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Guarding Her (Traveler x Angel)

He started to walk over to her side to open the door, but she pulled it open and slipped in like it was normal to her, and he supposed it was, so he walked back around and got in. He signed and nodded at her idea about how they met. "Okay, so... I couldn't fix your car, and then I gave you a ride home in my non-existent car. Maybe it was a rental?" He smiled as he clipped his seat belt in. "And because I look so trustworthy you got in my car an let me take you to your home" Abe glanced over at her and tried to gauge the kind of woman she was. "So... do you normally accept rides from strangers? Or am I special?"

After a few moments he chanced to ask her. "So what kinds of books do you write?" He was looking out the window as they began to drive to town. "Is it something that a man is likely to pick up at the airport?"
 
This made Lana laugh, "Well as you've probably seen, I'm not the most... well I'm pretty ditzy, don't think things through, and unfortunately pretty trusting. Which anyone who knows me will know. So, although I have never taken a ride from a stranger, it unfortunately sounds like something I would do without thinking about." She said with a shrug, "Plus you look like a very trustworthy and special man." She said in a semi sarcastic voice.

"Well, no, I don't think it would be something most men would pick up." She said as she small smile played on her lips. Pulling into the parking lot, she parked the car and turned off the engine. "I write romance, I tell people I write it because I find it a good substitute for the lack of romance in my life." She laughed because the statement was actually semi true. "So unless you like a good romance novel, I don't think you'd have read my books." She smiles up at him then turned to get out of the car her smile fades and she hesitates. The thought of exiting her safety zone was frightening. Her breathing picked up as her grip on the handle tightened. She dreaded getting out of the car and was mental at war with herself, half of her wanted to tuck and run, while the other half wanted to show Abe that she was a grown woman and not a scared child.
 
"Wait," Abe said, putting a hand on hers. "Stay in the car." He gave her a little wink as he got out and walked over to her door before opening it for her. "If you write romances, then your boyfriend had better be someone who treats you like a lady, otherwise they'd never believe it. He waited for her to get out before locking the door and shutting it. Then he reached out and tested the door to make sure that it was closed and locked.

"Alright, I normally don't like physical proximity," he said, taking her right hand in his, "but this keeps you close to me and allows me to get my gun if I need it, so always take my left hand." He was scanning the parking lot as they walked across to the store. And not to sound chauvinistic, but you'll need to push the cart and do all the selecting. I can't afford to not watch over you while this nutzo is loose."

His hand was warm over hers, strong and slightly calloused. He wore a watch but no other ornamentation on his body that she could see. "Alright, so let's hit the hardware store first, Ms Johnson. Those things don't spoil if you leave them in the trunk."

Across the parking lot in the outdoor shopping center a pair of blue eyes watched the novelist walking toward the store with a tall, good looking man. The eyes narrowed in anger. How dare she be with someone else? HE was the one who loved her! HE was the one who knew everything about her! The man brought up his phone and took several pictures of the pair before melting into the crowds of shoppers.
 
Lana watched curiously as he got out of the car and walked around to her side. She blushed as she realized what he was doing, rolling her eyes as she climbed out of the car, but also fighting a goofy smile from working its way on to her lips. She liked the way his large hand felt as it held hers. Normally she was not on to like people touching her, but this, this felt good, it felt safe, something she wasn't used to. "You just opened my car door for me when I thought chivalry lived only in my head." She said with a smile, "at the moment there is nothing you can say that will sound chauvinistic." She grinned up at him before slipping her hand out of his to grab a cart. Pushing it with both hands she headed into the hardware store. "However, I know absolutely nothing about tools. So, you will have to pick out everything from here. I basically know what a hammer and a nail is, oh and I'm really good at pick out paint." She told him in a sarcastic tone.
 
"Heh, well.. feminism killed chivalry. But..." he opened the door to the hardware store for her and then followed her inside. "That's not really a topic that we can cover in one afternoon."

The store was an old fashioned one, with cluttered shelves and plaques on the wall showing the local 4-H and their fair sales of cows, pigs, and lambs. Abe and the hardware store manager spoke briefly about what he was doing and within about fifteen minutes they had everything they needed. The bodyguard was slightly reluctant to spend a small fortune on the tools but they needed them, and by the time Ava was done paying, he'd already decided that he wanted her to learn how to use her own tools. He felt like he needed to empower her, and teaching her how to protect herself was one way to do that.

He suggested that they drop off the tools in her car before getting the groceries. Plus, it gave him another chance to scope out the parking lot for people who might be watching Lana. "Your house is nice," he commented as they unloaded the cart. "I'd have expected flowers and climbing roses around a romance novelist's house, though. Are you ever planning on putting some in?"
 
Lana chuckled at his question, "I never really thought about it." She said with a shrug as she helped him put the tools in the car before closing the trunk. "Normally I don't even unpack my boxes." She explained, "I've never lived in a house for more than a year my entire life. Well until now, I've lived here for three years, which is kinda a big deal for me." She told him as she hesitantly slipped her hand into his and began walking towards the grocery store when she heard her name being called. Her eyes scanned the crowd until they fell upon a tall thing man with greasy looking brown hair. Lana groaned as she forced a smile on her face. "Hey Max" She called, her tone a forced cheerful. "Abe this is Max, his a friend from the writing group I don't you about." She explained as she sent a pleading look, "Max, this is my boyfriend, Abe" She introduced putting a bit of emphasis on the word boyfriend. Abe look taken back by this new turn out, "Your boyfriend?" He asked looking like a puppy who'd just been kicked, "But... You said you weren't looking for anything."

Lana had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes and instead gave him a look of sympathy, "Sorry Max..." She trailed off not knowing what else to say, looking up at Abe, hoping he could find it in him to save her from this situation.
 
Abe mentally groaned when he heard someone calling Lana's name. It wasn't just that the voice was a man's, but it had that trill of desperation that he could recognize. He turned with her to look at the person who had called her, and he was surprised at the way the man looked. For someone who was a potential stalker, he didn't exactly dress to impress.

He heard he whining tone in his voice when he said "But... You said you weren't looking for anything."

The bodyguard chuckled. "She wasn't looking for anything. She was waiting for me to settle down," he said, extending his right hand to the man to shake. "We've been talking back and forth for the last, uhm... three years?" He looked over at her as if confirming the time. "Has it really been that long?"

In his head Abe was thinking that if this Max fellow was in her writing group and fell in love with her then three years should cover it. If not... well... then he just screwed up.
 
Lana let out a sigh of relief as Abe started talking, she squeezed his hand in thanks before replying, "Three almost four, couple more month." She said as she smiled up as him with a thankful look on her face but what Max took as the gaze of a lover. Max shook Abe's hand but didn't look happy about it. "Well, we'd better get going, I'll see you around Max." She said as she gave him a parting smile.

Once they were out of hearing distance Lana let out an awkward giggle, "I'm really sorry about that, I said yes to coffee once and just a friends and he thought we were going to get married." she explained as they entered the grocery store and let go of his hand once again to grab a cart. "He has an obsession with me, but I don't think hes the one." She said referring to her stalker, its not his style.
 
Once they left Max, Abe still kept up his watch on the area. He gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about it. It's just part of the job. Besides, until we find the one, then even your priest is suspect."

He laid his hand on the small of her back as she took the shopping cart and pushed in through the sliding doors. "Some times kindness can come across as an invitation. That's why so many celebrities come off as assholes; they're trying to keep that barrier up between them and their fans enough to keep the lovelorn out. Abe frowned slightly as they walked through the store and shopped. "Are you on any of those social sites? Facebook, Instagram? Those places? I've heard that sometimes they can lead to someone feeling like they're you're real life friend, and that can lead to unwanted attention."
 
Lana smiled but shook her head, "Nope, not really into it, I mean I don't have that many friends so what would be the point?" She asked with a laugh as she walked up and down the rows of shelves and tossing things into her cart. Looking over her list Lana smiled and crumpled it up, "Is there anything else you wanted." She asked as she threw the last thing into the cart. "I'm an absolutely awful cook, so I pay someone to come in every other day and make something." She warned him as she grabbed some frozen foods. "The best I can do is boil pasta." She said with a smile. Standing there in the grocery store with Abe's hand on her back, she felt totally relaxed, for once she wasn't looking over her shoulder for her stalker. It felt good to feel safe, something she hadn't felt in a long time, if ever.
 
"You don't cook?" He gave her 'a look'. "What kind of romance writer doesn't cook?" He glanced around at the produce section. "Okay... I have to teach you how to use a drill, install a dead bolt, and cook. Easy-peasy. What's your food budget for the next week?" He shook his head at the frozen foods. "Obviously there's a little bit of protecting you from yourself as well."

Abe gave her a tiny smirk. He rubbed her shoulders briefly before moving towards the vegetables. "Proteins and veggies; what do you like? Asparagus? Brocolli? Leeks?"
 
Lana rolled her eyes, "That's the great part about being a writer, you can write about what your not. Just because I'm a romance writer does not mean I'm going to make the perfect house wife. I've never actually had any sort of romantic relationship, my life, up until I sold my first book was pretty shitty. I didn't have anyone to show me how to build things or cook and the houses I lived in were pretty rotten as well as the people who were suppose to take care of me. So yeah I'm naive and un self sufficient, but..." She shrugged, "But just because I'm a romance writer doesn't mean I have to be any of those things, it just means that I can write, that's all." She explained, not really liking his assumption but not angry over it, just tired of his assumption. Lana stepped away from the cart, slipping her hand into his once again she followed him to the vegetables, "I like peppers, asparagus, broccoli..." she continued naming all the vegtables she could think of as she followed him around the produce.
 
Abe drew in a breath. He had overstepped. "I'm sorry... that was out of line, on my part." He grew quiet as they walked over to the produce section. He cleared his throat self-consciously. "Okay, how about three bunches of broccoli, a pound of brussel sprouts, a bag of spinach salad, two pounds of carrots, and two bundles of asparagus? We'll pick up some onions and butter, and then the meats. And... in case you don't like the cooking... we should get your frozen meals."

He put his hands on his hips as he looked around, trying to find that balance. He was thinking that he should learn to keep his mouth shut. It was his job to protect her, not to teach her anything. She might not even want to know how to do any of that stuff.

He tried to be less talkative as they got the rest of the groceries. He thought that she probably didn't buy that much in a month when it was just her. As they left there was no sign of Max, which was good, but he felt like a lot of people were looking in his direction. He didn't know that they were just noting what a nice couple they looked like; he just felt the eyes on them like predators.
 
Lana shrugged, "Its really not a big deal, I can see why you would make those assumptions" She said as she gave him a smile and squeezed his hand trying to show him that she wasn't upset. But she did notice that he had stopped talking after that which disappointed Lana, she liked having him next to her, talking to her, I reminded her she wasn't alone. So for the rest of the trip she threw into the cart what he told her, but other wise their conversation had ended. The silence began to put her on edge and slowly the habits she had picked up within the last few months began to return. Every few minutes she looked over her shoulder and her fingers began drumming against her thigh anxiously. She step quickened, she just wanted to get out of the store and back to her safe haven. Lana felt relief as she pushed her cart out of the store and to her car. She couldn't wait till she pulled into her drive
 
Just a job, just a job...

His mantra carried him halfway back to her house. When they drew near to her home he told her to pull past, circle the block, and then to go to the house. It gave him a chance to see if there was anyone lingering around the place or not.

"Do you have a schedule you like to follow? I mean... do you prefer to wake up early and write, or do you write through the night? And do you go for runs or to the gym or anything like that? I'd like to help you get your life back to normal. Also... and I know that it's a bit scary to think about, but if you have a bit of a schedule we might be able to draw out your admirer and put him in jail."

Abe set a bag of groceries on the counter and then frowned slightly. "I thought that you didn't have any pets?" He noticed a pink collar on the counter. It was thick and leather, with studded spikes along the outer edge. A small, heart-shaped note card was underneath the collar.

The bodyguard looked over at Lana. "Is this yours?"
 
Lana did a he said as they drove in silence before pulling into her drive way and unloading her car. "I normally just write when my muse hits and if it doesn't I force some words down" She told him as she began to unload the groceries. "I used to run outside everyday, but after I started getting notes I bought as treadmill. But yeah, I can come up with a schedule if you would like." Lana started putting the fruit in the fridge when he asked about a pet. Lana frowned and turned around, "I used to have a dog, why?" She asked as her eyes followed his gaze. Lana felt sick to her stomach as she took in the little pink collar. Gently she set the rest of the fruit back on the counter before stumbling into one of her kitchen chairs, "He got in my house." She whispered, her face looking very pale as she realized she was no longer safe even in her own home.
 
Abe just 'hmm'd' and then picked up the note. "This would look good on your heroine like 'Shades of Grey'." He flipped over the note and looked at the back. "Okay... we have a bit more work to do tonight, Ms Johnson." He set the collar on the counter and slid his weapon out in one smooth motion. "Stay behind me while we clear the house."

He nodded at her and then began to move through the house, clearing room by room, closet by closet. He made sure that the house was completely empty of any intruders. Once they were sure that it was safe and he pulled all the drapes shut. "All right, we're going to have to install new locks and security system." Abe looked over at Lana. "And I'm sorry, but we'll have to sleep in the same room tonight, until we get everything switched over."
 
Lana followed closely behind him as he made his way through her house. As they moved her trembling fingers nervously drummed against her thigh. Even once her whole house had been cleared she still couldn't get rid of the chilling feeling that someone had been in her house. Lana listened intently as he told her what was going to have to happen. Anxiously wringing her hands in front of her she nodded hesitantly. As much as having him close made her feel safer, she didn't want him in the same room as her. She didn't sleep well at night, nightmares from her past made their appearances at night and those she would much rather face alone, without the humiliation of someone else seeing. But it didn't seem like she had a choice, she sighed, "What must we do before tonight then?" She asked, her voice weak and on the verge of breaking.
 
"We? We don't have to do anything. I do." Abe had finished with the last lock and pulled out his phone, sending off a text message to his boss. "I'm going to ask the company to send a pair of locksmiths tomorrow."

He saw her wringing her hands in front of her as she nodded. The tremble in her voice was soft and frail, and it made him want to protect her, not because he was her bodyguard, but because he was a man. "Listen, Ms Johnson... I know that this is not settling. Having someone break into your home has been described as akin to rape." He walked closer to her and reached out to take her hands in his.

"Why don't I make us some dinner, and then you can show me all the messages that you have from this stalker." He began to guide her back towards the kitchen.
 
Lana sighed and her shoulder sagged as she heard his reply. Never in her life had Lana felt more useless or helpless, she wasn't used to relying on others to take care of her. She had always worked things out one way or another, but this, this was way out of her ability to handle and now the whole situation had been taken out of her hands. Although she knew it was for the best, the idea of trusting someone else to take care of her made her vary uncomfortable.

Lana looked up when she felt his warm rough hands wrap around hers then back down to see his large calloused hands encompassing her small trembling ones. She nodded at his words, understanding the description. She felt exposed and violated, a feeling she never thought she would be feeling again. Lana let him take her back into the kitchen having been calmed a bit by his touch. "Thank you." her voice a bit stronger than before but still held a slight tremor. Gently slipping her hands away from his, she walked over to one of the cabinets and opened it up. "If you could please reach up and grab that box for me, up on the top shelf." She said as she pointed to a shelf that was far beyond her reach, "That's where I keep the notes." She explained as she looked over her shoulder at him.
 
He braced himself on the counter with one hand while he reached up with the other, fingering the box down from the high shelf. The muscles and corded tendons in his arms moved as he tensed them, accentuating the finely wrought features of his physique. His shirt pulled up slightly and revealed the flat, landscaped planes of his pelvis and the indentation of his hips over his waistline.

Abe brought the box down and set it on the counter. "How long did you say that he's been contacting you?" He riffled through the layers of notes, pictures, and badly written poetry. He gave a short grunt of disgust and shoved the box towards the backboard. "This can wait. Let me feed you first, and then we can take our time with profiling this guy."

He... knew his way around a kitchen. For a burly, pistol-toting ex-military man, he seemed comfortable with dicing onions and sauteing vegetables as chicken breast grilled themselves in the oven. The meal he prepared was simple; garlic herbed boneless chicken breasts, butter-grilled broccoli with onions, and a spinach salad with walnuts and vinaigrette dressing. "If you'd like to have a glass of wine, please make yourself at home. "I'll watch over you if you'd like to relax."
 
Lana couldn't help but watch as he strained to reach her box. Her eyes traveled down his muscled arm down his chest to where a strip of his toned stomach was exposed reveling to her a glimpse of the v shaped lines that continued down into his pants. She couldn't help but think he was exactly the sort of man that she described in her books, the one that always got the pretty girl in the end. "To bad this isn't on of my books." She thought sadly as he brought the box down and his shirt once again was covering his abdomen. A small frown formed on her face as she was pulled out of her thoughts and back to what he was saying, "About three month now." She told him quietly as a small blush formed on her cheeks as she realizes she had been staring. "You know you really don't have to feed me, I'm only paying you to be my bodyguard, you don't need to cook as well." She said feeling guilty as she took a seat at the counter watching him move with a kind of purpose that Lana couldn't help but find very sexy. Again she felt her cheeks blush at her thoughts, she wasn't normally like this with men. Granted she hadn't been around many men and none this handsome, but she did wish she had better control over herself. Lana reached under the counter by her feet, where there was a small fridge made to keep wine in. Pulling out a bottle and a glass she poured herself a little and offered him some as well.
 
He smiled at her as he set their plates on the small kitchen table. "No thank you... I don't drink on duty." His smile widened. "And I'm on duty 24/7 with you, Ms Johnson." He poured himself a glass of water and raised it up to clink it against her wine glass. "Here's to getting your life back."

"So... tell me how you became a writer. You were an orphan, you had no support. And now... look at you. You've shown a lot of inner strength and fortitude to build the life you have." He looked across the table at her, admiration evident in his eyes.

He swirled a bite of salad in the dressing and then took a bite.

"So... if you hadn't been a writer what would you have been?"
 
Lana smiled and clinked her glass against his before taking a sip. She laughed at his comment, "No, just persistent. I was working as a waitress, barely earning enough to get by writing in my free time, which wasn't much and I sent the manuscript to just about every publishing company in the country." she said with a shrug. "After sending in four different books and lots of rejections, I finally got an acceptance letter. From then on it was a lot easier." She took a bite of the chicken and moaned as she closed her eyes, swallowing before she talked said, "Oh my gosh, this is so good, you've really got to teach me how to make this." She insisted as she opened her eyes and smiled up at him before answering his second question. "Realistically? If I had never gotten published..." She sighed and set down her fork, "I was not heading in a good direction, so probably dead, on drugs, homeless, or a prostitute." She said soberly, "But if I could be anything other than I writer... maybe a teacher. I really like kids but I never had the money to get that kind of an education." She smiled up at him, "So how did you become a body guard? And what would you be?" She asked turning the questions back to him.
 
"Persistent is good. I suppose I'll have to read one of your books soon, just to know what kind of stories people are buying." He smiled she talked about her journey from waitress to successful author.

"I'd be glad to teach you how to make this. And anything else you'd like to learn." He held her gaze for a moment before he looked away, a slight flush on his cheeks. The 'anything else' portion could have sounded like a sexual innuendo.

"I'm glad that you did publish your books. It would have been a shame to have you wind up homeless. Or... those other options. But a teacher would have been interesting. I've always liked teachers."

Then she turned the questions back to him. He cleared his throat and then looked across the table, thinking about what she asked. "I went into the military to pay for college, out of high school. One tour turned into two, then three." He smiled. "I got my bachelor's and right now I'm just saving up." He shrugged lightly as he scooped a piece of broccoli onto his fork. "Some of my buddies in the unit came back and started up Sentinel One, which, as you know, is who I work for."
 
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