by Terry Towers
“There’s dozens here. These span over years. Before I was in The Hunters even.” She continued to flip through them, scrutinizing each and every one. “We look good together.”
I looked over her shoulder at the pictures. Most were the standard pose with my having my arm draped over her shoulders and holding her tight. “We’re not heinous-looking.”
She looked up at me and laughed. “No. We’re pretty damned cute.” She came to the last picture, the one she’d requested, and stared at it a moment. “I love this one. It looks like we were having a great time.”
“I was. Your request was a little unexpected, but it was one of my favourite convention moments. So, how freaked out are you right now?”
She glanced up at me and flashed me another smile. She didn’t seem to be too freaked out, that was a good thing. “It’s unusual, especially for someone like you, but certainly not the oddest thing I’ve come across. It’s not like you broke into my house, stripped naked and waited for me to come home. Or there was the guy who sent me a vial of his semen. Now THAT was creepy.”
I cringed. I had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.
“It may be a little obsessive, I’ll give you that.”
“I only spent years following you from town to town just to get a picture with you.”
She chewed at her lower lip and eyed me, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Everyone needs to have a hobby.”
I’m really not sure what I wanted to do more, laugh or kiss her. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, but in reality it was more like seconds. Just as I began laughing she threw another curveball at me. She set the binder aside, sat up on her knees and kissed me. Again. While the first time, after dinner, I’d been so surprised that I’d sat there like a fucking virgin idiot, this time I was a little quicker to respond.
Sliding a hand to the back of her neck, I pulled her tighter to me. As she drew close the faint smell of her perfume drifted to my nose, smelling of lilac, the same perfume she normally wore at the conventions during the photo shoots. She sighed softly against my lips and I took the invitation to deepen the kiss, slipping my tongue past her lips in search of hers. She’d borrowed a toothbrush and toothpaste and tasted fresh like peppermint Crest. It was nice, urging me to explore.
She moaned softly, pulling her lips from mine and gently nipping along my jawline and to my neck. God, how I loved the way her teeth and lips teased and the feel of her palms as they pressed against my chest, her fingers tracing the lines of muscle. My cock had kicked into overdrive, tenting my boxers and becoming a severe distraction. I needed to stop this. She’d been through too much tonight, she wasn’t thinking clearly.
When her hands began to slide down my torso I released her and pulled back. Dammit it was hard being the gentleman and doing the right thing when this was something I’d been wanting for over twelve years now, since I was fifteen years old. She’d been the object of my desires for so long, the woman all women were compared to but never lived up to in my mind, and here I was stopping something that I’d been longing for.
“What’s wrong?”
I traced her lower lip with my thumb. “Everything about today has been wrong, Sid.”
She cocked her head to the side and frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Letting my hand fall away from her I leaned back onto the bed, took her hand and pulled her down with me. She hesitated, but with some urging laid down beside me, lying her head on my shoulder. She needed comfort right now, not someone taking advantage of her. “You’ve had a long day, Sid. Stay here and sleep. We can talk in the morning. You might see things differently then.”
A part of me, the part that was throbbing in my boxers, hoped she’d protest, but she didn’t. She nodded and closed her eyes. “You’re right. I don’t even know you yet.”
“No, you don’t.”
She looked up at me and caught my gaze. “But I want to learn.”
“We’ll talk in the morning.” I had no idea what I was going to tell her in the morning. I certainly couldn’t tell her about what I really did for a living. She might be understanding about the whole stalker thing, hell, she found it amusing, but I’m pretty sure the declaration I kill people wouldn’t be as well received. Maybe I’d just play up the whole bodyguard angle, but if she asked for references I’d be screwed. Game over Elijah Abraham, thanks for playing!
~*~*~*~
Sidney
I awoke trembling, a thin sheen of sweat coating my body, already forgetting what the nightmare was about that woke me. “Anthony,” I murmured, cuddling close to my boyfriend. I was about to drift back to sleep when my eyes sprung back open and I jumped out of the arms of the man I’d thought to be Anthony, and the previous night came flooding back to me.
Anthony had cheated on me. I’d nearly been raped and the man lying spread-eagled on the bed next to me had saved me. Sitting upright on the bed, I took a few deep breaths in, slowly releasing each one, calming myself. Once my heart rate was back to normal I sighed, pushed my hair out of my face and took a moment to admire the man lying next to me. There wasn’t much light in the room, but there was just enough moonlight streaming in from the six-inch part in the curtains to see the sharp lines of muscle in his abdominals and defined pecs. As my eyes drifted a little lower I froze. I should have pulled my eyes away, but they seemed glued to the massive erection tenting his boxers. When I say big, I mean porn star big. Although, FYI, a man’s penis in porn isn’t near as big as it appears, it’s all about angles. Not that I’ve ever been in a porn, but it’s just one of those facts you hear that never leaves you.
“Sidney?”
I yelped and my head spun around and eyes met Elijah’s, heat colouring my cheeks. “Ummm.” Maybe he didn’t notice me staring at his… ummm… package.
“What are you doing up?” A smirk began to spread across his lips.
Yup, he noticed all right. “I had a nightmare. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I’m a very light sleeper. You’ve been tossing and turning a lot.”
“I’m sorry.” I began to slide from the bed, but his hand closing around my wrist stopped me.
“That wasn’t a complaint or hint for you to go. It’s just a statement of fact.” His smile turned reassuring. “Please stay, Sidney. I’d like for you to stay.”
“Okay.” I slid back over to him and resumed my position, cuddled tight to his side. “Why did Anthony do it?” The very inappropriate question considering I was cuddled next to another man came bursting out before I could stop it.
Elijah didn’t skip a beat in responding, “Because he doesn’t appreciate you like I do. He doesn’t know how amazing you are in every way.”
I huffed. “I’m not that special, not really.” I don’t know why I was playing coy, I was sounding like one of those needy girls who fished for compliments. My whiny voice sounded so pathetic to my ears, but I was feeling pathetic at that moment so I guess it matched my mood at the moment. “And you don’t really know me. You know the image presented by my managers and publicists and the TV networks.”
“That’s not true.”
I looked up into his eyes. They held such affection, I wished it was for me and not for the image he had in his mind of me. Once he got to know me I was afraid his vision of me would change and he’d see the faults I tried so hard to hide from the public. “I don’t know anything about you, but I’m in bed with you. Some would say that’s pretty trampy.”
“But we’re not naked, that could count for something,” he said with a wink.
Laughing, I placed a kiss on his bare shoulder. “I suppose it does.” I hesitated, then added, “I hope your vision of me doesn’t change once you get to know me.”
He chuckled. “I promise, it won’t. It’s not the television image of you that I adore. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Sidney.” He hugged me tight to his side. “Now try to get some more sleep.”
Chapter 7
Elijah
I whistled as I prepared breakfast. When I say prepared, I mean to say I was taking breakfast out of the delivery containers they came in and plated them on real plates. I’d called for delivery as soon as I heard the shower upstairs turning on, signalling Sidney had woken up. The cabinets and fridge were still barren of food, so I’d have to go shopping later, unless Sidney had immediate plans for us.
Truth was, I was on top of the world. Sidney was in my house, having spent the night with me and as luck would have it the news had posted the assault on the two men by the bar. I had their names so now I could take care of them once and for all. They claimed they’d been ambushed in the alley and couldn’t identify their attackers – lying fucks. Not that it mattered. They’d be dead lying fucks soon enough. I’d made the decision while in the shower that they needed to die, alive they were a liability and potential threat to Sidney and that wasn’t acceptable.
“Something smells amazing. I thought you didn’t have any food in the house.”
I looked over at Sidney, watching her as she entered the kitchen. She was wearing one of my button-down dress shirts, unbuttonedprovocatively low. I couldn’t tell if she meant to be teasing or not, I suspected not, but what did I know? I knew a lot about her, past and present, but her seduction tactics were one of the areas I had no knowledge in. “I don’t. It’s delivery.”
“Take-out again? You did hear last night how I had to lose 10 pounds, right?” She came to stand beside me, but I could see that she wanted to devour the contents of the plates.
“I did.”
She picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite. “This is the worst possible thing I could be eating.”
“Yet, you’re eating it.”
She shrugged, finished the piece and grabbed another. “This is the last indulgence, then we’re back to healthy foods.”
Grabbing the plates, I started towards the kitchen table and stopped, turning back to her. “What do you mean by we?” Presumptuous little thing.
“You haven’t changed your mind on working for me have you?” She followed me to the small two person, glass kitchen table.
“Not at all.”
“Then we. How fair would it be for you to be eating tasty, greasy foods while I nibble on salad?”
“I don’t see how that’s my problem.” I sat down at one end and her across from me.
“It’s your problem because it’s part of your job to make me happy.”
“What kind of fucked up way of thinking is that? First time I’ve ever heard that in the job description.” First time I’d actually heard a description of a bodyguard job if I were to be honest with her, so it very well may be the truth, but I doubted it.
She grinned. “It’s in the special clauses section.” She picked up her fork and dug into her scrambled eggs and crammed the forkful of egg into her mouth.
“Diva,” I grumbled, just loud enough for her to hear, a grin forming on my lips.
“Now, if you knew as much as you claim you do about me then you’d have already known that.”
My thoughts rushed back in time twelve years. Sidney Lopez had been our high school princess – cheerleader and prom queen. Every girl wanted to be her, every guy wanted to fuck her. It was as stereotypical as it got, except in one aspect: She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. While the other popular girls would be quick to tease and taunt those less fortunate, Sidney had refused to participate in such behavior. If someone hurt, she’d suffer with them. If someone needed something, she’d go without to give to them. Sidney Lopez was the furthest thing from a diva as humanly possible.
“Hey, Earth to Elijah.” My attention was brought back to present time by the sound of Sidney snapping her fingers under my nose.
I lifted my gaze from my plate to look up at her.
“Have you even heard anything I’ve said?”
Not a word. Not a syllable. Nothing. I huffed, giving her a look as if I thought she was crazy. “Of course.” Scooping up some hash browns I shoved them into my mouth.
“What did I say?”
“Calories this. Fat that. Blah blah blah,” I responded, not looking up from my plate until a hash brown came sailing across the table, hitting me square on the chest.
Cocking a brow up at her, I lifted my gaze, forcing myself to keep a straight face. “What was that for?”
She bit on her lower lip, attempting to keep her laughter in check. “You weren’t paying attention to me.”
“Needy, needy, needy. Fucking celebrities. I think I’m going to have to request above my normal fees just to put up with the whining.” I stopped fighting the smile and grinned at her.
“Hey! I found my boyfriend fucking his co-star in my hot tub last night, I deserve to be needy.” Another hash brown came sailing across the table at me, but her aim was way off this time and it went sailing over my left shoulder. Despite her words she was laughing and again I was transported back in time to when we were kids, when life was much simpler for her as she laughed and joked with her friends. I was never part of her circle of friends, but I still watched her, enthralled.
“And this hostility. I never dreamed you’d be so violent.”
She picked up another hash brown and took aim. Putting a hand up I shook my index finger at her. “Toss that hash brown and you’ll be sorry Miss Lopez.”
I’d barely gotten the words from my mouth when it came sailing across the table at me. I made a show of dropping my fork onto the plate with a clang, grabbing my napkin and blotting my lips as I slowly stood.
Her eyes widened as she pushed back her chair, her eyes darting back and forth as she surveyed her surroundings. “Okay, all right. Perhaps I went a little overboard.”
“I’m a man of my word Sidney.”
Her eyes narrowed at me as she stood, pushing her chair back. A wicked grin curved on her lips; she grabbed another hash brown and tossed it at me, turned and raced from the kitchen. Laughing, I raced after her. This was so fucking stupid, but I’d play her game.
Sidney’s game didn’t last long. I caught up with her in the sitting room and I found myself on the other side of the glass coffee table, laughing like an idiot and eyeing her down. “Just apologize and we can go back to the fatty breakfast I lovingly called in for.”
“Uh-uh. Nope, not going to happen.”
“Sidney…”
“Elijah…”
I relaxed and waved a dismissive hand at her. “Fine, I’m starving so I’m getting back to finishing breakfast.” I pretended to leave, noticed out of the corner of my eye her relax and take her attention off of me a moment. It was the opening I needed. Rushing around the coffee table I caught her around the waist with one arm, lifted her in the air as she squealed her protest and deposited her on her back on the cream-coloured leather sofa. Needed to lose some weight my ass, the woman barely weighed a thing.
Sidney
Elijah was so much fun to tease, when he smiled it lit up his entire face. And when he looked at me, I felt special. I didn’t even know this man, but he made me feel more loved and desired than any other man I’d ever encountered before, without even trying. It was insanity.
Usually I wouldn’t have been so forward with a guy, but Elijah was different. Maybe it was because I’d just had my heart stomped on and I needed someone to love me, although stomped on may have been a little dramatic because I wasn’t really sure if I’d been in love with Anthony anyhow. It was more like I had my ego burned. Or maybe it was because I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity I had with him. In retrospect, going home with him last night had been a very reckless idea, but luckily for me it worked out.
On impulse, I grabbed his arm as he was about to stand and pulled him down to me. My action caught him off balance and he came tumbling onto me. At the last moment his hand shot out and grabbed the armrest above my head, bracing himself before his body crushed me. A second hand joined the first on the armrest on the other side of my head, boxing me in.
“Y
ou’re playing a dangerous game Boss.”
Hearing him call me boss caused a burst of laughter from me.
His expression feigned upset. “I’m serious, this could be considered sexual harassment. I may need to report your inappropriate behavior.”
I raised a skeptical brow at him, attempting to keep my composure. “But don’t we need to be in the workplace?”
“Not in this case since my workplace would be wherever you are.” He leaned down, his lips brushing the side of my neck. As his lips teased my neck the smell of soap and aftershave embraced me. It made me want him closer.
Blushing, I slid my hands under his t-shirt and up his muscular back and pulled him down to me until his chest was flush against mine. He seemed to have a knack for making me feel good and God, did I ever need that right now. “Are you always this smooth?”
He laughed, pulling up and looking down at me. “Usually. Yeah. For the most part. Although had you remembered me then you may be of a different opinion.”
“From the conventions?”
He didn’t reply, but smiled – a soft, sexy smile that made my heart flip-flop. Dammit, I wished that I could decipher that look in his eyes. It was like he knew something I didn’t and wasn’t about to share with me. He baffled me, but at the same time this aura of mystery seemed to draw me in.
Stretching up, I ghosted my lips across his and lowered back down, drawing him back down to me. This time, however, his kiss wasn’t soft or teasing, but urgent and demanding; it felt as though he were going to consume me with his lips and tongue. And my body responded, a sweet vibration running through me igniting a fire of need between my legs for him.
This was crazy. Reckless. But such a rush.
His hand slid to my outer thigh, slowly moving up my leg and under my borrowed shirt, to my ass. He pulled me up to him as his groin rubbed against me, the ridge of his cock pressing against my pelvis. Teasing me of things that may come.
