Protector #5 (A Navy SEAL Military Romance) Read Free Page A

been there was gone. That’s weird. He wasn’t there long enough to
work up a sweat. I shrugged and figured he must be a businessman who got
called away by his boss or something.
    As I began my cool down, I noticed that Brian was now lifting some
seriously heavy weights and the veins in his neck were popping out. I made a
note to tease him about “hulking out” and then slowed to a brisk walk as my
workout came to an end. I took a big swig from my water bottle and then wiped
my face with the towel before hopping down off the treadmill and heading over
to Brian.
    “You about done?” I asked casually. “I need a shower.”
    “Yeah, sure,” he sighed as he put the weights back in the rack and
grabbed his towel. I could tell he was irritated, but I’d be damned if I was
going to dig into his psyche again. All I wanted now was a hot shower and a
nap.
    As we exited the gym, I felt someone staring at me from across the
lobby, but when I turned to see who it was there was no one there. I stood
staring at the space where I swear someone had been, then shook my head and
turned back toward the elevator. I stole a glance a Brian who was quickly
tapping out a message on his phone before tucking it back in his pocket.
    “Do you ever put that thing down?” I asked.
    “Do you ever stop asking ridiculous questions?” he shot back.
    “Wow, did someone mess up your workout or did you just not get
enough to eat at breakfast?” I snapped.
    “Ava, let’s don’t do this…” he trailed off as he watched a man
getting off the elevator. Brian turned and followed the man with his eyes, then
quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a photo.
    “What? Do you recognize him?” I asked.
    “Him? Oh, no, just something…” he mumbled as he tapped out another
message and then slipped his phone in his pocket as he followed me onto the
elevator.
    “You’re being so secretive,” I observed. “Is there a reason you
aren’t sharing information with me?”
    “No, there’s no reason,” he parroted.
    “You are so maddening!” I cried as I stomped my foot on the floor
of the elevator. “You drag me away from my life and then tell me nothing about
what’s going on! I’m sick of this! I want to go back to the dorm!”
    “Ava, you can’t go back to the dorm right now,” Brian said in a
calm voice. “It’s just not safe.”
    “Oh God, not this crap again! I’m so tired of being treated like
some delicate hot house flower!” I yelled.
    “Could you keep your voice down?” he asked with no more emotion
than if he was asking me to do something as simple as press the elevator
button.
    “That’s it, I’m done with your condescending attitude and your
overly protective body guard service,” I said calmly. “I’m going home.”
    “You can’t,” he said definitively.
    “I can do anything I want to do,” I said in a snotty tone. “And
you can’t stop me.”
    “No, but I can ask you,” he said as he put a hand on my shoulder
and turned me toward him. “Ava, please? Just give me a few days to have someone
set up enough security in your dorm room so that I can properly monitor what’s
going on?”
    I stood staring up at him with defiant look on my face. He waited.
His eyes softened as he looked into mine, and my defiant stance wilted a bit as
I thought about all the ways in which he’d tried to protect me, and all of the
ways in which I’d tried to slip out of his protection. Then I thought about how
angry my father would be if he found out that Brian had failed to do his job
properly, and I realized that I couldn’t let him take the blame for my
frustration and anger. I sighed and nodded.
    “Two days,” I said. “That’s it. Two more days and I’m going home.”
    “That’s not reasonable,” he replied. “I need at least a week!”
    “A week?” I yelled. “Oh hell no!”
    “Ava, a week is the best I can offer you,” he said as he reached
up and ran his fingers through my hair making me shiver a bit.