CHAPTER FIVE

ALICIA

“We need to talk,” Nick’s deep voice spoke behind me.

A frisson of excitement ran through my body. He’d watched me last night. It was the first time I’d done anything remotely like that, but appealing to his baser instincts seemed like a good place to start if I really wanted to get to him. It had the added benefit of turning me all the way on, providing material that led to the most intense orgasm I’d ever had.

“Sure,” I said, sitting up in my deck chair and turning to face him. I’d been wondering where he was all morning. He was supposed to be my bodyguard. Surely, that meant he should be around me all the time, but he had been nowhere to be found.

Emilia eventually told me that my dad was in a meeting with the whole security team, which had explained Nick’s absence, but it also left me feeling slightly irritated that I was still being left out of the loop.

I knew he would have to come find me after the meeting, though, so I’d donned my skimpiest bikini, grabbed my e-reader, and settled out on the deck. It was a beautiful day. The sun sat brightly in the clear sky, and the pool was sparkling and inviting.

Since I’d been a teenager, I swam a few laps every morning when we were at this house, and I’d seen no reason to deviate from that habit today. It didn’t hurt that I knew I looked good after a swim, my hair tousled and wavy from the water and my cheeks flushed.

So after my swim, I settled into one of the cushioned lounge chairs and waited for Nick. When he stepped onto the deck and spotted me, I was rewarded with an almost imperceptible sharp intake of breath.

“What can I do for you?” I asked, leaning back on my lounger and pushing my sunglasses up into my hair.

His eyes remained hidden by his dark glasses, but his jaw was set square and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. I took it as a sign that I’d gotten to him. I made a mental note to give myself a celebratory high five later.

“May I?” he asked, nodding to a lounge chair next to mine.

“Of course. You don’t need to ask.” I patted the light blue covering of the chair next to mine.

Nick didn’t recline on it like I did. He sat on the very edge of the lounge chair instead, his back straight as rod. It didn’t escape my notice that he was sitting as far away from me as possible, while still allowing us to have a private conversation.

There was no one else on the deck, but to anyone passing, it would simply look like a bodyguard sticking close to his client. Which in a way, much to my regret, was exactly what it was.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. “What happened last night can never happen again.”

Nick might have been a master at hiding his emotions, but there was definitely a hint of nerves in his voice.

This is going to be so much fun. “What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together before he answered me in a low voice. “You can’t go around doing stuff like that.”

“Oh, you mean the book thing,” I said, still playing coy. “Yeah, I thought about it afterward, too. It probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had, but I got caught up in the moment.”

Nick ground his teeth together. “That too. Speaking of which, we need to go over the safety protocol later. This seems as good a time as any to give you the first rule, though. Don’t go seeking out a potential attacker armed with a book.”

“It’s a great book, though, don’t you think?”

A hint of a smile played on his lips, but it was gone so fast that I couldn’t really be sure it was ever there. Maybe it was just a twitch or something. “That’s entirely beside the point.”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “At least if it had been an attacker, his head would’ve been split open by one of the greatest works of literature ever written.” Well, it was up there anyway.

“I’m more of a Lord of the Rings man myself,” he muttered.

Then he sat back and spread his legs in that way that men do, but I’d never wanted to kneel down and take advantage of the position more. It would be so easy to slide onto my knees, to crawl between his legs, and free his—

“Alicia, are you listening to me?” he asked, interrupting my fantasy.

“Of course. You’re a Lord of the Rings man. Got it.” I gave him a little salute, laughing. “Something else we need to work on.”

For the smallest of moments, his stoic exterior cracked again, and he actually smirked. “Did you hear anything I said after that?”

“Uh, no, I got lost wondering how anyone could think Frodo is a greater hero than Harry,” I lied smoothly, though it was a valid argument.

A frown marred his forehead, and a tiny crease appeared between his eyebrows. “How is that even an argument? Frodo took—you know what? That’s not the point here. Focus.”

One of his large hands went to his hair, dragging through the thick strands that shone in the sunlight. My fingers itched to do the same, but I kept my hands clasped firmly to my sides. I kept my voice playful when I answered him. He didn’t need to know how aroused the mere thought of the position we would be in, if I ever got to run my hands through his hair, made me.

“Aye aye, sir,” I said. “What is the point then?”

“That the first rule you need to follow is not to actively seek out an attacker, and—”

“I thought the first rule was to not get personal or whatever,” I interrupted him.

He sighed, sounding a little exasperated. “That’s my first rule, Alicia. If I’m going to keep you safe, you’re going to have to listen to me. You really shouldn’t have done what you did last night.”

I threw my hands out in mock surrender. “Fine, I’ll never chase down an attacker again.”

“That’s not the only thing I was talking about,” he mumbled darkly.

My eyes widened innocently. “What else are you talking about?”

“Your, uh… you know. What happened after.” Nick clearly wasn’t going to say it. Did he avoid saying it straight out because even discussing it was so bluntly sexual that it would arouse him, or because he was embarrassed that he’d watched?

I was determined to find out which one it was. I didn’t know much about male arousal, but surely, even Nick couldn’t hide it entirely?

“I didn’t see you after,” I said.

“You know that you did,” he said, his voice was completely even, but had he shifted? I was sure he shifted slightly in his seat.

I wasn’t done playing coy yet. I was still determined to see how he was going to handle the conversation. Would he come out and admit that he’d watched me dance for him?

“Oh, yes,” I said. “Of course. I think I saw you out in the yard later on.”

“You think?” He arched one of his dark brows and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, that was you outside of my window, wasn’t it? I thought I saw someone outside later. If it wasn’t you, we’re probably in trouble because then someone got over the walls.”

Nick gritted his teeth. “I know that you know it was me. Let’s quit the bullshit.”

There we go. That was what I was waiting for. A real reaction, a peek past the armor. “Yeah. Okay, let’s. You watched me dance, so what? Why are you bringing it up?”

“Because you need to know that it can’t happen again. Nothing like that can ever happen again.” Nick shoved both of his hands through his hair and released a deep breath.

“What? I can’t ever dance again? That doesn’t seem like something that is within your job description to control.”

Come on, don’t clam up on me again, I pleaded silently.

“Normal dancing, maybe not. Sure. But that...” He trailed off, sucking in a quick breath as he undoubtedly remembered exactly what that was. I cheered silently. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was affected by me, just as much as I was affected by him.

I wasn’t crazy for feeling like there was something between us, even if it was probably just a mountain of lust.

“But that?” I prompted him.

The crease between his eyes deepened, and I wanted to reach for it and smooth it out. I wanted to admit to him that I had, in fact, danced just for him and it was more than okay that he’d watched. That I’d liked him watching me, but I couldn’t say it. Instead, I waited for him to continue.

“It wasn’t just dancing, Alicia,” he finally said. “It was inappropriate.”

Damn. Just when I thought we were getting somewhere. “What’s inappropriate about me dancing in my bedroom?”

“The fact that you knew I was out there,” he answered without hesitation.

“So, what? I like to shake it out before bedtime sometimes. It gets rid of the stress of the day. I’m not going to hold back just because you’re on patrol.”

“You and I both know that’s bullshit. Maybe you do dance before you go to bed, but do you always do it right up against the window while wearing lingerie?” Nick’s voice had deepened to almost a growl. He reached for his sunglasses, sliding them lower on his nose and peering at me over their black rims.

He looked at me with those eyes that I could get lost in, and those beautiful irises were the exact color of the deepest center of an emerald locked onto mine. His gaze was heated and so intense that my breath caught and my voice came out as a small squeak. “Yes.”

“This is serious, Alicia.” He sighed, shoving his hands through his hair again, clearly getting frustrated if the tick of his jaw was anything to go by. “We’re not playing some sort of game here. This is my job we’re talking about. There are very real threats against you out there. I have to keep you safe. Don’t make it impossible for me to do that.”

“How is my dancing making your job impossible to do?” I countered. “And I know that it’s your job. I wasn’t playing a game.”

That part was true. I really wasn’t playing a game. I wanted him way too badly for that, and I honestly failed to see why he couldn’t protect me and fuck me at the same time.

“You know the rules,” he said, rising from the lounge chair and towering over me, looking absolutely delicious in his black suit. “I’m not kidding around. Don’t do it again.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled up at him sweetly. “I’m not promising anything, but I guess what you choose to do about it is up to you. You didn’t have to watch me, you know.”

Both of his dark eyebrows shot up before he shut down again, as unreadable as ever. “Rest assured that it will never happen again.”

We’ll see about that, I thought as I watched Nick stalk into the house without another word.