Free Fiancee for Hire by Tawna Fenske

this business arrangement. Keeping you safe.”
    Kelli nodded, still too stunned for coherent thought. She looked down at the pile of shattered glass and mangled fruit on her wedding gown and swallowed hard.
    “I hope you know a good dry cleaner.”
    …
    “So he had no ties whatsoever to Zapata?” Mac loosened his grip on the phone and stared out his office window at the glitter of afternoon sun on the Pacific Ocean.
    “That’s correct, sir,” Hank replied. “He’s got a long rap sheet for carjacking and petty theft, but no connection to our guy.”
    Mac frowned. He trusted the intelligence, but still. He hated the idea he’d put Kelli at risk from more than one direction. He’d spent enough time in Mexico to know many of the American news stories about street crime and unsafe conditions were largely exaggerated. Still, he should have been more careful. Should have done a better job protecting her.
    “We keep two guards on her at all times,” Mac said. “Report back to me if you learn anything else.”
    “Yes, sir. I’m sorry again about losing sight of the car.”
    “It’s not your fault. The guy took off like a bat out of hell.”
    “Still. If you hadn’t jumped on that moving fruit truck and known where to cut the guy off on the highway, things could have ended much differently. How the hell did you figure he’d head toward Cabo?”
    “Lucky guess.”
    Luck. Goddamn it, he’d worked way too hard to leave anything to luck at this stage in the game. No more taking chances with this deal.
    With Kelli.
    “She never leaves your sight,” Mac said. “You, plus two guards.”
    “Understood.”
    He disconnected the call and glanced at his watch. It was long past lunchtime, though he’d skipped the meal and holed up in his office reviewing military briefings and gathering intelligence on the carjacker. It was true Mexico had plenty of random crime, but the idea of Kelli being a target unnerved him.
    He sighed and tucked the phone in his pocket. Probably time to shut down for the day and check on her. He couldn’t remember if he’d told her about their dinner plans for the evening, but he should probably let her know so she had time to get ready. Hell, he needed to change his shirt, since it still reeked of cantaloupe. He tugged at the buttons, shrugging the garment off as he passed the laundry chute.
    He took the steps two at a time and strode down the hallway toward the guest room. The door was wide open, and he halted in front of it, not wanting to intrude.
    “Kelli?” he called. “You in there?”
    “Over here!” came the chirpy reply.
    Mac turned toward the master bedroom, frowning slightly as he moved into his own living space and took in his surroundings. There was the massive, four-poster bed with a sturdy iron headboard. The crimson duvet brushed the corners of the dark teak nightstands on either side. The walls were painted a near-black shade of purple and adorned with abstract paintings and an iron candelabra Maria had found in an antique shop.
    There was a faint scent of jasmine in the air, and Mac followed it almost unconsciously as he moved through the bedroom toward the large walk-in closet in the far corner.
    “Kelli?” he called again. “Do you need help with—”
    The words died in his throat as he froze in the doorway of the closet. Kelli looked up from her spot in the center of the space and gave him a broad smile.
    It was the only thing she wore.
    Well, pretty much. The bra and panties left little to the imagination, flimsy and lacy and made of some sort of pale silk that showed every inch of flesh beneath. The wedding dress she’d worn earlier was long gone, and she wore a pair of sparkly high heels that accentuated her calves and that pert little ass. She looked like the best Christmas gift he’d ever gotten, Mac felt an overwhelming urge to gather her in his arms and carry her to the bed.
    “What do you think?” she asked.
    Mac felt all the blood drain from his head.