Bedding The Bodyguard (7 page)

“Please, I don’t want any trouble.”

“We’re not going to give you any trouble, Kat Bailey. That is you, isn’t it?”

Damn it! I should just lock myself in a tower!
Kat tried to walk away but one of the guys grabbed her arm.

“You’re so hot, baby. Kiss me!”

She wrenched herself free. The guy was obviously drunk, slurring his words and reeking of alcohol. He lost his grip on her and stumbled back.

“Oh look. The famous and beautiful Kat Bailey doesn’t want to be touched!” one of the other guys mocked.

The third man laughed. “Come here, baby. I’ll show you how good it can feel to be touched by the right man.”

“Get out of my way or I’ll scream.” There were a few tents close to the lake. Surely someone would hear her.

“I can make you scream, baby, all night long!” the man who’d stumbled said, grabbing his crotch.

“You’re a vulgar pig!”

“And you’re a hypocrite. We saw those nude photos of you online. They were hot. Give us a little taste, why don’t you?”

“Screw you!” Kat knew she shouldn’t antagonize them but they were disgusting. What made them think they had the right to touch her and talk to her that way? Because she was famous, she was fair game?
Bastards!

“That’s what we had in mind,” one of them said, making them all laugh.

Kat’s heart thumped like a drum now and her breaths hitched loudly. She darted her eyes back and forth, trying to find an opening to escape. Again, she tried to walk away, and the man in front of her came close enough to chest butt her.

“Come on, Kat Bailey, go boating with us. You won’t regret it.” He reached for her again and she jumped back.

“Get out of my way!” she snapped, but she could hear the rising panic in her own voice.

“Ah, don’t be—“

Whatever the man who’d been blocking her path was going to say, his words cut off when Luke suddenly appeared and planted a hand on his chest, pushing him back.

Bella crouched beside him, the hair on her neck standing up. She let out a low growl. Even then, however, she didn’t look half as threatening as the man who’d dropped her leash and was pushing the agitated kid away from Kat again and again. For a second, Luke turned back to look at her. Fire burned in his eyes, transforming him from handsome to stunningly gorgeous and not-to-be-messed-with.

He didn’t say anything to her, didn’t give her a reassuring smile. He simply scanned her, as if assessing whether she was okay, before turning back to his prey. “Are you looking to spar, punk? Because you should really stay in your own weight class.”

The man was either so drunk he had no judgment left, or he was stupid. He took a step forward, towards Luke. “This isn’t your concern. Mind your own business.”

Luke pushed him back again with one hand.

This time the man flexed his fingers like he was getting ready to throw a punch.

Luke actually chuckled. “You want to tangle with me, little boy?”

The man, who really did resemble a child next to Luke, looked like what he really wanted to do was run or maybe pee his pants. He glanced over his shoulder at his friends who’d backed away several steps. Unwisely, he took another step forward and reached out for Kat.

She took a step back and quickly pulled Bella away so she wouldn’t get caught in the middle. With one quick, well-placed jab from Luke, the man landed on his ass on the ground.

The man’s friends rushed toward him but Luke immediately turned on them. That was when Kat noticed he was wearing a faded LAPD shirt. So Luke was a cop?

“You interested in joining your friend down there?” Luke asked them.

Understanding flashed across their faces and they held up their hands. “I’m sorry, man. He’s drunk. We’ll get him out of your way.”

“She’s the one that needs the apology,” Luke said, jerking his head towards Kat.

“Sorry, miss,” said the punk who had only moments ago threatened to make her scream all night long.

Kat just glared at him.

He and his friend helped the other man off the ground and dragged him away.

Luke stood as still as a tree as he watched them leave. He didn’t turn back toward Kat until they were out of sight.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked. He sounded concerned, but there was something else there, too. Surely he wasn’t angry with her?

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

He grabbed Bella’s leash off the ground, his movements stiff and jerky.

“Are you angry with me?”

He turned to look at her and she could see the answer in his eyes.

“You’re angry? Are you freaking kidding me?” She actually felt her blood pressure shoot up. Was he the type of guy who blamed women for getting raped, or beat up by their spouses? Where was the sweet book-reading glasses-wearing nerd from the night before? “I was accosted. How does that result in you being angry with me?”

He tossed Bella’s leash down, planting both hands on his hips. “You obviously weren’t using your head or you never would have jogged past them. You could see them from twenty feet back. You hesitated. I saw it. But you didn’t trust your instincts. Even after they started mouthing off you had plenty of time to turn around, but you didn’t.”

“I had every right to jog in the direction that I wanted to go!”

“Of course you did, but that doesn’t mean you should have.”

“Well thank you for that,” she said, her voice laden with sarcasm. “Is that what
you
would have done? Turned and ran the other way when you saw them?”

“No, but that’s not the same.”

“Why? Because you’re a big, strong man and I am just a little woman? Me Tarzan, you Jane?”

“No, because I’m trained to protect myself. From what I can tell, you’re not.”

“Most people aren’t trained by the LAPD,” she pointed out angrily.

“True,” he said. “But when you’re trained by anyone, anywhere, do you know the first thing they’ll tell you?”

“If you’re an attractive woman, stay home?”

He scowled, his chest rising and falling rapidly. A bead of sweat had collected on his brow and although she was pissed, she was oddly compelled to reach up and wipe it off before it ran down into his eyes. She just barely resisted the impulse.

“Not exactly,” he said, ignoring her sarcasm. “The first thing they teach you in a self-defense class, whether you’re a man or a woman, is to be aware of your surroundings. If you sense danger, go the other way. The best way to protect yourself is to use your head and avoid the situation in the first place.”

“Don’t you mean use my
pretty little head
?” she practically snarled.

He narrowed his dark grey eyes and his jaw clenched as he stared at her. His fists opened and closed as if he was working hard not to reach out and wring her neck. She could see the vein in his neck pulsing rapidly and every muscle from his bicep down was taut and ready for action.

Her anger didn’t abate but it suddenly became difficult to tell where anger ended and red-hot desire began.

She wondered what he would do if she just stood up on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and hard shoulders and pulled his lips down to meet hers. She’d like to taste him, run her tongue along his bottom lip, suck his tongue into her mouth. They were both breathing heavily, and just when she was about to step forward and reach for him, he turned and walked away. When Bella took off after him, he picked up her leash and headed towards the cabins without looking back.

She stood there, shaking from head to toe from the release of adrenaline, from anger, from desire, and from the sting of what seemed like Luke’s outright rejection.

An hour later, Kat let herself into her cabin, still well and truly pissed—at Luke and at herself. Not even running twice the distance she normally did had helped subdue her rioting emotions. All she could think about was Luke and how annoyed he’d been with her and how arrogant he’d been and how angry she’d been and how badly she’d wanted to kiss him. She kept thinking and stewing and replaying what had happened—from the fear she’d felt when those men had harassed her to the intensity of her attraction to Luke—until she wanted to scream.

Locking the door behind her, she headed to the bathroom, stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Just like that, standing under the warm spray of the water, she broke down and started crying. In frustration. And in relief.

When she was done, she felt better. She also felt ready to face the truth.

As she went through the motions of shampooing and conditioning her hair, she thought things over more calmly.

She hadn’t appreciated Luke dressing her down the way he had, but she also couldn’t deny he’d been partially right. She
had
sensed that the men by the boat might be trouble but she’d continued moving toward them anyway. But she’d truly thought, even if they catcalled or said something obnoxious, they’d let her pass. In the absence of obvious danger, she refused to be like her mother, cowering in fear from any and every potential threat. Her independence was everything to her. Even so, contrary to what Luke had implied, she wasn’t stupid or careless when it came to her safety. When her career had exploded, knowing herself and the fact she was careful and only made appearances when absolutely necessary, she’d shunned the idea of having a bodyguard, but Craig had finally worn her down. The bodyguard he’d hired
hadn’t
protected her, however.

Not the way Luke had.

As soon as she’d realized Luke was there to help her, she’d been filled with relief. She’d been scared, too, afraid that because they were outnumbered, Luke would be hurt trying to protect her. It was one of the reasons why she’d been reluctant to hire a bodyguard even after she’d received death threats. But it had become evident very quickly that Luke was quite capable of taking on the other men. The longer Kat had watched, each time she’d seen Luke’s big hand pushing her harasser back shove-by-shove, she’d felt her relief and fear giving away to arousal.

Luke’s primal ability to protect her, the play of the muscles in his arms and back, the grim set to his expression that highlighted the strong angles of his face—it all called to the most feminine part of her. She’d been scared but at the same time, she could admit it now—her belly had filled with butterflies and her lower body had throbbed painfully. Desire had lit up her every cell, and she had not been able to stop staring at him. He had been so confident, and so sure of himself; that alone had been sexy, but the skill and ease with which he had moved had sent little flashes through her mind, images of what he would be like in bed.

Feeling heated with arousal, Kat turned the water slightly cooler and finished rinsing her hair. Then she grabbed some of her scented cleanser. She tried to focus on the simple pleasure of the water trickling over her face and down her body. Before she knew what was happening, however, she began to imagine it was Luke touching her so gently and so intimately.

She let out a breathy sign. God, it would feel so good to be touched by Luke.

Kat felt her pulse quicken. Her nipples hardened under the flowing water and her skin began to tingle. She imagined Luke pulling her against his naked form, his hard cock brushing against her stomach, and she began to pant slightly. Jeez, she was turned on!

With one hand, she cupped her breast, massaging it roughly even as her other hand slid down her taut belly and through the strip of short hair below. Her fingers slid into her slick folds and she gasped quietly as they reached her clit. She massaged the small nub, gently at first, then more urgently.

In her mind, Luke shifted behind her, covering each of her hands with one of his, urging her to touch herself harder. Deeper. His steely erection pressed against her backside.

Her breathing became more frantic as the scene played out in her head. She shuddered as the sensations of pleasure became overwhelming.

Arching her back, she rubbed harder, with more urgency, bringing herself to the brink. Lowering her other hand from her breast, she slid two fingers up inside herself, pushing against her G-spot, wishing desperately that it was Luke’s cock, long and hard and thick, embedded inside her.

Leaning against the shower wall, she spread her legs wider and with a silent gasp, pushed herself over the edge. She shuddered as she came hard on her fingers. Her eyes stayed closed as she imagined Luke growling his satisfaction in her ear.

“That’s it, Kat. Give yourself over to me. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

Shaking, the fantasy of Luke’s deep voice playing in her head, it took her a moment to calm down and realized what she’d just done. Mortification hit her. She couldn’t believe she’d just masturbated in the shower while imagining Luke was with her. And even worse, she’d initially gotten hot and bothered thinking of the way he’d protected her from those men! Obviously, it was
she
who hadn’t been immune to the whole
Me Tarzan, You Jane
mentality she’d accused him of harboring.

Quickly, she finished rinsing off then toweled herself dry.

She needed to pull herself together.

She wasn’t some helpless woman who needed a man to save her. More to the point, she wasn’t here to get involved with a man, in bed or otherwise. She was here to feel safe, and reflect on her life and what she really wanted. It was probably for the best that she’d pissed Luke off. He’d put the distance between them that she should have. So be it.

Unfortunately, despite her mental musings that staying away from Luke was the smart thing to do, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. The fantasy she’d played out in the shower seemed to have opened some kind of gate, and other fantasies formed one after another. Fantasies of them dressed and undressed, taking turns caressing one another, licking and sucking and exploring to their hearts’ content.

By the time she was dressed and had her hair braided, Kat had no choice but to accept she was more attracted to Luke and curious about him than she was mad. She even had her lunch and dinner outside, hoping he’d come out to walk Bella or read or eat, and they could talk. But it was as if he knew when she was outside and was avoiding her, because she didn’t see him at all.