Bodyguard to the Billionaire

by Nana Malone

  "You have nothing to prove here, not a thing. Your whole life, you have thought you are somehow unworthy, so you're always trying to prove that you are. You don't have to do stupid shit to prove anything to anyone."

  "I hear you. But we're already here. We're committed. Let's just finish this out."

  Kyle sounded resigned when he sighed. "All right, fair enough. What are you going to do about the merger?"

  "I have to just delay it at the very least until we can get more information."

  "The board members are going to hate that."

  "Yeah, I know. And Arlington's going to lose his shit. But it can't be helped."

  "Let's just pray that you're doing the right thing."

  "Yeah, I certainly fucking hope so."

  Theo…

  We didn’t speak much when Zia came back to the penthouse. We made the show of kissed cheeks and how was your run for the chef and Elena, but then I went to the office and she headed to bed, with Elena calling out to tell her not to wear flannel.

  When I went to bed, she was curled up on the couch, snoring. She was cute when she slept. Hair wild, mouth open. But as wild as she slept, she was fully alert the moment I stepped in the room.

  She palmed her gun and only relaxed when I announced myself.

  I was just as aware of her as she was of me though. Because I knew the second she was awake. Her phone buzzed and illuminated the room, then she got up and wasted no time rushing to her closet. When she came out, she was dressed for expedience. Tight black leggings, black top, hoodie, baseball hat.

  What the hell was she doing, robbing a bank?

  I stayed as still as possible as I watched her gather her things and tiptoe out of the room. I pulled open my phone to check the security app. In the living room, she scribbled a note and left it on the table. The moment she hit the front door, I was up and out of bed. I grabbed a T-shirt on the way and shoved my feet into my tennis shoes. In the living room, I found the note she'd left me.

  Family emergency. Jax is still on duty. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back as soon as I can.

  Where the hell was she going? She'd put a tracker app on my phone so she could find me if we got separated. She probably didn't think that it worked both ways, but I knew it did. I ran to my room and changed out the pajama bottoms for jeans, and then I was out the door. If Jax was watching me, he'd know I was following her. So wherever she was going, we were going together.

  It's none of your business.

  As if that mattered. Something was up with her. Something she wasn't telling me. After she’d given me that long speech about being able to trust me. This was getting out of hand. Not that I was obsessed with her or anything.

  Sure, you're not.

  Well, very likely, she needed help, and knowing her, there was no way she was going to ask. But if she wasn't going to ask, I was going to give it whether she wanted it or not.

  That's exactly what a stalker would say.

  Fine. So, I was a stalker. Sue me. But she needed help, clearly. Where was she sneaking off to in the middle of the night?

  It was one in the morning.

  She was easy to find in a matter of minutes. She drove through downtown and up into the Knob Hill area. Where the hell was she going? Did she have another billionaire client I didn't know about?

  What does it matter? You're not really a billionaire client.

  Still, though, it irked me. Did she have a boyfriend? The idea that she rushed out of the flat for a booty call irked me. Her car turned on Highland, continued a short distance, and then stopped. "What the in the world are you doing?" I muttered to myself.

  I parked right next to her black company SUV and then climbed out of the Maserati. I glanced around, but I couldn't find her. When I heard loud whispering a bit further down the road, I squinted my eyes trying to figure out just what she was doing in the dark.

  I knew the moment Jax caught up to me because he rolled by in a black SUV similar to Zia’s and he cocked his head. I shrugged and indicated her car, then I followed the sounds I'd heard and recognized the building right away. Or at least the emblem.

  Thrones House. Technically, it was part of the university. They were supposedly one of those secret campus societies. Derrick had been one. Crowns. There were three universities on campus, each with their own secret society. They were the rich ones who thought they could further differentiate themselves from their fellow students. Fantastic.

  To my left someone whispered, "Come on, just give me a shove."

  Then Zia’s voice. "I swear to God. how did you even get stuck in here?"`

  "It was one of the pledge pranks. I had to come in and steal a scepter."

  "Do you understand what happens to you if you get caught in here?"

  "That's why I needed you. I'm stuck."

  "I swear to God, Deedee, I'm putting an end to this. You cannot keep doing this."

  "I'm sorry but I really need this to work."

  "You needed help last time. Who bailed you out?"

  "You did. But this is different."

  "How? How is this different?"

  "At least this time I have my clothes on."

  My brows lifted as I eavesdropped and followed the sound.

  Zia was already in ass-chewing mode. "Barely. Your dress is up over your ass. Your ass is flapping in the wind. Literally flapping."

  I couldn't help it; I coughed a laugh. A girl was apparently stuck in what looked to be a portal of some kind. And then there was Zia, attempting to shove her through. She had her hand on the girl’s ass, but I wasn't sure if she was pulling or pushing.

  "Ah, looks like you guys could use a hand."

  Zia whirled. "Oh my God, what the hell are you doing here?"

  "Well, your note was inadequate. 'Family emergency' Was a little vague. It's one in the morning, so I followed you."

  Her eyes went wide. "You recognize someone is trying to hurt you, right?"

  "Yeah. And you're my bodyguard, but you left me. So how are you doing your job?"

  "I left you a goddamn bodyguard. All you had to do was stay in the house."

  Behind me, there was a little rumble that sounded an awful lot like a laugh. And then Jax spoke. "Oi, what the fuck is going on here?"

  From inside the building, there was another feminine voice calling out, "Excuse me, can you guys argue about this later? I need help here."

  Zia scowled. "Since you two are here, can you get my sister out of the goddamn window?"

  I lifted my brows. "This is your sister?"

  She gave me the, don't-get-me-started face. Which by now I knew well.

  From inside, the girl complained. "Seriously, can someone help me?"

  I stepped forward, trying to assess the best way to do that without actually touching her ass. It wasn't going to be possible. Jax stepped forward too. He frowned. "I'll rock, paper, scissors you for it."

  "No, it's okay. You're an actual bodyguard. You should do it."

  "You think you should leave me to do the work?"

  We were evenly matched in height. He was slightly bigger than I was though.

  He spoke softly to Zia's sister. "Deedee, it's Jax. I'm here to help."

  Deedee, as it were, groaned from inside. "Oh my God, you cannot touch my bare ass."

  Jax coughed. "It's fine. We're just going to get you out of here and get you sorted."

  "No, you can't touch my ass. I know your wife."

  "Trust me, I know my wife too. She wouldn’t want me to leave you like this. Because sooner or later, someone is going to notice and call the police. You certainly don't want to be arrested."

  I groaned. "Ugh, for the love of God, I'll do it."

  Zia glowered at me. "Do not touch my sister's ass."

  I sighed. "Okay, fine. We can leave her like this if you prefer."

  Zia groaned. "Fine, just... don't touch it too much."

  I lifted a brow. "Jealous?"

  "Screw you."

  I grinned. "I know you'd like
to." The way she narrowed her eyes, I could tell she wanted to spit fire at me. But that was going to have to wait because Jax was here. She'd wanted people to notice she was good at her job. It was important to her. She might think I was a giant pain in her ass, but she would essentially comply.

  "Just get her out."

  "Hey, Deedee. My name is Th—" I stopped myself. Damn, I’d almost used my real name. "I'm Derrick. I'm a friend of your sister's. I'm here to help you out."

  "Oh my God, you sound hot. Are you hot? Zia, I told you. Your life is too good to be true."

  Zia's gaze flickered over me. "He’s not hot, but he thinks he is."

  I grinned. "Deedee, don't worry about anything. I'm going to rotate you first so I can pull you out."

  "No! Push me in. I still need the scepter."

  My gaze darted to Zia. "Scepter?"

  "She's rushing a fucking sorority. This is the second time in a week I've had to come and rescue her."

  I lifted a brow. "Seriously? This is for some sorority nonsense?"

  From inside, Deedee groaned. "It's not nonsense. It's really important, okay?"

  I could hear the tremble in her voice, and I was not prepared for that shit.

  "Okay, okay. I hear you. It's important. I'll give you a hand, okay? So you want to go in, is that right?"

  "Yes. For the love of God, yes."

  "Jesus, okay. Do you have something to grab on to in there? I don't want to drop you on your ass. Looks like you're a little bit off the ground."

  "Yeah, there's a chair. If I could just... got it."

  "Okay." I inclined my head to Jax to give me a hand. Lifting her and pushing her through the portal was a lot more difficult than just pulling her out, because I had to be careful of her. She was Zia's sister, after all. The two of us lifted and hoisted, and finally, she was through the portal. We heard a clutter inside. "Damn it. Aww."

  Zia ran to the portal. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine. It’s just… The chair wasn't as steady as I thought."

  "I swear to God, get your ass back out here."

  "Wait, I need to find the scepter."

  Down the path, I saw a flashlight gleaming. Jax saw the same thing at the same time. I grabbed Zia and dove for the thickest bush to the side of the guest house. I wrapped my body around hers, cocooning her. Her face in my chest as I used the bush for cover.

  "You realize I'm supposed to be the bodyguard, right?"

  "I doubt whoever is coming up here is trying to shoot me. At least this way, if someone catches us, we could pretend we're just making out."

  "As if."

  Okay yeah, it might not have been a good idea to goad her, but I couldn't help it, because while I was dying for her, she was acting like she was completely unaffected by this. "Oh, we've already made out, remember? I seem to recall that you liked it."

  "Shut up, you pompous—”

  I clamped my hand over her lips and shook my head while I gave her a wide grin. "Shh. Someone will hear us."

  Her eyes narrowed, and I could tell she wanted to murder me. It didn't matter whether she'd been sworn to protect me or not, I was a dead man if she got her hands on me. The people with the flashlight passed. There were two of them walking and talking about some vacation that they were going to take. When they passed, I breathed a sigh of relief. Jax came up behind us. "It's clear. Let's get Deedee and go."

  We all head back around to the portal on the outside of the house, but there was no sign of Deedee.

  Zia broke free of my hold. "Deedee, where are you?"

  "Over here."

  Her voice came from the darkness behind me. "Shit," I muttered.

  She held the scepter in her hand. "Backdoor. It's much easier than the portal. I don't know why I didn't think to pick it or something. I guess I should have picked up your skills, Zia."

  Before, I might have been holding Zia to protect her from whoever was coming on the path, and then I might have held on to her shoulders as comfort. At least that's what I told myself. But now, I held on to her to keep her from killing her sister. I was sure of that. She launched, but I held her tight. "I swear to God, Deedee, I will kill you myself."

  Deedee rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, you're such a drama queen."

  "You are the one who texted me a 911."

  "And I thought you weren't coming for me anymore."

  Zia's brows rose. "You're kidding me, right? After all the shit I’ve bailed you out of? This is what you're telling me?"

  Deedee rolled her eyes. "Look, I was just stuck, okay? So, of course, you're my sister. But if you’re going to give me a lecture every time you come running, I won't even text you anymore."

  "You know what? Next time you can get arrested." Zia charged down the worn path.

  I glanced between Zia and Deedee. I knew Zia was pissed, but I didn't think she wanted her sister to be left alone in the dark, so I stayed put. Jax groaned. "Jesus Christ, family drama. Deedee, come on, cut your sister a break, would you? You're really taking the piss here."

  Deedee grinned up at him. "Can you say that again? British speak is so sexy."

  Jax rolled his eyes. "You know what, move, or I will physically move you."

  She lifted a brow. "You can't do that. I don't work for you."

  "No, you don't. But I am a King's Knight. And since your sister is also a Knight, your protection is under our purview. I'm authorized to make you comply, whatever it takes.

  Deedee took a step back. "You wouldn't."

  "I would. I guarantee you."

  I crossed my arms and stood behind Jax. "And if he doesn't, I will. You really are spoiled, you know that?"

  Her eyes went wide. "Who the fuck are you?"

  "Nobody. Just a friend of your sister's. But you're a brat, and you're acting like one. Next time, if you want to be treated like an adult, don't get yourself in a twist. Because one day, Zia is really not going to show up."

  Deedee's face fell. "You don't know anything about my sister."

  "I know enough to know that she's pretty badass. She doesn't need to be chasing after you."

  "You act like you know her."

  "I do know her." With that, I turned my back on Jax and Deedee, leaving her to follow behind.

  Theo…

  I could fucking hear her moving. I could hear her breathing. Every moment, every breath triggered my memory of how she felt underneath me, how she moved, the low-key sound at the back of her throat... But the squeaking with every turn of hers on the leather couch was driving me batshit.

  Jesus, there was no way in hell I was going to survive the night. The previous night had been bad enough, but fuck me, now I knew what she felt like. I knew what she tasted like. I knew what she sounded like. And I wanted more of that. I wanted her to melt on my tongue. Kyle was right. She was exactly my type, which was why she was so fucking dangerous to me. I was screwed.

  It was only going to be a matter of time before she knew it too. During our meeting today, I couldn't take my damn eyes off of her. Luckily, it had been a straightforward investigation of another product. Another company to acquire, but Jesus Christ, every shift of her body, the crossing and uncrossing of her legs, it was as if she was trying to deliberately drive me insane. And then she told me that she didn't know where to buy any fucks. And instant hard-on. What the fuck was wrong with me? The more she argued, the more I wanted her. The more dirty looks she gave me, the more I wanted to make her moan. There had to be something wrong with me. It was the only answer. She tossed again and I was done. I snatched the covers off and marched over.

  "Get up. Take the bed."

  She slid her eye mask up and glowered up at me. "I told you, I'm sleeping on the couch."

  "And I told you, this is ridiculous. Yes, you have a gun, a big bad gun. But I also happen to know by now that you'll do anything to protect me. So if you don't get up and climb into that bed by yourself, I will drag you there, kicking and screaming."

  "You recognize that's assau
lt, right?"

  My brows snapped down. "I'm not fucking with you. Get up. Get in the bed."

  She crossed her arms and raised a brow. "What? Are you going to bone me senseless? I gotta tell you, your foreplay needs work."

  Was it me, or did she clamp her legs tight together? The muscles in her thighs tensed slightly. All I knew for sure was that my dick turned to steel.

  "I don't want to fight with you anymore. I'm tired. Just get in the goddamn bed."

  "I will put you down. I am not getting in that bed. Not with you."

  I sighed. "Look, I won't fucking touch you, okay? If you're scared, or whatever, you don't have to be. Not of me. I might talk about tanning your ass, but I would never put my hands on somebody who didn't want them there. I already told you. Until you ask, I'm not touching you."

  "And I'm not asking."

  And…what do you know, my dick wanted her just the same, but he relinquished control to my brain. "Awesome. Now that we have established that, get in the bed. I can't stand to hear you toss and turn anymore."

  She blinked in surprise. "You can hear me?"

  "Yes, I can hear you. Every damn creak."

  "Well, it's not my fault your couch is leather and noisy.”

  "Just get in the bed. I'll take the couch, okay? I just—I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

  Her brows lowered, finally settling into their frowning grooves. "Why do you care?"

  I gave her the only answer I could. "Because while you are protecting me, you're also in my house. It's my job to make you comfortable. So just do it."

  "No. I'm staying on the couch."

  She gave me no choice. I was going to have to touch her.

  Oh yeah, let's see how well this goes.

  I closed the final distance between us and bent down.

  She pulled out her Taser from under her pillow. "I swear to God, I will Tase you."

  "Well, sometimes you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do." Watching her warily, I easily lifted her. Jesus Christ, she weighed nothing. Was she eating enough?

  "Put me down, you overgrown oaf."

  "In case you've forgotten, I live with staff. If someone hears you screaming, they're going to come in, and then we're going to have to explain why I'm dragging you into the bed."