Fearless Hero_A Military Bodyguard Romance

by Nicole Elliot

  Only vaguely aware of the back-and-forth conversation occurring between the Speaker and his daughter, I stared at the man as a waiter approached him. They had a quick exchange before the waiter left his table.

  That’s when I noticed there was only one menu at the table, and that the man was alone.

  There was nothing wrong with going out for a meal alone; I’d done it on several occasions myself. But once again, something just struck me as off about this particular guy.

  Whenever he wasn’t staring at the back of the Speaker’s head, he was casting cautious glances around the restaurant, as if waiting for something.

  “I tell you, Autumn, you must be exhausting this poor man,” Speaker Harper said.

  I realized he was looking at me again.

  “Have I really been that much trouble?” Autumn said, staring right at me. It was the most direct stare she had given me since her yoga workout.

  “Of course not,” I said. “I’m just tired today, that’s all. I didn’t sleep too well last night.”

  “Well, hopefully a good meal will help you get some good rest tonight then,” the Speaker said. “Here’s our food now.”

  I turned in my seat, seeing the waitress rolling a tray with our plates on it.

  In the second it took for me to turn my head, a loud screech filled the restaurant.

  I turned back around, seeing that the mysterious man from a few tables away had abruptly stood, an ugly grimace on his face. As if in a hurry, he sprung forward, and reached for something at his hip. As he pulled his jacket back, several piercing screams filled the restaurant.

  Confused, Speaker Harper twisted around in his chair.

  Reflexively, I jumped up from my seat, knocking over the plate of food that had been placed before me.

  Everything was happening so fast, yet it seemed as if I was seeing in slow motion.

  I sprung at the man just as he drew a gun, aiming for Speaker Harper’s head. The shot fired into the air, causing a chandelier to explode and making the whole restaurant erupt in screams—Autumn’s being the loudest of all.

  * * *

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “No—thank you,” the police officer said, shaking my hand.

  The restaurant had been evacuated and the shooter had been taken arrested. Yet, everyone remained thoroughly shaken, none more so than the Harpers.

  Before returning to his vehicle to be driven home, Speaker Harper approached me, a grim look on his face. “I don’t know what we would do without you, Brady,” he said, clasping my hand.

  “Don’t mention it. Just doing my job.”

  “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

  “Oh?” I said, my eyebrows raised.

  Speaker Harper sighed. “I couldn’t live with myself if anything ever happened to Autumn because of me. I worry about her more than Anna because she’s the one who’s always with me. I never knew how dangerous politics could get and how many people had something against me. Anna has never been a target thanks to the distance between us. So I know the only thing for me to do is to start keeping my distance from Autumn from now on too, at least until all this nonsense blows over. So from now on, I want you to be her personal bodyguard. Please stay with her at all times.”

  “Of course, sir. It would be my honor.”

  His precious daughter. The woman that filled my lusty dreams every night.

  Untouchable.

  Hell.

  CHAPTER 9

  Autumn

  My bottom lip trembled as I looked toward my father, who waved goodbye to me from the front porch of our home. Although it was just a temporary arrangement, I still didn’t like how it felt. While I knew there was nothing I could personally do to protect him, I hated the idea of leaving him.

  He, on the other hand, felt the only thing he could do to personally protect me was to stay away from me. His political ambitions and prowess had made him a target in ways we never could have imagined. The assassination attempt at the restaurant felt like the biggest slap in the face; just when we had finally started moving on from the shock of the bomb explosion, our world had been turned upside down all over again.

  There was no doubt that the gunman had been hired by political opponents, yet, there was no solid way to prove it. And going public with such allegations would only cause more problems than it would solve.

  The world of politics was a twisted place, but Dad had now gotten in too deep to do anything about it. In a sense, we had been naïve due to his popularity as Speaker of the House. Nonetheless, it was common knowledge that he supported policies that were despised by his opponents. Furthermore, he had never been hesitant in discussing the shortcomings of opposing parties to popular news outlets and anyone else willing to listen.

  While this behavior had always been championed by his supporters, it had clearly made his opponents want to retaliate. And now that he was in the running for one of the highest positions in the world, unnamed opponents were willing to stoop to new lows to take my father out of the picture, permanently.

  All of this had led him to decide that the farther away I stayed from him, the better. He didn’t want me within a mile of harm’s way.

  I stood outside, my arms wrapped around myself even though the air held no particular chill in it, as Brady loaded my suitcases and bags into our ‘escape’ vehicle. We were to go to a designated safe-house, and I was to live there until further notice—or in other words, until my father felt it was safe for me to come around again.

  “Take care of her, Brady,” my father called out, a somber expression on his face.

  Brady held open the passenger’s door for me. “I will, sir. I promise.”

  * * *

  The safe house felt foreign. Despite the welcoming atmosphere its comfortable plush furniture, warm colors, and overall cozy décor provided, it wasn’t home, it wasn’t where I wanted to be, and there was nothing that could make me stop worrying about my father.

  I lied awake, well into the night, staring at the ceiling of my new bedroom. Brady was staying in the guest bedroom down the hall, although from the constant creeks I heard on the wooden floors, I knew he wasn’t sleeping well either. I kept hearing him going into the living room, likely looking out the window and checking out the premises, making sure everything was in order and that no one had followed or found us.

  When I couldn’t stand staring at the ceiling anymore, I climbed out of bed.

  The floor cold on my bare feet, I crept into the living room. Brady didn’t hear me; he was too busy staring out the window. He wore plaid pajama pants, and nothing else. There was just enough lighting from the windows to display his muscular back and smooth taut skin, covered in tattoos.

  A swooping sensation went through my lower belly, and I suddenly realized how badly I wanted to feel his arms around me—not just because I yearned for his touch again, but because I just wanted to feel safe.

  I stopped behind him, barely breathing, and just taking in his silhouette in the moonlight.

  Sensing me, he slowly turned around. “Autumn…” He ran a hand through his silky hair. “Are you all right?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m sorry. Of course you’re not. Not after today…”

  “Thank you, Brady. For saving my father’s life.”

  He swallowed and nodded. His eyes trailed my face, and then down to my thin camisole and pajama shorts. “Can’t sleep?”

  I shook my head again.

  “Do you need anything? Cup of tea, or…I don’t know. Something to eat? Some places around here are probably open late. I could—”

  “Brady, stop,” I said, cutting him off.

  “Autumn?” He frowned and closed the distance between us in two strides. “Shit. You’re not okay at all.”

  I sniffed and looked away, embarrassed that he was seeing me at my lowest. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to be a burden to you...”

  “What are you talking about?” He cupped my chin and made me
look at him, his touch so gentle that my heart melted. His beautiful blue eyes held all concern and not an ounce of reproach. “You aren’t a burden. I’ll always protect you. That’s my job, after all.”

  I tensed, hurt by his words.

  Right. This was just his job. He was probably worried about me because I was his client and his duty was to keep me safe from harm...

  Noticing how my body had tensed, his frown deepened. “Autumn, that’s not what I meant...I…Shit, that didn’t sound how I wanted it to.”

  Without a word, he pulled me into an embrace, his strong arms holding me close. My heartbeat quickened. This contact was so unexpected, yet it was something I wanted for a long time. Now that we were touching, I never wanted him to let me go.

  I inhaled his manly scent, clutching onto his shoulders as his hands soothingly traveled across my back.

  I needed this.

  I needed him.

  “I don’t want you safe only because this is my job. I genuinely worry about you,” he said.

  He was so warm, emanating the strength that initially attracted me to him in the first place. Soon, his hands began arousing me rather than calming me. I became hyperaware of his fingers trailing my spine, almost reaching my ass before he moved them up again. At the same time, I felt his erection pressing against my stomach.

  The atmosphere had changed between us, and the temperature in the room was suddenly too high. I held my breath as he moved his hand to my neck, grazing it with his thumb and sending shivers down my spine.

  Leaning into his touch, I squirmed and let a small moan out, waiting impatiently for his next move.

  “You’re shaking,” he whispered in a raspy voice, cupping my head with one hand and taking a step away to look at me. “Are you cold?”

  “A little.”

  “I’ll bring you a blanket—”

  He tried to move away, but I stopped him. “No. I don’t need a blanket.”

  His eyes glimmered with lust and fell down to my lips. I noticed that he too was breathing unevenly.

  My bare nipples hardened beneath my shirt under his gaze. He let out a low growl and his hand tightened around my waist.

  “What do you need then?” he asked.

  I wanted him badly. I couldn’t stop thinking about the night we’d spent together, and I was hungry for more.

  “You. I need you,” I finally said, deciding to throw away all caution and doubts.

  Before I knew it, he plastered his lips against mine. I encircled my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as our tongues played with each other’s.

  Without breaking contact, he moved us to the bedroom, where he started undressing me. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and cursed.

  He chuckled. “Here. Let me do it.”

  He removed his shirt and proceeded to take off my shorts and black lace undies, hissing when his eyes landed on my mound.

  “God, I have been waiting for this,” he said.

  “You’ve barely looked at me in weeks!”

  “I have to remain professional. But today, after that shooter—I can’t anymore, Autumn. I need you.”

  He pushed me back onto the bed and spread my legs, letting his kisses start at my ankles and trail upward until his tongue twirled around my clit.

  “I’m going to tease you, just like you teased me. You’re going to pay for that yoga workout,” he growled, inserting one finger, and then two, pumping me slowly as he sucked on my clit.

  “Brady,” I breathed.

  Just as I was climbing to the edge of my orgasm, he pulled away. I watched as he dropped his pajama pants, letting himself spring free.

  He pressed himself against my opening, pushing slowly and then pulling back out.

  “Come on!” I groaned.

  He smirked. “Well, I guess I do work for you, princess…”

  He picked me up and I slid down onto him. He pounded me against the wall, his hand gripping my ass before he pushed his finger into it, testing it out.

  “Holy shit, that feels good,” I moaned against his skin.

  “I knew you would like it.” He pounded me harder and pushed his finger in farther.

  My orgasm crashed around me. “Oh fuck, Brady!”

  “Yes, beautiful,” he said as his body shuddered and his cum shot out, filling me completely.

  He slowly lowered me to the bed, pulled out of me, and then lied down beside me.

  “What do we do now?” I asked him, looking into his beautiful blue eyes.

  “Not a fucking clue,” he answered.

  “Yeah, me either.”

  I had just slept with my security detail—the biggest no-no in the book.

  I was in so much trouble.

  CHAPTER 10

  Brady

  “So how long is this arrangement going to last?”

  Sitting across from a friend of hers—Lonnie, I think her name was—Autumn sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I guess that depends on whether my father becomes the actual vice-presidential candidate.”

  “Do you want him to?” her friend asked.

  From what I’d gathered, she was a friend Autumn had gone to college with. Still shaken from the incident at the restaurant, Autumn had asked her friend to meet her for lunch. I had been accompanying Autumn everywhere since the incident, and it was clear that she had been trying her best to keep busy in order to distract herself from what was going on with her father.

  Autumn shrugged her shoulders again in response to her friend’s question. “It’s hard to say. I do, because I know my father would love the official nomination. And I know how good he would be for this country. But on the other hand, I’m not sure how much more I can take of knowing that people are out to get him. Politics is such a dirty business.”

  “Well, on the bright side, if he does become Vice President, you guys will have secret service, right? You won’t have to worry about random nutcases sneaking up on you.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Or…do you already have your own secret service agent?” the friend asked, dropping her voice to what she thought was a whisper.

  Autumn glanced briefly at me. “No. I told you, he’s just hired by my father.”

  A twinge of annoyance went through me at being described as someone ‘just hired by her father.’ Then I reminded myself that technically, it was true.

  I turned my focus back to my newspaper, knowing I wasn’t even supposed to be listening to their conversation. That’s why I had purposely seated myself at a separate table. In order to do my job right, I was supposed to blend into the background and keep watch from afar.

  I needed to get back into a professional state-of-mind, especially after what had happened between us. The first time had been permissible, but the second time hadn’t.

  The night of the attempted assassination on her father, Autumn had been vulnerable. She had been desperate for comfort. I tried to keep this in mind every time I thought about her touch and the feel of her skin.

  Every night I found myself longing to go to her bedroom and take her again…

  “Here’s your refill, sir.”

  My thoughts were interrupted when the waiter came back with more coffee. “Thank you,” I said.

  I glanced toward Autumn and her friend. They had grown relatively quiet as they finished the last of their lunches. Autumn met my gaze again just briefly before looking away.

  She doesn’t really want me, I thought to myself, trying desperately to ignore how much the thought hurt. I’m nothing but a quick fix to her whenever the mood hits. She’s not worth losing my job over.

  I took a sip of my coffee, which suddenly tasted bitter. I had to admit, I’d been guilty of using women as quick fixes before. Yet now, I doubted I’d ever be able to comfortably do so again. Not after Autumn.

  It was no fun being on the other side of the equation.

  Autumn and her friend stood from their table and hugged each other.

&nb
sp; “Thank you so much for coming to lunch with me,” Autumn said.

  “Any time. And please, keep me posted on what’s going on with you, all right?”

  “I will.”

  Autumn watched her friend walk out of the diner, and looked towards me. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

  I nodded as she retreated to the ladies’ room.

  I finished my coffee and sat back in my chair with a sigh, thinking about how being assigned to the Harpers had become the hardest job I’d ever had. Somehow, nothing I’d done with the Savage Soldiers had even come close.

  When Autumn returned, I left a few dollars on the table for a tip. “You ready?” I asked, standing and looking towards the door rather than at her. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to look her in the eyes and not feel torn between wanting to kiss her and wanting to leave her to focus only on my career.

  “Yeah. You mind taking me to the library?” she asked, looking slightly agitated. She missed the days when she could study in the library of her own home.

  I nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Regularly sitting in the library watching Autumn study for her BAR exam wasn’t exactly the most exciting thing in the world. So in an attempt to entertain myself, I found a book to read. Yet, after settling into a chair on the opposite side of the room from her, I fell asleep before even getting through the first chapter.

  Ever since moving into the safe-house with Autumn, sleep hadn’t been easy to come by. I stayed on alert, checking the premises to make sure everything was in proper order.

  “Autumn Harper?”

  Someone called her name. I jerked awake, my eyes immediately zooming in on a young man walking toward her with a smile on his face.

  I leaned forward, ready to spring into action at any second if necessary.