Bodyguard: A Romantic Thriller Novel

by Anna Kendra

  “Sia? Sia are you okay?” someone asked, worry laced every syllable.

  “Leo? Where’s my Leo?” A mother asking for her child out of her deep, deep love for him, a love that made Julian’s chest hurt.

  “In his room. He’s still sleeping. I checked on him just five minutes ago,” he reassured her, taking her small hand in his large ones and trying to calm her down.

  It worked. Sia exhaled and relaxed back down onto the pillows, her hand tightening around his.

  “Feeling any better?” he asked lightly, knowing very well that a headache was on its way.

  She nodded and winced.

  Julian was up in an instant, rushing around the room and looking for water and medication. He came back in less than a minute with a glass of water and two Advils. Sia took them gratefully and gulped them down in one go.

  “Thank you, Julian,” she said, gripping one of his large hands in both of hers. “I wouldn’t be here right now if—”

  “Don’t say that!” Julian hissed, startling Sia. “Yeah, I would like to answer by saying that this was my job and that you’re paying me for it . . . but I would be lying.” He looked at her eyes then, holding their gaze. They stared at each other like they were the only ones in the world.

  Sia was scared at the way she felt for Julian. What the feeling was, she didn’t know. But she knew that it had the power to undo her, to break down every single barrier she had built for the past ten years. Worse, she had no idea if it would be worth the risk.

  “I didn’t just do it as a part of my job. I just couldn’t let that bastard hurt you anymore.”It was a sincere answer without revealing too much about his own feelings because he wasn’t yet sure how he felt about her.

  Sia was struck anew,both by the honesty and beauty of this man in front of her. He truly was handsome. Arthur had been intimidating not only with his whiteblond hair and deep violet eyes (something that her son had inherited from him) but also with his personality. He didn’t really want a wife; he wanted a sex slave. It caused her immense pain to even think about him, but he was a part of her past she couldn’t erase, a part that haunted her to this very day.

  Julian, however, was lethal grace. Tall and built like a tank, he emitted power from miles away. She was beginning to understand why women would so willingly throw themselves at him. But that didn’t mean anything could happen between the two of them. Despite what he had just confessed, he was her bodyguard, and it was his duty to protect her. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

  The bullet!

  The sudden realization had her breaking the spell between them as she looked at him carefully for any signs of injury. She noticed just how close they had gotten, their breaths almost mixing together in an intimate whisper.

  She moved back a little to find that Julian had been sitting on her bed instead of the stool next to it. Surprisingly, she didn’t mind him there. She lifted her hand slowly and placed it on his shoulder lightly. Julian flinched a little, and she immediately removed her hand. “Sorry.”

  Julian simply smiled down at her. “It’s all right. I was just surprised.”

  He turned her attention to the clock to find that it was nearly two in the morning. “Rest now. We’ll talk later.” He got up from the bed. “I’ll ask Martha to send you some food.”

  He turned to leave, but she caught his arm, her eyes panicked. “Stay with me?” she asked uncertainly.

  “Of course,” he said at once, going to sit on the stool, but Sia nodded and shifted in bed, giving him some room.

  Despite Julian’s heart doing stupid flips inside his chest, he asked, “Are you sure?”

  It was too big a step for him, for her. But he understood that fear had taken her in a chokehold, and she was simply acting on instinct.

  “Yes,” she replied a little shakily.

  “All right,” he said after a while. After all, he was only human, and leaving her now could cause problems for her health.

  At her nod, he took off his shoes and lay down beside her, but on top of the covers. Otherwise, it would be too big of a step, one he knew she wasn’t yet ready for.

  Sia was asleep in an instant after he turned the lights off, her body heat wrapped around him like a cocoon along with the scent of fresh cherry blossoms. It was a precious moment of intimacy shared between them. For now, they would rest. But Julian knew that the dark clouds at the horizon had just started rolling towards them. This was far from over.

  This was just the beginning.

  Chapter 10

  He found sleep hard to come by.

  Especially when he could feel the warmth of her body to his very bones. Her fragrance filled his lungs as he took shallow breaths, trying not to indulge in the fresh cherry blossom of her scent. His heartbeat was a tattoo against his ribcage.

  Sometime during the night, Sia had moved even closer to him for warmth, her small hands placed gently on his shoulder and her face inches from his. Her dark hair spilled onto the pillow like liquid dark ink, making his fingers itch.

  He looked down at her and wondered if she could feel his heartbeat, hear it thundering against his chest. He placed his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes, refusing to give into the temptation of Sia Milton. But fuck it! He was a man who appreciated women, and Sia was his biggest temptation to date. And until this moment, he had never had to suppress his urges for a woman he had wanted. And he wanted Sia with a passion.

  But after what she’d gone through today, Julian cursed himself for not getting to her sooner. The cut on her forehead was proof enough of his failure. So was the bullet mark on his shoulder. God knows Christian was probably typing a resignation letter for himalready.

  Julian thought back to all the girls he had slept with, but surprisingly, none of their faces came to mind. Their faces were hazy. He only remembered the stereotypes he went after: the fake blondes with huge boobs and long, slender legs. Sia, on the other hand, was curvy, not in an unhealthy way, just perfectfor him. As they lay together, unknown to Sia, he couldn’t help but wonder how perfectly they fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle.

  But his admiration was short-lived as he noticed Sia’s peaceful physical features furrow into tight lines. She was having a nightmare.

  ***

  One moment she was sitting in her office and designing a new wedding collection, and the next, all the lights went off, and she was back at the Stone Mansion. Everything was so, so quiet. Always quiet. As if even the winds were holding their breath in fear of being heard. But it was no use; he heard and saw everything.

  Sia waited in her bedroom, the door unlocked. She didn’t have permission to lock the door, not if she wanted to escape another whipping session or go another two days without food.

  She was already stick thin, having survived several punishments. Her eyes were sunken, and purple bruises covered every inch of her skin. Her only relief was that her son was sound asleep. Barely a year old, he didn’t understand what was happening around him. But Sia knew one thing: she had to escape before could even begin to understand what was really happening.

  The clock ticked then, announcing that it was ten at night. Its bell echoed through the empty house ominously. The room turned even colder.

  The manor was just like its master: cold. So cold. Everything was white, from the wall paint to the furniture. She wasn’t allowed to decorate it, to make it hers. Even though she was his wife, he made sure he made her realize that she was worth nothing more than the precious Chinese crystal rose plant he kept at his bedside table: a trophy.

  The gravel crunched under the tires, then the honk of a car, followed by the sound of heavy metal doors closing.

  Sia curled into an even tighter ball against the headboard of her king-sized bed. She kept the lights off, wishing and begging the gods that he wouldn’t need her tonight. But the gods had gone deaf long ago.

  “Darling! Where are you?” he asked, a devil’s malicious intentions hidden in the guise of a singsong
voice. She shivered.

  “I’m coming for you, love. Better be ready.” A lover’s words meant to beguile, but from him, they sounded like a thousand sharp needles piercing her skin.

  Footsteps on the stairs, the first floor. He was now outside her door.

  Suddenly, the room glowed bright, so bright that it made her eyes water, but she couldn’t close them. She needed to see what he was going to do next.

  “There you are! Aren’t you going to greet your husband? No?” White teeth against a menacing face, filled with wicked thoughts.

  She whimpered before she could stop herself, and the smile broadened.

  “Scared? But I haven’t even begun yet?” His voice was childish, taunting.

  With that, he shut the door and came towards her with slow, deliberate steps. No need to hurry, he had her exactly where he wanted. He removed his clothes as he moved, so by the time he was in front of her, he was already naked.

  There was no need for questions; he was tired of play. He grabbed her hair roughly by her nape and kissed her mouth, biting hard enough to draw blood. Then, he slammed her bead back against the headboard.

  She didn’t even have time to wince, no time for the pain to even register in her brain before he ripped her dress apart in one instant and pulled her down with her legs spread wide open for him.

  Fear slammed into her with such traumatizing force that her heart almost burst open as she clutched the sheets in her hand, preparing for the amount of pain to come. She wasn’t the least bit aroused; she never had been with him. She’d heard her mother say once that it gets easier after the first time, but to her, there had never been any difference.

  But nothing could prepare her for the pain that ripped through her abdomen as he slammed his cock inside her.

  “SIA!”

  Chapter 11

  Gasping for breath, Sia forced her eyes open, the memory still fresh in her mind.

  Julian’s concerned face was the first thing she saw, andshe didn’t waste any time jumping into his open arms.

  “It’s okay. I’m here. Nothing will happen to you,” Julian said and kept repeating the words to her as she clung to him for dear life, her entire body trembling. Her quiet sobs raked through his body like a thousand knives to his heart.

  It was then, with Sia in his arms, that he realized that he would do anything for her—no matter what the cost. Love was a strong emotion, and Julian didn’t know if it was love he felt, but he did like her—a lot. And there was definitely physical attraction. Most of all, he knew that he’d barrel headfirst into any situation to ensure her safety.

  Sia didn’t know how much time had passed, but she slowly began to relax in Julian’s comforting embrace. His scent was a comforting mixture of cinnamon and mint and undoubtedly male. The scent calmed her further as she inhaled deeply. She didn’t know what prompted her to jump into his arms like that, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that it felt so right. That she belonged here in the cradle of his arms.

  And she realized that she trusted himto protect her and never hurt her, something she hadn’t felt in the past fourteen years toward any man. She had trusted her parents in the same way, but they had let her down in more ways than she could count, and she was scared to feel this vulnerable once again. Whoever she had trusted in her life had always let her down, some more violently than others.

  They pulled away after a while and just stared into each other’s eyes, her blue eyes meeting his green ones. She knew she could just stare at those beautiful eyes for eternity and lose herself in their depths. There was no doubt that Julian was handsome, but being this close to him, she felt spellbound.

  No one knew who moved first, but slowly and surely, their faces leaned towards each other, their breaths mingled in an intimate whisper, their hearts hammered in sync.

  Finally, they gave in to the temptation, and their lips met halfway.

  Soft but firm, Julian’s lips were pure male temptation. She had never believed in fairytales before where sparks would erupt when two lovers kissed, but she felt them now. The kiss set every fiber and nerve in her on fire, and it made her toes curl. Her hands rose from his shoulders to fasten into his silky midnight hair as she pulled him impossibly closer.

  He had died and gone to heaven. That was the only explanation he could give to the pure bliss that was Sia’s lips. Hot and moist and so, so soft, he could almost taste the cherry blossom of her scent on her lips. It made his heart pound and his cock throb with need. But he should wait. Not tonight, not while she was still recovering from the horrors of her nightmare and the attack earlier.

  He knew it was a memory. She had spoken in her dream—had been petrified to think that Arthur had come back home. He knew that the bastard had tortured her and raped her.

  His mind diverted into wanting to take her right there and then, and wanting to shred Arthur to pieces for the torment he caused Sia. But, with a light push on her shoulder, he pulled away from her hungry lips. He knew she wasn’t ready, that it was only the trauma and nightmare making her act out. She’ll regret it once she came to her senses and that was exactly what Julian was afraid of.

  “I’m sorry. I—” Sia panicked, thinking of what he might be thinking of her.

  “Sia! Sia, it’s okay.” He calmed her down before she could panic. “Besides, if we don’t stop now, we might end up doing something you’re not yet ready for.”

  She blushed like a tomato at Julian’s words mixed with the realization that she had just kissed her employee. It wasn’t lost on her that that Julian had said “we” when it came to regretting things in the morning. It gave her a twisted sense of satisfaction that Julian yearned for her, and she was all the morecruel for leading him on.

  Julian was right. She wasn’t ready to take that step—not yet. And after the permanent scars that Arthur had put on her, she didn’t think she’ll ever be ready. Looking at the wall clock, she saw that it was almost four in the morning. And right on cue, her stomach rumbled.

  She blushed in embarrassment while Julian scrambled off the bed to bring her the food that Martha had kept separate for her. He reheated it and brought it up to her room, but not before making sure that all the doors and windows were locked tight and the guards at the gate were on high alert.

  After having some warm mushroom soup and slices of bread and cheese, Sia was back in bed snuggled up comfortably against Julian’s warm body. He had offered to sit on the chair instead while she slept, but Sia wasn’t ready to let go of his warmth just yet. She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted to steal this night for herself before everything went back to normal when they went back to being employer and bodyguard.

  This time when she slept, no nightmares haunted her. Instead, she saw a dark-haired, blue-eyed man whose kisses sent her toes curling, chasing her around the house, laughing in open delight along with a little girl who looked just like him.

  Chapter 12

  The bright morning light coming through the window woke Sia up the next morning. But with consciousness also came the feeling of warmth and comfort. She’d never experienced such feelings before. It felt oddly safe to be sleeping next to her bodyguard.

  She turned her head to the side and saw Julian’s peaceful sleeping face. Warmth flooded her cheeks when she remembered the events of the previous night. She had liked kissing him and loved that he had kissed her back with the same fervor. His lips had been so, so soft yet firm and experienced.

  She turned towards the clock to see that it was only 6:30 in the morning, so she turned back to look at Julian. She noticed how his long dark lashes fell and cast a shadow on his cheeks. His midnight black hair spread on his forehead like liquid silk. His lips were pink and full and now, she knew they were just as soft as they looked. Beautiful yet manly. There was no denying the raw strength that he emitted even when he slept. Sia had no doubt in her mind that he’d protect her when the time came, just like he had yesterday.

  He hadn’t slept under the covers with her,
however. He had slept over them. His body may not have touched hers but he was very close. She could still feel the heat of his skin on hers through the blanket. He seemed to have respected her personal space even after the mind-blowing kiss they had shared last night. He had one hand under his head and the other folded on top of his chest. It was the most relaxed she’d seen him to date.

  She knew about his reputation: that he had had several women in his life before he came to her. No! She shook her head and changed her train of thought.

  Julian wasn’t hers. He can never be hers.

  Not only was she older by almost four years, but she also had a son who was half Julian’s age. If she went on to have an affair with someone, Leo would be hurt. Not only will the media take every opportunity they can get to scandalize her, but they will also ruin her son’s life. And once had been enough for the both of them.

  No matter what, she can never subject her baby to such kind of harassment. That was the reason she had never accepted any relationshipeven after she had freed herself from Arthur. That and the fact that Arthur had made sure she’d never trust any man ever again. Looks can be deceiving and a smile can hold a thousand secrets.

  Sia was a strong, independent woman who didn’t need any other man in her life but her son. She lived only for her son and she will continue to do just that.

  So, with one last longing look at Julian, she got up from the bed carefully, and left the room.

  ***

  Julian woke up alone in Sia’s bed.

  He sat up and blinked. Looking around groggily, he searched for the gun he kept under his pillow before he remembered that he wasn’t in his room but in Sia’s. His sleep faded away instantly, and he looked around the room once again, this time with his senses on high alert, and found the clock.

  9:17 AM.

  “Shit!” He jumped out of bed and hurried out of the room.