Under His Protection, Page 4

  “We should have come here earlier,” Ivan murmured and she looked up to find him watching her closely, that same intensity in his gaze she’d heard in his voice seconds ago.

  She frowned, feeling almost nervous under his intense blue stare. “Why?”

  “I like seeing you smile.” Before she could respond, he held the heavy wooden door open for her and motioned for her to enter.

  Blinking in surprise at the comment, she strode past him, trying to come to terms with this new reality where Ivan liked her. And not in a platonic way. Because she was very attracted to him too, even if she knew it was stupid. The music was slightly louder inside as was the noise level since there were triple the seats in the interior. A vibrant blend of spices teased her nose. Onions, peppers, and something citrusy were the strongest. It reminded her of her home growing up.

  They were immediately greeted with a bright smile by one of her younger cousins, Jaidyn. Her cousin wore the standard black pants and short-sleeved black T-shirt every employee at the restaurant had on. Jaidyn’s eyebrows rose as she looked at Ivan then Julieta. She leaned in for a brief kiss on the cheek. “Hola, Jules. You brought a date here?” she asked bluntly, as she stepped back.

  Feeling her face flush and cursing herself again for thinking it was a good idea to bring Ivan here, Julieta started to answer that this wasn’t a date, but Ivan beat her to the punch.

  Wrapping an arm around Julieta’s shoulders he smiled easily, drawing out a blush from Jaidyn. Yeah, Julieta figured he had that effect on most women. He was all boyish charm but with an edge that was hard to ignore. “I’m Ivan. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.

  Surprised by his subtle possessive hold, Julieta didn’t correct him as Jaidyn shook his hand because she really liked the feel of him holding her close. She cleared her throat and glanced around, looking for other family members. Yes, this had been a stupid idea. Maybe she could still get out of it. “If you don’t have seating—”

  Jaidyn waved one of her perfectly manicured hands in the air. “Don’t even finish that sentence. Tu mama would skin me alive if I ever turned you away. Come on.” She tilted her head in the direction of the main seating area then gave Ivan an appraising look from head to toe before turning on her heel.

  Julieta inwardly cringed, knowing that soon her cousin would be on the phone with all their other cousins, giving them a full description of Ivan. “I’m going to apologize in advance for any family members you meet tonight.” Especially if her brothers showed up. “I wasn’t really thinking and—”

  “Julieta,” Ivan murmured in that sexy, deep voice of his. “Don’t apologize for anything. I like that you brought me here.”

  When he didn’t expand on why, she could only make guesses, but couldn’t come up with any good reasons why he’d think that. Besides, he wasn’t going to like it once he met her crazy family. She loved them all but they were a lot to take in and this wasn’t even a real date. It was just…what was it? She didn’t even know. Certainly nothing serious because she knew from Mina that Ivan didn’t do serious. Which was just as well.

  Jaidyn led them to a corner table with a limited amount of privacy. When Ivan held out the chair for her, Jaidyn’s mouth fell open. Then Julieta’s mouth nearly fell open when he took off his jacket and slid it onto the back of his chair. She’d never seen him in anything but his suit and the long-sleeved, button-down shirt did absolutely nothing to hide his muscular physique. The shirt was practically caressing his body, showing off the masculine form she’d been fantasizing about for months.

  “Thank you,” she murmured. Julieta loved his manners and found herself blushing again. God, what was this? She wasn’t some virgin teenager.

  Her cousin quickly recovered. “Want me to have your server put in an order of croquettes?”

  That sounded almost as amazing as the thought of trailing her fingers and lips over all those muscles Ivan was hiding under his clothes. Since he wasn’t on the menu, at least not at the moment, right about now she needed some deep fried comfort food. But she looked at Ivan, not wanting to order for him.

  His delicious mouth just curved up a fraction, as if he’d guessed what she was thinking. “Order for us.”

  She blinked at that. Everything about Ivan was commanding and dominating and yes, intimidating. Not to mention she didn’t know any men who asked women to order for them.

  Ivan shrugged, his gaze surprisingly intimate as he watched her. As if he had all sorts of delicious things in store for her once they were alone. Which was, of course, a ridiculous notion. “You know this place, surprise me.”

  Something about his deep tone sent shivers down her spine. She looked back at her cousin. “That sounds great. And a glass of wine for me. The usual.” Because she definitely needed a glass of pinot grigio tonight.

  “What do you suggest for me? No alcohol since I’m driving.” Ivan pinned her with that intense blue gaze again and for a moment it was as if their surroundings fell away.

  She hungrily drank in the sharp, hard planes of his face and his full, kissable lips. Everything about him was so hard and edgy except his lips. When she looked at him, he made her think sexy thoughts of the two of them naked, tangled between sheets. She could just imagine what it would be like to look down between her legs and see that blond head buried there, his tongue teasing her, stroking… Blinking, she tore her gaze away and found her cousin watching them curiously. “He’ll have an affogato,” she managed to rasp out, fully aware that her cheeks were flushed.

  Grinning, Jaidyn nodded. “Good choice.”

  Once they were alone Julieta turned back to Ivan. “It’s a combination of coffee, espresso and ice cream and it’s delicious. I think you’ll like it, but if you don’t, don’t feel obligated to drink it.”

  For a brief moment his gaze strayed to her mouth and his eyes seemed almost electric before he blinked then looked at her again. “I’m sure I’ll love it.” There was a sensuous note in his voice and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to something other than the drink.

  “Thank you again for all you’ve done today.” Having someone else to lean on and just plain help out had been such a huge relief. Her family was always there for her, no matter what, but she tended not to ask for help much because she worried they would think she needed it all the time instead of just when she asked. When she’d first opened her shop they’d been against it because they wanted her working at the restaurant. But she’d been adamant about making her own way.

  He grunted a noncommittal sound. “Have you told anyone in your family about what’s been going on?”

  Well, hell. Didn’t he just get right to the point? “Not yet. I plan to, but first I wanted to talk to Lizzy and Porter. The first couple texts… I guess I thought maybe it was a fluke or something. After today however…” She rolled her shoulders once, trying to shake off the sudden shiver snaking down her spine. “My family is incredibly overprotective, which I’m grateful for. I just want to know exactly what I’m dealing with before I tell them and I figured Lizzy, more than anyone, would know how to help.”

  “Did you go to the police before today?”

  “No. But only because the first couple texts weren’t bad enough to warrant it. I’m not stupid. If I’d gone to them with two texts they would have had me fill out a report and that would have been it. No crime has actually been committed.”

  “Until today.” His expression darkened. “Tell me about this River. Not to be sexist, but how did you end up hiring a man to work at your shop?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “He applied and I was desperate at the time. I’d just lost two employees who graduated college. They’d been with me for years but after graduating, they both found new jobs in their career of choice and I needed someone fast. River is good looking and charming and he was actually good at his job when he showed up. He was just too undependable.”

  “Any hints of violence or sexual harassment, even subtle?” Ivan�
��s deep voice was soothing, making her feel like she could deal with this situation.

  “No. He flirted a little with the customers, but it was harmless and friendly. It helped his sales, but there was nothing flirtatious toward me or Ruby, who’s been with me practically since I opened.”

  “And he didn’t have a problem with a female boss? Maybe small signs that he had a problem with authority?”

  She shook her head. “Not even a little.” Biting her bottom lip, she leaned back when their server, a college-aged man named Gerry approached with their drinks.

  He smiled warmly at her and gave a polite nod at Ivan as he withdrew his notepad. “Jaidyn told me you wanted croquettes so I already put the order in. Today the filling is cheese. Are you guys ready or do you want some time?”

  Julieta knew what she wanted so she looked at Ivan. “Were you serious about me ordering for you?”

  When he nodded, there was that hint of delicious wickedness in his piercing gaze that made it hard to breathe.

  Somehow she tore her gaze away from him and looked back at Gerry. “I’ll have the medianoche and he will have the carne con papas.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll put it in as soon as your appetizer comes out. By the way, if you order coffee after dinner I promise not to spill any on you,” he teased as he collected the menus.

  She smiled as he left and looked at Ivan, whose heated look hadn’t dimmed. If anything, it seemed even brighter. “One of the servers spilled coffee on me a few weeks ago,” she said, referencing Gerry’s comment. “I ordered you steak and potatoes over rice. It’s a little spicy but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with that.”

  “Good choice.” He was silent for a beat before continuing. “So you fired this guy months ago?”

  She nodded, biting her bottom lip again, something she did when she was nervous. When she saw his gaze stray to her lips she stopped. It made her think of what it would be like to kiss him and right now she didn’t need that distraction. Even if he was concerned for her, the man was a player from everything she’d heard. “But that’s just it, it was months ago, I don’t understand why he’d start randomly harassing me now out of the blue. It doesn’t make sense.”

  Ivan was silent for a long moment, tapping his finger on the dark wood table. “It could be any number of things. Maybe losing his job was the starting point for other things going wrong in his life and he needed to blame someone. Who knows, but he’s a good starting point. You live alone right?”

  “Yes.” He would have likely picked that up from her conversations with Mina.

  “And…you’re not seeing anyone? No recent exes who could be behind this?” He asked in a way that made her certain he already knew the answer. He’d been around her and Mina enough that she hadn’t mentioned any boyfriends or even casual hookups.

  But he hadn’t been there when the detective had questioned her about that angle so maybe that was why he was asking now. “No. Not seeing anyone and it’s been a while since I’ve dated, so definitely not an ex.” She nearly snorted at the thought.

  “How long has it been?”

  “Are you asking for the situation or for yourself?” she blurted, taken aback by his abruptness. Even though she didn’t want to fidget, she trailed a finger down the stem of her wine glass.

  “Myself. I’m curious.” He didn’t even pause as he answered.

  His honesty was refreshing but also intimidating. “Awhile.” No way was she telling him that it had been about a year—god, had it really been that long?—since she’d gone on a date. And years since she’d had actual sex. It was embarrassing, even if she did have a good reason for it. With her schedule she just had no freaking time, except for one-night stands. And that wasn’t her style. Hell, even if it had been her style, she rarely frequented the places where she could pick up a one-night stand anyway. Because when she went dancing, it was usually with her cousins, brothers and friends. She wasn’t about to pick up someone with her brothers hanging around. If she was honest, her last real relationship had burned her harder than she wanted to admit to anyone. She certainly didn’t love her ex anymore, but the way things had ended had turned her off to dating and men for a while. “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

  He shook his head once. “I haven’t been out with a woman since the day Mina and I walked into your shop.”

  His words took her off guard so much that her eyes widened. He couldn’t mean because of her, could he? No, not a player like him. “Why not?” Because she didn’t think he wanted for female company. All he’d have to do was smile and turn on that charm and women would just fall at his feet.

  Ivan rubbed the back of his neck, but he didn’t take his gaze off her. “I’ve been trying to figure out the right way to ask you out.”

  It didn’t matter what he’d said in the elevator, his little confession couldn’t have stunned her more if he’d tried. And something about his tone told her he hadn’t planned to admit that. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. “So is this you asking me out on a date?”

  He paused, then nodded. “Yes. Tomorrow night.”

  “Is that a question?”

  Those sexy lips quirked up again. “Please go out with me?”

  Despite the vandalism and nasty texts today—and the fact that she probably had a stalker of sorts—the day had ended a lot better than she’d expected. She knew things with a man like Ivan would never be long-term. From what she’d heard he just did casual and while that thought burned in a way she didn’t understand, it had been way too long since she’d had any interest in the opposite sex and she wasn’t walking away from Ivan. “Yes.”

  Chapter 5

  Ivan steered down Julieta’s street for the second time in the last couple minutes. He’d wanted to do a sweep to make sure everything looked normal but he had no clue since he’d never been here before. He’d even texted Lizzy earlier and asked her to hide Julieta’s keys in a better place than under the mat like she’d said at the bridal shower. With everything going on, he didn’t want her keys in easy reach for anyone. “How’s everything look?”

  Julieta fidgeted with the folds of her dress as she looked out the passenger window. “Good, I guess. I don’t see any strange cars. This is just too weird,” she muttered.

  He could hear the stress in her voice and he hated it. He also didn’t like that she’d seemed so surprised when he’d asked her out. He knew he was good at covering how he felt but damn, he wished she’d had a clue he was interested in her before today. “Do you have a security system?”

  Nodding, she turned to look at him, her dark eyes filled with too many emotions. Primarily worry. She wore her emotions right out in the open. He liked that he could read her so well. “It’s pretty basic, but yes. The windows and doors all have contacts.”

  Some of the tension fled his shoulders. “Good. I’d still like to check out your place if that’s all right?” He had to remind himself to phrase it as a question. He was used to taking charge of most situations, especially with his job, but he knew with Julieta that he had to play it right and couldn’t go all caveman on her.

  Her eyebrows drew together a fraction but she nodded.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’m just surprised you asked, that’s all.” There was a slight note of humor in her voice. “I’ve seen the way you are with Mina,” she added, even though he hadn’t responded.

  Damn, Julieta was more observant than he’d realized. Something he found incredibly hot. “That’s my job. This—you—are different.” Even if he did just want to take control of the situation.

  “Mina’s more than your job,” Julieta said softly.

  He lifted his shoulders, feeling uncomfortable because it was the truth. He’d worked for Mina’s father, Warren Hollingsworth, for years before his death and he’d cared for the man more than he’d ever admitted. When he’d died a few months ago it’d been hard. Was still hard. “Yeah.”

  “Speaking of, are you sure you can take time away rig
ht now?” she asked as he steered into her driveway.

  Her sporty two-door car was already in the driveway, but Lizzy had texted both of them letting them know it would be here. She’d also emailed Ivan that she was scanning the faces from the video he’d sent her outside the shop. He wasn’t sure what kind of program she used or how long it would take, or even if it was legal, but he knew she’d come through. “Yeah, it’s no problem.” He’d already called Blue, Mina’s fiancé, and let him know he needed a few days off, at least.

  As they got out of the vehicle Ivan instinctively surveyed the neighborhood for any potential threats. Waiting for her while she got the keys that Lizzy had left in her car, he tried not to stare at Julieta’s ass as she bent over and retrieved them from under the cup holder. Tried and failed.

  The woman was compact and curvy and he desperately wanted to lose himself in her. He’d always been with taller, more athletic women. He was big and tended to have bed partners he wasn’t worried about getting too rough with. Julieta made him forget any type he’d ever thought he’d had.

  She was his type, plain and simple.

  Had been from the moment he’d walked into her shop and saw her wearing one of those sexy dresses she favored and high heels that defined those toned legs. Seeing her bent over like that made him think of bending her over the hood of her little car and taking her slowly from behind as he stroked her clit with his finger. He could fuck her for hours. Days. Something told him that once he’d had her, one time would never be enough.

  When she straightened, he half-turned and stared back at the quiet street. He felt like a dick fantasizing about her when she had so much to deal with.