Loving the Bodyguard

by Noelle Adams

  “Good.” Steve didn’t sound like he had much faith in the possibility.

  “You don’t believe I can do it?”

  “Caleb once told me that he thought you could lasso the moon if you put your mind to it. So, yeah, I believe it’s possible. I just don’t imagine it will be very easy.”

  “Easy is for losers,” she said. She layered her voice thickly with scorn to try to cover the panic in her heart.

  But Steve didn’t seem to mind. “Well, you’re definitely not that,” he said. His voice was dry, but not unfriendly. For a moment, Blake almost believed that she could grow to like him. “When you find Caleb, tell him that he owes me ten bucks.”

  Blake disconnected the phone slowly. She glanced up again. The Hollywood sign rested crookedly on its hill, looking down at her with a benign indifference. She thought about how many hopeless souls it had seen walking these very same streets that she was standing on. She imagined the countless highways and byways that Caleb could be travelling on right now. How was she supposed to find him?

  Then she shook her head in annoyance at herself. What was she doing? Giving up? That wasn’t like her.

  She looked at her watch. It was barely eleven in the morning. He had been gone for hours, yes. He could be hundreds of miles away by now, yes. But they loved each other, and they belonged together, and she was going to find him. Yes, yes, and yes.

  Blake gripped her keys resolutely and started for her car. What she needed was a plan of action, a list of places Caleb might go, people he might get in touch with. In short, she needed to get ready to stalk the poor guy. All in a good cause, of course.

  Her stomach rumbled, stopping her in her tracks. What she needed first, she decided, was breakfast.

  The 101 Coffee Shop was across the street, and that was as good a place as any to strategize. Besides, maybe that cute waitress had some idea where Caleb had gone. Surely he must have told somebody something.

  She was halfway across the street before she realized that Caleb’s motorcycle was parked in the coffee shop’s parking lot.

  Her heart lurched, and she stopped in the crosswalk, feeling the blood drain out of her head and into her feet. He’s still here, she thought numbly.

  A car horn blared, making her jump.

  The light had changed, and a taxi was sitting with its bumper inches from her thigh, the driver gesturing impatiently. She turned and looked at him, not seeing him, seeing only an image of Caleb dancing in her mind. Her expression changed from blank to luminous.

  He’s still here! The thought was a triumphant cry inside her heart.

  At her glowing smile, driver stopped gesturing, and instead gave her a tentative grin. Probably thinking that he was about to line up a hot date, he rolled down the window and leaned out. But his romantic hopes were quickly dashed as Blake bounded across the remainder of the street and hopped up onto the curb.

  Outside the front door of the coffee shop, she caught her breath and tried to compose herself, barely noticing the screech of tires as the taxi driver sped off.

  He’s still here, she thought again.

  She reached for the door handle, but when she caught a glimpse of herself in the glass she stopped. Oh God, she looked awful. She was wearing her oldest pair of jeans and a faded t-shirt. She had no makeup on, and her face was still covered with scratches and bruises. Her eyes were hollowed out with lack of sleep.

  Some glamour gal, she thought disgustedly. Pushing her hesitation aside and summoning her courage, she lifted her chin and walked into the restaurant.

  The place was quiet today. The breakfast rush was over, and the lunch rush had yet to start. Blake spotted Caleb at a booth in the back – the same one they had commandeered only a few nights ago. Her heart beat hard at the sight of him. He was reading a paper, his head bent. His eyes shone very green in the dimness, and his hair looked scruffier than ever.

  She felt her feet carrying her across the room, was aware of her knees bending and her body sliding in across from him. But it wasn’t until he looked up, until his eyes met hers, until his face flooded with love, that she was able to speak.

  “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she blurted peevishly. “Running away?”

  Oh, nice going, girl, she thought. Open mouth, insert foot.

  He didn’t say anything, just folded his paper and set it aside. She took a breath and started again.

  “I mean – hi,” she said. “Fancy meeting you here.” She tried giving him an engaging grin, and was rewarded by a slight twitch of his lips.

  Okay, she had his attention. Time to do some fancy verbal footwork.

  “I was afraid you’d left.” Her voice was low. “I looked for you at the hotel, and they said you had checked out early this morning. I thought you’d be a hundred miles away by now, and that it would take me a year to track you down.”

  Caleb sipped his coffee and finally deigned to speak. “So you decided to drown your sorrows in syrup?” he asked.

  Blake blinked. “What?”

  “You thought I was gone, so you came over here to have breakfast?”

  “No, I – I saw your bike in the parking lot.”

  He gave her a knowing look, and she spluttered on. “I mean, I was hungry, sure, but it’s not like I said, ‘Oh, the man I love is gone forever, I think I’ll have some French toast!’”

  Caleb snapped to attention. “The man you what?”

  She met his gaze levelly. “The man I love,” she said. Then she grinned. “You got a problem with that?”

  Dina arrived at the table, forestalling Caleb’s response. She was carrying an overflowing plate in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. She set it down in front of Caleb with a solid thunk, refilled his cup without being asked, then turned to Blake. “Would you like to see a menu?” she asked.

  Blake didn’t take her eyes off Caleb. “No thanks,” she said. “I know exactly what I want.”

  Dina pulled the pencil from behind her ear and stood waiting, order pad poised. “What can I getcha?”

  Blake started to speak, but Caleb quickly stopped her. “She’ll have what I’m having,” he said. There was challenge in his eyes and a grin on his face.

  Blake looked down at his plate. Sure enough, it was fully loaded: pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage patties and bacon. She swallowed. The man surely did drive a hard bargain.

  She shook her head. “I just can’t do it,” she said softly. Then she looked up again and grinned. “I’ll need extra bacon.”

  Dina stared at her for a moment, then shook her head and jotted on the pad. “Wonders never cease,” she murmured. She stuffed the pad in her pocket. “You want coffee?”

  “Absolutely,” Blake said. As Dina started to walk away, Blake turned and called, “Extra cream and sugar!”

  Then she turned back to find Caleb shaking his head. “You sure know how to call a man’s bluff,” he said.

  “Don’t I, though?” Blake reached over and grabbed a sausage patty off his plate with her bare fingers. He didn’t object, just watched as she stuffed it in her mouth. “Delicious,” she said. She wiped her fingers on a napkin. “I can just feel the cellulite forming on my thighs.”

  “There are worse things in life than cellulite,” Caleb told her, reaching for his knife and fork. “So what’s all this love nonsense, anyway?”

  “It’s not nonsense,” she said. “We’re in love. You know it, and I know it.”

  He cut a little triangle of pancake, speared it with his fork and handed it to her. She ate it solemnly, then handed the fork back. “So why’d you run?” she asked him.

  He looked up. “Who says I ran? Don’t you see me sitting right here?”

  “You checked out this morning, you told Steve you were hitting the road.”

  “I did hit the road. Then I came back.”

  “What?”

  He sighed. “There I was, out on the open highway. I was heading for Mexico. Haven’t been there in a long time, and I w
ondered if it had changed much since I’d seen it last. But before I knew it, I found myself on an exit ramp, then suddenly I was back on the highway, heading in the other direction. Heading back to you.”

  Blake could feel a smile blossoming across her face. “Back to me?” She heard her voice shaking, and didn’t care.

  His head was down. He seemed very intent on his eggs. “Problem is, I just can’t seem to forgive myself for lying to you. I put your life in danger, because I didn’t tell you the truth.”

  She reached out and touched his hand. Finally he looked up, into her eyes. “There were lies on both sides,” she said softly. “I wasn’t exactly playing it straight with you when we first met. I was just beginning to understand what kind of mess I was in – I should’ve told you the truth, that you could be in danger just being around me. But I didn’t.” Blake spoke with quiet emphasis. “The past is only as important as we allow it to be. What’s important is the future.”

  She released his hand and straightened. “So what’s ours going to be?”

  He looked at her thoughtfully. “Our future?”

  She nodded.

  “The truth is, Blake Sera, that I can’t imagine a future without you. You’ve changed me. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true. I’m not the same man who came riding into town two weeks ago. I don’t think that guy even remembered how to love. But this one sure does.” He squinted at her, giving her his best cowboy look. “You sure you’re in love with me?”

  “Oh yeah,” she grinned.

  “And is it that for better or for worse kind of love?”

  Her heart faltered and she nodded, unable to speak.

  “Well then, you’re going to marry me, right?” All the joking went out of his voice, and suddenly his face was the bare, yearning countenance of a man desperately in love. “Blake, will you?”

  Blake found that her voice had caught in her throat. She let out a shaky breath, and nodded slowly. “Yes,” she whispered.

  Thunk. A plate landed on the table in front of her. It was fully loaded, just like Caleb’s.

  “Anything else?” Dina asked.

  Blake raised teary eyes and smiled. “Coffee?” she whispered shakily.

  Dina bit her lip and looked mortified. “Oh, I’m sorry! I’ll be right back. Please don’t cry.”

  As she scurried off, Blake turned back to Caleb and laughed. “Well,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Pancakes and a proposal. It’s almost too good to be true.”

  “I’ll tell you what it is: it’s absolutely perfect.” He reached for her, his face alight with love and joy. “There’s nothing better than a Hollywood ending.”

  Teaser Excerpt from Homesong

  If you enjoyed Her Secret Bodyguard, you might enjoy Homesong by the same author.

  It was dusk when they finally returned to Bonaire Horseback Tours. The day had been long, hot, and sticky, but the scenery was beautiful, and the tour had been very entertaining. The entire group was silent with fatigue as the transport lumbered back to the ship.

  Hot breezes blew through the gathering dark, spiced with the smell of tropical dishes and ringing with the distant sound of music. It made Kate long to wander the city and find the sources of those enticing sounds and smells. But by the time they got back to the ship, all she wanted was a hot shower, a bite to eat, and a long night’s sleep.

  Then Reed gazed down at her with those soulful, luminous eyes. Holding her hand, he murmured a suggestion, and Kate found herself nodding in agreement. She trailed after him to his stateroom, and ten minutes later, she was soaking in his whirlpool bathtub, up to her chin in fragrant, frothy water. She had closed her eyes in modesty as he showered in the frosted glass stall adjacent to the tub, and had promptly drifted into a doze.

  The sound of the shower turning off roused her, and she rubbed her face with wet hands as she struggled to stay awake. “I have to warn you,” she called. “I’m falling asleep out here.”

  “Don’t worry,” he called back. “The bath balm will help with that.”

  “What’s in it, anyway?”

  He opened the door and stepped out, a long towel wrapped around his waist. Although she knew he couldn’t see through the frothing water, she folded her arms discreetly over her breasts as he stood looking down at her.

  The motion wasn’t lost on him. He knelt beside her and stroked her cheek, intensely aware of how close together they were. The steam from the shower enveloped them, combining with the scent of the bath to form a heady fog that seemed to draw them together.

  “Lemon and peppermint for energy,” he answered softly. “Epsom salts and baking soda for tired muscles.”

  She felt herself blush as if he had propositioned her.

  He let his finger slide along her jawbone and down her neck, pausing as he traced her collarbone. A few inches more and his hand would disappear under the frothy water, slide under her sheltering arms and cup her breast.

  He could imagine how soft her flesh would be there — warm from the water, her nipple pressed against his palm. His mouth went dry at the thought, and he couldn’t quite get his breath.

  He could see the pulse beating hard in the hollow of her neck, and he knew she wanted his hand to drift under the water, wanted his fingers to wander where they would. A smile ghosted around his lips. When his eyes met hers, they were bright with longing.

  Reed stood up. Kate swallowed hard and struggled to pull herself together. His touch on her damp skin had been achingly gentle, sending hot chills rushing over her. She’d had to fight to keep herself from dragging him into the tub, towel and all.

  “A lemon-peppermint bath balm,” she said shakily. “I never would have pegged you for an herbalist.”

  He picked up a comb from the sink and pulled it through his hair, feigning composure. “It’s all part of the body obsession,” he said dryly. “I am a moneymaking machine, after all. I’m interested in anything that will make my body perform better.”

  It was on the tip of Kate’s tongue to tell him that his moneymaking machine looked like it was performing damn well. Having seen him in bathing trunks at the pool, she had known that he had a great physique. But the towel draped around his waist had an erotic quality that a bathing suit could never match. His torso was well muscled without being bulky; the rough-looking hair on his chest was a perfect V dwindling to a point below his navel, somewhere beneath the cover of the towel.

  The thought of that hidden region had her heart skipping a beat. She thought idly of dipping her tongue in his navel, wondering how he would taste there. She let her eyes drift upward again, and when her gaze met his, she saw the reflection of her own desire.

  He leaned over her and kissed her forehead, lips lingering against her skin. “I’ll let you finish your bath,” he said quietly.

  As he left the bathroom, Kate closed her eyes and sank a little lower in the water, smiling to herself. For the first time she knew without a doubt that they would be lovers. Maybe, she thought, it would be tonight.

  ***

  You can find more information about Homesong here.

  About the Author

  Raised in a family of book lovers, Misha’s mother first encouraged her to read by offering to pay her two cents per page of Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss. At first Misha was happy just to be raking in the cash, but before long she traded the pennies for the riches of the written word, and since that time she’s seldom been seen without a book in her hand, in front of her nose, or at the very least in her purse!

  Misha is married and is currently living and working in Northern Virginia. She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via her website: MishaCrews.com

  Also from Misha Crews – Still Waters

  In 1950s Virginia, Jenna Appleton seems to have found the life she’s always wanted. But underneath the shallow gleam of her bright suburban world, murky truths are waiting to surface.

  A tragic death. A disturbing photo that can’t be explained. A woman drowning in an ocean of secrets.


  And Coming in September – Her Badman Hero

  For Anna Malkin, it was just another day working in her small hometown bank. For Clayton George, it was the last job he would ever have to pull. They both turned out to be wrong.

  He didn’t want a hostage. She didn’t want to die. They never expected to fall in love.

  If you enjoyed the Loving the Bodyguard bundle, please consider leaving a review.

  Thank you for reading!

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  One Night with her Bodyguard

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  Teaser Excerpt from Missing

  About Noelle Adams

  Private Passions

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  About Jami Alden

  Billionaire Bodyguard

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  Epilogue

  About Kristi Avalon

  Her Secret Bodyguard

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23