In the Bodyguard's Arms

by Lisa Childs

  He obviously wanted her stalker to be caught, too. But she wondered if his only reason was that he wanted her safe. Or was it that he wanted off this assignment?

  Did he not want to protect her anymore?

  * * *

  Manny was mentally kicking himself. Before he’d left, Cole had made another offer to take over for him as the primary bodyguard. He should have accepted the offer, especially now.

  Teddie was doing yoga. “You really don’t mind?” she asked as she rolled out a mat in the space she’d cleared in front of the couch.

  “No,” he said.

  She leaned over and began stretching. “I know I can’t go outside, but I really need to burn off some energy.”

  Manny had some other ideas of how she could do that. As she wrapped one leg around the other, he imagined her wrapping both of those long legs around him. He suppressed a groan—barely—as his body reacted to the images in his mind.

  Then she leaned over and peered at him between her thighs. “Did I hear you talking to someone?”

  “Cole,” he said. His friend had called from the airport while Teddie had been in the bathroom changing out of the baggy sweat suit and into the yoga pants and tank top that clung to her every sweet curve.

  “Oh, did something happen?” she asked. “Did the stalker try to grab Nikki?”

  “No.”

  She blew out a shaky-sounding breath. “The plan didn’t work.”

  “Or he’s not an idiot,” Manny said. And he obviously wasn’t or he would have been caught before now.

  “I knew he wouldn’t fall for Nikki’s disguise.”

  “We don’t know that he hasn’t,” Manny said. “He might have just been too smart to try for her with the guys present.” And even if Nikki had insisted they leave her alone, for her protection they would have stuck close enough for the stalker to detect their presence.

  “So are they coming back now?” she asked as she continued to hold the pose that was making Manny’s jeans uncomfortably tight. She was on tiptoe and fingertips, her body bent over with her backside facing him.

  He wanted to take her that way. Hell, he wanted to take her any way he could have her. But guys like him didn’t get lucky enough to make love to supermodels. Teddie Plummer had always been his fantasy woman, but even though he’d met her, she would continue to be just a fantasy. He didn’t count that kiss she’d given him.

  That had been gratitude for his protection. He knew better than to mistake her gesture for attraction or anything else.

  “Are they coming back?” she asked again.

  He shook his head and tried to focus on anything other than her distracting backside. “Uh, no. Cole’s flying himself, Lars and Nikki in her Teddie disguise back to River City. They’re hoping the stalker will follow them.”

  Cole had befriended the pilots at the airstrip, so he would get a call if anyone tried hiring them for a quick trip to River City. It wasn’t as immediate a plan as the stalker just trying to grab decoy Teddie, but it still could lead to at least a description of her stalker.

  “So we’re staying here?” she asked, sounding less than thrilled.

  “Are you already bored with the solitude?” he teased her.

  Despite her claims, he believed her stalker had driven her from the bright lights of the big cities and her career. He couldn’t believe she had willingly given it all up. Maybe he didn’t want to believe this, but would rather keep her as a fantasy and nothing more.

  “You’re ready to return to civilization?” he asked.

  Not that he would call River City civilization. Until recently, the city, which was as urban and populated as Detroit, had been full of crime and corruption. There had been nothing civilized about it. That was why the Payne Protection Agency had gotten so well-known, for all the lives they’d saved and crimes they’d stopped.

  She shuddered. “No. I wanted to stay here for a long time. I love this cabin, this area. But my solitude was shattered last night.”

  He wasn’t certain what had shattered her solitude. The stalker or him?

  “We won’t be staying that much longer,” he assured her and himself.

  Being alone with her was pushing his control to limits Manny hadn’t even known he had. Eventually it would exceed his limits.

  “How will we get to River City?” she asked.

  “I’ll fly us,” he said.

  Cole had left his plane and returned to River City in the one he’d borrowed from the old crop-duster pilot, Walt. He’d said he’d done it because he’d promised Walt that no one would fly his plane but Cole. He might have done it because he wasn’t sure Manny could handle the old temperamental machine as well as he could. Whatever his reason, Manny was relieved that he would be flying Teddie to River City in the newer, nicer and bigger plane.

  “When you said you hadn’t flown commercial, I thought you hired a private plane,” she said. “I didn’t realize you had actually piloted one yourself.”

  He shrugged. It was just something else he’d learned in the Marines, like how to shoot and fight and protect others. He’d needed those skills for the missions he and his unit had carried out. He hadn’t realized how much he would need them as a bodyguard. He was especially glad he had them now, so he could protect Teddie.

  But as she resumed her yoga moves, he hoped he could protect himself from the desire he felt for her. Even though he had Dane for backup, he couldn’t afford to be distracted now.

  If the stalker hadn’t fallen for Nikki’s plan, then he was still out there, too—waiting to try again for Teddie.

  Chapter 10

  Manny was a pain in the ass. Dane glanced down at the text message his friend had sent on the new phones Nikki had brought up from River City. This wireless carrier got great reception in the UP, unfortunately.

  Dane slid his gun into his holster so he could text Manny back.

  Everything’s fine. No sign of the stalker. Stop bothering me and get some sleep.

  Hopefully it was just sleep deprivation making his friend so crazy. But Dane suspected it was the woman. When his girlfriend, Emilia, had been in danger, it had made Dane crazy. He’d been so worried about her. He would have done anything to keep her safe, even giving up his own life for hers.

  But it wouldn’t come to that for Manny. In the woods Dane had been patrolling, he had seen no sign of the stalker. Perhaps the guy had followed the SUV to the airport and Cole would get a call soon about who the stalker had hired to fly him to River City after them.

  Dane couldn’t wait to get this assignment wrapped up so he could go home to Emilia and their son, Blue. He slid the cell phone back into his pocket, next to the little velvet jewelry box he’d been carrying for the past couple of weeks.

  He wanted everything to be perfect when he proposed. He wanted Emilia to have no doubts about his love and commitment to her and their son. Blue technically was just hers. But Dane had fallen as hard for the little boy as he had the baby’s mother.

  He hadn’t intended to fall for her. He hadn’t thought he was capable of loving anyone. But Emilia had given him no choice about giving his heart. She’d just taken it.

  Manny swore he wasn’t going to fall for anyone, either. But he didn’t realize a guy didn’t always have a choice. Sometimes the woman just took what she wanted. And from the way Teddie Plummer had kept looking at him, Dane wondered if the supermodel wanted his friend.

  He snorted at his own ridiculous thought. She was a supermodel. And Manny...

  Manny was just Manny. A pain in the ass.

  A twig snapped behind him and brush rustled. He had a pretty good idea who’d ventured away from the house. Manny must not have been willing to take his word for it that nobody was in the woods but Dane and some animals. The guy had let this whole lead-bodyguard assignment thing go right to his head.

  �
�Damn it, man,” Dane said, “who died and made you the boss of Payne Protection?”

  Manny didn’t reply. And knowing his friend could never hold his silence made Dane realize it wasn’t Manny he’d heard. He reached for his holster, but before he could draw his weapon, something hit him.

  Hard.

  In the head. Just before everything went black, he wished he’d proposed to the woman he loved—because now he might never get the chance.

  * * *

  The yoga had done nothing to ease the tension in Teddie’s body. In fact, feeling Jordan’s gaze on her as she had gone through each of the poses had only increased her tension. She was edgier now than she’d been before she’d started.

  Anxious to escape the close confines of the cabin, she asked, “When can we leave?”

  His brow furrowed slightly. “I’m not sure we should.”

  “What? We can’t stay here,” she said. “It’s not safe.”

  He held up his phone, but it was too far away for her to read the text on it. “It might be safer here than anywhere else.”

  “Why? Did he follow them to River City?” If he had, she definitely didn’t want to go there. But there had to be someplace else he could fly her.

  Not that she was anxious to fly. Of course the stalker wouldn’t be able to sneak on the private plane with them, but she would be confined with Jordan Mannes in a space even smaller than the cabin. And already he filled her senses—with his smell. It was nothing like the fragrance of the men she’d known who wore expensive colognes. It was soap and a scent that was his alone. Pheromones.

  That was all it was.

  And his heat. She could feel the warmth of his body even across the feet that separated them. It heated her own skin and made her pulse race.

  “I don’t know yet if he followed them,” Jordan said, “but according to Dane’s text, he’s seen no sign of anyone in the woods. So your stalker’s not hanging around here anymore. He must believe that you’ve left.”

  “Good.” The pressure she’d had on her chest since the moment she’d received that first deranged note eased slightly. “That’s good.”

  “Since we’re safe here,” Manny continued, “we should probably stay here.”

  And the pressure returned. “Are—are you going to switch with Dane?” she asked. Maybe if he went outside, she would be able to breathe again.

  He shook his head. “Just in case Dane’s wrong and the guy is still watching the place, we don’t want him to see me. It’s important that he think I left with you.”

  “But I thought Dane was dressed like you. Won’t the stalker think he’s you, anyway?”

  “Dane’s not wearing my coat anymore,” Manny said, “and he took off the hat.”

  That disguise had been even weaker than Nikki’s. Teddie never would have been able to mistake one man for the other. Dane was big and muscular. But he wasn’t as big and muscular as Jordan was.

  Teddie shook her head, and her hair tangled around her face. “I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to fall for either disguise.” She reached up to push back her hair, but another hand was already there, a bigger hand.

  For such a big man, Manny moved ridiculously fast. He pushed her hair off her face and tucked it behind her ears. She shivered as his fingertips brushed across her skin. What was it about this man that had her so intrigued, so attracted?

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his deep voice even deeper with concern. “Are you upset about the disguises or about me?”

  “I’m just frustrated,” she admitted. “I want to get back to my life.”

  “The bright lights? The big cities?”

  Her temper sparked now. He really seemed determined to think the worst of her. He claimed he didn’t read tabloids, but she wondered. “I want to get back to the books, back to studying for my degree.”

  “Go ahead,” he said, and he stepped back so he was no longer standing between her and the desk. “Study.”

  She shook her head. He was still standing between her and the books—at least in her mind. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re too distracting,” she admitted.

  His dark eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath. “What?”

  “I’m frustrated because you’re too damn distracting,” she said and winced at the admission. She hated it when men said things like that to her. She couldn’t believe she’d uttered something nearly as sexist.

  But instead of being offended, Jordan Mannes laughed and shook his head. “Cole and Dane are right. I must be overly tired.”

  He had stayed up the entire night before, guarding her. Maybe that was what she found so attractive about him—his protectiveness—even though he was getting paid to protect her. No. What she found so attractive about him was that he was so damn attractive.

  He continued, “I thought I heard you call me...” But he shook his head. “Yeah, I’m too tired. Since Dane’s guarding the outside, I probably should try to get some sleep.”

  She nodded. “You can use the loft,” she offered. Maybe if he was out of her sight, he would be out of her mind. She doubted that, though, especially when he continued to study her face.

  “You didn’t say...”

  She sighed. “Yes, I really said it. I find you distracting. Handsome. Sexy—”

  His mouth covered hers, cutting off whatever embarrassing admission she’d been about to make, and he made love to her mouth. He nibbled at her lips, gently tugging and then stroking his tongue over the sensitive flesh. Then he deepened the kiss.

  Teddie clutched at his shoulders and then the nape of his neck, holding his head down as she kissed him back. A kiss had never excited her so much, had never had every sensitive point of her body pulsing with need before as it pulsed right now. Tension wound inside her, tightening her nipples so they pressed against the thin material of her tank top.

  As if he’d felt them, Jordan groaned. Despite her hands on his neck, he pulled back.

  She tensed even more—with fear that he was about to reject her again. But instead of pushing her away, he swung her up in his arms.

  “I think we should head to the loft,” he said as he carried her up the steep and narrow steps.

  She wasn’t petite like Nikki Payne, but her weight didn’t faze him in the least. His heavily muscled arms barely bulged as he carried her toward the bed. But his chest, his massive, muscular chest, moved as if he was breathing hard, or as if his heart was beating hard. Hers was, too, pounding against her skin.

  She had never wanted anyone with this crazy desperation with which she wanted Jordan Mannes. He laid her on the bed but didn’t follow her down. She tried to hold on to him, her arms clutching his shoulders. But he easily pulled away from her. She bit her lip so that she didn’t cry out in protest. She needed him so badly. Her body throbbed in places she hadn’t known she could feel.

  But he didn’t turn away from her. He stared down at her, his eyes both dark and hot with desire for her. Then he pulled off his holster and set it, with his weapon inside, onto the table next to the bed. Then, muscles rippling, he lifted his T-shirt and pulled it over his head and off. He unclasped his belt next, unbuttoned his jeans and wriggled them off along with his boxers. His erection sprang gloriously free.

  She moaned as desire gripped her, tensing her stomach muscles into knots. “Manny...”

  That was what his friends called him. And now she understood why. She had never seen more man than he was. Could she take him? All of him?

  She sank her teeth into her lower lip as she contemplated it. But she had no time to decide because he was undressing her next. He lifted her tank top, with its built-in cups, over her head, freeing her breasts. Then he hooked his fingers into her yoga pants and pulled them down her legs until she lay completely naked on the bed.

  He gasped a
s he stared down at her. “I must be dreaming...” he murmured. “You can’t be real.”

  People—designers, critics, men—often said that about her body. “They’re not implants,” she assured him.

  He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.” He reached out and touched her, sliding his fingertips along her side, over the curve of her hip and down her thigh.

  Her breath caught, trapped in her lungs.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured almost reverently. “So damn beautiful...”

  She knew that she was. She had been told so many times. But when he said it, it meant something to her. His compliment pleased her because it seemed genuine. He seemed genuine.

  She reached out to touch him, skimming her hands over his washboard abs and down to his pulsing erection. She wrapped her fingers around him.

  He gasped again.

  “You’re beautiful,” she told him.

  His lips curved into a slight grin as he breathed hard. Then he pulled back, out of her grasp.

  And she nearly whimpered in frustration.

  Suddenly he was there on the bed with her. But he didn’t move quickly. He didn’t fill that ache inside her, not with his erection. His fingers brushed across the most sensitive part of her body.

  And she gasped now.

  Then he was kissing her, his mouth over hers. His lips skimmed back and forth before he began to tease her with his tongue. And his hands moved over her body, caressing her skin. He cupped her breasts in his big hands. His palms brushed across her nipples.

  Sensations raced through her, and she bit her lip—or was it his? She gasped as her body shuddered with a slight release.

  “Wow,” he murmured. “You are so sensitive.”

  To his touch. Something about his hands on her body drove her wild. She shifted against the mattress, moving beneath him as she wanted more—more pleasure.

  His hand moved, his thumb rotating over the part of her body that throbbed for him. Then his fingers moved inside her, stroking. She bit her lip—no, his—as she came again.

  “You’re driving me crazy,” he said.