As the days passed by, Shelby found herself settling back into her life at the house more and more. She spoke with as many as the staff as possible and learned all the new maids’ names. She sat outside in the grounds and watched the gardeners tending to the shrubs, grass and leafy greens, and she even offered to help on the odd occasion, desperate for something to do. She knew she could have left at any time and gone into town, either in Iron Hill or a bit further away, but she was waiting it out. She wanted to see who would crack first, her or Hammer. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of asking him to entertain her or give her a ride. She wanted to see how bored he got first before he suggested it.

But the man was like a machine.

The entire time they had been there, she hadn’t once known him to sleep. His guard over her was constant and though, there was never a time when she felt as if she was being followed, he managed to blend into the background of her life like a shadow. But she always knew he was there and it had become kind of comforting.

Molly had been in touch several times and had asked if they could meet up but there was no way Shelby was going to go on a girl’s date with Mol when she had Hammer trailing around behind her, and she managed to put the whole thing off until her father’s return.

“I just need to go to ground for a bit, you know?” she’d said to Molly on the phone. “I don’t want to be a recluse but being back here is a nice break for me, you know?”

“Sure,” Molly had replied. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

As she was getting into her second week, Shelby decided to spend more time indoors. Her skin had already gone darker and it was the first time in a long while that she had a tan. She thought back to her obsession with the Ancient Greeks and cursed herself for being so lazy.

“You’re going to have to find some projects to do in the house,” she told herself as she wandered down the hallways and made her way into the wide and open atrium.

“You talk to yourself a lot, do you know that?” Hammer’s voice cut in behind her and, as always, made her jump. Even though she knew deep down that he was always around, whenever he spoke like that it still startled her.

“Well, if you’re always following me, then I’m not really talking to myself, am I?” she said cockily. “Maybe I’m talking to you?”

Hammer laughed and walked out of the shadows and into the light of the hallway.

“I’m not following you, I’m making sure you don’t come to any harm,” he reiterated as he crossed his big, tattooed arms over his chest.

Shelby looked at him and bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of a witty retort, but her mind was blank. She had been with Hammer for over a week and still didn’t really know anything about him. He had been in the background of her life and knew so much about her, and yet, she didn’t even know his real name.

“Where do you come from?” she asked him suddenly.

Hammer gave her a wry smile and shrugged.

“Are we really doing this?” he asked her with a smart-ass edge.

“Why not?” she replied just as sassily. “You know a lot about me but I don’t know anything about you. I’m quite interested in what kind of a man my father deemed appropriate to have watching my every move.”

She copied his stance and crossed her own arms over her chest. They were on opposite sides of the grand atrium and were practically shouting, but his presence was so strong and vivid, it felt as if he were right there beside her.

“I’m from Slate Springs,” he said eventually.

“Slate Springs?” Shelby furrowed her brow with confusion as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Slate Springs was a town about an hour from Iron Hill and the two had had rivalries for generations. She didn’t know much about the history behind it, but what she did know was that her father was massively involved in the gangs of Iron Hill, so she couldn’t see why he would have employed someone from a rival town.

“I’m a Forsaken Rider,” Hammer said proudly with a wicked little grin on his face. “Do you know who The Forsaken Riders are?”

Shelby had heard of them, and they were, as she had expected, the main rivals of the bike gang in her own town, The Iron Riders.

“I don’t understand?” she almost whispered. “I thought you all hated each other? Why would my dad hire you?”

Hammer smirked and took a step closer to her, although he was still over fifteen foot away.

“The two gangs have called a truce,” Hammer said. “There’s a bigger threat on the horizon.”

“A bigger threat?” Shelby asked as she tried to stifle a laugh. “Wow, all of this sounds so dramatic!”

But Hammer didn’t smile. He looked as stern as ever.

“You’d be surprised at what we’ve been keeping under wraps,” he said finally. “Do you really think it was just because of some scruffy little muggers that your dad wanted you protected?”

Shelby’s heart began to race a little and she realized there was clearly a lot more to the story than she ever could have imagined.

“Enlighten me,” she said daringly. “I want to know what’s going on. I have a right to know.”

Hammer shook his head.

“That I can’t do. I’m under oath. But ask me questions about myself all you like and I’ll do my best to answer.”

Shelby was both annoyed and excited; he had given her the green light to ask more about him, and there was a lot she wanted to know.

“You said you didn’t want to take this job, so why did you?” she blurted out.

Hammer took another step forward.

“As I’m sure you know, The Forsaken Riders and The Iron Riders haven’t always been best friends,” he half laughed. “This truce is important and your dad needed someone with experience, someone with muscle, someone who would make an impact. When we met, he said I was the one he needed for this job. Take from that what you will…”

Shelby pouted and wracked her brains for more.

“When did you meet my dad?” she asked hesitantly.

“A few weeks ago, during a meeting between the two clubs,” he said but then he closed off as if he realized he had already said too much.

“So this wasn’t just arranged after I was mugged?” she was getting a little bit confused. “You’d spoken about it beforehand?”

He shook his head as he held her gaze, warning her not to push any further and that he couldn’t answer.

“And The Forsaken Riders don’t mind you being over here in Iron Hill? I thought it was pretty much unheard of for you both to venture onto the other sides?” she made air quotes.

“A truce is a truce, we’re all working together now,” he said matter-of-factly, “there is no reason for me not to be here.”

Shelby chewed the inside of her cheek as she tried to think of more questions and fast.

“So, my dad is funding some of your illicit affairs, I assume?” she raised her eyebrows.

“Can’t answer that, under oath…” he said it as if he was bored.

“Okay,” Shelby changed tact. “So, you’re a biker? That kind of makes sense now, I see all your ink and rings and how aggressive you are… But the question is… where’s your bike?”

“Out back, in one of the garages, actually,” he said smugly.

“Are you serious?” she asked with wide eyes. “I’ve never been on a bike before.”

“And you’re not going to be going on one as far as I’m concerned,” he flashed her a wicked grin and she play-snarled back.

“I know you hate me, but you could try and be a little kinder, I told you I probably want to be here even less than you do. At least you’re getting paid…” she trailed off and realized how Princessy that must have sounded to him but it seemed to have gone over his head.

“I don’t hate you,” he said sincerely.

“Are you sure?” she laughed.

“I’m sure,” he nodded. “In fact, this past week, you’ve surprised me. I thought you’d be the same as all the other little rich girls, stuck up, moody and rude, demanding…  But you’ve proven me wrong, I have to say. I’ve watched you with the staff here and how helpful you are. You don’t demand anything and you don’t expect to be waited on. It’s been refreshing to watch you fend for yourself.”

Shelby was surprised but she felt herself blushing. The way she had been over the past week had just come natural to her, she hadn’t even thought anything of it when she had been kind and helpful with everyone around the estate. In fact, the only person she had given a tough time, she realized, was Hammer.

She bit her lip and let her arms relax from being clamped tightly shut across her chest.

“Well, maybe you’re not as arrogant as I thought either,” she offered. “However, you are moody and miserable.”

“I’m concentrating and doing my job,” he said. “I can’t be distracted by games and flirting.”

“Flirting!?” Shelby nearly choked on her words. “Are you kidding me?”

Hammer’s blue eyes settled on hers and she had to really try to keep the smile from her face. There really was something powerful between them, whether it was love or hate, she couldn’t tell. But it was developing each time they spoke and she suddenly didn’t want him to fade into the background so much anymore.

“I’m just kidding,” he said kindly. “But you have to remember, this is a job. A job I’m determined to do well.”

“I know,” Shelby rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry…”

She trailed off and looked back out the windows and the grounds outside.

“I don’t think I can take another full day cooped up in here,” she finally broke. “I need to get out of here.”

Hammer nodded and strode up toward her.

“I can pull the van around,” he said as he reached for his cell phone. “What time do you want to leave?”

Shelby looked at the watch on his wrist and shrugged.

“Now?” she asked tentatively, and she realized she was asking his permission, which made her a little hot under the collar.

“Certainly, Miss Petrov,” Hammer smiled warmly and then he turned and disappeared down the hallway toward the back of the house.

Shelby swallowed and took a deep breath. She had no idea what had just happened, but she had learned so much and suddenly, she didn’t feel the need to dismiss him so harshly anymore.

Hammer was a Forsaken Rider… one of the most badass bikers in the desert, and he had literally been hired to protect her…

She sat up front in the van this time, refusing his offer to help her into the plush surroundings of the leather and big reclining chairs in the back.

Her ribs had eased and now she could move unaided, but Hammer still insisted on holding out his arm and offering her a boost whenever it came to moving around, and he also still wouldn’t let her carry anything.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked as he circled the van around the fountain to go back down the long, sweeping driveway.

“I don’t even really care,” she replied. “But maybe we should go to a mall. I could do with some things and I’m starving.”

“No problem,” Hammer replied as he put his foot down slightly on the gas and the van surged forward.

Since their conversation earlier, all she could think about was what he had meant by another threat. Her mind had been wandering and churning, and she had come up with so many possibilities it was almost driving her to distraction.

Shelby had been away from Iron Hill for the best part of the past three years. Her father had come to visit her on campus and they had traveled and met up in other cities, but she realized she had barely spent any time in her hometown until just a few weeks before, when she had returned home and her father had been keen to get her the penthouse apartment far away from the family house. She had noticed he was different and more on edge, but she had just put it down to the fact she had forgotten what he was like after all her independence, but when she really thought about it, he did seem to be more protective than he ever had been.

Maybe he knew something bad could potentially happen, or that something dangerous was closer than anyone was saying.

Shelby felt a shiver roll over her and suddenly, she was rather glad for Hammer’s presence. For all he had annoyed her, knowing that he was an outlaw did make her feel safe. Surely, no one would be able to mess with him.

She looked across at him secretly, out of the corner of her eye, without turning her head. The way his big, manly hands gripped the wheel made her heart beat faster and she let her eyes grace over the twists and turns of his tattoos. They were all so dark and menacing, some were of burning skulls and others were of thorns dripping blood. She wanted to turn and look at them properly, but she knew if she did, he would ask her immediately what she was doing and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was intrigued.

They pulled through the gates to the Petrov Estate and carried on down the highway. It felt good to be out of there, but it was also a stark reminder of how bleak the desert could be at times, after spending her days amongst the lush gardens. The landscape was barren around them and the dust was swirling, sand kicking up from the truck ahead of them.

“Am I safe?” Shelby asked suddenly as she looked across at Hammer.

He didn’t take his eyes from the road, she could see them down the side of his sunglasses and he didn’t seem at all phased by her question, but at the same time, he didn’t answer.

The silence seemed to carry on forever but finally, he breathed in and spoke.

“You’re safe with me,” he said sternly, still not taking his eyes from the road.

Shelby’s heart raced a little more and she instinctively brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself tight.

“I feel as if everyone knows what’s going on around here but me,” she said pathetically, but she couldn’t help it. It was the truth and she certainly felt helpless.

Hammer didn’t respond. He kept driving and the two sat in silence all the way until they reached the mall.

Walking around shopping with a bodyguard was certainly an experience. It was a situation Shelby had never thought she would find herself in, but after getting to know Hammer over the course of the previous week, it didn’t seem as strange as she had anticipated.

They walked together like friends, he stayed by her side without crowding her, but she was also aware that he was constantly on alert. He was always taking in their surroundings, he watched the people on the left and right of them, he looked each time a new person walked into a store. While Shelby was paying at the counters, he was standing by the doorway, scanning the walkways outside and he constantly had his hand prepped at his back.

Shelby hadn’t see a gun, but she could imagine he had one tucked down the back of his jeans. The thought of him carrying a weapon was both a turn on and a bit frightening, but she decided that seeing as she had no clue what she was really being protected from, it made sense for him to have one, and it made her feel a lot more at ease.

When she had bought a few things that she didn’t even need, she started to walk toward the food court and Hammer looked uneasy.

“I’m starving,” she said. “Aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer, instead he was too busy scanning the entire food section, on high alert.

“Jeez, what do you even think would happen here?” she asked with a half laugh. “I’ve been to this mall a million times, this is where all the kids of Iron Hill hang out on a daily basis. Family’s come here and spend full days. They shop, they go to the movies, they eat… What sort of danger is really lurking amongst the carousels?” she teased.   

But her joke was lost on him, Hammer ignored her and ushered her toward a table in a quiet corner, shielded by part of a wall.

“Great,” she said. “A nice view from here…”

She was looking out at the overflowing trash cans.

Hammer smiled and shrugged.

“What do you want?” he asked her as he looked around.

“I’m not sure,” she stroked her chin and looked around playfully. “I mean, I would really like to go and check out the menus at each place but…”

“No chance,” Hammer said flatly. “You’ve even just said it yourself, you’ve been to this place a million times. I would bet you know exactly what you want to eat.”

He was such a smart ass it was driving her mad, but she had to admit, he had a point… and he was right.

“There,” she pointed to one of the deli counters. “Chicken and avocado wrap… no mayo,” she said with a pout.

Hammer smiled smugly and walked away and she crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

It was good to get out of the house, but since they had been out of the safety of the estate, she could see how rattled Hammer was. There was definitely something playing on his mind and making him nervous, but she had no clue what.

He came back within in a few moments and they both sat and ate.

“I took your recommendation,” he said as he pointed down to his own plate with an identical wrap on it. “Obviously, I’ve never had the pleasure of coming to this mall before.”

“Food is the same in every mall,” Shelby dismissed him. “I mean, look at all the chain restaurants.”

“I like to try new things,” Hammer fired back.

“Is this a new thing?” she asked him suddenly.

He looked up at her and waited for her to continue, like he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Is what?” he asked finally.

Damn, his eyes were so, so blue… and each time Shelby looked into them, she felt as if he were stealing a little bit of her soul.

“This?” she motioned between the two of them. “Have you ever been a bodyguard before?”

Hammer smiled wryly.

“So many questions,” he said with amusement.

“Well, I have a right to ask,” Shelby pouted. “I’m sick of being kept in the dark. Plus, you’ve been living in my home for a week and following my every move, why shouldn’t I get to know a bit about you.”

Hammer nodded and cocked his head.

“I’ve done it before, yes… a long time ago,” he said warmly as he took another bite of his wrap. “But no, I can’t talk about it.”

Shelby had been waiting for him to say that and she rolled her eyes. He laughed and held her gaze again, her heart skipped a beat.

“What else do you need while we’re here?” he asked as he stuffed the last bit of food into his mouth and Shelby realized he had pretty much eaten the whole thing in two bites.

“Nothing,” she said as she took another tiny, sparrow-sized bite. “I’m ready to go.”

“Good,” Hammer smiled as he unscrewed the lid from the top of a bottle of water and raised it to his lips.

She ate slowly, delaying the moment of departure because she had no clue what she would do for the rest of the day and the idea of trying to think of things back at the house was overwhelming, and she would feel his eyes on her. He was watching her the way she had watched him. Curiously, constantly, in secret and with a hint of shyness.

She couldn’t ever imagine Hammer being shy, but in that moment, she knew he didn’t want her to see him looking and it made her heart race a little bit more and she felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck start to tingle.

“Okay,” she smiled. “I’m ready to go now.”

Hammer got to his feet and held out his arm. Shelby had been dismissing his help since the moment they’d met, but this time, she linked it and let him help her to her feet.

Her ribs were pretty much pain free, but she still liked the fact that he offered. It made her feel less like a “job” as he liked to put it, and more like a friend.

“Thanks for bringing me,” she said as they walked back toward the parking lot, Hammer carrying all her bags. “It’s certainly broken the day up.”

“No problem,” Hammer said sternly as his eyes flashed from one side of the walkway to the other. And she realized they were back to where they had started. He was back on the clock and she was back to being his job.

Whatever barriers they had broken down that day, it was clear they could easily go straight back up.