Bodyguard SEAL (SEALs of Coronado Book 8) by Paige Tyler (best classic literature txt) 📗

looking to see if anything hurt—nothing did. She shook her head. “I think I’m okay. How about you? I fell right on top of you.”

He smiled at her as he stood, gently pulling her upright. “That’s kind of the way I planned it.”

She couldn’t believe how calm Noah sounded after everything that had happened, and she found herself scanning his body for injuries. He seemed like he’d made it through the tumble without a single scratch—all except for his suit, of course, which hadn’t fared so well—but then she noticed that he was standing a little gingerly and not putting any weight on his left leg.

“Crap,” she said. “Did you hurt your knee again?”

“Just tweaked it a little running after you,” he said. “I don’t think I did any more damage to it.”

Noah probably would have said more, but he was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. She looked up and saw two men in suits and ties coming toward them with bewildered expressions on their faces.

“Hotel security,” the taller of the two men said. “Are you two okay? What the hell just happened?”

Noah glanced at the pair as he gestured with his thumb toward the man in the ski mask lying unconscious on the sidewalk a few yards away.

“Call the cops,” he said. “That asshole tried to kidnap Peyton Matthews. And if those two men who were fighting by the valet desk are still there, keep it that way. I’m pretty sure they’re involved.”

Peyton hadn’t even considered those two idiots might have been a distraction, but now that she thought about it, the idea made sense.

The pair from hotel security looked down at the man, then one pulled out his cell phone while the other headed back to the valet desk. Ski Mask hadn’t hit the ground as smoothly as she and Noah. One arm was bent at an odd angle. Then again, the guy might have been unconscious before he went out the door. That could have something to do with how poorly he’d landed.

She felt an arm come around her shoulders as Noah guided her away from the man who’d tried to grab her.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Did that son of a bitch hurt you?”

Peyton shook her head. That was when it hit her. She’d almost been kidnapped. Noah had been right to worry all along. They hadn’t tried to grab the hard drive or even her purse. They’d come after her.

“No, I’m fine.” She gazed up at Noah, her voice suddenly clogging with tears as she realized how horrible this could have turned out. “You were right. About someone coming after me again to get my book. I mean. If you hadn’t stopped them…”

“Shh,” he whispered, smoothing her hair back with his hand. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

He brushed his thumb tenderly across her lips and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he pulled her into his arms and held her close. She hugged him back, resting her cheek against his suit jacket. His heart beat steadily beneath her ear and she closed her eyes, smiling a little as she listened to the rhythmic sound. Being in his arms felt like the place she was supposed to be. Like the place she was meant to be. And if that sounded like something out of a romance book, she didn’t care.

“What happened?”

Peyton reluctantly opened her eyes to see Gwen rushing toward them, followed closely by Claire, Kiki, Hannah, and Scott. All five stared at the man on the ground before looking at her and Noah.

“What happened?” Gwen asked again.

Peyton stepped a little away from Noah so she could turn to look at them. “Two guys tried to kidnap me,” she said softly. “They would have succeeded too, if Noah hadn’t stopped them.”

Scott’s eyes darted to Noah, then back to her. “Did they get the book?”

Noah glared at him, and Peyton thought he might punch Scott. “Two men tried to kidnap Peyton and all you care about is some damn book?”

Scott flushed and started to stutter something, but Gwen interrupted with a sharp look in his direction.

“No, definitely not. Peyton is our first concern.”

Noah’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look like he believed that. And in that moment, Peyton wasn’t sure she did, either. She wasn’t naive. She knew that she was only as valuable to her publisher as her book series made her. But still, it was painful to see the reality of that fact presented so clearly.

“They didn’t get the book,” she told them quietly, patting the big purse that had stayed on her shoulder the whole time.

At least Scott had the grace not to show his relief as openly as Gwen and the others. Her editor looked like she wanted to say something, but two cop cars pulled into the hotel driveway then, their lights flashing. Two uniformed officers got out of the patrol car, while a plainclothes detective stepped out of the unmarked vehicle that pulled up behind them.

Peyton immediately recognized Dwayne Harrison, the tall detective who’d showed up at her house the night of the break-in. The man glanced at the bad guy still unconscious on the ground for a second before turning her way.

“I heard dispatch mention your name and figured this was something I needed to be involved in,” the detective said. “Any chance this is related to the earlier break-in at your home?”

Peyton started to answer, but Noah beat her to it. “Almost certainly. She was doing a well-advertised book signing at the hotel and was carrying her computer hard drive in her purse. It was pure luck that I was able to stop the jackasses from getting away with Peyton and the book.”

The detective looked at Noah, his eyes widening in surprise, then he smiled. “Noah Bradley? How the hell are you? More importantly, what the hell are you doing here?”

Noah grinned and reached out to clasp the man’s outstretched hand “I’m good. And as far as what I’m doing