I'd been woken up by my cell phone buzzing loudly on the bedside table, notifying me that the gate alarm system had been tripped.  Immediately, I thought of the silver sedan.

It was early morning, five o'clock. I snatched up the phone and opened the security camera application, which displayed a grid of various live feeds from around the property. Sure enough, that damn car was parked right across the street. On the east gate cam, I saw the blurred movement of someone dropping down from the top of the fence. I felt my pulse quicken and the sweet taste of adrenaline in my bloodstream. Then, calm.

It was more like relief, actually. The feeling of control. This was familiar to me. This was what I was made for. And in the background of it all was a little voice that whispered, "See? I knew this is where you belonged."

I slid my hand beneath my pillow and felt the cold, familiar touch of steel.

"Chris," I said, throwing open his bedroom door. "Wake up."

He tossed off his blanket in surprise. "What the fuck?"

I couldn't help but take notice of what was awake in his pants.

His eyes widened when he saw the gun in my hand.

"Someone just jumped your fence and set off the intruder alarm," I explained.

"What? Who are they?"

"I don't know. But I want you to stay right here while I go find out. Got it?"

He nodded, bewildered.

I ran downstairs, checking the security feed again. I saw the person, clad in a black hoodie, streaking across the lawn. They were carrying something—I couldn't tell what it was, but I automatically assumed the worst. It was always better to be prepared than taken by surprise. I checked the chamber of my gun and got confirmation from the brass that gleamed inside. Loaded, ready to fire.

I left through the south door, swinging around to the east side of the house to cut off the intruder. I moved quickly and silently, like a predator stalking its prey. I was a wild animal, finally able to engage in its instincts. I had no fear. I was excited, eager for the outcome. You're mine, asshole.

They were there, fiddling around with the door at the east entrance. It opened without any resistance. It hadn't been locked.

Dammit. After last night's playtime with Chris, I'd completely dropped the ball and forgotten to do my nightly security check.

I stopped behind a tree for cover, about 10 yards out. An easy shot.

"Don't fuckin' move!" I yelled, aiming my weapon at the back of their head. "I'm armed."

They were wearing a black duffel bag slung around their shoulder. They froze and slowly turned around. In the low light of dusk, I couldn't see beneath the hood. They raised their hands in the air and I moved forward, gun trained and fixed on my target. They were about a foot shorter than me with a slender body, and even before I pulled away the hood I knew they were female. I was surprised to find she was just a kid—probably fifteen or sixteen.

"Don't shoot me," she begged, tears coming to her eyes.

"Turn around," I said, pulling the zip ties from my pocket. "What are you doing here?"

I bound her wrists and commanded her to sit on the ground. She complied without any resistance. I took out my phone and activated the police notification.

"I-I was just messing around," she said. "It was a dare."

I opened the duffel bag and found several wallets, diamond jewelry, a designer handbag and expensive-looking shoes. "Right," I said. "Looks like you had one hell of a night. How many houses did you hit?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. The police are on their way." I shouted into the house. "Chris! Come meet the kid who was about to rob you!"

* * *

Chris and I sat in the kitchen. I was filling out a report of the incident for Bau and the company records. The police had come and arrested the girl and taken statements. Turned out she and a whole group of kids had been targeting celebrity houses for about a week, and they’d been trying to catch them.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way I'd felt during the whole incident. How easy it was to get back into the combat mindset, to feel the thirst for action. It was what I'd wanted to get away from. But how could I?

Wasn't it a part of me? Wouldn't it always be calling me?

I could've taken any civilian job, but I’d accepted my brother's offer to join the security firm. Why? Family, yes. But wasn't the real reason because it was familiar?

It disturbed me. And it made me realize that once this job was finished, I’d have to step away. If I wanted to leave that version of myself behind and begin the new life I'd been hoping for, I’d have to leave Synn Services. There would be no long-term contract with Chris.

I'd told him that wasn't willing to hide, but of course I wanted to. Deep down, I was ready to do that in order to be with him.

But for this cursed man, some things were never meant to be.

"Denny really wants you to come on board as my permanent bodyguard," Chris told me the day before the album release show. We were sitting out on the rooftop patio of the house, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies as we looked at the stars. "He said that he's been talking to your brother. The contract can be extended. But... you're not gonna take it, are you?"

"I'm not," I said after a long silence.

"I wish I could convince you."

"I'm sorry," I said. "It isn’t just this situation we've gotten ourselves into. It's the work itself. I told myself I wanted to find an existence beyond the one I've known. Where I don't have to sleep with a gun under my pillow every night. And doing this work, it isn't helping me. Of course, there's no way I’ll be able to stop worrying about what kind of trouble your ass is getting into."

Chris eyed me. Then, he wrapped his arms around my neck and tugged me into a kiss.

"Sylus. You don't have to worry about me, alright? I want you to know that. I'm keeping my ass out of trouble after this. Unless it's trouble with you. You can cause my ass as much trouble as you fuckin’ want."

I laughed and pushed him away. "Shut up."

He grinned at me and I ruffled his hair. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me into another kiss. I returned it full on, and rolled over on top of him. I looked down into his eyes. They were wild eyes, like mine. Passionate. Intense. In another day, I'd no longer get to know them. I'd see them in the same way everyone else did. On billboards, in magazines and music videos. We'd go back to being strangers, and this little thing that we'd shared would become a bittersweet memory.

He slipped his arms around my neck and pulled me deeper into the kiss. For the small amount of practice he'd had, he really was amazing at it.

I drew his neck towards me and kissed him, giving him little nips as I worked my way down to his collarbone. He groaned softly into my ear, the heat of his breath sending a jolt of excitement through my entire body.

I tugged off his shirt, kissing my way down the swell of his muscle. He pushed his hand down into my pants, grabbing hold of my hardening cock.

"Not wasting any time," I grunted.

"I know what I want," he said.

"Yeah? Tell me."

His eyes flashed, and for an instant, I read sadness in them and I knew what he wanted to say. I wanted to say it, too. I want this to go on.

"I want you to fuck me," he growled. "Fuck me like this. I want to look into your eyes as you do it."

I yanked his pants off and tossed them aside. He opened mine and pulled my cock out, tugging me towards him. He squeezed my cock against his own and stroked them as one. I kissed him again, our tongues playing against each other with eager ferocity. I pushed his knees back to his shoulders, exposing his entrance.

"Condom?" he asked.

I dug into my pocket for a condom and a small packet of lube. Chris grinned. "You're such a fucking boy scout."

"Be prepared," I said, rolling the rubber down my length.

He let out a loud shout of pleasure as I entered him and squeezed my forearms so tightly I was sure he would leave a mark. His warmth surrounded me, pulling me in. I shuddered as I reached the hilt, never breaking eye contact. He nodded to me, a snarl of pained arousal on his lips. I moved my hips, bucking back and forth with increasingly longer and harder thrusts. Chris's moans were so loud that if it weren't for the massive size of his property, the entire fucking neighborhood would've been in on our little secret.

He begged me to pound him harder and I obliged, sweat rolling down my cheek. I ripped my shirt over my head and tossed it aside, welcoming the cool night air to kiss my skin. Then, I used my hand to pleasure his cock at the same time as I fucked him. He cried out, and I felt him squeeze me in reaction.

Fuck!

I wanted this to go on. I wanted him.

"God, I'm gonna come," Chris groaned. I felt him tense up in my hand and his hole tighten around my cock. I thrusted in as hard as I could and let my own orgasm crash over me. He let out a final, tremendous moan as he came, spilling his hot seed across my fingers. I throbbed into him, filling up the condom as the waves of my finish rocked through my body, exploding fireworks of pleasure over me. My vision filled with stars, but I never once took my eyes off of his.

After licking my fingers clean I wrapped Chris up in my arms and held him against my heaving chest. I could feel the thud of his heartbeat against my body, in near perfect sync with mine.

* * *

The album release show came and went.

Chris delivered his performance to a stadium packed with both fans and celebrities. For the first time, I heard "Pickup Kind of Girl" being played live, and for the first time I actually legitimately kind of enjoyed it. I was just off stage, watching from the wings and making sure no one saw me quietly singing along.

And just like that, my contract as Chris's live-in bodyguard had ended. His manager came to me with the offer to become Chris's regular event bodyguard, but I turned it down. I would no longer be operating as an agent of Synn Services.

There was no fanfare during our last day together. Actually, we hardly saw each other at all. Chris's house was suddenly alive; musicians were coming in and out to discuss new collaborations, press interviews were scheduled in the living room where we'd had our lessons, record company bigwigs were there to talk business and upcoming projects. There was hardly a moment to spend alone together, but it was better off that way. I didn't want to drag out a goodbye.

I packed up my few belongings into my duffel and went downstairs to leave. A television crew was setting up big lights and camera equipment in the living room. Chris was busy in the recording studio with a group of label execs, so I quietly slipped outside and threw my shit into the Escalade.

As a Marine, I knew how quickly and drastically life could change. You could be somewhere one day and on the side of the country the next. Friends could disappear in the blink of an eye. But no amount of training or exposure could've prepared me for what this past week and a half had brought me. This was a mission that would stick with me for the rest of my life.

The memories of everything we'd done together over those few short days had begun to flood my mind, so I got into the car to get the hell out before it overwhelmed me. I started the engine and took one more look at the mansion. I hadn't nearly been there long enough to call it my home, but it was more than enough time for me to say that I'd fallen in love with the man living inside of it.

"Hey!"

I looked over and saw Chris running out from the house.

Caught. I rolled down the window.

"You were just gonna disappear without a goodbye, weren't you?" he asked, leaning his arms on the window frame.

I smiled guiltily. "I ain't very good at goodbyes."

"Well, me neither, but you can't blame me for feeling like I should get one."

I nodded. "You're right. Well... goodbye, Chris. You were a good student."

He snorted and smacked my arm with the back of his hand. It looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. I was in the same boat. This was what I wanted to avoid. The longer I stayed in his presence, the more painful it became for me to get out.

I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to tug his ass into the backseat of the car and steam up all the windows. And from the way he was looking at me I knew he was thinking the exact same thing. He tilted his head into the car, and just as we were about to kiss, someone called out to him.

"Mr. Barker!"

Chris pulled away so quickly he nearly smacked the back of his head on the window frame.

"Mr. Barker, we're ready for you now."

"Alright," he grunted at them. "Give me a second." He turned back to me. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then."

I smiled. "Stay out of trouble, alright? I don't wanna see your name on any tabloids." I put the car into gear and waved as I drove away.

"Don't read that shit!" he shouted. "They're bad for your health!"

The gate opened, and as I left the property I took a final look in my rear-view mirror and saw Chris disappear out of view as I turned onto the street.