Read Online Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1) by Tina Folsom - Free Book Online Page A

how hot he was and how much she owed him. She didn’t need to add another person to her life who she would worry about. She worried enough about her parents. That took all her energy. There was nothing left for a man who would be gone for days on end, likely without a word. No, she would never be able to do that.
    The one-night-stand she had contemplated only minutes earlier lost its appeal. She didn’t want to be tempted to want more. Because things happened, and what if a one-night-stand turned into two nights, a week or a month? It was the same reason she never dated a policeman, fireman, or anybody who was in the military. A bodyguard fell into the same category.
    With regret she allowed her lips to form her next words. “It’s getting late. I should call a cab.”
    He seemed jolted by her answer for a moment. Then he emptied the last of his drink and looked into his glass. “I’ll make sure you’ll get home safely.”

SEVEN
     
    Aiden insisted on waiting for the cab with her. As he helped her into the taxi, his mood was gloomy.
    Why did it bother him that Leila had suddenly cut their impromptu evening short? He should be relieved. But after telling her about Julia and their adventures together, he’d felt a strange sense of wanting to open up to her, when he rarely talked to anybody about his sister.
    Why Leila’s mood had suddenly changed when he’d told her he was a bodyguard, which came pretty close to the truth, he had no idea. Her rejection should suit him fine, but for whatever reason he didn’t like it. Intellectually, he knew that the more distance he could keep between him and her, the better for everybody involved. They weren’t friends, and she should never make the mistake of seeing him as such. Neither should he want anything from her but her compliance, so he could protect her. End of story.
    No, it’s only the beginning, his inner voice insisted while his heartbeat accelerated in agreement.
    Not wanting his thoughts to go farther down that road, he watched the taxi disappear around the next corner and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Manus’s number and started walking in the direction his car was parked.
    “Yeah?” his second answered immediately. Of all people, the council had assigned Manus to him.
    “I need you to check on a license plate for me. My charge was nearly run over by a car tonight.”
    “No shit.”
    “Could be a coincidence… ”
    Manus snorted. “Since when do you believe in coincidences?”
    Manus was right. He didn’t.
    “What’s the plate number?”
    Aiden recited it from memory. “I didn’t get the last number. There was some dirt on the plate, obscuring it.” He’d only had a split second to read the plates as the car had whizzed past him. But his preternatural senses had picked up what they could anyway.
    “What kind of car was it?”
    “Toyota, looked like a Corolla.” A very indistinct car, like millions of others.
    “Give me a few hours. I’ll text you what I find.”
    “Good, I’m going to Leila’s place now—”
    “Ah, it’s Leila now. Interesting.”
    Aiden’s hand tightened around his phone, anger surging. “Dr. Cruickshank’s apartment,” he corrected through clenched teeth.
    “What’s she like?”
    “Not your type,” Aiden bit out, his hackles rising once more. It would be a cold day in hell if he ever allowed Manus to guard her in his stead. She was his assignment. His responsibility.
    “Ah, so it’s like that now.”
    “What the fuck are you talking about?”
    “You want her—Leila, is it?—for yourself,” Manus guessed.
    “Bullshit! She’s my charge, that’s all. I don’t get involved with my charges.” He obeyed the rules. Even if his body wanted something different this time. Something that would not only break the Stealth Guardians’ rules but his own code of ethics.
    “You’ll see the light one day, believe me.”
    “Just do your job!”
    Aiden disconnected the call and looked down the dark alley at