Guardian by Kaitlyn O'Connor (ebook e reader txt) 📗

in my purse,” she said a littleindignantly.

“Ah,” he said, nodding. “Iwill help you look.”

She was instantly torn. She had longedfor a chance to meet him and see if anything nice came out of it,but she knew, realistically, he couldn’t possibly have any interestin her. She looked ok, and she knew it, but she was bookish andguys just weren’t interested in to smart girls that likedbooks.

If she’d been able to generate anyinterest in the sort of things that interested them—like fuckingand drinking beer and watching sports or playing sports or fishingor hunting ….

Maybe.

Not that she was against fuckingaltogether.

Especially a man that looked like ….“Sorry. I don’t even know your name.”

He stared at her as if he wasthinking. “Jarrowd,” he said finally.

Marilyn frowned, trying to interpretthe strange name spoken with the unfamiliar accent.“Jarrod?”

“Yes.” Closeenough.

She stuck her hand out and smiled athim. He was really close and really tall. She was starting to get acrick in the neck from tilting her head back so far. “I’mMarilyn.”

He stared at her hand for a longmoment—as if he wasn’t entirely sure of why she’d stuck it out orwhat he was supposed to do with it, but just as she grewuncomfortable and began to withdrawn her hand, he captured itbetween both of his. “I am honored.”

Marilyn gaped at him.

How very, very odd.

Delightful. She felt tingly all over,warm, a little faint, actually.

But even in the midst of rapture, shewas disconcerted.

They stood as they were, frozen, forso long that Marilyn began to feel uncomfortable. She really didn’twant to snatch her hand back, but she also wasn’t comfortable withhim holding it.

He let go, thankfully. “I will walkyou back, then.”

“Than … what?”

“You are not going back toyour habitat?”

What a strange way to refer to herapartment! “Uh … well, actually … uh ….” With some reluctance, shegave up the idea of ditching her neighbor so that she could gocheck the dumpster for the missing mace.

Just in case she’d inadvertentlythrown it in the trashcan and then taken it out.

Because, really, it could be arguedthat it was a weapon and shouldn’t be handled sorecklessly.

“Apartment,” he correctedhimself.

“Ok.”

He walked her to the elevator, whichsurprised her because, as far as she knew, he always took thestairs like she did.

Immediately, she began to visualize ascenario of him slinging her back against the wall, making asandwich with his hard body and the wall of the elevator, andkissing her deeply while he hunched her ….

Nothing happened, unfortunately.Despite her penchant for romance novels—a lot of women’sweakness—men didn’t seem to have gotten the memo.

Or maybe it was the ‘me too’movement?

Damn it!

Which would never have happened, ofcourse, if men weren’t so damned convinced all they had to do wasto drag it out of their pants and wag it at a woman and she wouldeagerly fall upon their ‘sword’.

Because there were still way toodamned many Neanderthals in the world.

Regardless, she was practicallyfloating on air by the time he had left her at the door of herapartment and strode off toward his.

She frowned, though, as she watchedhis gait.

Absolutely everything about the way heheld himself, and moved, spoke to supreme male confidence anddexterity that bordered art—as if he was a finely honed gymnaist orsome other sportsman—strong, lithe, powerful … like a junglecat.

That was what was so sexy about him the first time she’d spottedhim that had made everything in her that was female respond withmating pheromones—powerful self-confidence and a build and way ofmoving that underscored that belief with a profound ‘yes itstrue’.

And yet the next time she’d seen himhe’d been dressed like and moving like a very bad imitation of adork she remembered from an old tv show.

And the time after that like a toughguy from a fifty’s tv show … rerun. Maybe the sixty’s?

Which persona was the realJarrod?

Or were any of them?

Who was he? And why was he trying sohard to fit in? And failing so dismally.

It was almost like he was completelyunfamiliar with American culture.

But, despite the accent, he didn’tsound like a foreigner.

It was weird. It was just really,really bizarre and she didn’t think it was just her imaginationbecause she was so fond of mystery—suspense, romance and—wellbooks.

She found she really couldn’t focus ontrying to untangle the mystery, though, with the exciting encounterso fresh in her mind.

Mentally smacking herself every timeshe found her mind wandering down a path toward dreamy—hot,sweaty—scenarios with her neighbor—the real kook of the piece, shetold herself, she finally managed to get a grip.

Yes, gorgeous, but very weird—Don’tforget that!

She didn’t forget. She just keptdismissing it.

Eventually, when she turned herattention to preparing a meal, the mundane task helped to steadyher enough that she began to actually analyze her impressions fromthe collision she’d had with her neighbor, GorgeousJarrod.

One thing immediately jumped out ather.

She’d knocked his sunglasses askew andgotten her first glimpse of his eyes.

And they weren’t human.

* * * *

Guardian for the GalacticAlliance—Earth Division, Jarowd el-Karaket, settled in his favoritechair and stared at the electronic box the Earth people called TV.The screen was black—because it wasn’t powered up—but he had otherthings on his mind besides watching the educational vids, howevermuch he generally enjoyed that part of his job.

Specifically Marilyn.

He tried the name on his tongueseveral times until he was satisfied he was pronouncing it as shehad.

Of course, he was a cop—to use Earthvernacular—and he had tracked down her name as soon as he hadgotten a good look at her. But he had not known how it waspronounced.

Dissatisfaction began to filterthrough him as he replayed the incident in his mind that he hadcontrived when he had spotted her crossing the street toward himand seen that she was too deeply in thought to have noticedhim.

He still could not believe that it hadgone down so precisely as he had envisioned that it was almost asif it was predestined. She had not only plowed right into him, shehad lost her equilibrium and fell into his arms.

She smelled … like something he wantedto chew on and lick all over. She felt soft in all the rightplaces.

She was … amusing and adorable whenshe was rattled.

He liked that. Brains, beauty, a bodyto kill for, and warm and sweet.

But totallyunsophisticated.

Innocent, he realized