The Bodyguard's Fake Marriage (Sweet Fake Marriage Romance Book 3)
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The Bodyguard’s Fake Marriage
a sweet fake marriage romance book three
Bree Livingston
Edited by
Christina Schrunk
The Bodyguard’s Fake Marriage
Copyright © 2018 by Bree Livingston
Edited by Christina Schrunk
https://www.facebook.com/christinaschrunk.editor
Proofread by Krista R. Burdine
https://www.facebook.com/iamgrammaresque
Cover design by Bonnie Paulson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Bree Livingston
https://www.breelivingston.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
The Bodyguard’s Fake Marriage / Bree Livingston. -- 1st ed.
ISBN: 9781074018818
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Sneak Peek! The Matchmaker’s Fake Marriage Chapter 1
Other Books by Bree Livingston
About the Author
I know I sometimes make a joke in my dedication, but this time I want to be serious.
There are authors who have helped in more ways than just honing my writing skills.
They’ve encouraged me, shared my books with their readers and Facebook page, boosted my confidence when I wanted to give up, listened when I’ve made a mistake and cried with me, and just generally supported me.
Victorine Lieske
Michelle Pennington
Amy Meyers
Julie Spencer
Christina Schrunk
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You mean more than you know and I owe you more than I’ll ever have. :)
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Chapter 1
Lexi Maheras stepped inside her small apartment and leaned against the door. She’d done it. Her final year of clinical rotations was finished, and now all she had left was her residency. Of course, she wanted to stay at Stanford, but that was highly unlikely. Hopefully, she’d be matched with a great program. She’d certainly studied hard enough.
A tap came from the door. “Ms. Maheras, we made a deal. I search the apartment, and then I stay out.”
Her lip curled up. Jake Maverick. A bodyguard, courtesy of her papa. He was one of four who rotated for her guard duty. Only, no one had attempted to kidnap her or anything else dubious in the last year. Anytime she asked about the sudden need for protection, her papa would only say the world was getting dangerous and it gave him peace of mind.
She opened the door and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve been working for my papa for a bit over six months. No one has tried to hurt me. There hasn’t even been the slightest attempt. What makes you think it’ll happen now?”
His dark-blue-ocean eyes held hers, and, like usual, a shiver ran down her spine. She didn’t know what it was, but when he stared at her, it felt like he was trying to read her mind.
One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Perhaps no one has attempted anything because I’m thorough.” His voice was deep and controlled.
Well, all of him was. Slow, methodical, and controlled. If stoic had a picture in the dictionary, it’d be him. He was more than a foot taller than her, with long, curly dark hair down to his elbows that he pulled back with a tie. A deep groove cut through his eyebrow at a slant, and she could sometimes catch the hint of what looked like a tattoo on his neck. He was massive too. Arms like cannons. She wasn’t sure how muscled he was because he almost always wore a black suit, but she was sure there were plenty underneath that crisp white dress shirt.
She waved her arm, inviting him in. “And I’ve told you to call me Lexi. You can even use my full name, Alexandria.”
As he stepped in, he paused in front of her. “Your father told me to call you Ms. Maheras.”
“He’s not here. It’s not like he’d know.”
“I would.”
With a sigh, she rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
Jake walked through the apartment, checking her bedroom, closet, and bathroom before stopping by the window. “It’s clear.”
“I told you.”
“I know,” he said in that same controlled deep voice before stopping at the door. With his back to her, he said, “Congratulations on finishing your clinical rotations.” Then he stepped out of her apartment and shut the door behind him.
Her jaw dropped, and she gaped at the door. How did he even know? It wasn’t like they talked a lot. In fact, she knew nothing about him other than he wasn’t her type. He was too tall, too big, and his hair was entirely too long. She was more into guys with wild hair and floppy bangs. Hair she could run her fingers through and not worry about getting tangled. She fingered the ends of her own hair, partially jealous that his was so much longer than hers.
With a sigh, she dropped onto her sofa and smiled. She was done. She should be celebrating, but now that she had bodyguards, it was much less of a hassle to simply stay home. Plus, her desire to be a doctor trumped her social life, and her circle of friends was limited to the other medical students who were equally socially challenged.
Her phone buzzed against her thigh, and she fished it from her pocket. “Papa!” She effortlessly slipped back into her native Greek language.
“Lexi, my love.” Her papa’s thick Greek accent filtered through the phone. “Tell me!”
A laugh burst out. “It was fantastic. I finished, and I’m pretty sure my scores will allow me to be matched with Stanford.” That was hopeful thinking, but her late mother always said to keep a positive outlook, and that’s what Lexi was doing.
“That’s wonderful, my love.” Something in his voice made her sit up.
“Papa, tell me.”
She could hear him breathing, and she knew he was trying to find the words to ease whatever bad thing he had to tell her. “Faustus Zikas is seeking your hand in marriage.”
“What?”
“Zio mou, it will be good for our family and his. This marriage would bring our interests together and make us stronger. Since his father passed, he’s been lonely.” A pleading tone coated the words.
“If he’s lonely, tell him to get a puppy. I won’t marry him.” It had been years since she’d seen Faustus, and even then, he’d shown no interest in her. So why now? And why hadn’t he called her instead of going through her papa?
“You played together as children. Surely you can find something about
him that is appealing. You can grow to love him.”
“I have my residency, Papa. I can’t just stop my life to marry him.”
“He’s agreed to let you finish, but then you will come home and take your place as his wife.”
Let her finish? Let her finish? “This is crazy. I’m only twenty-six. I’m not ready to be married.” And even if she was, she wasn’t marrying some knuckle-dragging hairy Neanderthal who thought he would be doing her a favor by letting her finish her degree. “Besides, this is what Mama wanted. For me to come to America, spread my wings, and get my medical degree.”
“I know, my love, but things have changed since you left. I need you to do this.”
She stood and raked her hand through her hair. How was she supposed to say no to him? That’s not how things were done. Not in her culture, and certainly not in her family. He wasn’t a man who accepted no as an answer. “But, Papa, I don’t love him. I can’t marry someone I don’t love.”
“Alexandria Helena Kristos Maheras, you will do this, and there will be no more discussion. In one week’s time, Faustus and I will arrive. You will join us for dinner where we will discuss the details. I expect you to be friendly and welcoming,” her papa said with a cruelty in his voice she’d never heard before.
Tears streaked down her cheeks. “But, Papa…”
“No,” he barked. “No discussion. It is done. You will be married.”
She stumbled to the desk in the corner near the window and braced her hand on the edge. “I get no say at all? You would make me do this? I thought you loved me.”
“I do love you. You are my heart and my life. I’m doing this because I love you.” His voice cracked. “There are things in play that you do not need to know, but find it in your heart to understand that I would do anything and everything to keep you safe.”
Keep her safe? Her papa made it sound like it was life or death, but her family produced olive oil. “What do you mean by keep me safe? I thought that’s why I had a bodyguard everywhere I went.”
“No. No more talk. I will see you in a week. Be ready to accept Faustus.” He paused.
“Yes, Papa,” she said, the words barely above a whisper as she ended the call.
She pressed her hand to her chest. This couldn’t be happening. What was she going to do? Something was definitely wrong if her papa was talking forced marriage.
She closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. For starters, she needed to stop panicking. She was a scientist. A doctor, for crying out loud. This problem was no different than a disease. What did she need to do to treat the problem?
Running wasn’t an option. She hadn’t spent the last eight years of her life studying, only to run away. Obviously, talking was out of the question. The way her papa had barked at her squashed that possibility. She could just tell Faustus no, but something told her he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
What if she was already married? Her papa couldn’t force her to marry someone if she was already tied to someone else, and even if he demanded a divorce, it would give her a few more days to think of some other way out of marrying Faustus.
Could she get married in a week? She grabbed her phone and searched marriage licenses in California. She had dual citizenship because her mother was a US national, so she didn’t have to worry about that. There was no waiting period, and she could pay ten bucks for a witness. For an extra twenty, she could do it like a drive-through burger joint and go with the express option.
Who would she marry, though? It had to be someone she sort of knew. Someone who could withstand the scrutiny of her papa, but not in a completely disrespectful manner. Her papa was a good, kind man, and something horrible had to be going on for him to force her to do something like marrying a man she didn’t love.
Her gaze drifted to her front door. Jake? There were three other bodyguards, but none of them would work. Two were married, and the third was too old to even consider.
She took three long strides toward the door and stopped. No, not Jake. He’d never go for that, and what if he was seeing someone? Then again, she’d learned that if you didn’t ask, you’d never know.
With determined steps, she strode to the door and whipped it open. “I need to speak with you.”
There must have been something in her voice, because he charged through the door with his gun drawn and stepped in front of her. “What’s wrong? Did you see something?”
“No, I’m sorry. I just need to talk to you.”
He lowered his weapon and whirled around. “Speak to me?”
“Yes, please, sit down. I need to ask you something,” she said, keeping her back to the door as she shut it.
The eyebrow with the large cut lifted as he held her gaze. He holstered his weapon and then went to the couch and took a seat. His gaze remained on her as she walked to the center of the room and stopped.
Why was her mouth so dry all of a sudden? She was treating a disease. Granted, the method was unorthodox, but it was a treatment nonetheless.
A debate warred in her. This was insane. How was she supposed to ask him to marry her so she could get out of marrying someone else? What did she have to offer him? “I have a business proposition for you.”
He leaned back, crossing his arms over his massive chest. The man had silent brooding down to a science.
“First, how old are you?”
“A business proposition that requires my age?”
“Yes.”
“Thirty-four.”
Lexi tapped her finger against her chin. Eight years older than her. She nodded as the age difference sank in. “Boys do take longer to mature than girls. That’ll work.”
His eyebrows scrunched together. “What?”
She waved her hand to dismiss the question. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
She sighed and started pacing. “My papa has decided that I have to marry. He’ll arrive in a week, and he expects me to accept the offer for my hand. Only, I don’t want to marry the man.”
Jake tilted his head, and his eyebrows knitted together further.
Why was he making this so hard? Or was asking someone to marry you typically this stressful? She stopped pacing and faced him. “I will offer you double what my papa is paying you to guard me if you will marry me. It will only last as long as it takes to ensure my papa can’t force me to marry. You won’t have to move in or anything, just act like we are in love while my papa is here.” She chewed her thumb. “He made it sound like it was life or death, and for the life of me, I can’t imagine what could be so bad that he’d do this.”
“You’re asking me to marry you?” he asked as he held her gaze.
“Yes, but I’ll compensate you.” In her mind, she was crossing her fingers, toes, hair follicles, and anything else bendy enough to cross. “That way it’s clear that it’s a business arrangement.”
“Who is it you’re being forced to marry?”
She sighed. “His name is Faustus Zikas. We played together as children, but the last time I saw him…maybe six years ago, he didn’t show the slightest interest in me, so why he’s so bent on marrying me now is lost on me.”
Jake inclined his head as he cast his gaze to the couch. Minutes ticked by as he sat quietly, seeming to consider her words. Just as she thought he was going to stand up, declare her mentally unstable, and leave, he lifted his head and said, “Okay.”
Did he say okay? “Really? You’d do this for me?”
“I was hired to protect you. This falls into that category.”
Oh, sure, he was getting paid not only by her, but by her papa as well. Why wouldn’t he do it? “Great. I have a friend who is a lawyer. I’ll get a contract drawn up. That way we know our parts, and it’ll protect my family. You understand, right?”
Then something happened that she’d never witnessed before. An actual smile twitched on his lips. “I understand.”
“What does my papa pay you?
That way I can make sure the amount is in the contract.”
As he stood, the smile remained. “You can just put double, or you could ask your father. I told him I’d never discuss it with you.”
“Are you always such a stickler for the rules?”
“Yes.”
That could work to her advantage. “Then I want a promise from you.”
“And that would be?”
“Don’t tell anyone about the marriage. I don’t want anyone to know. Not even the other bodyguards. But just in case they do find out, I want everyone to think this is as real as real can be. That we’re in love and couldn’t wait to marry.” Hopefully, he’d go for that too.
Holding her gaze, he nodded. “You have my word. I won’t tell a soul what you have planned. Have the papers ready by my next shift, two days from now, and I’ll sign them.”
Why was her heart beating so fast? This was a clinical solution to a problem. “Great. Then we’ll discuss the day and time for the marriage.”
Jake nodded, walked to the door, and slipped out of her apartment.
That had gone a lot easier than she thought it would. She wilted into a nearby chair. Yeah, it would work. By this time next week, she’d be married to Jake Maverick.
A voice in her head whispered, Mrs. Alexandria Maverick, and she scoffed. No, this wasn’t a real marriage. It wasn’t even convenient. It was a necessary evil.
Maybe she could use the time to figure out why her papa was so insistent on her marrying Faustus Zikas. The last time she’d heard anything about the man, her papa hadn’t spoken kindly of him. In fact, from the news she was hearing from home, some speculated that he’d killed his father in an attempt to keep his two siblings from inheriting any of their father’s fortune.