Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom (7 page)

The younger detective scratched his head. “No other rooms were hit. Miss Atwood said she doesn’t know of anyone who would have a grudge against her, but it certainly looks like someone may have been targeting her.”

Luke made sure the bedroom door was closed tightly before he pulled out his identification. “I’m a covert bodyguard. Miss Atwood’s father has retained protection for her in the wake of threats made against his family. She’s not aware of the security concern, and she doesn’t know I’ve been enlisted to watch over her.”

The officer in charge raised an eyebrow. “Well, that certainly sheds some light on the situation. Do you have any idea who’s behind the threats?”

“That’s still a gray area, I’m afraid. We believe her father’s ties to a reputed mob boss, Lawrence Mendacci, may have placed her in peril. Proving it and tracking down the person or persons Mendacci has hired to carry out his dirty work is the challenging part.”

“Mendacci is well known to us,” the older detective relayed. “He’s as slippery as they come. Every time we think we’ve gathered enough evidence to build a case against him, he squirms out of our grasp. He has a gift for slithering around in sewage and coming out smelling like a rose.”

“It’s Sentinels’ job to make sure he’s not so lucky this time,” Luke asserted. “We know Mendacci isn’t carrying out the attacks personally. If we can catch the middleman, we should be able to obtain the ammunition we need to nail him.”

“Good luck with that. We’ve been trying for years to get something substantial enough on Mendacci to put him behind bars.”

“Miss Atwood’s father, Philip Dimitriou, knows more than he’s saying, but so far he’s been reticent about giving us any information regarding the identity of the individual or individuals behind the threats against his family. Hearing about this attack may prompt him to be more forthcoming. I suggest you contact him.”

“I’ll get right on it,” the officer relayed. He paused then, as though he was uncertain if he should proceed. “I’m not questioning your professionalism, but do you think continuing to keep Miss Atwood in the dark is wise? This situation could escalate.”

“Covert protection is Sentinels’ specialty. We have a near perfect track record when it comes to keeping our clients safe. I can assure you I don’t intend to be the one to mar that record.”

Especially not when protecting this package is beginning to feel personal.

Despite his intentions to the contrary, he’d allowed Brianna to get under his skin. And that wouldn’t do. The romantic distraction was too dangerous. It was essential he stay focused on his mission, and that meant maintaining his emotional distance when it came to the woman he’d been assigned to guard.

He needed to do a better job of that than he’d done so far. He already had one strike against him in the emotional stakes.

The moment Marcus had left him alone with Brianna at dinner tonight, he’d let a part of his anatomy that wasn’t his brain dictate his actions. It hadn’t been pretty. He’d shown all the restraint of a randy teenager, practically propositioning her before dessert.

He realized he was lucky she’d shot down his advances. He’d had a narrow escape. Tonight’s attempted ambush was a reminder of the gravity of the assignment. He couldn’t afford to muck it up by allowing his focus to be splintered by lust.

The officers wrapped up their review of the blast area, assuring him they’d keep him abreast of any developments in the investigation. He escorted the men out, then joined Brianna back in the suite’s sitting area.

“How are you doing?” he asked, relieved to see some color flooding back into her cheeks.

“Would you stop hovering, already? I’m fine. How bad is the damage to the room?”

“It’s pretty nasty. The good news is it’s superficial rather than structural. The blast was designed more for the shock and awe factor than to cause major damage.”

“Well, it certainly made an impression.”

Seeing a shudder rock her, Luke slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. When she settled against his chest, rather than tug away from him as he’d half expected she would, he knew she must still be shaken up despite her assurances to the contrary. “Some end to the day, huh?”

“That’s an understatement. I had no idea this assignment was going to be so action-packed. I hope this is the last of the surprises.”

He would do everything in his power to ensure it was.

“Yeah. Me, too.”

“Did the police officers say if they had any idea who might have done this?”

“They mentioned there’d been a similar incident last month, at a café downtown. They think the attacks could be part of the initiation rites for a local gang. They’re confident they’ll be able to track down whoever’s responsible for the bombing.”

His conscience twinged at the lie, but there was no sense in alarming her just then. Ensuring the threats against her remained his worry, not hers, was still the best course of action. There was nothing to be gained by doing the full-disclosure bit at this early stage of the game. Revealing his mission and making her aware someone had painted a target on her back would only make his job more difficult if—like her brother—she decided to refuse Sentinels’ protection.

He had no intention of letting her out of his sight again for the remainder of this assignment. Fortunately, he now had the perfect excuse to stay close for the rest of the night, thanks to the hotel being booked solid. The manager had apologized profusely when he relayed the news that he didn’t have another room available to relocate Brianna to, but Luke had been relieved to hear it.

On the other hand, Brianna wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell her one bit.

“I’m afraid the hotel won’t be allowed to send a clean-up and repair crew in until the police finalize their investigation. I’ll help you get your stuff together. You’re going to have to room with me tonight.”

Brianna shook her head in adamant denial. “That is
so
not going to happen,” she retorted, her eyes flashing fire.

“The hotel is completely sold out. Sharing my room is the most logical solution. I’ll bunk on the sofa, and you can have my bed. You’ll be safe with me. Scout’s honor,” he grinned, calling his dimples into action.

She wanted to argue with him, but when he smiled at her like that, she became putty in his hands. She gave righteous indignation a halfhearted effort. “There’s no reason I can’t sleep right here, on this sofa.”

“Look around, Brianna,” he told her gently. “The room is trashed. Clearly, you can’t stay here.”

She had to concede he was right. The acrid smell of smoke hung in the air, and glass shards and debris littered the hallway between the bedroom and the ensuite bath.

But the thought of sharing
his
room shook her already-rattled composure worse than the explosion had. The blast would seem like a minor speed bump in comparison to spending a night in enforced proximity to that man. What if she couldn’t continue to stave off her growing attraction to him?

“And so what if you can’t?”
her impish little inner voice asked.
“Maybe it’s time to stop fighting the pull and surrender to it.”

The idea, once planted, quickly took root. The brandy she’d recently consumed had quelled the jitters that had made her shy away from Luke’s earlier advances at dinner. Maybe a no-holds-barred, no-strings-attached fling was
exactly
what she needed.

Time had given her the perspective she’d needed to realize she hadn’t really loved Peter. She’d simply been enamored with the idea of finding her very own happily ever after. Well, she was cured of that. She had no interest in treading that particular path again anytime in the near future. Or maybe ever.

But where in her relationship-avoidance plan was it written she had to give up the pleasure of a purely physical relationship? Sure, she’d kicked her foolish, romanticized ideas of white-picket fences and marital bliss to the curb when she’d stumbled across that totally unforgettable and unforgiveable scene a week shy of her wedding. Catching Peter and his business partner making love in her bedroom had effectively smashed her rose-colored glasses when it came to her happily-ever-after fantasy. But she was still a woman, and she still had needs. Who better to satisfy them than her soon-to-be roommate?

Love never needed to enter the equation. This time around, it would be all about unadulterated desire and satisfying physical compulsions. And Luke would be the perfect playmate.

“Okay,” she caved, flashing a smile that held more than just a touch of Mona-Lisa-ness. “I’ll get my things.”

Second thoughts didn’t begin showering down around her until she was alone with Luke in his suite.
Their
suite, now. Even though the room’s dimensions were the same as the one they’d left, the space felt smaller because she was hyperaware of his presence. Did she really have the bravado to seduce him?

Luke completely misinterpreted the reason for her discomfiture. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I promise I’m not the kind of guy who pounces on women like the Big Bad Wolf. I think it’s safe to say we’ve already determined that I can behave myself.”

Said the Big Bad Wolf himself,
she thought.

But the odd sensation thrumming through her veins wasn’t trepidation. She knew she had nothing to fear from this wolf’s huffing and puffing. It was all a smoke screen. The man behind it intrigued her. Attracted her.

And it was time to do something about it, before she lost her nerve again. Luke turned his back to her as he transformed the sofa into a makeshift bed, giving her an enticing view of his sexy derriere.

It’s definitely time to do some huffing and puffing of my own.

“But what if I’ve decided I don’t
want
you to behave?” she asked.

Luke froze in the middle of tucking a blanket in. As bull’s-eyes went, Brianna’s huskily murmured query was a doozy. She’d scored a direct hit on his libido. Before he could recover, she followed up with a second zinger.

The rasp of a zipper—her zipper—ricocheted through the silence. His head snapped up, and he turned to see her dress fall to the floor.

She hadn’t worn a bra beneath the garment, and she stood gloriously, unselfconsciously naked before him, save for a scrap of lace meant to pass for a thong. He promptly forgot to breathe.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he grated out through clenched teeth, fighting to tamp down the arousal raging through him.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” she queried in mock innocence. “I’m getting ready for bed.”

And then, with a seductive little shimmy, she crossed the line. She slipped the flirty bit of lace off her pert little behind, making it impossible for him to cling to the thin vestige of control he’d managed to salvage.

He should walk away, but his feet refused to cooperate with the rational part of his psyche. His brain was stalled on rapture, totally caught up in the vision before him. The moonlight streaming through the windows kissed her luscious curves, highlighting a masterpiece of enticing dips and valleys. She was every man’s fantasy in the flesh, and he couldn’t tear his eyes off her.

He was tough, but he wasn’t bulletproof. His feet moved of their own accord to close the distance between them. Running his hands down the silken softness of her arms, he reveled in the light contact before drawing her close.

Just one
taste,
he promised himself, mating his lips with hers.

But one taste wasn’t enough. After their lips parted, he returned to savor her again, greedily devouring her sweetness.

Brianna met and matched his hunger, purring her encouragement, urging him to take what he wanted. Her response only inflamed him, further fueling the fire. He was consumed by the need to seize what his body was demanding. He ached to sink into her and to feel her intoxicating heat clench around him as he claimed her as his own.

But he couldn’t. He was here to keep her safe, not to take advantage of her. With a frustrated groan, he pulled himself back from that dangerous precipice and stepped away from temptation.

“This can’t happen,” he ground out, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Of course it can,” she countered. “I want you. You want me. Like you said at dinner, it’s simple. You’re just overthinking things.”

“No. What I’m doing is respecting that ‘all business’ memorandum you issued earlier. There won’t be anything simple about this when you regret having thrown yourself at me tomorrow.”

“Who says I’ll regret it?” she tossed back saucily, closing the distance between them to press her breasts against the tantalizing heat of his chest.

He knew she had to be aware of his arousal; it was pressing hard and heavy against her thighs, betraying that he wasn’t as unaffected by her as he claimed to be. But when she moved to undo his belt buckle, he stilled her busy fingers.

“Someone needs to think rationally here. You’re not making that easy.”

She ignored his words, boldly locking her lips to his. He gave in to her sensual assault for a moment, losing himself in the sensation of her sweet, sexy mouth making love to his. He let her hold the advantage a few moments longer, then wrestled control of their sensual warfare away, taking charge again.

With a determined growl, he breached the barrier of her lips to wage a counterattack within the warm, welcoming recesses of her mouth. Their tongues dueled, sending an overwhelming wave of desire washing over him. He matched her passion and doubled it, making it clear this wasn’t a game anymore.

The realization brought his unchecked ardor into line in a millisecond.

What am I doing?

Brianna uttered a vehement mewl of protest when he pulled away as abruptly as he’d caved to temptation. “I can’t take what you’re offering,” he spit out in frustration.

Confusion swam through her beautiful blue eyes. “But I thought you wanted me?”

“I do!” Doing the honorable thing was killing him. No woman had ever affected him so deeply before. “God knows there’s nothing I want more than to take you to bed right now. But just a couple of hours ago, you were insisting you didn’t want there to be anything but business between us. This is just the shock of the blast and the brandy talking. I won’t take advantage of that. I’m going to go take a shower. You should get some rest.”