It had been the slowest day Anna had ever experienced since she began her career as an interior designer. She usually had plenty of work to keep her busy, but today, as she typed her password into the little white box on her computer screen, an error message kept popping up telling her the password was wrong. After attempting to type the same one four more times, Anna gave up on it and started trying other potential passwords. She was confused why the same password she had been typing for the past six months was not working.
Anna eventually threw in the towel and sent a text to Beth to see if she knew the new password, but she never responded, nor did she make it in to the office. This left Anna with an entire day of nothing to do and so much work that needed to be done. She was grateful that Ethan didn’t find it necessary to harass her today regarding her progress. The last thing she wanted to do was tell him that she couldn’t work on his multi-million-dollar project because of a forgotten password.
Anna intently watched the ticking hand on the clock above her door, waiting for it to line up at five o’clock. The second it did, she quickly packed up her things and hurried out the door. She didn’t want to risk running into Beth this late in the day, especially after sending that text.
Once she was inside her car, Anna contemplated swinging by her house to grab some more clothes, but the vision of the squirrel came to mind again and she shivered and thought better of it. Instead, she turned the music loud enough to where she couldn’t hear herself sing and danced in her seat, all the way to Ben’s house.
She was excited to see him. They hadn’t spoken all day and it was something they hadn’t really done since they met. It was the text he sent her earlier in the day telling her he was staying home that prevented her from disturbing him. He really did need to relax. When he got home last night, he looked like hell. His lack of communication led her to believe that he had been sleeping all day. At least she hoped he was sleeping.
Anna still had a hard time believing that someone as good looking as him wanted to be exclusive with her. And he wasn’t just good looking; the man was a professional baseball player who could have any woman he wanted. It was a thought that replayed in her head over and over again.
Anna hated it. Ben had done nothing but treat her with respect and kindness. He had acted as her knight in shining armor when she threw up on their first date and again during the dead squirrel situation, yet something still held her back. Anna’s thoughts took a turn for the worse and the music suddenly became a muted hum in the background.
She almost lost Ben yesterday. The seriousness of the situation was finally starting to sink in and her eyes filled with tears. So many unfortunate events had taken place in a span of just a couple weeks and she wasn’t sure how much more of it she could take.
Before her mind could really play tricks on her, Anna pulled into Ben’s driveway and she noticed a large man dressed all in black standing in the center with his hand held up. She turned off the music and rolled her window down.
“Pardon me, Miss, but is Mr. Whitley expecting you?” the man asked nicely.
Confused by his question, Anna replied, “Of course he is. Did he tell you something different?” She hadn’t meant for her question to come off as rude as it sounded, but for him to insinuate that she wasn’t expected made her stomach sink. Did Ben hire someone to do his dirty work?
The well-dressed man chuckled, catching her off guard. “I wasn’t implying that he wasn’t expecting you. I was simply asking. Do you mind if I see some ID?”
Anna humored him and did exactly as he asked. He looked it over and handed it back to her. “Have a nice day, Anna. You may proceed.”
Anna felt stupid for thinking that Ben had hired a man to break up with her. Her face burned and she hoped he wouldn’t reveal her snarky attitude to Ben. As she approached the house, Anna noticed five more men standing in front of the garage. She hesitated as she pulled up but breathed a sigh of relief when Ben appeared in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” she asked after he helped her from the car.
“Let’s talk inside.” He nodded towards the group of men and guided her inside.
Her thoughts were a muddled mess as Ben showed her to the breakfast nook. She impatiently watched him pour her a glass of wine and waited until he placed it in front of her.
“What the hell is going on? Why was I asked to show my ID when I got on the property? Who are all those men out there?” She hadn’t meant to ask so many questions at once, but she needed to throw them all out there before she lost her nerve.
He placed his hands on hers. “I’m sorry, Anna. I know I should have said something sooner, but I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Should I be worried?” she spat out.
Anna studied Ben’s face. Besides the bruising and stitches, he wore the expression of an overwhelmed man on his face. It made her feel guilty for questioning their relationship when she was asked about her identity at the front gate. She moved her hands out from under his and threaded her fingers through his.
“What’s going on, Ben?”
He sighed heavily. “It seems my car accident was not much of an accident.”
Anna gaped at him with wide eyes as he explained in full detail the findings from his friend, Tom. She instantly became an emotional wreck and she couldn’t tell if she wanted to barf, cry or throw something against the wall.
“What do we do now?” she asked through a shaky breath. She had concluded that Ben was the one this mystery person was after because she didn’t know anyone who hated her enough to want to kill her. Ben on the other hand, being the celebrity and playboy he was, would have plenty of enemies.
“For now, neither one of us go anywhere without a bodyguard.”
“I’m sorry. A what?” She heard him just fine, but there was no way she was going to allow some stranger to follow her everywhere she went.
“Anna… Please do not fight me on this. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. I have hired professionals to shadow the both of us until Tom is able to find the person behind all these crimes.”
Anna stopped mid-nod when she realized what he had said. “All these crimes?”
“Yes. There will be an investigation at your house as well.”
“What? Why?”
“Someone killed an innocent animal and left it at your door as a warning. Who the warning was meant for is still a mystery, but nonetheless, it’s still a warning.”
Anna closed her eyes and shook her head. “I feel like I’m trapped in a nightmare. Please, slap my face and make me wake up.”
A smile played at the corner of Ben’s lips. “I wish I could tell you that this was all just a dream.”
“Someone’s trying to murder you and you’re smiling!”
Ben began laughing so she picked up a throw pillow from the bench and threw it at him, only making him laugh harder.
“This isn’t funny, you know.” Anna crossed her arms and pouted.
Ben stood and came around the table. When Anna refused to move over, he pressed his body against her and she slowly slid to the side. She missed him. She especially missed the way his body felt pressed into hers. Anna glanced up at him and the look in his eyes was one of love and adoration.
She had herself convinced that Ben wasn’t in love with her and that he was just keeping her around until spring training ended, but the way he looked at her told a different story. Ben kissed her gently and it almost took her breath away.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He kissed her again.
“So, you’re telling me that someone has to come to work with me tomorrow?” Anna hoped he would say no.
He didn’t. Instead, he nodded his head. “You won’t even know he’s there.”
Anna sighed. “Fine. If you insist.”
Ben began nibbling on her ear. “I do love it when you’re so agreeable.”
The feeling of his breath on her ear caused goosebumps to erupt all over her body and her breathing picked up. He moved from her ear and trailed kisses across her neck before dipping his head toward her breasts. Ben started to unbutton her blouse but before he could pull her nipple into his mouth, the front door opened and slammed shut. Anna hurried to correct herself, her face burning with desire and embarrassment.
“Sir, I wanted to let you know that the property has been scanned and there is no sign of foul play.”
“Very good, Drake. Thank you for your update.” Ben stood and shook the man’s hand.
“We are doing a shift change, but I will be back in the morning.”
“Thank you. I appreciate all you have done.”
Drake nodded once and turned to leave. Anna raised her eyebrows and stared at him questioningly.
“I asked to be informed of any new activity amongst the men while they were on my property. I wasn’t aware there would be a shift change so soon.”
“Animal mutilations, car accidents and now bodyguards. It seems so surreal. What the hell are we expected to see next?”
A mischievous look lit up his handsome features before he pounced on her.
“How about we not think of that and pick up where we left off?”
Anna allowed him to pull her to her feet before crushing his body against hers. He stilled and his body tightened and the air left his lungs with a whoosh sound.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
He shook his head. “These pain pills work so well that it makes me forget the underlying pain I’m in. I’ve got to stop trying to throw you around.”
It was Anna’s turn to laugh. “Why don’t you let me take care of you tonight?”
He smiled slyly. “What did you have in mind?”
“You’ll just have to wait and find out.” Anna took Ben by the hand and pulled him towards the stairs. Once they entered the bedroom, she took off her shirt and let it fall to the floor.
“You’re not even gonna make me work for it?”
She shook her head and proceeded to strip the rest of her clothes off. Ben shrugged and followed her lead. When they were both naked, Anna gently pushed him towards the bed. As his legs connected with the frame, he sat and Anna straddled him. Tonight was not a night about lingering, passionate love making. She needed to feel his body against hers, she needed to feel him inside her, and she needed to feel safe.
They began a heated kiss and Anna could feel his erection pressing against her inner thigh. She didn’t wait for an invitation and raised her hips to slide on top of his hardened manhood. Ben broke the kiss and threw his head back. A moan escaped his lips only fueling the fire Anna felt inside. She knew he was in pain but she couldn’t help herself.
She needed to relieve all the pent-up emotions she felt the last couple days. She focused on the sensation of him inside her and smiled when she felt the orgasm she had been desperately seeking begin building.
Ben lay down and dug his fingers into Anna’s thighs. He lifted his hips off the bed, meeting her with every thrust. It was seconds before the two of them found their release and Anna was screaming his name.
She collapsed on top of him trying to catch her breath. When her breathing slowed, she peered up at Ben and found that he was wearing a grin on his handsome face.
“When you said you were gonna take care of me tonight, I never imagined that you would be riding me off into the sunset.”
His response sent her into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.
“If I wasn’t in so much pain, I’d throw you off of me and bend your naked ass over this bed.”
The comment only made her laugh harder. Ben must have found her hilarity contagious because he started to laugh himself. Anna slid off his lap and lay beside him until their laughter subsided. Ben raised his hand and caressed Anna’s cheek.
“You know I care about you, right?”
Anna nodded.
“Like, really care about you.”
Anna continued to stare at him, unaware as to what he was trying to say.
“I was really glad that it was me who was the person behind the wheel the day the car crashed.”
The conversation turned serious and Anna was suddenly aware of how naked she was. Not wanting to have such a heart to heart talk so vulnerable, she stood and grabbed a robe off a nearby chair. Ben pulled on a shirt and a pair of basketball shorts.
Ben took Anna’s hands after sitting beside her and placed a kiss on each of them. “You may not realize it, but you have become the light in my life. I look forward to waking to your beautiful face every morning and find myself eager to hurry home because I know you’re here waiting for me.”
Anna’s throat felt like it was swelling and the room suddenly felt like it was shrinking. “What are you trying to say, Ben?”
“I’m trying to tell you that I have fallen madly in love with you, and that I can no longer live life without you in it.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
He nodded once. “I love you, Anna. These disturbances have put that into perspective.”
She knew the obvious answer would be to proclaim her undying love to him as well, but she didn’t want to sound like she was hopelessly, desperately in love. Instead, she opted for something casual.
“You, kind sir, are full of surprises.” Anna kissed the confused look from his face before continuing. “I find myself in a similar situation as you. I love you, Ben. Not sure how that happened, but it did.”
Ben crushed his lips to hers and cringed.
“How about we talk about this while lying down? You still need to heal and throwing yourself onto me isn’t going to help that process.”
“Yes, mom,” Ben replied while scooting towards the head board. “Look, I just wanted you to know how I was feeling. The situation at hand has gotten out of control and I don’t know what each day holds until the person responsible for all of this is caught. You’re my girl, Anna. I love you and I don’t want to let you go.”
Anna smirked and kissed him. “I love you, too.” She placed another kiss on his forehead and laid her head on his chest. They stayed like that in silence for some time before Anna realized that Ben’s breathing had become patterned. It wasn’t until his body twitched did she realize that he was in a deep sleep.
She moved away from his chest and watched him breathe slowly. He loved her. He loved her with everything he had. But for some reason, Anna couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all too good to be true. She eventually fell asleep to thoughts of love proclamations and the fast paced love making they just had, except her sleep was interrupted when the vision of Ben’s dead body lying on the ground, covered in blood popped into her dreams.
She jolted awake and sat up. Anna searched through the darkness and was happy to find that Ben still slept and was snoring lightly. Her life had forever changed when Ben got into that car accident, and she knew it would never be the same after he told her he loved her. She was scared for him before all of this, but now, she was downright terrified for the safety of the man beside her. If something happened to him, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself.