“Miss Petrov?” the voice was coming from above her and was soft and soothing. It was so nice after the argument with her father it was almost like liquid silk running into her ears.

Shelby slowly opened her eyes and blinked as she looked at the woman peering down at her, she was surrounded by white light which seemed to glint off her long white robe.

“Yes?” Shelby asked through her half asleep daze.

“I’m Doctor Watson,” she smiled as she ran her hand across her forehead to sweep away a strand of hair. “You’re about to be discharged. You can go home now.”

Shelby rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up with her hands so she could slide up against the pillows and the headboard. The dizziness had subsided and the ache in her ribs was still there but didn’t feel half as bad as it had earlier.

“What happened?” she asked shakily as the doctor flipped through her notes.

“You were severely winded,” Dr. Watson said as she flicked her eyes up to meet hers. “And you were knocked unconscious by the impact of that and the fall. No head injuries but you do have some bruised ribs, which will be painful for a week or so. You’ll have to lay up and take it easy.”

Shelby reached instinctively for her side and winced as she touched them. The man who had punched her really had done it hard. She felt a rush of annoyance at someone thinking they could treat other people that way.

“You’ve been very lucky,” she said as she looked down at her. “There have been a string of violent attacks around the town lately and some others have gained much more severe injuries.”

The doctor was very serious all of a sudden and it made Shelby feel embarrassed. She must be looking at her and thinking she was a spoiled little girl, tottering around town and acting the fool. She felt herself blushing.

“Thank you,” Shelby said, trying to change the subject. “For looking after me. I’d like to get dressed now and go home.”

The doctor smiled and nodded and started to scribble on her clipboard.

“I’ve written you a script for some strong pain killers,” she said as she signed her off to be discharged. “And if you have any concerns, you can come straight back here, okay?”

Shelby nodded and smiled.

The doctor turned on her heel and made for the door and as she opened it, Shelby caught sight of his foot. A big black boot was sticking out to the side as if he were still guarding the door and had his ankles crossed over. She sat up quickly to try and see more of him, but the door closed before she got a chance.

That boot.

Big and black and with a steel capped toe. It looked scuffed and leathery, as if it had kicked its way through the desert for miles at a time. Dusty and well worn, she could only imagine the things it had seen and been a part of.

She shuddered.

She waited until she was sure the doctor was long gone and then she pulled the curtain around the bed and wobbled slightly on her feet as she stood. Her ribs were aching but she could handle it, it wasn’t anything that would disable her totally. And as she reached down for the long black duffle bag by the floor, she did so slowly and carefully to limit any other aches and pains.

She dressed as quickly as she could. She slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shit and wondered who had picked them out for her. Surely, her father hadn’t had time to go to her apartment and look through her closet, and then she felt a rush of panic.

It was probably him…

The bodyguard…

She felt her cheeks flush red and she remembered the state she had left the place in. Her bedroom had been covered and strewn with old clothes and underwear. Her make-up and hair accessories were all over the floor and she had left discarded glasses and bottles of gin littering the kitchen.

“Oh gawd,” she moaned as she tried to banish the paranoia from her mind. “For once, I really do hope it was Dad going through my things.”

She swept her hair up into a high ponytail and tied it carefully. Her ribs ached the more she moved and she knew she wouldn’t be able to lift the bag. She was going to have to bite the bullet and call for him.

She rolled her eyes and shuffled toward the curtain, peeled it back slightly and stepped out into the hospital room. It was all white and clean, a stark contrast to the memories of how she had left her own apartment.

She made her way toward the door and took a deep breath as she waited to open it. She really couldn’t be bothered with this. All she wanted to do was get the hell out of there, back to her family home, and lock herself away in her room and never come out again.

“Hammer?” she asked shakily as she opened the door and peered around the edge.

The first thing she saw was his feet again, big and leather clad, the boots were even more intimidating close up, and she let her eyes travel, next, to his jeans. They were battered denim and torn on the knees, and as she went higher, she swallowed as she saw the bulge in his pants. His belt buckle was big and silver, and his rough manly hands were gripping the belt loops on his jeans. They looked like a real man’s hands. The kind of hands that were tough and well used, as if he had spent day after day working outside doing hard manual labor, but they were adorned with silver rings. Skulls shone on his knuckles and she was sure, beneath them, she could see a smattering of tattoos that worked their way up his wrists, toward the tops of his arms.

By the time she reached his chest, she was almost breathless. His torso was big and muscular, and it was clear he was some kind of heavyweight god. She was intimidated and she hadn’t even seen his face, but she knew that when she did, it was only going to frighten her more.

“Miss Petrov?” his voice came out deep and gruff, and their eyes met as she glanced past his dark stubble and perfectly tanned skin.

He was devastatingly handsome, in a completely unconventional way, and it was alarming her even more.

“I want to leave,” was all she said as she glared into his deep blue eyes. “Can you get my bag?” 

He crossed his arms over his chest and she saw the veins on them bulge and it made her step backwards with nerves. He looked down at her with the same contempt she was showing him and he strode past her strongly and into the room behind her.

As he passed, she felt her breath catch in her throat and she clenched her hands into little fists.

She had been right when she had known he was going to do nothing but get on her nerves. He was nothing but a glorified muscle man and it was clear he thought a hell of a lot of himself, and not a lot of her.

She looked down at the floor and felt her mood dive even further. She shoved her hands into her pockets and shuffled down the corridor, letting him gather up the rest of her things as she made her way to the nurse’s station.

When he came out after her, their eyes met briefly again before she quickly looked away and turned her back on him. This was going to be tough. Her heart was already racing and her palms were sweating. She was angry but intrigued.

“Thank you,” she said to the nurses as she walked past them. And suddenly Hammer was there again, right upon her and striding past with an air of authority.

“This way,” he said as he turned sharply down another hallway and left Shelby standing there with her mouth sagging open and the feeling of rage building rapidly inside her.

“Prick,” she whispered to herself as she sulked after him as he made his way to the door at the end of the hall.

In the parking lot, she followed him begrudgingly to a big black van that looked completely impenetrable. It had heavy sliding doors and all the windows were blacked out. It was one of the vehicles she had seen many times around her father’s estate, but she had never had the displeasure of being chauffeured around in it before.

She waited as he heaved the doors open and threw her bags inside before he held his hand out to offer her help to climb in.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she said as she ignored his offer and walked straight past him to the door frame. She reached up and took hold of it and winced with a gasp as the pain shot through her ribs.

“Here,” he said with irritation as he took hold of her arms and helped to pull her up into the van.

His touch wasn’t as rough as she had been expecting, and he lifted her effortlessly and helped her into the seat. The sensation of having his skin against hers was enough to make her own rise into gooseflesh and she had to look away so that she didn’t catch his gaze.

“You shouldn’t be stretching,” he said. “You have to rest for a while.”

Shelby didn’t look at him but she nodded and buckled her own seat belt before she looked out the window and he climbed out the back of the van, slamming the doors closed behind him and then got into the driver’s seat.

She relaxed back into the black leather and didn’t once look at him, even though she really wanted to. The back of his head was just in front of her, but she was determined that she wouldn’t. He started the engine and pulled quickly out of the parking lot, through the barriers and out onto the roads that led away from the hospital.

Nerves began to mount inside her as she really let it sink in that she was about to go back home. Growing up in the house had been fascinating and she had enjoyed the vast, long hallways, but going back as an adult always made her sad.

Tears were threatening to burst free but she wasn’t going to let them get the better of her. She bit her lip and clamped her eyes shut and took a deep breath. When she opened them again and instinctively looked forward, she realized she could see Hammer’s eyes in the review mirror as he watched the road ahead.

They were so blue, and his eyelashes so dark and harsh in contrast. His brows were thick and heavy on his head and he appeared to wear a permanent scowl. She was getting so enveloped in watching him and the way he furrowed his forehead that when his eyes flicked up into the mirror and met hers, it actually made her gasp as she sat back quickly in her seat and looked away.

Dammit, she thought. He caught you looking. Now his ego will go through the roof.

It was clear he had a certain amount of arrogance about him, and the last thing she wanted to do was fuel that fire, but she had gone and fallen at the first hurdle.

She crossed her arms over her chest and sank into a sulk.

God, get me out of this van… she said to herself as she looked out the window to her side and watched the deep red of the desert flash by. Through the tinted black of the windows it made the landscape around them look like Mars. Dark crimson and barren and completely deserted. The rolling hills in the distance made it look like another world, and Shelby realized it had been a really long time since she had actually spent any time out in the desert. Going back home was going to be like reconnecting with the earth she had grown up knowing so well.

When the roads began to become more familiar, she closed her eyes. Until she was inside the house, she was still in denial. None of this was really happening. She was going to wake up, any moment, in her lovely bed, in her stunning apartment and all of it would have been a bad dream.

Hammer cleared his throat as the van slowed and she heard the sound of the window going down. She opened her eyes and looked to see him leaning out to press a button on the pad next to the huge, black, wrought iron gates that were closed tight ahead of them. His muscles flexed and his tanned skin was taught over them. As Shelby watched him she was sure that she had never seen a physique quite like it before.

She could still remember when she had seen the gates and the huge brick wall that surrounded the house and grounds for the first time. When her dad had had them built and fitted, she had only been a baby still, really, and they had seemed as tall as the sky.

“It’s Hammer,” he barked into the intercom. “I’m back from the hospital with Miss Petrov.”

Miss Petrov…

Just hearing him say her name like that made her mad. Why couldn’t he just call her Shelby like a normal person? Why did he have to make it so serious and professional? It wasn’t making her feel any less uncomfortable about the situation, and for a bodyguard, surely, he should know better?

She pouted and sighed as the gate ahead of them began to slowly open. The van edged forward and through them, and started up the long, winding drive. It was a route Shelby knew well and didn’t feel the need to take in yet again, but she still couldn’t help but let her eyes wander to the landscaped lawns being spritzed by sprinklers and the wonderful trees and sculptures her father had employed designers to find and place over the years.

As the house came into view, she felt a pang of nostalgia and was surprised that she even smiled a little. For all it was, this house really was still home, however much she tried to deny and ignore it.

It stood three-stories tall, all white and gleaming in the desert light, with pillars and lush trees surrounding the entrance. Hammer pulled the van around the bubbling fountain in the center of the courtyard and stopped in front of the big, double front doors.

He jumped out and came around the back and pulled open the sliding door for her and held out his arm. He sighed and looked at her irritably again when Shelby hesitated, but she scowled and reached out for him, accepting his offer of help after learning her lesson the last time.

“Thanks,” she muttered as she climbed out of the van.

She looked up and around, and breathed in the arid desert air that was, somehow, a lot clearer and fresher there at the house. It was as if her father had created his own private oasis, completely away from the rest of the world. They didn’t feel as if they were in the desert anymore, it was as if they were in the Garden of Eden.

Hammer didn’t say another word, but he marched toward the main doors of the house with her duffle bag and bag of meds gripped tightly in his big hands.

The door opened ahead of him and he nodded to one of the maids as she stood back and waited for Shelby to enter. She was new and looked nervous, and Shelby gave her a half smile as she passed.

“I’ll take these to your room,” Hammer barked over his shoulder as he made his way up the big sweeping split-marble staircase and disappeared out of sight.

She wanted to call after him and tell him not to bother, but she would only be cutting her nose off to spite her face. She could barely move without being in pain and she knew there was no way she was going to be able to carry the bag.

“Can I get you anything, Miss Petrov?” the maid asked through a thick Spanish accent.

“No, thank you,” Shelby smiled as she made her own way toward the stairs and began to climb them slowly and carefully.

She had never realized how high and how many steps there had been before, but each movement made her ribs ache and by the time she got to the top, she had to stop and take a rest.

She could hear Hammer’s footsteps coming back down the hallway toward her and she rolled her eyes. If he saw her struggling, he was sure to insist on helping her even though it was obvious he didn’t want to.

“Here,” he said as he made his way toward her, holding out his hand. She looked up at him and when their eyes met again it sent a shiver right through her. Hammer faltered and slowed his pace, unable to tear his gaze away too, but he still looked so mean and fierce that Shelby just wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

He stopped when he was a foot away from her and stood looking down on her through his intense eyes. Shelby’s heart was quivering away and she felt trapped there by him, held by those incredible eyes and by the fear of his power.

“It’s okay,” she snapped suddenly and broke the silence and tension between them. “I’m fine.”

He ignored her and helped her over to a bench at the top of the hallway and sat her down. Hammer sighed and stood back up in front of her.

“I know you don’t want me around and that daddy has spoiled all of your fun, but you’re going to have to get used to it, okay?” he said with a sneer as he looked down at her with his big arms folded across his chest.

“Excuse me?” she hissed as she looked back up at him with a scowl.

He smirked and shook his head.

“I don’t want to be here any more than you do, but I’ve been hired by your father and I’m true to my word and honor, so, for now, we’re both just going to have to suck it up.”

He was stern and serious, and it made Shelby blush. She hadn’t realized she was acting such a brat, but it must have been written all over her face. But at the same time, who the hell did he think he was?

“Daddy spoiled all of my fun?” she asked sarcastically. “Are you actually being serious?”

She wanted to laugh but her anger was keeping her face straight and stern.

Hammer took a step closer to her and leaned over so his face was in line with hers. He didn’t look amused one bit and Shelby found herself moving back instinctively.

“I’ve seen hundreds of girls like you,” he half snarled. “And you’re all the same. Spoiled, little rich kids with no concept of the real world and too busy breezing through life with a sense of entitlement and greed.”

Shelby felt her jaw sag and she went to speak but he silenced her as he continued.

“I didn’t want this job,” he said it almost with a spit. “But I’m here and I’m going to see it through. Your father needs you to be kept safe and it’s in our interests to ensure he gets what he wants.”

“Our?” she asked with confusion, still stunned from his first barbed comment and judgement of her.  

Hammer snorted and half laughed and then he rose to his feet.

“Just do as I say while I’m here and we won’t have a problem,” he continued. “The way I operate, I need your cooperation or we’re just going to be wasting both of our times. No sneaking out, and no sneaking anyone in without running it by me first. If you want to leave the estate, that is absolutely fine, but I come with you, at all times… everywhere.”

He really meant business and it made her heart flutter a little, even though she was refusing to acknowledge it.

“Everywhere?” she asked with a half-laugh. “Are you going to be following me into the bathroom as well?”

Now it was her turn to cross her arms over her chest and she rose to her feet and pushed her hip out to the side sassily.

“Don’t give me a reason to,” he said meanly. “And then I won’t have to, no.”

Shelby scrunched up her face in disgust and turned her back on him.

“I’m going to bed,” she snarled over her shoulder. “And I don’t want to be disturbed.” 

She walked away from him without looking back and without another word.

Yep, she hated him already.

And she had the distinct feeling things were only going to get worse from there.