His Holiday Bride

“Don’t worry about me. Just go!” Paul watched the guys closing in on each side. There were six of them and one of him. He would have to take out the ones standing between him and the door first. Then…

The six men stopped moving. Their attention had been drawn to something over his shoulder.

“Is there a problem here, Paul?”

Paul recognized the voice of his friend, LAPD detective Keith Montfield. He glanced back to see Keith and the four uniformed officers who had quietly come up behind him.

“Nothing I can’t handle, Keith.” He relaxed his stance.

Keith chuckled. “I know, but how about you let us lend a hand anyway?”

Paul stepped back, and gestured in front of him. “Help yourself.”

The officers closed in on the six bodyguards, and one stopped to pick Dashuan up off the floor.

Paul patted Keith on the shoulder before he turned to leave. “Can I give you a call tomorrow to explain?”

Keith nodded and looked his friend over. “Sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”

As Paul headed toward the exit he heard one of the bodyguards ask, “Why does he get to go?”

He heard Keith’s laughter. “Who, that guy? He’s harmless.”

Paul couldn’t help smiling. He turned and winked at Keith, seeing the humor in the detective’s eyes. Everyone in L.A. knew that statement was the furthest thing from the truth.

Paul hurried out to the car he’d double-parked in the luggage loading area. Try as he may he could not stem the growing excitement he felt remembering the beautiful woman who would be there waiting for him.

Feeling ridiculous even as he did it, he checked to make sure his shirt was tucked neatly in his slacks. He ran his hand over his short, curly hair. What the hell am I doing?

He should be thinking about reassuring the girl. He wasn’t sure what had happened between her and Kennedy, but whatever it was apparently upset her a great deal.

He reached the car and stopped short realizing the passenger seat was empty except for the small key ring lying in plain sight. He looked in both directions but did not see her. His mind quickly calculated the possibilities that one of Dashuan’s guys had gotten by him when he wasn’t looking. But no, he was fairly certain there were only six of them and they were all accounted for inside.

A young valet was standing not far from where he was parked. Paul approached him with a description of Amber and asked if he’d seen her.

“Yeah, she went walking that way.” He gestured toward West Sunset Boulevard. “I offered to get her a cab, but she said no thanks.”

Paul quickly tipped the guy for his help before climbing into his car. Taking the keys from the passenger side, he started the engine. Amber was distraught, Paul thought. In her current state of mind who knew what she might do.

He caught up with her within three blocks. “Amber! Amber!” He rolled along slowly, ignoring the horns blaring behind him and the foul language of those that managed to get by him. “Amber, get in the car!”

She glanced at him. The golden eyes that had pleaded for help in the hotel were now glaring with cold intensity. She was an angry angel, Paul thought, unable to stop himself from making the comparison.

“Where are you going?” he called out the passenger-side window.

“Somewhere away from you and my meddling family!”

Paul forced his way out of traffic and pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store several feet in front of her. He hopped out of the car and came around to wait for her to catch up.

Amber just ignored him and continued to walk right past, as if she didn’t even see him.

Paul fell into step beside her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but when I asked you if you wanted to leave did you not nod your head?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I did. But that doesn’t mean I wanted to leave with you.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “What is your name anyway?”

Paul closed his eyes and shook his head, realizing in the mist of all the confusion he’d never introduced himself. “Paul Gutierrez.” He extended his hand but she ignored it.

“Look, Amber, I know you’ve been through a lot tonight, but if you would just—”

She stopped dead in her tracks and slowly swiveled around to face him. Her golden eyes were dark with some unidentifiable emotion. “You have no idea what I’ve been through this evening. So don’t even stand there and pretend like you understand!”

Paul frowned, seeing the tears begin to form in her eyes again. What did Kennedy do to you? He knew he could not ask the question no matter how it ate at him. As far as she was concerned he was just a meddlesome friend of a friend.

“Fair enough,” he said softly. “So, where are you heading?”

Amber looked at the endless sidewalk ahead of her and realized she really didn’t know. When she’d left the hotel all she wanted to do was get away from Dashuan, the handsome stranger whose name she now knew was Paul, her family and anyone else who knew her. She wanted to go off by herself and cry into a pillow. She felt like a complete fool and that was not something she wanted to share with anyone.

How could he? It was the question she’d been asking herself repeatedly for the past hour. How could Dashuan betray her like that? He was supposed to be the one. Mr. Right. When, in fact, he was Mr. Incredibly Wrong.

She sighed. “I’m just going to check in to another hotel.” She glanced up into his concerned brown eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll call my family as soon as I check in and let them know I’m okay.”

“What hotel? I’ll give you a ride.”

She frowned, getting a little irritated by the man’s insistence to help where none was wanted. “Really, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re kidding, right? Two o’clock on a Saturday morning and you’re out walking the streets of downtown L.A. You’re lucky if you don’t get picked up for prostitution.”

“You son of a—” Without a thought of the consequences, Amber took a swing at the man and it felt good. She put into it all the anger and frustration she was feeling and still missed by a mile as he ducked neatly out of the way of her arm.

“I’m sorry. That came out wrong.” He grabbed her arms to hold her still. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

She struggled for a few moments more, before realizing it was getting her nowhere.

He whispered her name close to her ear and she felt her whole body melt. “Let me help you.”

“You can help me by taking me to a nearby hotel.”

Paul was sure Luther would not appreciate him dumping the girl at some anonymous hotel and abandoning her to her fate. But if she was determined, there was nothing he could do to stop her. “All right.” Reluctantly he released her. “I’m parked right over here.”

He led her back to the car and watched her pretty little nose twitch as if she suddenly smelled something bad.

She studied the modest car as if seeking some secret message. “What exactly do you do for a living?” she asked. Accepting the open door he offered, she climbed into the passenger seat.

Paul quirked an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that this was a girl who chased a wealthy basketball player all the way from Detroit. Just another gold digger.

“I’m in security,” he answered vaguely, having no desire to replace Dashuan Kennedy’s checkbook with his own. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. And probably as shallow as a saucer, he thought, as he pulled away from the curb.