Paulie's Protector - The Men of the Crazy Anger 4 http://www.bookstrand.com/paulies-protector
Now Nolan was standing in a swarm of
people, many who would jerk their heads or pause in their step when they saw
him. Nolan never would get used to that, and he tightened his jaw in
determination. Graham had said that this Paul Weber was in trouble. Apparently,
he had been on the run for about a year now. Graham had explained to Nolan that
the stalker had caught Paul and he was seriously injured.
There wasn’t much Nolan wouldn’t do for
Graham. So, he stood there, even though he desperately wanted to be back at the
ranch, and waited for the injured man to get off the plane.
Nolan watched as a stream of people came
through a door from the passenger unloading area. Unfortunately, no one fit the
description of a small, dark-blond-haired man. When no one else came through
the door, Nolan frowned.
Then a man stood there. He looked to be
about five-seven and very thin, dressed in gray sweatpants and a blue T-shirt
with a gray sweatshirt jacket zipped up over it. His hair might be dark blond,
but it was hard to tell, as it was now a wavy, wet mess. Sweat coated the man’s
ash-gray face and the look in his glassy eyes was part wild and part determined
He had both arms crossed over his belly and was hunched over just a bit. Paul
Weber clearly was sick, in pain, scared, and to Nolan, one of the most
beautiful men he had ever seen.
Nolan started over to Paul, worried he
might keel over at any moment, as the man’s eyes frantically searched the room.
Nolan saw the exact moment Paul saw him and read the sign. Pretty hazel eyes
widened as they traveled from the sign up to Nolan’s face.
Nolan let out the breath he hadn’t known
he was holding, when there wasn’t any fear or distaste on Paul’s face as he looked
him over.
Now that he had reached the small man,
he wasn’t sure what to do. That problem was solved when Paul said, “Please tell
me you’re a friend of Elliot’s. I don’t think I can go much further.”
Nolan knew if he carried or even held
the small man up as they left the airport, security would be on them in
seconds. Graham had made it clear that they had to be discreet, to try and not
draw any attention. So Nolan did the only thing he could think of.
“Take my arm, please,” he managed to
say.
Paul kept one hand on his belly and
grabbed onto the crook of Nolan’s elbow. Slowly, they made their way through
the lobby and out the door. Nolan headed right over to a group of benches next
to the passenger pickup area. Gently, he took Paul by both thin shoulders and
helped to carefully lower him onto the seat of the brown plastic bench.
Paul opened his eyes and found himself
lying on a doctor’s hard examining table. His arms, legs, and his whole torso were
covered by a white sheet and felt like they were on fire. Looking around, he
saw he had an IV hooked up to his arm, and the bag of clear liquid attached to
it was almost empty. Movement caught his eye, and there to the side of him was
the huge, gorgeous guy that had picked him up at the airport.
“What happened? Where am I?” he asked.
“I brought you to a clinic. The doc
patched you up,” said a deep baritone voice. It made shivers run up Paul’s
spine. Even as sick as he was, his body reacted to the intense attraction he
was feeling.
Paul was just about to ask another
question when his stomach started kicking up a storm, rolling and pitching
wildly. Frantically he looked around and was just about to attempt getting up,
when Mr. Huge and Hunky grabbed the waste can in the corner and rushed to his
side.
Paul started to gag. Large hands wrapped
around his shoulders and he was gently lifted painfully into a sitting
position. The next thing he knew, he had a scrumptious, muscled arm wrapped
around his shoulders and the can at ready near his mouth. Pressing his hands to
his bandage-covered belly to try and keep it secure, he started heaving into
the can. Pain radiated throughout his body with each heave as very little came
up. That wasn’t surprising, as he hadn’t been able to eat much of anything
since the attack. Finally, his stomach calmed down and the arm around his
shoulders helped him gratefully lie back down.
A cool wet, paper towel was patted over
his sweaty face and then he was handed a paper cup filled half-full of water.
He put the water in his mouth and then spit it into the second empty cup Hunky
handed him.
“I’ve puked on you twice now. I think we
know each other well enough that you can tell me your name.” Paul was trying
for humor. What else could he do to get past this incredibly embarrassing situation?
“My name is Nolan Clark.”
“Hi, Nolan. I’m Paul Weber.” Paul held
out his hand and loved how Nolan’s hand totally engulfed his, all warm and
tingly.
Nolan nodded at him, and then his face
turned beet red and he looked down. Paul watched as a rash of red crept up
Nolan’s neck and piercing green eyes peeked at him, then quickly looked down
again. That was when Paul realized this strong, handsome man was shy, and for
some reason he found himself completely charmed by that.
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