Page 37 of Healing the Heart

Once inside, she heard a softsnick. On edge, she twisted, practically coming out of her skin until she realized it was the door latching where he had closed it behind him.

Noticing her jumpiness because he didn’t seem to miss much, Doc’s frown deepened.

Finn waved her into a chair across from his desk. “Have a seat, Fiona, and tell us what this is about.”

There was a matching chair beside hers, but Noah propped a hip on the corner of Finn’s desk, facing her. Still owing him an apology, and after their failed scene and parting steamy kiss, it made the retelling all the harder.

She squirmed for a moment, crossing and uncrossing her legs, as well as her hands, trying to decide where to begin then just blurted it out. “I witnessed a murder. The man who did it saw me, threatened me, and is still at large. The police can’tprovide protection, but I was told you possibly could, so I don’t end up dead, too.”

It was like she’d launched a tension grenade in the room. It emanated from both men in waves by the time she finished.

“I thought I should get a gun,” Fiona went on when neither of them spoke. “I’ve never owned one before, and I hate the idea. But you probably don’t do that. I can go to a gun shop afterward.” She tapped her fingers anxiously against her lips when neither of them spoke then suggested, “Maybe I could get a security system installed. Or whatever else you might recommend while the police hunt him down.”

“You’re not getting a gun, not if you’re untrained, and you need a helluva lot more than a system,” Noah snapped.

“Agreed,” Keiran stated firmly as he opened his laptop. “Brent Owens sent over a copy of the police report. We’ll start there after I see what I can rearrange to put a man on you.”

Fiona’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you mean a bodyguard? I couldn’t possibly afford–”

“Don’t worry about that,” the director assured her, his voice filled with authority. “Club members get special rates.”

“But I’m no longer a member,” Fiona informed him, her voice wavering.

“I’ll take her on. I’ve suddenly had my calendar freed up,” Doc declared, his gaze locked with Fiona’s.

His suggestion caught her off guard, leaving her momentarily stunned. Even though they had a major misunderstanding, on her part, they were like fire and oil. “Surely there’s someone else.”

Before she could voice her further objections, he moved in front of her. Bending at the waist, with his hands on the arms of her chair, face-to-face with her, he said in a deep, resonant tone that sent shivers down her spine. “Whatever problem you have with me, get over it. We’ve got a backlog of cases that wouldstretch from here to the southern border. You’re stuck with me, like it or not. And to keep you safe, you’re going to do exactly as I say. Is that understood?”

As he waited for her answer, his blue eyes held hers, unwavering in their intensity.

She should hold firm. They’d always been at odds and didn’t even know if they liked one another. Except for the kiss; she’d really liked that. And having his hands in her hair. Not when it pulled, but again, that had been her fault.

“Fiona, are you with me?”

“She said she hasn’t slept in two days,” Finn informed him.

She could explain away last night, after witnessing a stabbing and someone bleeding out, but the night before could only be because of him and their scene that went badly awry. Fire rushed to her cheeks, and she looked down at her hands.

He would have none of it and nudged her chin up until her eyes met his. “Answer me, Fiona. Do we have an understanding?”

So close, she could feel the heat of his body, and with his fingers warm on her face, all of her objections faded away. With sexual tension arcing between them, she swallowed, the submissive part of her coming alive in his presence, her need to submit to him overwhelming.

In a shaky, breathless voice, she replied, “We do, sir.”

“And who’s in charge so you don’t end up dead too?”

“You are, sir.”

“Good girl,” he breathed, his voice so soft she thought she had imagined it.

From the hint of a smile curving Keiran’s lips as he continued typing away on his keyboard, she hadn’t.

“But aren’t you a doctor?” she asked. “What do you know about security?”

“Meet Master Sergeant Noah Richmond, US Army Special Forces for a decade before going to medical school on the GI bill. Isn’t that right, Doc?”

He didn’t answer, holding her gaze as he declared, “I’m more than capable of keeping you safe and will protect you with my life, Fiona.”

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