Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance (5 page)

BOOK: Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance
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“He’s just
a friend,” she said. “I like this dress,” she said
redirecting the conversation.

Kenzie had gone
through six different outfit changes before Lilly brought her a dress
from the back. It hadn’t even been released to the floor yet,
she was told. Kenzie slipped into it before walking out to the
mirrors where Gianni sat. His eyes roamed over her body, but not in
the usual appeasing way. No, there was hunger in his eyes.

“Tie me up?”
She asked.

The man sat still a
long time just looking at her until she turned around, gestured to
her dress. There were strings there that needed to be tightened.
Gianni nodded slowly as he stood. His strong hands pulled the strings
until they were tight before he tied them. Kenzie examined herself in
the mirror. The dress was short, barely past her thighs. The black
and purple tartan pattern ended at her breasts where there was
leather. Two belts were right below her ample breasts with silver
buckles. Beneath the dress there was a black petticoat that peeked
out of the bottom. Her long legs were on display, the tops of her
breasts visible as well. She noticed Gianni staring at her in the
mirror.

“What do you
think?”

“It’s..it’s
fine.”

“Fine? Some help
you are!” She said in a huff.

Kenzie walked back to
the dressing rooms before slamming the door. She worked out the ties
by herself before slipping back into her street clothes. What the
hell does he know? She looked awesome in that dress. When she was
dressed, she picked out a pair of purple ballet flats as well as the
jewelry she’d wear. She didn’t make eye contact with
Gianni the entire time.

As they walked back to
the car, Gianni cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean that
it didn’t look good on you, I just-”

Kenzie held up a hand.
“I really don’t care.”

She slipped inside the
car once the driver took her bags. The drive back felt even longer
from the silence. Kenzie wondered what his problem was. She’d
had men falling at her feet since she became a star, but this one
wasn’t budging. In some ways, it made her want him even more.
Kenzie quickly pushed that thought out of her head. She didn’t
want Gianni, she could do much better than a bodyguard for a
boyfriend anyway.

When they reached the
apartment, Kenzie locked herself in her room. She spent the next few
hours working on her music before she pushed the notebook away in
frustration. One of the requirements for her new CD was a love song.
The woman scoffed. What did she know about love? Her first and only
serious boyfriend had been at sixteen. They’d dated for four
years before he decided he wasn’t into the relationship
anymore. After that, she rarely dated. Ben had drawn her attention
for the first time in a long time, but she didn’t even call her
attraction for him love.

Kenzie unlocked her
door before walking into the apartment. It looked empty, but she knew
that either Gianni or one of the others would be there. She’d
found out the other day that it wasn’t just Gianni that lived
there. They more or less used the room for whoever was on duty, it
just usually happened to be him. She walked into the kitchen and
poked her head into the fridge. She wished her friends could come
over. The place was empty, lonely without someone to joke around
with. She slammed the door to the fridge.

“What does he
know? My friends can know where I stay. I’m pretty sure my
stalker isn’t stalking them too.”

Kenzie dialed up
Cassie and Ben. She gave them the address with instructions not to
tell anyone where she was. When they arrived, Kenzie hopped off of
the couch before throwing the door open. Cassie threw her arms around
her neck before they stepped into her new place.

“I like it. It’s
kind of like your old place only more sophisticated,” Cassie
said as she ran her hand over one of the plush pillows on the couch.

Kenzie shrugged. “It’s
okay. Check out the new outfit I bought today. It’s so cute.”

Kenzie stopped talking
when the door to the second bedroom creaked open. Her breath hitched
before she chided herself. She was an adult, she could do what she
wanted. The man who stepped out of the bedroom wasn’t Gianni
though, it was a younger man she’d dubbed Brick. He was wide
with hard muscles and red hair. He glanced around at her and her
friends.

“What’s
this?” He asked, his voice deep.

“These are
friends. They’re what people with lives have.”

The man looked around
before he turned heading back into the room. “I’m calling
Gianni,” he called over his shoulder.

“Be right back,”
she called to her friends before dashing into the room after Brick.
He was just putting his phone to his ear when she yanked it away.
“Don’t do that! Look, it’s cool. I’ve known
them since we were kids, they can be trusted.”

“Fine, then tell
Gianni that.”

“Why? He’s
not my dad.”

“No, but he’s
put together very complex plans for your safety. You doing this is
making his job a hell of a lot harder.”

Kenzie felt a small
pang of guilt, but she wasn’t going to admit it. “Fine,
call him. I don’t care.”

She stormed out of the
room, slamming the door behind her. She’d told Marco that she
didn’t want to deal with this. It wasn’t fair that she
was the victim and had to be locked away like a prisoner. When she
ran into Ben and Cassie, she waved her hand.

“Come on, let’s
go to my room. We can get ready in there.”

They disappeared into
her room as she locked the door behind them. They spent their time
fixing their hair and makeup after they’d slipped into their
dresses. Cassie was wearing a short black dress that showed off her
modest cleavage. Her platinum hair rolled down her back in waves. It
was apparent that she was a model just by the way she moved. Of
course she’d slipped on a pair of black high heels. Kenzie felt
even shorter than usual standing next to her in flats. Just as she
was finishing up her makeup, a loud knock made them all jump.

“Open this
door.”

She knew right away
that it was Gianni, but she’d never actually heard him sound
angry before. At first, she considered ignoring him, letting him
simmer as he banged on the door. The thought was gone before it fully
materialized as she told herself once again that she was an adult. If
she wanted some company, she could have it. Kenzie walked over to the
door, unlocked it before throwing it open.

“What’s
up?”

What she hadn’t
expected was him reaching inside the room, grabbing her arm and
leading her into his bedroom. He flipped the switch beside her head
after he’d closed the door bathing the room in fluorescent
lights. She glared at him.

“I told you I
didn’t want you having people over.”

“So?”

“So, now you’ve
compromised your security. Now, I have to find a new place for us to
go. That means securing the staff and residents of another building
to not go running their mouths that they saw Kenzie walking through
the lobby. That means countless more hours not just for me, but the
whole team. They have lives, families. The last thing they want to do
is spend their time looking after someone who’s just going to
be selfish and self absorbed like you!”

It was the most words
she’d ever heard him string together at once. Every one had
been more painful than the last. Her eyes watered without her wanting
them to. Before she knew it she had burst into tears. She threw the
door open to his room before storming back to her own. The door was
slammed and locked after her. Cassie and Ben looked on as she walked
into her bathroom slamming that door as well.

Why does he have to be
such a jerk?

Chapter 4

Cassie knocked on the
door. “Are you okay?”

Kenzie wiped her eyes
with a tissue before she looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup
was smudged, black eyeliner and mascara running down her face. She
cleaned herself up before she emerged from the bathroom, she gave Ben
and Cassie a small smile.

“I’m fine.
Let’s go.”

Cassie always
described her parties as little, but Kenzie knew that was never the
case. When they pulled up in front of the night club, music poured
out the front door whenever it was opened. She could see people
standing around, waiting. When they pulled up the flash of cameras in
the darkness was enough to steal her vision for a moment. Gianni
pushed them all through the doors more quickly.

Kenzie was instantly
swept up in a whirlwind of kissed cheeks and tight hugs. She smiled
at everyone until she thought her cheeks would crack. As soon as
there was a break in the commotion, she disappeared from the crowd to
grab a drink with her friends. They stood at the bar as they ordered
and waited for their drinks to be poured. Out of the corner of her
eye, Kenzie saw Gianni looking at her. She turned away quickly, felt
a huge wave of embarrassment wash over her.

“Shots, Kenzie.
Wake up!”

She shook her head to
clear it of the loud music and her thoughts. Kenzie picked up the
shot glass that held something blue Cassie had ordered. As Cassie
counted down, she threw the shot back. Her mouth was filled with the
taste of sour blueberries. She puckered her mouth making everyone
laugh. Kenzie decided to push Gianni out of her mind for the night.
She didn’t need his approval. He didn’t know who she was
and he couldn’t scold her like a child.

The woman slammed down
the next shot before beckoning for another. She was going to have
fun, no matter what happened. After everything she’d been
through, she figured, she deserved a good time. She drank too much,
danced too much and as one a.m. rolled around she knew she was done
for, but she still kept going. Kenzie laughed as she stumbled into a
bar stool, caught herself and sat in it.

She held up two
fingers to the bartender. “One more!”

Kenzie felt someone
brush up against her. A hand was laid on the bar next to her. She
looked up slowly to see Gianni standing next to her, talking quietly
to the bartender. When he was done, he laid a hand on Kenzie’s
shoulder before helping her slide from the bar stool.

“Where are we
going?”

“To the
apartment. I think you need some rest,” Gianni said as he led
her through the crowd of people.

“Rest? I’m
fine! I don’t need your help,” she said as she shrugged
his arm off of her.

Gianni glared. When he
did, the man who usually looked generally bored, looked dangerous.
She could see why people might find him intimidating. As she’d
been thinking, Gianni had taken her arm once more and was pushing her
forward a little more quickly now. There was no shrugging him off
this time. They made it outside where more lights went off in her
face, making her angry before he slid her into the car. This time, he
slid in with her before telling the driver to hurry up.

“You don’t
like cameras, do you?” Kenzie asked with slurred words.

“Not as a
general rule. Please, put your seatbelt on.”

Kenzie waved a hand.
Gianni groaned, making the driver chuckle. The man reached over her
lap, grabbed the seat belt. Kenzie wrapped her arms around his neck
pulling him closer. He looked at her with a look of unease,
confusion, but she was studying his face slowly.

“Can I have my
neck back, please?” He asked quietly.

Kenzie let him go. The
seat belt clicked as it was fastened, before Gianni rose up. He
leaned back against the seat of the car and closed his eyes. As he
did, Kenzie couldn’t help but to be enamored with him. She
wondered what he would do if she sat on his lap, played with his dark
locks, kissed his lips?

She shook her head as
she realized he was staring back at her. The man raised an eyebrow.
She looked away. Still, she wondered what his wavy hair would feel
like around her fingers.

When they pulled up in
front of the apartment, her fingers fumbled with the seat belt.
Gianni reached over her lap again, unlocked her and helped her out of
the car. He kept an arm wrapped around her back as he led her inside.
His steps slowed down to match her stumbling ones.

When they were inside
the apartment, Gianni deposited her in her room. She fell onto the
bed, tried to get comfortable, but it was impossible in the dress.
Her shoes were kicked off as she pushed herself up, walked down the
hallway in search of him. When she reached his room, she pushed the
door open. Gianni stood, back to her, as he slipped off his pants. He
turned quickly when he heard the door. The sight of him in his black
boxers made her bite her lip.

“What are you
doing in here? I’m not making you food tonight, you’re on
your own.”

Kenzie walked forward
slowly. “I don’t want food.”

“What do you
want then?”

“You,” the
woman said as her fingers traced a path along his chest.

Gianni’s hands
held her shoulders before he pushed her back. “You’re
drunk.”

“Who cares?”

“I do. Stop it.”

Kenzie pouted. “You
don’t think I’m attractive, that’s right.”

“I never said
that.”

“In the store
earlier…”

Gianni sighed. “In
the store I was trying to remain professional.”

Kenzie grinned. “So,
you think I’m hot?”

“No. I think
you’re beautiful.”

The woman stopped at
his words, but the seriousness on his face hadn't changed. He really
meant that. Kenzie laid a hand on his chest. Her fingers ran over his
smooth skin. At that moment, she knew she wanted him. She’d
wanted him since the moment she saw him, but she’d tried to
push those thoughts aside. Now, they were too strong to ignore. Her
hand ran up to his face to rest on his cheek. As she gazed at him, he
lowered his head until his lips were brushing hers. Then he moved
away, leaving a kiss on her cheek.

BOOK: Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance
7.11Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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