Bedding The Bodyguard

by Virna DePaul

  They drove down to the casino side of the lake and started with a drink at the bar. Luke raised his glass. “To a fun, normal night.”

  She raised hers. “Here, here.” They clinked their glasses together and when they did, their fingertips brushed.

  Nobody seemed to recognize her, and she was so relieved that no one was whipping out phones and taking pictures or pointing at her.

  It was exactly what she had needed, to feel like everyone else for a change, to shake off her fears and questions about her future.

  They didn’t talk much. Simply soaked in the ambience and each other’s company. However, at one point, Luke took her hand, absently stroking his thumb against her knuckles. He was so attentive. And she got the distinct feeling that the reason he wasn’t talking was because he was giving her time. Time to think about what he’d told her.

  That he wanted her.

  And that he was holding her hand to get her used to his touch. Knowing that she wanted him to. Knowing that he might be touching her a whole lot more before the evening was over if she only had the courage to tell him that’s what she wanted.

  She shivered and her nipples grew hard. Her whole body tingled when he leaned in close.

  “So, what would you like to do now? Gamble, maybe?”

  There was almost a challenge in his eyes. As if he dared her to say no. She didn’t want to gamble. She just wanted to go back to their cabins and have sex. She thought it. She wanted to say it. But she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. First, she didn’t have the nerve. But second, she was enjoying her time with Luke here too much.

  Besides, there was a lot to be said about drawing out the anticipation, wasn’t there?

  “Can we play at one of the tables?” It was something she’d never done. She’d always felt too intimidated. But now with Luke at her side, she felt capable of anything.

  “Sure.”

  As they perused the crowded tables, Luke stayed by her side, his strong hand on her back. It surprised her how much she liked it there. It was a possessive move on his part and it only served to intensify her attraction to him.

  “So, what game are you interested in playing first?” he asked her.

  She bit her lip, wondering if she’d imagined the sexual innuendo in his words. Clearing her throat, she assessed her options. Some of the games she’d never heard of. “Black jack,” she finally said.

  “Are you any good?”

  “I have no idea, I’ve never played.”

  Luke laughed. “Okay then, let’s start at the five dollar table.”

  They found a table that wasn’t too crowded and as soon as they sat down, the cocktail waitress asked what they would like to drink. Kat ordered a Cosmo and Luke a beer. She started to place a twenty on the table but Luke covered her hand with his.

  “I’ve got it.”

  “You don’t have to…”

  “I want to. You’re my date. I don’t let women pay—” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Even if they are gorgeous, famous starlets.” He winked at her and she felt herself melting inside. She watched Luke hand the man a hundred dollar bill and then split up the chips. The dealer placed a seven and a ten down in front of her. She looked over at Luke’s hand. He had a ten and an eight.

  She leaned over and this time she whispered in his ear. “What should I do?”

  His body noticeably stiffened. The thought that he might want her as badly as she did him only served to make the flesh between her thighs throb heavily. He looked down at her cards. Placing his mouth so that it was almost touching her ear, he said, “Say hit me.”

  His warm breath in her ear again was like an aphrodisiac. She took a sip of her drink and cleared her throat. In a shaky voice, she said, “Hit me.”

  The dealer laid down a four of clubs.

  Kat squealed. “I got 21!”

  Luke was grinning at her. “You certainly did.”

  The dealer paid Kat in chips and switched out their cards. Luke won the next deal with twenty because the dealer held at seventeen and Kat busted with twenty-three. By the third hand Kat could barely process the numbers on her cards because Luke had placed his hand on her bare leg. That hand became her focal point. She imagined it sliding upwards and dipping underneath her skirt, skimming the outside of the thong that she was wearing…

  “Kat?”

  “What?”

  Luke smiled at her knowingly and her face flushed again. “Do you want another card?”

  “Oh…sure.”

  He chuckled as the dealer laid down another card on top of her sixteen. The queen busted her hand, but she couldn’t care less.

  “Do you want to try something else?” he asked her.

  Yes, your hand sliding underneath my panties so you can judge how wet you’ve made me. She snickered to herself. “Sure, let’s play the slots for a while.”

  When they stood up, Luke took her hand in his. She loved how intimate it felt to stroll through the casino, hand in hand with this gorgeous man. He led them to a bank of slot machines and Kat picked a Monopoly game and sat down. Luke stood behind her with one hand on her shoulder as she fed her money into the machine.

  “You’re not going to play?”

  “It’s more fun to watch you.”

  She pushed the button to spin the reels. She felt Luke’s other hand rest against her other shoulder and while they waited for the reels to stop, he rubbed the tops of her arms. She kept playing the machine until she ran out of money then simply stood there enjoying Luke’s touch. His hands were brushing softly through her hair now and gently fluttering against the side of her neck. She was shaking all over and she wondered if he knew what he was doing to her. But of course he did. She wasn’t exactly hiding her intense response to him.

  “What now?” he asked her.

  Sex. Hot, sweaty sex. Hard, passionate, wild sex…. She swallowed hard. “You pick,” she breathed out.

  “Dinner?”

  His expression was teasing. He knew what she was thinking. And the fact he was giving her a taste of her own medicine by drawing out the anticipation delighted her.

  “Perfect.”

  They had dinner in the casino’s five star steakhouse. He enjoyed his food and he took real delight in her enjoying and relishing hers too. When she confessed she rarely ate red meat even though she absolutely loved it, he said, “Well you picked the right guy tonight. I know all the best steakhouses.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why of course?” she asked, playing along and loving the twinkle in his eye.

  “Me Tarzan, you Jane, remember?”

  “Okay, Tarzan. Tell me more about yourself.”

  “Well, I’m a California boy, born and bred. What about you? Did you take a bus out from somewhere in the mid-west with stars in your eyes?”

  She laughed. “No, I’m a California girl too. I spent a lot of time in Northern California as a kid. My father was a politician so we had a house in Sacramento and one in Orange County. He traveled to D.C. a lot but Mom and I didn’t always go with him.”

  “Is he retired?”

  “No, he passed away.” Kat left it at that. She wasn’t ready to talk about how her father had been gunned down and how the man who’d been guarding him had died, as well. “What about your dad?”

  “My father was killed when I was a boy.”

  Kat sucked in a breath. She couldn’t believe how parallel their lives seemed to run.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said.

  “Thank you. My father’s death…it was hard on both my mother and me. But he was a great father, so I have a lot of good memories.”

  She got that old familiar pain in her chest that she always had when she thought about her dad. Luke must have sensed her mood because he reached out and took her hand. His fingers were long and strong and she wondered what they would feel like inside her body, how rough he would be with her.

  Part of her knew he would be r
ough, but only in the best way possible. There would be tenderness, yes, but the contrast and tension between the two aspects of Luke’s personality would only make sex more pleasurable.

  Luke wasn’t just holding her hand anymore. He was caressing it, his thumb smoothing against her knuckles and between her fingers. Kat felt the electricity all the way to her toes as goosebumps traced a path up her arm and down her spine, ending up smoldering in the pit of her stomach.

  She hadn’t felt this strongly attracted to a man in a very long time…if ever. And she couldn’t wait to see and feel what came next.

  * * *

  Across the table, Luke couldn’t stop imagining making love to Kat. He wanted her so badly. All night long the scent of her perfume, the press of her soft breasts against his arms when she leaned across him, the small brush of her hand against his, had been driving him utterly crazy.

  After confessing his desire for her that afternoon, he’d known he had to tread carefully. He felt justified continuing to protect her, even lying to her. But the fact remained he was lying. Could he really take things further between them, knowing that?

  No, he’d decided. Absolutely not. He’d take her out for a nice evening, and he’d take care of her, just as he’d said, but he wouldn’t sleep with her. Not until he could be honest with her.

  Right now, however, she was seriously testing his resolve.

  He wanted to find a nice dark corner, thrust her into it and kiss her hard, tangling his hands into her hair to pull it free of the pins holding it up and away from her lovely face. He wanted to slide his hands below the hem of that skirt and upward, stroke the silky flesh of her upper thighs and then go higher and higher until his fingers were inside her, feeling the clench of her slick inner walls.

  “Kat—” he began, only to hear his phone buzz. He’d blocked all calls except for Cole and his men, so he had to answer. “I’m sorry, Kat, but I have to take this call. Would you excuse me a moment?”

  “Of course.” She took a sip of her wine, watching him over the lip of her glass, and he could swear he saw the slightest hint of her sweet tongue. Rising, he suppressed a groan, taking the call in a nearby alcove where he could still see her and reach her quickly if necessary.

  It was Cole.

  “Hit me.”

  “A few hours ago I got news that someone broke into Kat’s house. Whoever it was set off the silent alarm, but was gone by the time the police arrived.”

  “Does she have cameras?”

  “No.”

  “Damn it!” His gaze met Kat’s. “Anything else?”

  “They dusted for prints. Looks like whoever broke into her house was the same person who’s been sending her threatening letters. And although Bailey’s security system doesn’t have cameras, a neighbor saw the perp leaving. We’ve got a description. It’s vague, but it’s enough to get started. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Thanks, Cole.”

  He was just about to terminate the call when Cole called his name.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you know what you’re doing, man?”

  Luke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes and no. There’s no active threat to her as far as we can tell, at least not here, but I’m not taking any chances with the break in. I can’t risk leaving her here unprotected. I’ve made headway. She’s starting to trust me. I’m hoping with enough time, I’ll be able to convince her to hire protection again, but this time someone we know she can trust.”

  “Not you?”

  “Not me,” he said firmly, knowing Cole would get the message. He’d turned down the job before because of his attraction to her. Now things were absolutely personal. She wasn’t just a potential client or a woman he wanted to fuck—she was a woman he’d grown to care about and after this was all over with, he intended to do something about that.

  After terminating the call, Luke watched as Kat smiled at their waiter, then laughed. He felt the sound in the warm wave of pleasure that spread through him, savoring it even as he returned to the table. “Sorry about that.”

  “No worries. I’m having a wonderful time.”

  “So am I, Kat.”

  They resumed talking and eating, but he could tell she sensed his preoccupation. Maybe it was because of the information about the break in, but Luke’s feeling of possessiveness where she was concerned had switched into overdrive. He sat close to her. Touched her often. Every word they said, every move they made, was charged with a cloak of intimacy. A half hour later, their plates were empty but he was hungrier than ever. Her expression told him that she was hungry too; starving, in fact. Their appetite for food had been sated but tonight had only whetted their appetites for each other.

  “Luke.” Her voice was husky and deeper than usual, and her pupils were darkened by desire. “I—I—”

  It wasn’t so much the desire in her eyes that had his good intentions going up in smoke. It was the utter need in her voice. She wanted him. Bad.

  And he wanted her just as much. In his mind, she was going to be his, not just here and now, but for the foreseeable future. She might not know it yet, but she was. And he took care of what was his. She was aching for him. And he was going to appease her ache. He was going to show her that he was more than capable of taking care of her, in every way that mattered.

  It was time to go.

  They walked to his car and she waited for him to unlock the doors.

  Instead, he caught her by surprise when he backed her up against the car and pinned her to the side with his muscular thighs. “Kat,” he whispered, just before he buried his face in the graceful curve of her neck.

  “Luke.”

  He raised his head and took in the beauty of her flushed face, eyes blazing with need, before settling his mouth on hers and kissing her passionately. Kat moaned and melted into his embrace, kissing him back softly, almost shyly. He had expected her to kiss like an actress and experienced woman, with expertise and full confidence. But she didn’t. She kissed like a vulnerable girl, full of passion but unsure how to proceed. She had surprised him yet again. And he liked it.

  He coaxed her mouth open with little flicks of his tongue and cupped the back of her head tightly, changing the angle of his mouth so he could delve more deeply inside her. She felt so good in his arms. He didn’t want to let her go. The kiss grew hotter until it threatened to consume them.

  Luke forced himself to pull away, placing both hands at Kat’s waist and holding onto her until they both got their gasping and panting under control. Then he grinned and winked at her, and helped her into the car.

  Chapter Nine

  The ride to the cabin was silent. Kat’s heart was racing and pounding so hard against her chest that she wondered if he could hear it.

  She watched him as he drove, her gaze taking in his biceps and the way the muscles on his forearm flexed as he gripped the steering wheel. Though he kept his eyes on the road, she knew he was aware that she watched him. Deep slashes of red rode his high cheekbones. His jaw ticked and his fingers clenched the wheel, as if he was forcibly stopping himself from touching her.

  “Can this car go faster?”

  “Yes,” Luke clipped out. “But that wouldn’t be very safe.”

  She didn’t want safe. She wanted wild. Reckless. She wanted to beg him to pull the car over and take her right there on the hood. Instead, she compromised. “Will you—will you touch me?”

  His gaze briefly jerked to hers, and she gasped at the intense fire that burned in his eyes. When he looked at the road again, she swallowed her disappointment. But then Luke placed his hand on her thigh, just under the hem of her skirt, his thumb making little circles on her flesh. She gasped and her inner thighs quivered, just slightly, but enough that he had to feel it.

  He took in a deep breath and his fingers inched upward. The air conditioning vents blew up her skirt and the incredibly tantalizing scent of his cologne filled her nostrils. She wanted to nibble on his neck, run her hands over his body. Every st
roke of his fingers shot fire through her.

  She sagged into the seat, her legs parting, silently inviting more of his touch.

  The headlights showed the steepness of the hills they were climbing. His hand moved upward again, just a bare inch. Her panties were damp now, something she wanted him to feel for himself. She wriggled, trying to entice him to touch her more intimately.

  They went around a difficult curve. His hand went up another inch, his fingers stroking the silky flesh of her inner thigh. She was about to grab his wrist and pull his fingers against her when she saw they’d reached the cabin.

  After turning off the engine, he kept his hand on her thigh. Instead of pulling her out of the car or kissing her again, he leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, clearly trying to get control of himself when all she wanted was for him to lose his control and sweep her away in mutual passion.

  “Luke,” she whispered.

  “Just…just give me a minute.” He looked so tortured that for a moment, her desire abated. She reached down, pulled his hand from between her thighs, and cradled it in both of hers. “Luke, it’s okay. We don’t have to—”

  His eyes flared open. “Yes. We do.”

  She smiled slightly at the vehemence in his voice. “So why are we…?”

  “Because I want it to be good for you. I want to take care of you, Kat, just like I said I would.”

  He turned his hand over, and gently brought one of her wrists to his lips, kissing her flesh softly.

  “You don’t have to take care with me, Luke. Not that way. That’s the last thing I want. I want you to be carried away by passion. I want you to treat me like a normal woman, remember?”

  “You just don’t get it, Kat. You are not a normal woman.”

  “Because I’m a movie star?”

  “Because you’re sweet. Smart. Gorgeous. Fun to be with. You’re amazing in every way.”