Chanel

“Open the door now, Chanel! We need to talk!” I heard Dad’s voice boom on the other side of the door.

I panicked, jumping off Kobe’s lap, rushing for my drawer and snatching out a pair of shorts and a camisole. Dad banged again and Kobe stood with a sigh.

“Just let him in, Chanel. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not fine!” I whisper-hissed. “You can sneak out. There’s a ladder outside my window. Push it down and go out.”

“I’m a grown man. I’m not sneaking out of a damn window.”

I rolled my eyes. Now was not the time for him to be bold and brave. Though I said I would talk to Dad about it, I didn’t mean right now while I was half naked, my bed a damn mess, and my clothes scattered all over the floor.

Before I could pull my shit together and get to the door, the lock clinked and Dad charged in. His eyes were glittered with rage, his lips pressed tight.

He stormed Kobe’s way with a picture in hand. “What the hell is this, huh?” he snapped, shoving the picture into Kobe’s chest. Kobe frowned, grabbing the image and looking at it.

“Dad—you can’t just barge into my place like this!” I yelled, stepping up to Kobe’s side.

“Chanel, are you fucking insane? Have you even checked your phone? There are pictures floating around on the Internet of you two in the park, kissing at night!” Dad pointed a finger at Kobe, who was staring down at the picture. “I trusted you to keep your goddamn hands to yourself. You’re fucking fired,” Dad seethed, getting in his face.

“No.” I stepped in between them before Dad could point that stern finger into Kobe’s chest. “No, Dad, he’s not fired.”

“Oh, yes he is! I’ll be damned if this guy is going to prance around behind my fucking back and sleep with my daughter!”

“I came onto him, not the other way around!” I snapped, and he looked stunned, eyes growing wider. “If you fire him, I swear to God I will never forgive you. I want him to be my bodyguard. I don’t care about these pictures. It’s not their business. This is my life, and I’ll mess around and sleep with whomever I want.”

“Nelly,” Dad said, trying to calm me down, his hands on my shoulders. I snatched my body away, taking a big step back.

“Dad, I’m not kidding. If you fire him, you’re stealing my happiness. You told me all you wanted was for me to be happy. Well, Kobe makes me happy, even if you don’t like it.”

“But it’s unprofessional, Chanel. You can’t mix business with pleasure—relationships like that never work out.”

“Says the man who’s sleeping his assistant,” I shot back, and I saw the flinch strike him.” I sighed. “Look, Dad, if it doesn’t work out, then it just doesn’t.” I shrugged, peering up at Kobe. Kobe sighed, taking a step toward my dad.

I wanted to tell him to stay back. Dad had a mean right hook—I’d witnessed it years ago when he was drunk and hit a man for hitting on my mom.

“Mr. Gooding, I truly didn’t mean for this to happen,” Kobe stated. My heart sunk when I caught the remorse in his eyes. “But Chanel is right. I care about your daughter, sir. I really do. So much more than I thought. And if things get sticky or I feel like my feelings for her get in the way of me protecting her, then I’ll step down and let someone else take the job. But I don’t want to walk away from her.” He looked me in the eyes and my heart fluttered like a hummingbird. “She’s a gift, a beautiful one, and I’m glad I met her.”

I wanted to cry when he said that. Who knew Kobe could be just as sweet as he was intense?

Dad switched glances between the both of us, head shaking, eyes wide. “Nelly, this is wrong. How can you be sure about this?”

I hooked my arm through Kobe’s. “I don’t know, but it feels right.”

“If he hurts you in any kind of way—”

“I would never hurt her, Mr. Gooding,” Kobe interrupted. “She’s mine to protect. To keep safe. That includes her heart too.”

Fucking swoon.

I bit my bottom lip, blushing hard, my eyes cast downward. Dad blew a hard breath, head shaking. “I seriously cannot believe this.” He glared at Kobe. “I will need to talk to you more, Mr. Ward. I want you to meet me at my office tomorrow morning. We have a lot to discuss.”

Kobe nodded and Dad’s gaze swung to mine. I walked his way, throwing my arms around his neck. I hugged him tight, reassuring him.

“It’s fine, Dad. Please, just let it go. I really like him.”

He let out a sharp breath. “I only want to keep my little girl safe. You know this,” he whispered over my shoulder.

“I know,” I murmured. “Trust me, I know, Dad. But you have nothing to worry about with Kobe. He keeps me safe and I trust him, way more than any of the other guards you’ve ever hired.”

Dad pulled back, giving Kobe one final look up and down before huffing. Before he walked out the door, he said, “I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Ward.”

And with those words he left.

With a heavy sigh of relief, I turned and looked at Kobe. Lacing my arms around the back of his neck and standing on the tips of my toes, I said on his lips, “I didn’t know you felt that way about me.”

“Of course, you didn’t. I’m not big on expressing myself.”

“Well, I’m glad you did.” I kissed him once. Twice. “It lets me know this thing isn’t just one-sided.”

“It never has been,” he crooned.

“He’s going to curse you out tomorrow, so be prepared for that,” I laughed, and then yelped when he picked me up in his strong arms, cupping my ass. He twisted around, placing my back on the bed, kissing me deeply. Passionately.

“He can curse me out every day if he wants to. Doesn’t matter to me as long as I get to kiss these lips every day.” I giggled as he stole several kisses from me, and then he dropped down, his head between my legs. “And taste this sweet pussy of yours every single morning.” After saying that, he devoured me, proving just how much he cared about me.

Gah, this man was perfection.