Free Guardian Bears: Lucas by Leslie Chase Page A

elegantly. There was no wasted motion, and certainly no shyness about her seeing him naked.
    It was almost a disappointment when he covered himself, though the t-shirt he pulled on was tight enough that she could still see his muscles move as he stood and looked down at her. It was only then that she realized the state she was in, and her blush reasserted itself.
    Lucas offered her his hand and pulled her up from the sofa, and she wordlessly scampered off to the bathroom herself.

    * * *
    L ucas started to unpack as he waited for Emily to return from her shower. His bag held a couple of changes of clothes, but more importantly, it was full of personal protection equipment. Perhaps he should have set that up the night before, but back then he hadn't been sure that there was anything to protect Emily from .
    That thought made him feel a little guilty. He should have taken her fears seriously from the start, even if he didn't know whether they were based on fact. But he could make that right, at least.
    By the time she emerged, wearing a robe and a towel wrapped around her hair, he was at work at the door, fitting a portable alarm. He looked around and was amazed at the effect seeing her had on him. Fresh from the shower, she made him want to get dirty with her again. Maybe we should have showered together? Then again, we'd never have left the bathroom if we had.
    "What are you doing?" she asked, folding her arms and looking at him.
    "Installing a security system. Part of the package," he told her. "This will call me if the door opens unexpectedly. The alarm fob I gave you will switch it off, but if someone without one comes in this way, I'll know about it."
    "Do I need that? I mean, won't you be here anyway?" She sounded a little confused, and a little worried. Did she think he was going to leave now?
    Frowning, he nodded. "You need it. I'm going to be here to look after you, but that doesn't mean I can pay attention to the door all the time. I'll have to sleep, or go to the bathroom. And if we're somewhere else when someone breaks in, I'll want to know about it right away, rather than finding out when we get back here."
    Emily's eyes were starting to fill with fear, and he cursed under his breath.
    This is meant to make her feel safe, not afraid, he thought, annoyed at himself.
    "Look, it probably won't be needed. I just don't want to take any chances with your safety, okay? Not now, and not ever."
    "Okay," she said, not sounding entirely reassured. "Well, I'm going to make dinner then. Somebody's given me quite an appetite."
    Lucas grinned at that. "Great."
    As he finished up his work on the door, the apartment filled with smells of cooking. He added similar alarms to the windows in the living room and the bedroom. As he finished activating the last one, he saw Emily's laptop on the bedside table and frowned. It looked like a high-end machine, not the kind of thing that he'd expect a waitress to own. It had to be something she'd brought with her from her previous life. And he remembered that she'd grabbed it when she'd fled.
    Nothing else, not even a jacket: the laptop in its bag had been the only possession she'd stopped to collect on her way out of the window.
    Looking at it more carefully, he saw that it was quite new. He reached out for it and paused. Emily wouldn't like me poking at this, he thought. But I have to know what trouble she's in if I'm going to keep her safe.
    After a moment's pause, he made his decision and opened the laptop. The screen came on instantly, but just to ask for a password. Lucas grimaced.
    So much for that. He quietly closed the screen, still curious about what she was hiding. The login screen hadn't looked like a standard one – it had a corporate logo on it, as though it were a company computer rather than a personal one.
    TannerTech, never heard of that one , he thought, making a note to look it up later. Where had Emily picked it up and why?
    His thoughts were interrupted by Emily calling