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  “No, sir.”

  “This is a pseudo-seduction, for lack of a better description. I don’t want her to want you, per se. I just want her to want anyone but Derrick. You’re there to instill doubt and I know you can make that happen.”

  He could, Jamie knew. He just didn’t want to do it. Not to her. It was wrong and underhanded, a personal interference he knew that she wouldn’t appreciate. “Sir, I realize that I don’t know your granddaughter, but if she ever finds out that you’ve done something like this, she’ll—”

  “That’s why she’ll never find out,” Garrett said in his typical omnipotent voice. “She’s special,” he told Jamie. “She deserves someone who will see that. That blowhard Derrick sees nothing beyond himself.”

  Jamie passed a hand over his face. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I noticed.”

  “You met him?” he asked, surprised.

  “He interrupted my check-in. He came in and demanded to see Audrey.”

  “Then certainly you can see why I’ve resorted to these somewhat…unorthodox measures.”

  Actually, though Jamie didn’t appreciate being the means to which Garrett reached his end, he did see why the Colonel would take such a drastic approach to derailing the relationship. He couldn’t imagine any woman being permanently interested in Derrick, much less Audrey. Why? he wondered, intrigued beyond what was appropriate. What was she doing with someone who was so obviously wrong for her?

  Jamie’s head began to hurt. “If I’m going to do this, then I need a little back story.”

  “There’s no if, Flanagan,” Garrett told him gruffly. “You owe me and you agreed to my terms.”

  And there it was, Jamie thought with a mental sigh. “Fine. Bring me up to speed. How long have they been dating?”

  “Too long.”

  Anything beyond a minute would be too long, but that wasn’t the answer he’d been looking for. “Naturally. Could you be a little more specific?”

  “A little more than a year and half.”

  So definitely long enough to know whether they wanted to take things to the next level. Clearly Derrick did, otherwise he wouldn’t have issued an ultimatum. And it had to have been an ultimatum, otherwise he wouldn’t have added a time frame into the mix. So what were the consequences of saying no? Jamie wondered. A break-up? Most likely. Derrick seemed like the type.

  “Is Audrey aware of the fact that you don’t approve of Derrick?” Jamie knew the answer to that question before it was even fully out of his mouth. The Colonel was always willing to share his opinion—whether a person wanted to hear it or not.

  The Colonel laughed. “What do you think?”

  “Right,” Jamie said, feeling like an idiot. “And yet she’s still seeing him. Why’s she bucking you on this? What’s so special about Derrick?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything special about Derrick.”

  “You don’t, but she obviously does. Surely she’s given you an explanation as to why she’s still with him.”

  The Colonel hesitated. “She has,” he conceded. “But I’m not sure I should share her personal business with you.”

  A bark of laughter erupted from Jamie’s throat. Oh, now this was rich. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve sent me up here to practically seduce her away from this other guy and yet your conscience is giving you a problem with this?” He chuckled darkly. “You need to check your moral compass.”

  “Practically is the key word there, Flanagan,” Garrett growled. “But—” he sighed “—I suppose you’re right. The more information you have, the better armed you’ll be to deal with the situation.”

  Exactly, Jamie thought. Besides, he was genuinely curious. What on earth would make a great girl like Audrey interested in someone as self-absorbed and shallow as Derrick?

  “My granddaughter is a very caring person, Flanagan—unusually empathetic—and as such, has always had a habit of attracting people, most often men, who require a lot of her. So much of her, in fact, that she found herself emotionally bankrupt. And sick. Derrick’s appeal is that he’s not like that. He’s arrogant, but not damaged. At least, that’s what I got out of what she’s shared with me,” the Colonel said, his voice ringing with a hell-if-I-know sort of resignation. He blew out a breath. “Anyway, I don’t blame her for wanting someone who doesn’t suck the life out of her, but I think she’s swung too far in the other direction. She needs to find a happy medium. If she marries Derrick, that’ll never happen.”

  It took Jamie a few seconds to absorb and digest what Garrett had just shared. “So, in other words, Derrick’s easy.”

  “That too,” Garrett replied. “You have your orders, Flanagan. I’ll call for updates.” He disconnected.

  Jamie turned the phone off, leaned back into the recliner and let out a breath. Ten seconds later he turned the phone back on and dialed Ranger Security.

  “You aren’t going to believe this shit,” he said in way of greeting when Payne answered his direct line. Jamie briefed his friend on recent events and waited while Payne took it all in.

  “Let me get this straight. The boyfriend is the personal threat and he’s sent you in there to ‘pseudo-seduce’ her away from him?”

  “In a nutshell, yes.”

  To Jamie’s extreme annoyance, Payne laughed. Not just a small series of chuckles, but a gutrolling guffaw that set Jamie’s nerves on edge. “That’s c-cracked, man. I feel for you.”

  “Yeah, it really sounds like it,” Jamie griped.

  “Look at it this way. It’s not dangerous, right?”

  If he kept his pecker in his pants, no, Jamie thought. But if he snapped and ended up giving her a real seduction, then mortal danger was almost certain. Garrett would most definitely kill him.

  “Not in the traditional sense, no.”

  Payne paused, evidently reading the ambiguity in that statement. “Damn. She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

  Pretty didn’t begin to cover it. She was beautiful in every sense of the word. Jamie had noted those soul-soothing eyes in the photograph in Garrett’s office, but actually looking into them and feeling that calming sensation in her presence was quite…disconcerting. Garrett’s explanation as to why she was with Derrick made perfect sense. He could easily see a needy person sucking up her goodness like a greedy parasite attached to her soul.

  She wasn’t seeing Derrick because she was in love with him—it was an act of self-preservation.

  But Garrett was right. There had to be a happy medium. Derrick might not be draining her at the moment, but eventually her own unhappiness and dissatisfaction with the relationship would do the very thing she was trying to avoid.

  Though he didn’t approve of how the Colonel had chosen to interfere—and the part he’d ultimately be playing in it—he had to admit that he could see where she’d be better off.

  She needed protecting all right. She needed protection from herself.

  The question was…who was going to protect him?

  When he’d thought he was just supposed to guard her, he’d worried about keeping his hands to himself. He’d known that it was going to take a Herculean effort on his part to try and keep his distance. Now he was charged with the task of wooing her…with no reward. What sort of divinely twisted infernal hell was this? Jamie wondered. To seduce with no seduction?

  To seduce her, of all people?

  “Yeah, she’s pretty,” Jamie finally confirmed. And he was screwed.

  5

  * * *

  Atlanta

  PAYNE TOOK A PULL from his beer, then finished bringing Guy up to speed on Jamie’s current situation. He laughed. “Can you believe that shit?”

  Looking just as mystified as he undoubtedly had when Jamie had told him the nature of Garrett’s “favor,” Guy shook his head and smiled faintly. “You know, I fully expected him to utilize our skills, but that was one of Jamie’s I would have never dreamed Garrett would risk putting into use. Especially with his own granddaughter.”

&nbs
p; “He’s got a helluva lot more trust in our friend than I do,” Payne admitted. “He said she’s pretty.”

  Guy winced. “Damn.”

  “I know.”

  “I smell trouble.”

  He did, too. It was like turning a bloodhound loose, then telling him not to follow the trail. Furthermore, he’d heard a bit of I’m-screwed misery in Jamie’s voice that definitely didn’t get his vote of confidence. Garrett undoubtedly was banking on Jamie’s ability to take an order—or take one for the team—but this was different.

  Jamie wasn’t a Ranger anymore.

  He was still a man of his word, but more than one man had broken a promise when it came to a woman. Sex did something to a guy. Made him weak in a way that nothing else could. Payne’s lips quirked. Hell, his father was a perfect example of that.

  Which was why he’d never be.

  Guy shot him a considering look. “Makes me wonder what he’s got in store for us.”

  Him, too. Payne had been certain that Garrett had planned to use them for Uncle Sam. He’d never dreamed that the crafty old bastard had planned on cashing in those favors for himself. Point of fact, it shed a completely different light on things. He paused, tracing a bead of moisture down the side of his beer, and re-evaluating. Not that it would have changed anything—they would have agreed to his terms anyway. They’d wanted out at any cost. Still…

  “I know,” he finally said. His lips curled into a grim smile. “Let’s just hope like hell he doesn’t have any more relatives in need of rescue.”

  “Oh, I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Guy said. A smile rolled around his lips and a bark of dry laughter erupted from his throat. “Evidently you and I aren’t sexy enough.”

  Payne chuckled. “Speak for yourself, you ugly bastard. He didn’t send me because he was afraid she’d fall in love with me. I was too much man.”

  Guy smiled, grabbing his beer. “Go to hell.”

  Yeah, and he could tell Jamie hello when he got there. He had a grim suspicion his buddy had been sent straight into the bowels of darkness.

  “SO THAT’S A BRIEF OVERVIEW of what we do here at Unwind. Any questions?” Audrey glanced around the room, waited a couple of beats, then smiled. “Okay then. Remember…no worries.”

  Though she’d been trying not to stare at Jamie, her gaze kept inexplicably wandering over to where he stood in the back of the room. Even if she hadn’t known he had a special forces military background, she would have recognized the signs.

  Casual, but alert, he constantly scanned the room, observing. She’d watched him note the exits, the number of people present and his demeanor seemed to suggest he could be a protector or predator, whichever the case may be. For reasons which made her question her own sanity, she found that wholly thrilling. In fact, she could honestly say that she’d never had such an overwhelming reaction to a man before.

  “God, that man is beautiful.”

  Audrey barely refrained from jumping. Damn Tewanda. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” she chided, tearing her gaze away from the beautiful man in question.

  “If you hadn’t been staring so hard at him, you would have seen me walk up.”

  Since she couldn’t argue with that, she decided to change the subject. “So, what do you think about this group?”

  Tewanda nodded. “Seems good.” She inclined her head toward a tall balding man in the corner. “He’s a crier. We’ll need to watch him.” Next she turned her attention to a petite blonde with bloodred nails who carried a Prada knockoff. “That one. She’s going to be a problem. She’s already called three times about things that she says are ‘wrong’ and aren’t her preferences. But don’t worry I have everything on file and you know I don’t make mistakes like that.”

  No, she didn’t. Given their satisfaction guarantee promise, Tewanda was neurotically meticulous about the details. In fact, in their four years in business, she’d never made a mistake. Needless to say, she was an invaluable asset to Unwind and to Audrey, in particular. She also had the uncanny ability to size people up. Tewanda could spot a potential problem guest with almost psychic accuracy.

  Audrey nodded, accepting her assessment. “Anybody else?”

  “Yeah, there’s one more.”

  “Point ‘em out,” she said from the corner of her mouth, smiling warmly at passersby.

  “No need,” she said. “Here he comes.”

  “What? Who?”

  “Him,” she said significantly as Jamie sidled through the crowd toward them.

  “Jamie?” Audrey said, startled. “What makes you say a thing like that?” Had she missed something? she wondered. Granted she’d initially been too preoccupied by the rest of him to note the sadness lingering around and in those mesmerizing hazel eyes, but she’d glimpsed it tonight.

  Big time.

  “Don’t you play dumb with me,” Tewanda told her, chuckling under her breath. “I know you think he’s hot. You want him.”

  “Tewanda.”

  “Tewanda, Tewanda,” she mimicked, as though she got tired of hearing her name repeated in that exasperated tone. “You know I’m right. That boy isn’t just going to be trouble. He is trouble. Especially for you.”

  “Why for me?” she asked, instinctively knowing her friend was right.

  “Haven’t you been listening to me? Because you want him,” she said with the sort of exaggerated patience used to communicate something to a person who might be a little slow.

  “I just met him,” Audrey chided with a nervous eye roll, an almost, but not outright denial.

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s the animal instinct, honey. And I predict that you two will be going at it like a couple of Viagra-crazed rabbits by the end of the week.”

  Before she could shape her lips to refute that outlandish comment, a vision of her and Jamie, tangled up and sweaty and doing precisely what Tewanda had suggested materialized in her mind’s eye, making her momentarily breathless. Her nipples beaded behind her bra, her knees weakened and a melting tingle started low in her belly and settled in her sex.

  Oh, sweet Jesus.

  If thinking about making it with him did this to her, then she couldn’t begin to imagine what being with him would really be like.

  Actually, that wasn’t true.

  She could imagine, and the resulting vision had an almost virtual reality effect. In fact, if she didn’t derail this line of thinking immediately, she was going to have an immaculate orgasm. Right here in the lodge, amid a roomful of people. Audrey released a shuddering breath.

  Now that was some potent sex appeal.

  He sidled over and smiled, unwittingly upping her heart rate. Then her gaze tangled with his and, in the nanosecond before he could put a guard firmly in place, Audrey glimpsed a pain so intense she felt it deep in her belly. Oh, sweet Lord, she thought, as nausea threatened and her vision blackened around the edges. She had missed something.

  A huge something.

  Stark pain, grief, regret—they were all there, a perfect cocktail of misery. Her grandfather had been right, Audrey thought, swallowing. Jamie Flanagan had one helluva demon shadowing him. He disguised it well beneath effortless sex appeal and lazy charm, but she saw it, and more importantly felt it. In fact, while she’d had vast experience in feeling other people’s pain, she could honestly say that she’d never suffered from this sort of intensity.

  “Ladies,” he said, jerking Audrey from her disquieting reverie.

  Tewanda grinned. “Are you ready to unwind?” she asked him. “You look a little tense.”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” Jamie told her, eyes twinkling.

  “Audrey’s a licensed masseuse,” Tewanda said, much to Audrey’s annoyance. Still a bit shaken, she resisted the urge to pinch her friend.

  Audrey summoned a tight smile. “True, however we have a regular masseuse on staff. Part of the luxury of an expanding clientele.” She managed a chuckle.

  “So you don’t have to be so hands-on, then,” Jami
e said, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

  “Right.”

  “But since Jamie here is a special guest of the Colonel and you’re supposed to be taking care of him personally, surely you wouldn’t mind working out a few of his kinks, right, Audrey?”

  Did Maine have the death penalty? Audrey wondered, sending her friend a murderously sweet smile. “Not at all,” she said in what she knew was far from a normal voice.

  Looking entirely too pleased with herself, Tewanda leaned forward as though she was about to impart a kernel of significant advice. “In fact, I can’t think of a better way to start your Unwind experience than with a relaxing massage.” She bobbed her head in a brisk nod. “I have one every week.”

  Jamie’s eyes twinkled with humor. “Really?”

  “Oh, yes.” She preened. “It does wonders for my complexion.”

  “I’ve never had one. At least from a professional, that is,” he amended.

  And on that singularly disturbing note, Audrey cleared her throat. “You know what I think is the best way to start your Unwind experience?” she asked Jamie. “With a nice session of water colors down by the lake. My grandfather says you’re quite the artist.”

  A soft chuckle erupted from his throat. “Really? I didn’t realize he was a fan of my work. I’ll have to paint something special for him.”

  Actually, her grandfather had said no such thing and she fully suspected that Jamie hadn’t painted any sort of picture, much less a watercolor, since primary school. Playing along, was he? Now that was interesting. And it would be fun, considering her grandfather had already explained his bizarre preferences and hobby choices for Jamie. With the exception of the whiskey and beer, the preferences had been jokes. As for the hobby choices, her grandfather had chosen them so that Jamie could learn certain virtues. Like patience.

  Audrey grinned. “Oh, good. We can have it framed in town and ship it to him before you leave.”

  His eyes glinted with knowing humor. “Excellent.”

  Marginally relaxing, Audrey rocked back a little on her heels.

  “But I’ll still want that massage.”