step away. “Thank you, again.”

  When she’d first met him, she was instantly attracted to him. Every time she was within ten feet of him, her heart raced, and her thoughts sped around her head, making her incapable of conversation. All she could ever do was stare up at him mutely as she tried to come up with something to say. She always felt foolish and often hoped it would get better the more they were around one other. But it never did. The best she could hope for was not to embarrass herself. Her life was a mess, and she needed it all cleaned up before she could think about someone new. Especially someone like Chris.

  Now that he’d seen what she was involved in, there was no way he would be interested. She would just end up being a problem that he had to take care of. And that was not something she wanted to let happen.

  He caught up with her in two strides and stood in front of her. Gently he lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. “I want to take you out and make sure that you’re okay.” The expression he saw on her face almost broke his heart. She appeared like the weight of the world was on her tiny shoulders and she was about to break. How could someone do that to his Rachel? A hot rage filled him as he thought about someone causing her this much pain and sadness. He was going to take care of this guy and make sure that he never bothered her again.

  Taking both of her hands, he bent down so he could smile into her eyes. “Please go to dinner with me. I don’t feel like eating alone.” He watched her eyes fly up to his with a look of surprise. Why should she be so surprised? He ate alone a lot.

  “Chris, I see how handsome you are, and I know you have your pick of women. I’m not a charity case. Please don’t take pity on me.”

  “I’m not taking pity on you. Are you nuts?”

  He saw a flash of anger pass across her face. “Quit asking me if I’m nuts. I’m not nuts! One unfortunate dating decision doesn’t make me crazy. I thought you were nice, but maybe I’m wrong.”

  “I don’t think you’re crazy. It seems we’re having two different conversations here. Can we at least go to the coffee place over there to have them? If you won’t eat with me, then come have something to drink.” He watched her wipe a tear away and couldn’t stop himself as he gathered her up and hugged her. “Honey, I am nice. At least when I’m with you.”

  Desire pulsed through his body as her body aligned against his. It was an inappropriate response considering the situation, but he’d been attracted to her for a long time, and he couldn’t
seem to help it. When she relaxed against him and her small hand rested on his chest, he swore his heart made an extra beat because of it. He’d had a big old-fashioned kindergarten crush on her for over year, and he couldn’t believe that he finally got to have her wrapped up in his arms. Granted, the situation that brought them together was awful, but it wasn’t anything that he couldn’t take care of. And take care of it he would.

  He knew he didn’t understand women and had never really tried. But standing on the street in downtown San Diego with Rachel Miller in his arms made him want to try to understand. Pulling back, he ran his finger down her cheek, and enjoyed how soft her skin felt against his hand. His desire to know how every inch of her tasted thundered violently through his body. A small whisper of hope unfurled in his heart that it might possible. It would be a miracle if he ever got the chance, but maybe he was due for one.

  Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “Let’s go have dinner. I’m hungry.”

  Staring up at him, she smiled. “Thank you, but I want it to be my treat. I’ve taken up your whole evening, and it’s only right.”

  He almost asked Are you nuts? again but caught himself in time. “Rachel, I invited you, and I’ll never let you pay for anything if you’re in my company.”

  “Well, forget dinner, then. Let’s go shoe shopping. I saw a lovely pair of shoes at Nordstrom last week, so let’s go there instead.”

  “Okay. When do you want to go?”

  “I’m kidding. No one ever gets my sense of humor. I don’t want you to buy me anything. I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. Thanks for the offer.”

  “I invited you, and I will be paying, and that’s the end of the discussion.”

  “I’m going to try that some time--declare that it’s the end of something and see if anyone buys it. Who knows? Maybe I can declare myself a pretty, pretty princess and have someone give me a tiara.”