by A. C. Arthur
“You said something.” His voice held an edge of anger combined with a touch of worry. She could take both away if he allowed it, her herbs and oils were in her suitcase at the hotel, but there was power in her fingers, she’d felt it earlier.
She looked away from him. “What I said was nothing.”
He still wore the dark glasses so even when she was staring at him, she could not see his eyes. Not that she wanted to, they did not matter. Neither did the line of his jaw covered by the light beard or the dark hair curled close to his scalp. She should not give a care about how strong his hands looked resting on his thighs, or how muscular those thighs appeared as well. There was an air about this guard, a self-assured and powerful air that he wore well. And when he talked, she wanted him to say so many things to her. Things that were not appropriate, things that even now made her breasts ache and stirred a yearning buried so deep inside her she hadn’t known it existed. Until now.
“To the hotel.” He gave stern commands, like a leader or a king.
She should stop thinking so much about him and return her attention to the reason she was here. “Thank you.” The words came quietly. She had wanted to avoid looking at him and was staring out the window, but now she turned to look forward.
“I was telling the driver where to take us.”
She felt foolish again, but this time figured silence was the better option.
The truck began to move and the interior grew darker. She attempted to relax again, clasping her hands in her lap and letting her mind wander. It was best to focus on the plan, to replay it over and over in her mind so she wouldn’t forget any part, but she couldn’t ignore him.
He dominated the space, not the pure breadth of him, but his simple presence. The scent of his leather jacket filled her nostrils pouring something primitive into her with every breath she took. And she was certain she would never forget the cadence of his breathing because it was like getting a song stuck in her head, even when he wasn’t near she could still hear it. It was the silliest thing she’d ever encountered, to be so taken by someone she didn’t even know.
“What is your name?”
More words blurting from her mouth. She really needed to find some control.
He hesitated as if he were considering whether or not to share this nominal bit of information.
“Theo.” A simple name said in a simple way.
“I am Shola.”
“I know. You’re the bride-to-be.”
She stilled at the sound of those words. She was a bride-to-be. She was going to marry the man she’d been promised to. The man she must kill.
Chapter Three
Hell yeah, he was horny.
That was the only answer for how badly he wanted to touch her. To run his hands over the smooth curve of her shoulders, the upward slope of her cheek, that hollow at her neck where the pendant rested. He needed a woman, any woman, and first thing tomorrow morning he would be on that task, no doubt. But right now, he had to deal with her.
“There are three windows in the bedroom. I’ve closed the blinds and pulled the curtains tight. Stay away from them.”
He stopped in the center of the living room area of the suite and looked around. She wasn’t there. Icy tendrils snaked up the back of his neck and he traced his steps back toward the bedroom. She wasn’t in there because that’s where he’d just come from. He moved past that doorway a short distance to a small bathroom but she wasn’t in there. A thump sounded and he raced back to see her staring down at one suitcase while holding the other in one hand.
“Where were you?” he asked because he was losing his damn mind. She hadn’t been standing here just a few minutes ago.
“There was only one bag here. I had two. So I went into the closest and there was the second one.” She pointed to the door along the wall in the opposite direction.
Cursing was pointless but he definitely needed to get away from her because if his mind stayed intact, his abilities were definitely slipping.
“I’ll put them in your room.” Picking up the bag from the floor was no problem but grazing his hand across hers as he reached for the one she was holding caused a bolt of awareness to streak through his body. He snatched the bag from her and walked away.
The touch of her feet covered in flat-soled shoes landing on the carpeted floor was a muffled sound to his ears. She huffed out a breath and the warmth drifted through the air settling somewhere in his chest area. He coughed and set the bags down the second they were in the room. When he turned to leave she was directly in front of him.
She looked up because she was shorter than his six-feet-five-inch height. He stared down estimating she’d be eye level with his chest if her chin weren’t tilted in defiance, her reddish-brown eyes pinning him with a pointed stare.
“Why are you here alone? Where’s your family?” His body was betraying him and his mind was playing an on and off again trick, but he was determined to get answer.
“Because I’m an adult who is about to be...married. My family will be here when it is time for the wedding.”
Her voice caught on the word “married.” A little hiccup that had the beast inside scrapping against his skin.
“Then why didn’t your husband meet you tonight?” Because if she were his woman, she wouldn’t be traveling to another country alone, not while there were things like demonics and him out here.
“I believe there is a custom about men seeing the bride before the wedding. But I am not sure why that matters to you. I am here at the hotel now and I am safe.”
Both of her neatly arched brows raised and she stood with one hip thrust forward giving just enough attitude to skate the line between sexy and aggressive. Or maybe he just saw the sexy and wanted to toss that into the mix.
“You’re safe and I’m staying.” He moved around her and walked to the door. “Sleep tight.”
He was three steps through the doorway when he heard the door shut and the lock click into place behind him.
Good girl. She needed to lock that door because the way the beast inside him was showing off there was no telling what type of hell could break loose in here tonight.
* * *
Where was it?
It should have been here by now.
Shola had taken every shred of clothing out of the two suitcases. They were now tossed across the bed and floor and wherever else they managed to land. Who cared about the handmade frocks or store-bought slacks and blouses? She needed the box.
But it wasn’t here.
Frustration was a foreign emotion and yet she knew for certain that was the cause of the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Plopping down on the bed, she gave in and sighed. She’d completed the shipping forms herself because she hadn’t trusted anyone else to do it. Nor had she trusted the airline to not remove it or tamper with it if she’d included it in her suitcase. This was her task. Her destiny.
Not that she’d asked for any of it.
Dropping her head, she let her shoulders slump. This was all happening so fast. One minute she was going about her daily routine of teaching for several hours a day and training more hours at night, and the next this man had appeared in their village graduating her from trainee to appointee and opening the door to events that were preordained before she’d taken her first breath.
“It is agreed.” Her father had spoken sternly as they stood in the living area of their home nestled deep in the brush.
Warrick Camden had simply nodded.
He was tall, dark and handsome. That was supposed to be a good thing, except the tall had him soaring over her five-foot-seven stature, placing him at six feet two or three inches easily. With a dark complexion, bald head and graying goatee, he appeared to be a sophisticated Westerner dressed in a steel-gray suit with matching shoes and tie. He did not appear overly muscular, but there was an undeniable strength
to the way he’d walked and now stood amidst her people.
“Shola will travel to the Western World and live as his wife,” Joku had continued.
Ejaita looked worried because despite knowing her husband had made an arrangement for Shola’s marriage, she’d still held out hope that somehow Shola would marry for love. But she had remained quiet.
Shola stood silently as well. She knew her destiny would serve a greater purpose and had been prepared, somewhat. There really was no way to prepare for something like this.
“You will do just fine,” Warrick said to her when he’d come to stand just inches from where she stood.
Her gaze had shifted to her mother who stood with hands clasped behind her back and nodded. That reaction was expected and she bowed her head slightly and replied, “You will also.”
That was her acceptance of a marriage that would never be.
Now, months after that day, she was another step closer to the wedding ceremony. It would take place two weeks from now here in this city called Burgess.
She had fourteen days to become a warrior.
But she needed that box.
“Shola?”
He knocked lightly on the bedroom door. She jumped off the bed—either because she hadn’t expected him to return or because she may have liked the sound of her name in his voice. She wasn’t sure which, but she grabbed the clothes from the floor and tossed them back into the suitcase before moving toward the door. Another glance over her shoulder showed the room truly was a mess, so she only cracked the door open. He did not need to think she was a slob.
“Yes?”
His glasses were gone and a fluttery feeling filled her stomach as she got her first glimpse of his full face. It was an amazing face with a squared jaw and low-cut beard. He had also removed his jacket so his shoulders now looked even wider, arms bulging with muscle in the fitted black shirt. A pleasant sight overall, if she were looking for such a thing, which she was not.
“I’ve checked the perimeter and it’s all clear. I’m going to sleep out here on the couch and in the morning my senior agent will take over.”
Still adjusting to the look of him, she had to swallow again before speaking. “You will not be my guard, Theo?” His name felt odd on her tongue and echoed in her head as if she would need to dedicate it to memory.
“No. I own the security company so I had to fill in for my other agent tonight. But you’ll be in good hands with Magnum.”
A few seconds ticked by before she realized she was staring at his mouth. The way his lips moved as he spoke, the light brown hair over his top lip and around his jaw. His face was intriguing. And she was doing way too much, he was just another man.
“Thank you for your assistance.” That seemed like the right thing to say.
“Is everything alright?”
Now he was staring at her. Did he also find her face intriguing? A trickle of pleasure slid down her spine as part of her thought that might be nice.
“I am fine.”
That was basically untrue, she had no idea what she was at this moment. Warrior in training, woman in heat, dazed and confused? All she knew for certain was that he was too close, jamming her frequencies and making it too hard to stay focused.
“You don’t look fine. Are you hungry? Do you need something to drink?”
“No. Thank you. I really am okay. Despite how I may appear from traveling for so many hours.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. You don’t look bad at all, just maybe tired. And everybody has to eat so I’ll order something and let you know when it arrives.”
She could say no, close this door and continue looking for the box she knew wasn’t here. Or she could own up to the fact that she hadn’t eaten since this morning and was likely more edgy about the box not being here because she was actually starving.
“That will be fine.”
They stood in uncomfortable silence for a beat, gazes locked on each other, as if they were searching for something but didn’t know what. Well, she knew what she should be searching for and it was not going to be found in this man’s very attractive face.
“Okay, I’ll come get you when the food arrives.”
“I will be here.” In this room going crazy until that box is delivered.
He nodded and she closed the door, pressing her back against it and closing her eyes.
She was being an idiot.
Worrying about the box, feeling nervous about the task at hand, and wondering about these odd feelings emerging whenever that man was in the vicinity. How was it that she had been selected for such an important duty when she could barely keep track of her own thoughts and feelings? Silence was her answer as she begrudgingly went about cleaning the room.
* * *
“Sandwiches and donuts. Not exactly a feast but it was quick and I really don’t know what you like.”
He really didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He wasn’t domesticated and usually had his dinner delivered to him without having to study a menu beforehand. Rubbing a hand down the back of his head he waited for her to take a seat so they could get this meal-thing over with. Answers to why he’d even offered the food still floated through his mind, none of which making any more sense than this entire night was.
She looked down at the tray he’d set on the coffee table in front of the couch. “I like both.”
It wasn’t until she sat on the couch barely two feet away from him that he realized he should have set this grand meal up on the table where she could sit on one side and he could be on the other. Actually, there was really no reason for them to take this meal together. He could grab his sandwich and go out onto the balcony to eat. Fresh air would be good right about now.
Getting more answers from her would be better.
He reached for a sandwich and bit into it. When she did the same, he chewed while thinking of how best to ask the things he wanted to know. He didn’t want to seem like he was prying because some of the things he wanted to ask might not have any bearing on his job. He just felt compelled to know more about her for some odd reason.
Theo hadn’t noticed her grabbing a plate to set her sandwich on, or when she’d picked up a bottle of water. “Where is your wedding being held?”
The bottle top dropped to the couch and rolled on the floor.
She leaned forward to pick it up and sat back against the chair, fingers gripping the bottle tight.
“I am not exactly sure. All of the dates, times and locations to where I need to be are in that envelope Monife gave you.”
Interesting. What woman didn’t know the details of her own wedding? He took another bite of his sandwich, taking his gaze off her because the way she was fidgeting with that top and bottle said he was making her nervous.
“Do you normally allow others to make plans for you?”
She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a deep drag. He meant to stop staring at her but he could see her movements in his peripheral vision and couldn’t help turning his head to watch her drink. And how pitiful was that? Watching a client drink water. Yeah, he was definitely losing it.
His dick jumped as he watched her lips touch the rim of the bottle and when she swallowed, well, he couldn’t help but think of her swallowing every drop of him instead of that water.
“I mean, it’s your wedding so don’t you want to have some say in it?” Because talking was better than thinking at this moment.
Gratitude and disappointment battled inside him when she pulled the bottle from her mouth and set it on the table.
“I am not worried about such things. People who are more experienced in that area can handle it.”
She was biting the sandwich again and he decided to do the same, putting the last piece of the half he’d picked up into his mouth and chewing as if he hadn’t eaten in days.
“Why
are you here with me? If you own this security company why do you not have your staff doing jobs like this?”
So she had questions too. Okay, well, he could do this because again, talking was much better than thinking. He took a napkin from the table, wiped his mouth and then rested his elbows on his knees.
“Staff called out sick, so instead of keeping a client waiting, I took the assignment.”
“Regrets?”
She looked over at him while she chewed. There was something pure and untouched in that look, the way she blinked slowly and watched him with interest. She couldn’t possibly know about all the regrets he harbored, nobody could.
“I like doing my job. What about you? Do you have a job to go back to after this wedding? Or did you give up everything to come here?”
He reached for a donut then, picking the powdered one and bringing it to his mouth for a bite.
“I am from Mobo. You may not have heard of our small river town, but I was a teacher there.”
“You can teach here too. There are plenty of schools in Burgess.” One of which he owned, but that wasn’t something he needed to disclose at the moment. “I mean if you liked it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t continue. Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean you have to give up the life you had before.”
She didn’t immediately respond and when he finished chewing he glanced in her direction again. Her soul identity eyes were more like ice, clear, and yet warmer than any other eyes he’d ever seen.
“For this, I would give up everything.”
Fury churned deep in his gut at the thought that this man who hadn’t cared enough to meet her tonight could mean so much to her. But it was replaced by a slow burn ignited the moment she leaned closer to him. As if he were hypnotized, his gaze followed the hand she lifted, the pad of her thumb she pulled in to touch the tip of her tongue, and that same thumb as it came closer to touch the corner of his mouth.
