“He’s clean. But a few years back he was in deep debt to two bookies.”
“Gambling?”
Jamison nodded. “Horseracing. He rarely goes to the track anymore.”
So, either Paddy had quit betting on horses, or he had secretly gone deeper into debt. Maybe he desperately needed Colin’s bonus money to pay off his hidden vice.
“I see that suspicion in your eyes, princess. Don’t worry. I asked my contact to keep digging.”
“Good.” Alexa suddenly remembered the heightened security that evening. “Was there an attack at the concert?”
“No. I think they meant to target you here. I’d only been home a few minutes when I heard a sound come from your room.”
Tears burned her eyes. “I knew you’d come.” She blinked them back. “I guess I owe you another thanks for saving my life.”
“It’s my job.”
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Refuse to accept praise.”
“I should accept praise for doing my job?”
“For doing it well.”
“Thank you,” he said, and offered a faint smile. Alexa smiled, too.
Another thought crossed her mind. “Don’t you think it’s strange that I’m the only one who’s been attacked? I mean, I’m glad Colin is safe, but…” She trailed off.
“It is strange,” he agreed grimly. “We need to find out why you’re the only one being targeted.”
“When we know that, we’ll probably solve the case.”
“Hopefully, my contacts will turn up leads soon.”
Before it was too late. He didn’t have to say this, but a shiver went down Alexa’s spine anyway.
Jamison moved to the sink to wash out his coffee cup. He wore a white T-shirt now that advertised his home town in Italy, and black jeans. The T-shirt looked soft and well-washed. It hugged his torso and clung to the muscles of his upper arms. The white accented his deep tan.
Alexa’s mouth ran before she could stop it. “I’ve never seen you in white before.”
“Should I be flattered you notice every detail of my state of dress—or undress?”
Alexa’s face burned, remembering how she had been caught staring earlier. “Excuse me for being observant,” she said stiffly.
He apparently decided to cut her some slack. “This shirt is fifteen years old. My sister Sophia gave it to me for my birthday.”
“I thought it looked old…and soft. Is it?”
Jamison stared at her, and then paced closer. “Would you like to find out?”
Alexa’s breath caught in her throat. “Back off, Jethro. I’m not asking to feel you up.” She yawned hugely. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Go to bed, princess.”
Alexa thought about returning to her room. The slider lock was broken. And the memories of the man’s hands choking the life from her…
She shuddered. “I think I’ll stay up for awhile. Maybe watch some TV.” Not likely. Alexa was so tired that she stumbled on the way to the couch. With a sigh, she slid down on the soft leather and tucked a pillow under her head. The remote rested on the coffee table. Jamison’s hand scooped it up at the same instant she reached for it. He deposited it in the chair across the room.
“Hey.” She frowned.
A soft blanket fell across her shoulders, and Jamison appeared, very near, now. He’s sitting on the coffee table, that’s why, her foggy brain computed.
“Sleep, princess.”
“I’m not tired,” she yawned.
She felt, rather than heard his chuckle. His lips brushed her brow and he stood. “I’ll leave my door open. Call if you need me.”
Alexa lifted her heavy head. “Will you stay until I fall asleep?” The words sounded childish and pitiful, but she was afraid.
Jamison sat down on the coffee table again. His hand closed around hers, warm and strong. “Of course I will.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled, and slowly drifted toward sleep, feeling his warm hand holding her secure.
He murmured soft Italian words, then more familiar English ones, from Psalm 56:3. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.” NKJV™ The quiet verse comforted her soul.
In this crazy ship of stalkers and an international star’s limelight, God was her anchor. And Jamison was His right-hand man. She would be safe, as long as he stayed with her.
Chapter Sixteen
They traveled to Zurich, Switzerland the next morning, and the next few days passed quickly. The book was nearing completion, and Alexa met with Colin to flesh out the last segments. When Colin spotted the make-up muted bruises on her throat, left from the attack, he was appalled. However, Alexa assured him that she was fine and healing rapidly. The stalker had been caught, and that was the most important thing to her.
Unfortunately, during this meeting frosty Eve was also present, which didn’t give Alexa the opportunity to tell Colin about her feelings—or lack of romantic feelings—for him. If the chance presented itself, she would tell him. In fact, the sooner the better.
Alexa loved Switzerland. She loved the precise symmetry of Zurich, the clean streets, and the clocks. Charming buildings on narrow streets sported windows framed by dark shutters, and red flags with the Swiss cross fluttered above shop doorways in Old Town.
Alexa took all of Wednesday afternoon off in order to sightsee with Jamison—after first changing travelers checks into Swiss francs. They toured the Swiss National Museum first, which reminded Alexa of a fairy castle. She enjoyed seeing the paintings, toys, clocks, flags, and other objects of Swiss culture collected over the years.
Then they took a walking tour of the Bahnhofstrasse, a beautiful, tree-lined street with world banks and pricey shops selling luxury merchandise. It reminded her of Fifth Avenue in New York.
Jamison patiently waited while Alexa wandered through several shops, fingering linens and embroidered napkins. She finally bought a set for her mother, and bought Swiss Army knives for Ted and her father. And in the Schweizer Heimatwerk, she found wooden folk toys for Annie and Timmy. One thing Alexa repeatedly noticed while shopping was the marked difference between some of the noisy tourists and the softer spoken Swiss sales clerks. Not that Alexa was noisy, but it made her want to speak quietly, too.
As the afternoon slowly waned, Alexa couldn’t resist stopping at the Confiserie Sprüngli, which, according to her guidebook, was famous for its chocolates. She bought a box of chocolates for Beth and a bag for Jamison and herself to enjoy later, and then hurried on to the Fraumünster church. It looked Gothic to Alexa, with its majestic spire. In the choir, Marc Chagall’s tall, narrow stained glass windows, each of a different predominant color, were stunning.
After that, they visited the Grossmünster, the two-towered cathedral across the River Limmat from the Fraumünster. Augusto Giacometti’s three soaring panels of stained glass in this choir were breathtaking, too. Alexa and Jamison elected to pay a small fee and climbed up into the southern tower. At the top, they enjoyed a breathtaking view of Old Town and Lake Zurich.
Afterward, Alexa sat with relief on a bench overlooking Lake Zurich. She plopped the bags at her feet. “I’m tired,” she sighed.
Jamison smiled, and for a peaceful while they watched motor boats and sailboats glide by in the clear blue, early May evening. Until Alexa’s stomach growled, and she remembered her bag of chocolates.
“Want some?” She offered the open bag to Jamison.
“Sure.” He took two.
“Do you do this all the time?” she asked. “I mean, travel to all of these neat countries and sightsee?”
“Most of the time I work with Colin. I don’t get much time to sightsee.”
“So baby-sitting me has its perks.”
He shot her a small smile. “Perks. That’s one way to put it.”
She elbowed him. “You’re not very appreciative of the benefits I provide you.”
“And what benefits would those be?”
Alexa fluttered her hand, encompassing the beautiful scenery. “You get to sample all this, along with me.”
His lips pressed together, obviously trying to suppress a grin.
“What?” she demanded.
“You choose unusual word combinations, Alexa. Are they deliberate?”
“Huh?”
“I get to sample all this, and you, too?”
With a gasp, she swatted his leg. The black denim felt warm from the sun, and the muscles beneath, hard. She hastily retracted her hand. “No, you do not get to sample me, you lascivious man!”
“Now there’s a mouthful.”
Sweetly, she inquired, “Do you know what it means?”
“Yes. Shall I prove it?”
Her face felt warm. “This conversation is inappropriate. And I’ll thank you not to make a move on me.”
“I hadn’t thought of it. But at your suggestion…” His arm slid behind her on the bench top. His fingers lightly curled around her shoulder. A few inches still separated them, but his smiling, testing black gaze seemed too close.
Alexa stiffened, and then told herself not to be a ninny. Forcing herself to relax, she smiled. “You make a good escort, Jamison.”
He chuckled, deep in his chest. “Good thing you’re not paying for my services, or I might take offense.”
Alexa fidgeted. That man always had a comeback for every mouthy comment with which she slapped him.
“Uncomfortable, princess?”
She gave him a look. “It’s time to head back, don’t you think?” The sun now edged lower on the western horizon, casting a muted, golden haze over the lake. A small breeze had kicked up too, and Alexa felt chilly. She zipped her jacket to her chin.
“Cold?” her bodyguard asked. “Scoot closer to me.”
Alexa gaped. “In your dreams, Jethro.” Although she did remember how warm his leg had felt, and imagined snuggling up close to him, under his arm.
She struggled to dismiss her idiotic fantasies. Arms crossed tight, Alexa stared out at the lake.
“I don’t bite.” His low Italian voice lilted, suspiciously close to her ear. “I promise.”
Alexa glanced at him in complete astonishment. “Jamison Jethro Constanzo, you are making a move on me!”
He smiled. “What do you think about that?”
She didn’t know what to think. Or say. Except a little imp insanely urged her to lean over and kiss him. Of course, she didn’t.
“Last chance,” he told her.
“What?” For a flabbergasted second, Alexa wondered if he had read her mind.
He urged her closer. Against her better judgment, she did scoot nearer, until his warm thigh touched hers and she was tucked close under his arm, by his side.
“It’s just because I’m cold,” she told him. A whiff of his unique, spicy scent teased her nose. What cologne did he use? Forever from now, when she smelled it, she would think of Jamison.
Sadness poked her at the thought of a future without him in it. She pressed nearer to him, wanting this moment to last forever.
“What?” he said.
“Nothing.” She swallowed back the ache in her throat.
“It’s not nothing.” His free, warm hand closed over hers. “Your hands are like ice.”
“I get cold easily.”
The hand on her shoulder lifted, and his fingers threaded through her hair.
“Jamison,” she said. His quiet, intent gaze caught hers, and his fingers stroked the back of her neck. “I thought we weren’t going to do this.”
“Do what?” Amusement glimmered.
“You’re trying to seduce me.”
“How am I doing?” Point blank. A deliberate admission. He was pursuing her. Both excitement and anxiety churned in her, but mostly his declaration thrilled her to the core.
Jumping nerves inspired her next words. “Maybe we’d better go—before we do something we regret. Again.”
When he leaned forward, it was clear he intended to kiss her. Weak-willed as she was, she met him halfway. Gentle purpose warmed his kiss, edged by carefully controlled passion. When he pulled back, Alexa followed him. And then she realized he had meant to end the kiss.
“Oh,” she gasped, embarrassed, and pulled back.
He grinned, obviously pleased by her response. Luckily, he didn’t know how hard her heart pounded, but no flip words could deny her obvious desire to kiss him.
“Why?” she asked, trying to understand.
“Because I wanted to kiss you.”
She pulled away. “Jamison, I’m leaving next week. We need to be careful.”
“Isn’t it too late to be careful, princess?”
Alexa was afraid he was right. “Let’s go,” she begged. “I want to write more tonight.”
When he stood, he held out his hand.
“Jamison.”
He just looked at her, and she put her hand into his. It felt good and right to hold his hand. She felt secure in his clasp and never wanted to let go.
It scared her to death.
Back at the flat, Alexa closeted herself in her room, both to write and to put distance between herself and Jamison. They had crossed the line again, and part of her desperately wanted to jump back to the safe side. What had she been thinking? It couldn’t be too late, could it? She couldn’t be losing her heart to Jamison. She just couldn’t.
“The threats have stopped,” Jamison told Alexa the next morning.
“Great!” Or was it? If she was no longer in danger, would she need a bodyguard? The thought of Jamison moving out caused a tight, uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Of course, she would be flying home next week, no matter what. That didn’t rest any easier in her heart. “But what about the daughter the man mentioned?”
“Apparently he doesn’t have a daughter.”
“He doesn’t? Did he make that up?”
“We don’t know. Interpol is working with the FBI to unlock court documents.”
Alexa pondered this bizarre turn of events. “Maybe he’s lost his mind,” she suggested.
“Not likely. I have a gut feeling there’s more to the story.”
“So until they find out, you’ll stay my bodyguard?”
“Afraid you’d lose me?”
Alexa scoffed at his knowing smile. “Please.” She struggled, as she had since last night, to find a barrier to protect herself. She couldn’t lose her heart to a man she’d say goodbye to in a week. She just couldn’t. Unfortunately, the old, porcupine repartee came to her rescue. “I’m counting the days until I can be rid of you.”
“When do you fly home?”
As if he didn’t know. “Next week. I suppose you’re saying you can’t wait to get rid of me.”
“Did I say that?”
“No.” She turned away, fiddling with her tea cup.
“How’s your book coming?” His voice was quiet.
“Good.” She turned back. “I think one more session with Colin should finish it.”
“How will you feel about leaving him?”
The black gaze didn’t leave hers. For the first time, she could tell he wanted—no, that intense gaze demanded—to know what she felt for the famous pop star. “I’ll be sad. I always hate to say goodbye to friends.”
“Not heartbroken?” His voice sounded rough.
“Do you think I’m in love with him, Jamison?”
“Are you?”
Alexa rethought what she felt for Colin. She liked him. Colin was a wonderful, vulnerable man. She felt oddly protective of him, and knew he liked her. In fact, she hoped he didn’t like her too much. “No. I’m not in love with Colin.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “So you can leave without looking back?”
Could she? She would miss Colin and Mart. But the person she couldn’t face leaving was this complicated man, beside her. “Not exactly. I’ve gotten used to having my own, personal chef.”
He chuckled. “You’ll miss me
?” Despite the light words, his dark eyes held hers.
This conversation was heading in a disturbing direction. Alexa didn’t want to say goodbye to him at all, but could barely admit this truth to herself. She retreated to the couch. “I’ll miss sharpening wits with you.”
He followed, which disturbed Alexa still more, and perched on the armrest. “You don’t want to talk to me, princess?”
“Will you please stop calling me that?” But she said it with no heat.
He moved down to the couch, beside her. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t come any closer.”
“You’re still afraid of me?”
“Of course not,” she scoffed. Ungrammatically, she finished, “What do I have to be scared of?”
“You tell me, Alexa. We never seem to finish this conversation.”
She looked away. Why did she keep running from him?
The terrifying answer came, hard and fast. Jamison already had a grip on her heart. If she allowed him any closer, he’d steal it, irrevocably and forever. Leaving him then just might destroy her.
She couldn’t handle that kind of hurt again. Shouldn’t she keep the distance between them? How could she willingly step into heartbreak?
Her throat ached. Time for a subject change. “How did you become a bodyguard, anyway? You never told me.”
A small moment of silence ticked by. Then, to her relief, he followed her change of topic. “I stepped into it backwards.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I graduated with a degree in Comparative Literature, which is basically useless, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.”
“Literature? You?” Alexa found this hard to believe.
“I like poetry. What can I say? I also majored in Business, with a Kinesiology minor. I was interested in exercise and nutrition.”
Alexa blinked. “You double majored? With a minor? How long did it take you to graduate?”
“Five years. But I didn’t want to get a master’s or a Ph.D., and I didn’t want to go into business yet. I wanted to travel the world.”
“So how did the bodyguard angle come about?”
“I worked out a lot, and got to know guys in the field. One recommended a bodyguard school, so I took courses and graduated from that. Afterward, I got my first job. I liked it, and took more courses from the International Bodyguard Association in London in order to improve my skills. I met Colin when I was guarding a female star. He visited her often, and we became friends. Things cooled off between them, and when he lost a guard later, he asked me to join him. I decided it was time for a change.” Harshness twisted the last words.
Her Reluctant Bodyguard Page 27
