Page 4 of Ruthless Protector

“I promise, everything is A-okay,” I said, even as panic began to rise again.

I turned away from Fay before she saw right through me, and I quickly went to Tilly who was asleep on the couch, and carefully scooped her up.

Eight year olds weren’t light. Tilly was small for her age, but with the way my limbs were still shaking and my knees throbbed, it was sheer determination that had me moving through the living room and out the door.

I glanced back. “Thanks, Fay.” But she wasn’t looking at me, she was looking over my shoulder, head tilted back.

I turned and was suddenly eyes to monster-chest, staring down some impressive pecs. I gritted my teeth. I knew who it was without having to look up. The way the black t-shirt stretched over…well, everything. Every muscled inch, there was no mistaking who the torso belonged to.

My landlord.

Jude Wayland.

The guy was a human bulldozer.

I forced myself to look up and meet his eyes, because the guy owned the roof over my head and that meant I had to be polite, right? As always, as soon as I lifted my gaze I felt the impact of those gentle brown peepers staring down at me like a wallop to the sternum. My reaction annoyed the hell out of me, like it always did. Kind eyes or not, he couldn’t be trusted. No man could. Behind those eyes could lurk the mind of a sexual deviant or a serial killer. Just because he seemed nice, was kind to older ladies and desperate women with children, didn’t mean jack shit. I’d thought Evan was a super nice guy when I met him. My mom had thought the same about my Dad, and somehow Trent had convinced Rebecca he wasn’t the slimy asshole that he was. People pretended all the time to get what they wanted.

I was never falling for that shit ever again.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I blurted. So much for being polite.

His brows shot north.

I felt my face heat. Shit. “I mean, I didn’t call, the water heater is working fine.” It was also nearly 11 p.m.

“I called him,” Fay said.

I hitched Tilly higher in my arms—that were aching by this point—and spun to her face her. “What? Why?”

“There was some creep hanging around your place. Jude here used to be a cop.” She shrugged. “What else was I gonna do?”

Crap. “I told you I have everything under control,” I said to her, then looked back at my landlord. “Sorry for the hassle, but your assistance isn’t required here, it never was.”

He made a rumbling sound, not actual words, but he didn’t need them, the sound easily translated to You’re full of shit. He gave me an up and down and his eyes softened. He reached out. “Give me the kid, you look ready to collapse.”

“I’ve got her.” I made to walk past and my shaking legs started to give out.

Before I could go down, the behemoth beside me cursed and scooped me and Tilly up in his enormous arms and started toward my house.

My head spun toward him so fast I probably looked like the chick from The Exorcist. “What in the actual fuck?” I hissed.

He carried on walking. “Woman, you were about to fall over holding your kid.”

“No, I wasn’t.” My heart was hammering in my chest, and there was a weird flippy-floppy feeling going nuts in my belly.

“Right,” he muttered and carried on up the stairs to my front door. The brownstone was three stories high. The first floor was a separate apartment, which was currently empty, and also owned by the guy carrying me. Tilly and I had the two floors above.

As soon as we hit the top step, he settled me back on my feet, then reached out and took Tilly from me. I stared up at him in shock. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Keys,” he muttered.

Seeing as the big bastard didn’t look to be in a hurry to go anywhere, I yanked my keys from my pocket, unlocked the door, and shoved it open. He strode in after me.

“Where do you want her?” he asked.

With Trent showing up, I didn’t want her out of my sight, so I led him upstairs to the master bedroom. “In here. Put her in my bed.” I pulled the covers back.

He did, then stood back as I lay her down and tucked her in. When I turned around, those brown eyes weren’t soft anymore; they were sharp, intelligent, probing.