Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance (3 page)

BOOK: Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance
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“The Uptown
Cafe.”

Kenzie looked up as
they pulled off. In the front seat sat the profile of Gianni. She
glared at him.

“What do you
think you’re doing?”

“I’m going
to Uptown Care, miss.”

“Not you. Him!
Gianni, what are you doing in my car?”

“Guarding you.”

“You couldn’t
do that from your own vehicle?”

“Not as
efficiently,” he said before handing back the black folder.
“You left this upstairs. You’ll need it.”

Kenzie snatched the
folder from his hands. She flipped through the folder, mumbling to
herself as the car drove smoothly through the city. She texted
Benjamin before going back to the folder.

“I have a
curfew?” She laughed. “You’re joking right?”

“It’s not
a curfew. We would just prefer that you not go out after dark if it
can be avoided. It’s harder to see someone coming at you in the
dark.”

“Well, why don’t
I just lock myself away in my room and never leave leave again?”

“It would make
my job easier.”

Kenzie caught the
driver stifling a laugh. The man caught her glare in the rearview
mirror. He cleared his throat and went back to focusing on driving.

“You’re
funny. I could just fire you.”

“Actually, you
can’t. Marco hired me, he’s paying me. The label company
is actually requiring you to have an escort”

“I’ll hire
another one,” she said between gritted teeth.

“Feel free.”

Kenzie stepped out of
the car before it had even pulled all the way to the curb of the
cafe. She slammed the door behind her. The building took up the
corner of the block, cars stretched along it with a parking lot,
probably full by now, behind it. She walked down the sidewalk until
she spotted Cassie and Benjamin sitting at a table. They waved, she
waved back.

“You are not
going to believe my day.”

“I hate to say
this...but there’s a guy following you,” Cassie said
uneasily.

“That’s my
new bodyguard. He’s annoying.”

“He’s
hot,” Cassie replied.

Kenzie turned her
head. The man was situating himself at a table a few rows behind
hers. The dark hair, broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes certainly
did leave a mark. Women were looking at him, whispering, staring.
Kenzie scoffed. He might be good looking, but he was a thorn in her
side.

When the waiter came
over she ordered an iced coffee then turned to her friends. Cassie
was taller than her with platinum blond hair and alluring gray eyes.
Today her hair was piled up into a bun. She wore something similar to
Kenzie, a black mini skirt, tall heels and a low cut orange tank top.
Benjamin was stark opposite. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, tanned
skin. He was the product of a white mother, cuban father. Kenzie had
a thing for his wavy brown hair and crooked smile.

“He looks
annoying. How old is he?” Ben asked.

Kenzie shrugged. She
thought she detected a hint of jealousy in his voice. It made her
smile. They sipped at their drinks, taking peeks at Gianni until
Benjamin cleared his throat.

“I was thinking
about the setup for your next concert. You know, I’m in a band.
I was thinking…”

“That you guys
could open for us. Yeah, I know Benjamin you’ve only told me a
million times.”

“Yeah, I know.
That was before…”

Kenzie watched his
face contort. Knowing Cassie, she had just kicked his shin. He
grimaced.

“Sorry.”

“It’s not
that big of a deal. I’ll talk to Marco about it, okay?”

He looked at her with
that almost shy grin. She melted. Cassie cleared her throat loudly.

“If you two are
done flirting, I thought it would be fun to talk outfits. I say we go
with someone new. So, shopping, but it’s up to you.”

“What are we
shopping for?”

“Your official
coming home party! I have everything set up already.”

“When is it?”

“Tonight at ten.
We’re going to drink until we regret our decisions.”

Kenzie laughed. “Fine.
Let’s talk outfits.”

They spent the rest of
lunch laughing, talking about the party Cassie had planned and
sipping more coffee than was necessary. By the time they had to part
ways, Kenzie was fidgety. Instead of calling the car once she’d
fixed her makeup in the mirror of the bathroom, she walked to the
park. It was quiet. A few people with their dogs, some moms with
their toddlers, but it was just the way she liked it. Kenzie sat on a
bench underneath a huge tree. The shade cooled her off. As she
glanced around, she wondered what going to the party would be like.
She liked to believe she would be fine, but the thought of all those
people unnerved her.

Kenzie sighed as she
leaned her head back, eyes closed. A cool breeze was blowing softly
over her skin. She almost wished she could tell Cassie no, that she
didn’t want to go. However, she knew it was necessary. Kenzie
forced that thought aside. It wasn’t just necessary, it would
be fun. She wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of her
fun.

The woman realized
that someone was breathing near her, heavily. She popped one eye
open. The sun was behind the person’s head, their face cast in
shadow. Kenzie opened both of her eyes just as hands went to her
throat. She couldn’t lift her head as the hands began to press
on her throat harder. She reached up trying to scratch at the
person’s face. Her hands were just out of reach. Instead, she
dug her nails into the person’s hands.

It was a man. He
howled as he yanked his hands away, her crescent shaped nailprints
embedded in his skin. Kenzie jumped off of the park bench, her ankle
twisting painfully in the tall heels. She fell, her knees digging
into the dirt. She could hear the man moving up behind her when a
pair of shoes entered her field of vision. She looked up. Gianni’s
face was stern as he held a gun in his hands. He thumbed the hammer
back. Kenzie turned around. The man was smiling. He turned before he
disappeared into the trees. Gianni reached down to help her up.

“What are you
doing? Get him.”

He shook his head.
“Bad idea. There’s no telling what he has in those trees.
Let’s get you to a safe place first.”

Kenzie gazed up at
him. He really was handsome. The way the sun played off of his olive
skin was intoxicating. She took his hand gently. He pulled her up to
her feet. Kenzie cried out as her twisted ankle gave out.

“I can’t
walk,” she said quietly.

Gianni looked her up
and down making her self consciously tug down her skirt. Finally, he
crouched down before sweeping her into his arms. She started to
protest, especially when people started staring, but she didn’t.
It felt kind of nice, being in his arms. Safe. The adrenaline was
wearing off for her, all that was left was exhaustion. She rested her
head on his chest.

When they reached the
car, he slid her inside gently before buckling her in. They drove off
as Kenzie examined her ankle. It was already swelling. The more she
thought back on it, the more shook up she became. She wiped at her
eyes with a dirt stained hand. How much longer did she have to deal
with this? She had thought her nightmare was over, but apparently it
wasn’t enough that she was already traumatized.

The car slid through
the city in silence. Not even the radio was turned on. Kenzie fell
asleep at some point during the ride because when she opened her eyes
she was being slipped out of the car by Gianni. He carried her in his
arms again. She looked up at the building. It was a highrise
apartment, all glass and steel that stood before her. He carried her
through the doors. The elevator slid it’s way upwards until
they reached the top floor.

A man she didn’t
know, but who nodded at Gianni opened the door. He wore the same
stern expression, the same dark suit. As Gianni carried her through
the new apartment, she took it all in. Someone had obviously tried to
replicate her old home. There was purple and gold everywhere from the
sofas, to the curtains, to the kitchen to her bedspread where Gianni
deposited her. The room had the same posters as her last place on the
wall, the same pieces of art that she loved, but it wasn’t
home. Kenzie felt tears pricking at her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

The woman wiped her
eyes quickly. “I’m fine.”

Gianni stared at her
for a moment until she turned her face from him. When she heard him
shuffling around, she looked up. The man was in the bathroom. She
could hear water running. When he came back out, she noticed that his
jacket was gone, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong arms. He went
into the top drawer of the dresser before pulling out a thick towel.

“Can you walk?”

Kenzie nodded. She
wasn’t sure if she could, but she didn’t want him
carrying her anymore. Carefully, she pushed herself off of the bed,
stumbling forward. Gianni caught her. He helped her limp into the
bathroom where the tub was filling up quickly. It was a huge, round
tub with a button for jets. She leaned forward, pressed the button.
The water rippled from the power of the jets.

“I’ll be
in the living room. If you need anything, just call me.”

As he turned to leave
Kenzie hesitated. “Wait! Could you help me take my shoes off,
please?”

Gianni nodded. He sat
her on the toilet seat before he bent down on one knee. His hands
worked slowly, pulling the strap loose before slipping the heel from
her foot. The man copied his actions on her left foot. He ran a hand
over her ankle making her wince.

“It looks like a
sprain. I’ll get some ice.”

Kenzie nodded. When
she heard him leave the bedroom, she wiggled herself out of her
clothes as best she could. Leaning over, she picked up a bottle of
pink bubble bath. Rose scented, her favorite. She squeezed the bottle
under the faucet until the bath became filled with foamy bubbles. She
managed to tug all of her clothes off, but standing up was proving
difficult. Her hands gripped the tub as she lifted herself up, but
she could barely move the ankle. Kenzie heard footsteps behind her.
Gianni stood still for a moment, an ice pack in his hand.

“Are you having
trouble?” He asked.

Kenzie could see him
looking anywhere, but at her. That made her grin. “Yes, I could
use some help.”

Gianni nodded. The man
slipped his arms around her waist, his body pressed up against the
curve of her ass. She heard him inhale sharply before he helped her
up and into the tub. The warm water made the tension gradually melt
from her body.

Gianni reached a hand
into the bathtub. Slowly, he pulled her left leg out of the water.
He’d draped a wash cloth over the ice pack. She held her breath
as he moved her sore ankle to the ice pack, exhaling only once the
coolness touched her skin.

“Thank you.”

Gianni nodded. “Call
me when you’re ready to get out. If you need me.”

Kenzie watched him
leave once more. She sighed. Okay, so he was pretty good at his job.
She was happy that he’d been there today. Still, she wondered
how the gray hooded man knew she’d be in the park. It wasn’t
like she’d announced it to anyone, she hadn’t noticed
anyone following her all day. It made her nervous. She slipped
further beneath the water, her pink hair dipping into the suds.

She didn’t want
to admit it, but it scared her. Just the thought of the man made her
press her hand to the knife wound. It was closed now, healed, but the
scar remained. It always would. The woman could feel herself on the
brink of tears again. Why was this happening to her? She had been so
nice before, so considerate and someone still hated her. Or loved her
as the man always proclaimed. Even when she’d been in the
hospital he’d sent letters. Once she was in recovery, he sent
twice as many. The thought forced a shiver up her spine.

What if he won’t
stop until he kills me? What if they can’t catch him? I don’t
want to die.

Or at least, not yet.
She was still young. There was still the world to see, songs to be
written, places to explore. Kenzie made herself stop thinking about
it. There was nothing she could do about it at that exact moment so
there was no point in worrying. All she would do is set herself up
for another panic attack. The woman leaned her head back on the tub.
Everything would be okay.

The water was cold
when Kenzie finally pushed herself out of the tub. She didn’t
call Gianni, though he had checked on her several times since the
bath had started. At first, it was kind of cute. Then it got
annoying, fast. She wasn’t used to having someone look after
her. The girl left home at sixteen, barely visited if she could help
it. There was too much to be done, she didn’t have time for
other people.

The ice pack coupled
with one of her leftover pain pills had given her the ability to at
least pull herself out of the tub. She wrapped the towel around her
before limping to her bedroom. The closet was open. She decided on a
soft, cotton summer dress that tied around the neck. When she was
done she walked out of the room, examining the hallway before she
stepped out fully.

The apartment had
everything she could need or want, but she did long for her old
place. It had been a large apartment, beautifully decorated since she
was twenty-two. It had a feeling to it that this place was missing.
It was home. She walked towards the kitchen wondering if they’d
at least stocked the place with food. On her way, she passed a few
doors. Curious, she peeked her head inside.

The first room was
filled with workout equipment, nothing fancy there. She closed the
door before moving on. The next room was another bathroom. It was
almost as nice as hers minus the jacuzzi tub. The soft, blue and
green of the bathroom mixed with sandy browns reminded her of the
beach. When she opened the door to the last room, she stared.

BOOK: Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance
7.13Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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