Billionaire Protector - Alexa Hart Page 0,5

I called out to her, backing out of the store with unwilling movements as tingling tidal waves swooshed over my body. She gave one last nod and one last grin, and I walked heavily to my truck, throwing the sacks in the passenger seat. I started the engine and leaned my head back against the headrest.

Don’t meet girls like that every day.

In the entire four years since I had left college, I couldn’t remember meeting a single woman that made any lasting impression on me whatsoever. Not at the ranch, not at the fancy auctions and benefits we were constantly forced to attend.

Shit.

One of those very events was coming up shortly. Saturday night – just three nights away – and I’d mentally been blocking it out. That was what I normally did right up until the moment I was begrudgingly putting a tux on.

This gathering was going to be worse than normal. It was a party being thrown for my father, in honor of his hundredth published novel hitting the shelves nationwide. He had told me that it was a milestone he wasn’t positive he’d live to see, and I knew it was incredibly important to him that I be there – that all of us brothers be there.

We would be. There wasn’t really any doubt about that. But so would throngs of fame worshipping fans who were wild at the idea of meeting Paul Lincoln Hardick in the flesh. Add in the money mongering publishers and producers, the wanna-be writers who attached to Dad’s success like suckerfish... The party had all the tell-tail signs of a nightmare weaving itself together with academy award winning horror.

My brothers and I usually stuck pretty close together during such events. Pierce hadn’t brought a date since Sarah died, and I was almost positive he never would again. Preston liked to “go solo” so he could find the hottest catch of the night, free and clear. Payden was too goddamn shy to ever ask a girl to anything. And I... I just hadn’t ever liked anyone enough to want to bring a date. It seemed a bit misleading – to take a girl I wasn’t that interested in to such a high-end extravaganza.

Anne.

I knew it was a ridiculous thought. One conversation in a run-down hardware store with a complete stranger didn’t mean it was okay to just ask them out. Then again, Preston, on occasion, slept with girls he’d barely known for two seconds. Most of them were girls he didn’t really have much intention of even seeing again, let alone dating.

My truck had only made it three blocks when I whipped it back around and drove straight back to Kate’s Supplies. I was walking through that door, the bell making its ancient jingle once again, before I had a chance to even try and think it through. I knew I would just talk myself out of it, and I was positive that I didn’t want to logic myself away from this idea.

Anne’s green eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks went pink.

“Hi again!” I greeted her cheerfully, unsure if the smile on her face was a good sign or a precursor to hysteria.

“Hi.” She backed away from the counter.

I took a deep breath, and spit out the words as fast as I could. “I’ve got this party to go to... for my father... It’s on Saturday night. I know I’m like, a total stranger but I just... I don’t have a date and I thought maybe you could... Do you wanna come with me? I mean. There can’t be a lot going on in Corydon on a Saturday night, right? Promise, I’ll get ya home in one piece before the clock strikes midnight. You can even keep both of your shoes,” I blabbered, sounding like an idiot, but hoping I was at the very least a charming idiot.

Anne’s face was a mixture of happiness and... something else. Whatever that something was, it seemed to have a rather tight grip on her mouth, because it felt like an entire hour had passed before she finally nodded her cute little head and said, “Sure. Why not?”

2

Valerie

When I had planned this escape, lying in bed at night and going over every detail with repetitive precision, everything had gone much slower. When the scene played out in my mind, I had time to shush Murphy, to convince him we were playing a game where silence was key. I had time to make it fun. I had time