Colton's Secret Bodyguard. Jane Godman

expression became so hot and hard it made her skin feel too tight.

      He was tall and very well built. Broad in the chest and shoulders, with long, strong legs and the thickly muscled arms of a man accustomed to physical exercise. She was used to being around tough men, her brother and most of her cousins certainly fit that description, but she had never been so aware of a man’s power. Rylan’s raw masculinity made her conscious of her own femininity in a way she had never experienced before.

      There was something else about him as well. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. An air of danger, mystery...and more. It felt like sorrow. He was a puzzle she couldn’t quite put together. All she knew for sure was that she wanted to try.

      And he was cooking her dinner later.

      Reminding herself that she was a successful businesswoman, she resisted the temptation to dance the length of the gallery. Because this was more than a date. They’d both known it as they made the arrangements. He was coming to her apartment. He was cooking her his signature dish. The night was leading somewhere...

       What if he thinks I do this all the time?

      Doubt hit her like a slap in the face, and she glanced over her shoulder. Maybe she should go back, talk to him, explain that she liked him, but she wasn’t very good at this whole dating thing? She bit back a groan. Here we go again.

      No. She gripped the handle of her office door tightly, taking a moment to get her thoughts under control. Just because she had been burned in the past didn’t mean it was about to happen again. It was just dinner, for goodness’ sake. They were both adults. It didn’t have to lead to anything more... But she liked Rylan. A lot. What was wrong with taking a chance?

      With a decisive nod, she stepped into her familiar space. She had a lot to do, starting with some calls. As she moved toward her seat, her gaze fell on the desk. There, in the center of the polished surface, was her digital recorder.

      She gave an exclamation of delight and, snatching it up, hurried across the corridor to Kasey’s office. “Where did you find it?”

      “Find what?” Kasey looked away from her pile of papers with a frown.

      “My recorder.” Bree held it up to show her.

      “Um... I didn’t. I’ve been right here since we last spoke.”

      “Oh.” Bree turned the recorder over in her hand, studying it carefully. It was definitely hers. “I wonder who found it? Did you hear anyone go into my office?”

      Kasey shook her head. “Maybe it was there all the time, and you just overlooked it?”

      Bree knew that wasn’t the case. Yes, today had been an early start after a late night, and the caffeine had still been working its way through her system when she first reached for the recorder. But she had searched her office thoroughly. The device had not been there when she left and went to the promotions office to talk to Rylan. Which meant someone had found it and put it on her desk while she was gone.

      “You could ask David to check the security cameras and see if anyone went into your office,” Kasey suggested.

      Was it worth that sort of effort? Bree had her recorder back, which was the important thing, and she was too busy to take any more time out of her schedule. Besides, David Swanson, the security guard and handyman, was always running here, there and everywhere as he tried to meet the competing demands of his various employers.

      Ignoring a tiny lingering doubt, Bree shrugged. “Too much to do.” She tried to make her next words sound casual. “And I don’t want to work late tonight.”

       Chapter 2

      Bree looked down at her empty plate with a contented sigh. After a three-course meal that would have graced the menu of the most elegant restaurants she’d visited, she regarded Rylan with newfound respect. “You are the only person I’ve met who has a signature dish that deserves the name. Where did you learn to cook?”

      “I taught myself. I figured, as a single guy, I could live on takeout and microwave meals, or I could enjoy my food.”

      As a single guy. The matter-of-fact statement intrigued her, made her want to ask him more questions. Why was he single? Why did he sound so sure he would stay that way?

      Instead, she tilted her wine glass toward him. “The meal was a charming gesture. Thank you.”

      A corner of his mouth turned upward. “I have a confession to make.”

      Her heart began to beat a little faster. “You do?”

      The smile deepened, quickly becoming irresistible. “I hoped you’d be charmed.”

      This was where she should smile seductively. Maybe twirl her hair and bat her lashes. Even trail a finger down his bicep. The problem was, Bree didn’t do flirting. The only times she had attempted it she’d either knocked things over or came across about as sexy as a lost puppy. Since she really liked Rylan, she wasn’t going to scare him off by trying.

      “Do you live in Roaring Springs?” She almost groaned out loud. Just because she didn’t flirt, did she have to turn the conversation around and make it sound like a job interview?

      Rylan didn’t appear to notice. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched his long legs in front of him. Although he had drunk one glass of wine at the start of the meal, he’d switched to water because he was driving. He took a sip before he spoke. “Not quite. I was born near Denver, but I joined the army when I was eighteen. When I got out, I went into business and traveled around a lot. But I always planned to settle down in Colorado, and—” He broke off abruptly, making her wonder what he’d been about to say. “I had an army buddy who talked about his home here in Roaring Springs. When I sold the business, I found a ranch a few miles west of here.”

      “You’re a rancher in your spare time?” She raised her brows at him.

      He laughed. “I’m a lot of things in my spare time.”

      “I can see that.” She started to count on her fingers. “Soldier. Chef. Rancher. Art promoter.”

      She wasn’t sure she could pinpoint exactly what it was that changed about his manner. It was as if her words made him watchful. “I’m new to the art world. As you can probably tell.”

      Bree frowned, sensing that he was closing down a line of conversation that made him uncomfortable. Since she didn’t know him well enough to prod further, she was forced to let it go. However, the knowledge that he could be hiding something nagged at her. What bothered her even more was the idea that, after knowing him for less than a week, she cared that this man might be keeping secrets.

      “You said you went into the army at eighteen.” She decided on a different approach. “Didn’t you come back to visit your family between then and now?”

      He hunched a shoulder. “There was no one to visit. I’m an only child. My father died when I was twelve, and cancer took my mom just before I enlisted.”

      Bree sensed a whole world of pain behind those words. Reaching across the table, she took his hand. “I’m sorry.”

      He responded with a slight smile. “I’m thirty-four. Being on my own is what I do best.”

      “Coming from such a large extended family, I can’t imagine how that would feel.”

      Rylan looked around the spacious, elegantly furnished loft apartment. “I guess being a Colton has its advantages.” It was the same assumption many people made, but somehow it hurt more coming from him. As Bree made a movement to withdraw her hand, Rylan tightened his grip. “Hey.” His gaze scanned her face. “What did I say?”

      Usually, she avoided explanations, but his opinion mattered. “Thanks to my mom’s tenacity, my dyslexia was