Guarding Kelsey ((Books We Love Romantic Suspense)) by Kat Attalla Read Free Book Online Page A

blame the older man. Kelsey had every reason to be wary of the police. He was lucky she trusted him, in spite of their situation. He showed the priest his shield and followed the man to a small office in the very rear of the cathedral. Kelsey was slumped in a wooden chair with her hands resting on her knees. Streaks marred her pale face. A handmade afghan covered her shoulders. When he stepped inside she sprung from the chair.
    Relief soon replaced panic, but her big blue eyes were shimmering with unspent tears. Nowhere was safe. Nothing gave her a sense of security.
    Anger and guilt churned inside him. He felt as useless now as when his partner had been killed. Was he destined to let down everyone who depended on him?
    “Are you all right?” he asked.
    She nodded.
    “Come on. Let’s get you home.” He clasped his hand around her forearm. She let out an anguished cry and pulled away. The afghan fell from her shoulders, revealing the long gash in the skin.
    He lifted her arm to get a closer look. "I better take you to the hospital first."
    She eased her arm away and stepped back. "No!"
    "A doctor?"
    "No. I want to go home. Please." Exhaustion gave her words a desperate plea.
    Kelsey Winston begging to him was a sight he might have welcomed under different circumstances. At that moment it sent a shot of regret to the heart he’d vowed he didn’t possess. She looked so lost and vulnerable.
    "Let’s go ."
    She mumbled something unintelligible and followed him through the church. As he stopped at the large doors to check the outside, she walked right into him. His hand automatically cupped her waist to steady her. Awareness raced through him. In a move that caught him off guard, she threw her arms around him and clasped the fabric of his shirt in her hands. Tremors rocked her body.
    At first he was too stunned to move. He'd never been a demonstrative person and he only touched a woman when it led to a bedroom. Offering comfort was not his strong suit but he didn’t want to let her go. He enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. Soft and warm-and too distracting for her own good. Or his.
    He moved his hands from her waist to her back and cradled her closer. Her soft rounded curves molded to him. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Silky strands of her hair brushed against his chin. The sweet scent of cocoanut left him hungry to taste her.
    That’s keeping cool under pressure. He was getting aroused by a woman socially and economically a world apart from him, on the steps of one of the busiest landmarks in New York. A church, no less. He needed perspective . .and a very cold shower. Before she became aware of just how aroused, he eased her away.
    He cleared his throat. "We should go."
    "I'm sorry," she whispered. “I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
    Damn right she did! She’d just been through a harrowing ordeal and instead of offering sympathy he wanted to get comfortable with her. He was heading towards that line between professional and personal, and that made him damned uncomfortable.
     
    He led her out the door and down the steps to his car. Carefully, he scanned the crowded area for anyone moving in their direction. Once Kelsey settled into the seat he ran to the other side and slid behind the wheel. He'd never given much thought to his car before, but she looked so out of place in his old Chevy that he felt the need to apologize.
    "It's old but it runs."
    Kelsey turned towards him. "Excuse me?"
    "The car."
    She rested her head against the door and stared out the window. "Oh. It's lovely."
    The fright had either affected her hearing or her eyesight. Of the thousands of adjectives that would fit the description of his car, lovely was not among them. They passed the ten-minute ride to her condo in silence. Although he didn’t like to see a woman wracked in fear, perhaps Kelsey would now be more inclined to stay put until they apprehended the hit man .
    As he circled the building, looking for a parking space,