by Brook Wilder
“Get in the house,” he responded. “Fox, please remain here. Get to know my daughter. She is not normally this… Well, this way.”
I crossed my arms over my chest as Bryan moved away, doing exactly what my father commanded. Bryan would do anything to make my father happy, including looking like a pussy in front of other men.
The older man turned away as well, but not before he clapped a hand on this Fox’s shoulder.
“I’ll be waiting inside for you.”
“I’ll be there shortly,” Fox responded, his eyes still on me.
Suddenly I felt naked under his intense gaze, wishing that I hadn’t thrown my robe into the pool. It was the way he was watching me – not leering but more calculated – that had goosebumps trailing down my spine and spreading over my arms.
“Be nice to him,” my father warned as he turned to go. “Or I will cancel your wedding.”
“Of course,” I smiled sweetly.
That had not been the first time he had threatened such. When I had pitched a fit about the bodyguard, he had said the same thing, sending my mother into a hysterical fit at the thought. I was upset for a completely different reason, seeing my inheritance grow steadily out of my reach. I couldn’t allow it to happen. I was so close to being free, so close from driving my own life for once that I couldn’t take any chances.
“Thank you, papa.”
He didn’t look like he believed me, but he walked away regardless, leaving me with my new bodyguard.
I drew in a breath and faced him, my eyes roving over his body.
“You like what you see, Princess?”
I jerked my eyes to his face, seeing a hint of humor in his eyes.
“Watch what you say to me.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly unfazed by my threat.
“I take my orders from your father, not you.”
I didn’t like his tone.
“He will listen to me if I press the issue, you know.”
“Like just a minute ago?” he asked, snorting. “Face it. We are stuck together until you get married. I plan on keeping you alive until then.”
“Should I thank you now or on my wedding day?” I asked sarcastically, riled by the fact he wasn’t fazed by my name or the glamorous wealth that was around him.
“Later,” he finally said, his eyes on mine. “I’m Fox.”
I snorted.
“Is that your real name?”
“It’s the one you will call me by,” he answered, all humor leaving his expression. “If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. I’m in charge here, Princess, not you.”
I let out a laugh. Clearly, he needed to be put in his place. I walked toward him, adding an extra sway in my hips. Every man was the same. A beautiful woman could charm the pants off them if they used the right words, the right movements of their bodies. I had perfected my own charm over the years, using it to get what I wanted, and never had any issues doing so.
Mr. Fox wasn’t going to know what hit him.
His eyes hardened as I drew closer, and I could see that, in fact, he was handsome up close, in a Prince Harry sort of way. My lower half stirred with need, and I squashed it down. I wasn’t about to go that route.
Yet.
I reached out with my hand, intending to touch him, but he grabbed it, holding it firmly away from him.
“I don’t know what you are doing,” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “But it won’t work on me, alright? I’m here to do a job, and I don’t like being played with.”
I laughed huskily, surprised by the strength in his grip.
“Are you so sure about that Fox? Everyone likes to be played with.”
He let go of my hand, taking a few steps back.
“Who are your enemies?”
The moment passed. I drew in an unsteady breath.
“I have tons of enemies, don’t you know?”
He arched a brow.
“You do?”
I nodded, pasting on my fake smile so he wouldn’t see the sudden hurt in my eyes.
“Of course. I am a rich bitch with a rocking body and a fat diamond on my finger. Who wouldn’t want to be me?”
He looked at me for a moment.
“That sounds lonely.”
I blinked, hating the way it sounded to my ears. I wasn’t lonely. I had everything I could possibly want or need, except my own freedom. All I had to do was survive this next two months, then I would have that as well.
No, he was wrong.
Keeping my smile, I waved my fingers at him.
“I’ll see you later, bodyguard. I do hope my dear father is paying you well, because you are going to need it.”
“We will see,” he answered softly as I made my way to the pool, diving in without a second thought.
The water hit me like a warm bath, pulling on my top as I forced myself to the bottom to gather myself. I wanted to scream and stomp my feet about having him as my bodyguard, not liking the way he could give it back to me as easily as I could dish it out.
I didn’t like the way I was suddenly attracted to him.
It was the rapid beating of my heart, the way my body got going with just a look from him, that had me worried. A man like that… He could be dangerous, and I was so close to having everything I wanted in my life, everything I knew I needed.
I couldn’t afford any distractions.
Kicking to the surface, I broke through, the water dripping off my lashes as I looked around to see if he was watching.
But Fox was gone.
**
Later that night, I curled my legs under myself as I stared out of the window, watching the rain slide down the beveled glass. I was back in my own bedroom, the bedsheets stripped of any sort of reminder of what had transpired in here the night before. As a precaution, my father had ordered the house to be searched every night by the on-site security, and I had watched with a sort of anger setting in as the men pawed through my things.
I was not going to live my life in fear.
And now, in the silence of my own suite, I wondered why I was being targeted. I had no money, not yet, and had nothing that anyone would want. I had very little pull over my father, and Bryan wasn’t as far as I knew into anything illegal whereby someone might want to use me as some sort of pawn.
Even my father had stated that it didn’t make any sense.
And Fox’s words… They stuck with me well after he had left. I wasn’t lonely. I didn’t need anyone. All my life I had done everything that my parents had wanted, that they had expected from me, and now all I wanted to do was be left alone.
I wanted freedom, and if that meant being by myself, then so be it. After all, I had been by myself most of my life, surrounded by people who didn’t care if I was there or not. I had been the person in the background, the bright smile that won people over but never truly had them looking below the surface.
That was who I was. A person who lived on the surface, hiding the rest of me from the world.
Blowing out a breath, I thought about my bodyguard. What kind of man would take such a weird job? Of course, I had searched for him on the internet, finding out that he was the second-in-command of the Grim Legion. He could have assigned this to anyone in his little motorcycle club, yet he was taking it on himself.
It meant he needed the money.
I hated to admit the fact that he was intriguing. He had been in my presence for less than an hour, and I was already looking forward to tomorrow, to pushing his buttons and seeing what I could do before he snapped. It was wrong, but he was new blood in my midst, and I was in the mood to drive someone crazy.
A smile curved on my lips as I thought about what I was going to do with him the next day. Clearly, he thought I was a simpering girl who was just going to roll over at the sound of his voice.
Well he hadn’t ever come across me before.
Fox Lawrence was going to wish he had never taken this job in the fi
rst place.
Chapter 4
Fox
I turned the beer on the table, making a ring of condensation on the wood as I did so. My house was silent and dark, and I should have been in bed, but I couldn’t shut my body down just yet. After we had left the mansion, Jack and I had resumed our normal night, but my thoughts had strayed more than once to the woman I would be watching out for, starting the next day. Nataliya Zebrovskaya was a woman with many different looks about her, and I wasn’t just thinking about her body.
I had seen the way she had looked at her fiancé, the anger in her eyes when he had tried to control her. Surprisingly, she wasn’t no simpering female, but someone caged and waiting to explode. What was her story? Why did she hide who she was?
She was something special, and I imagined not many people knew the real Nataliya.
Picking up the beer, I took a long draw, a grin on my face. Of course, I would have to be a blind man to not have noticed her rocking body in that tiny bikini, my cock jumping to attention as she had swayed near me. Her breasts were large handfuls, begging for attention, her hips perfect for holding on to. She was taller than I had expected as well, coming up to my shoulder easily.
And she knew what to do with her body too. The smile had been familiar, the movements pissing me off more than turning me on. I didn’t care for women who could manipulate a man with the sway of their hips. I liked the women who were real, the ones that could show their emotions, good or bad. I never wanted anyone to manipulate me, mainly because I had been one of those men in the past and had been burned by someone who I thought had loved me. I had felt that pain, understood that anger, and had come out damaged. I hadn’t listened to anyone, turned by a beautiful smile and a whispered promise, and I had wasted my time and effort because of it.
Never again.
Shaking out of those thoughts, I finished off the beer, wondering what would be in store for me the next day. For that money, I could deal with nearly anything that Nataliya threw at me, and I wasn’t going to let her run all over me. ‘Princess’ pissed her off, so I would be using it more than I had intended. She clearly didn’t like to be talked back to, and I was going to push her buttons just as much as she would likely push mine.
It was going to be a battle of wits, and I was looking forward to the war.
I stood and threw the bottle in the trash, making my way to the bedroom. I was going to keep her alive and collect my money the day she walked down the aisle to the asshole she was marrying. That was the charge, and that was all that would matter to me. Nataliya could try whatever she wanted on me, but I was going to resist her.
I wasn’t interested in a woman like her, a cool manipulating woman, who played with men like they were some sort of fucking game.
No, she had another thing coming.
**
The next day, I drove my motorcycle up to the house and shut off the engine, glad it wasn’t still raining. My truck, a piece of shit that I had bought from the junkyard, had a dead battery, and with the weather fair on most days, my motorcycle had been my mode of transportation.
I did, though, remove my hat, stowing it in my saddlebags before walking up to the door. The chimes from the doorbell had barely died before the door was flung open and Nataliya stood in the doorway.
“It’s about time you got here.”
I arched a brow.
“It’s eight in the morning. What did you expect?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, giving me a once over.
“Seriously? Is grimy clothes all you have?”
I looked down at my jeans and t-shirt, my normal attire for the day.
“What’s wrong with what I have on?”
She let out a sound.
“Just come in. God, men are ridiculous.”
I chose to keep my mouth shut, stepping inside the mansion before sliding a glance over at her. She was dressed in jeans, which hugged her curves like a second skin, and a sleeveless top, her hair down around her shoulders in heavy curls. Surprisingly, she wore minimal makeup, her classic beauty shining through and I felt my cock jump to attention as my eyes fell on her luscious lips.
Damn.
“What?”
Realizing I was staring at her, I cleared my throat.
“What’s on the agenda for today?”
She eyed me.
“I want to go shopping.”
“No,” I answered immediately.
I had been anticipating something around the house, like swimming or watching TV. She was too vulnerable outside of the mansion.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Yes. I want to go shopping, and if you still want to do your job, you will follow me.”
I took a step closer to her.
“You need to stay here, where it’s safe.”
She let out a hollow laugh.
“Safe? I was threatened in my own house, remember? I’m no safer here than I am standing in the middle of the street.”
I clenched my jaw, knowing I had anticipated this with her.
“Ms. Zebrovskaya, I’m not trying to piss you off, but I was hired to keep you safe.”
Instead of responding, she grabbed her purse, slinging it over her shoulder.
“Come on. I don’t want to stand here and argue all day about it. You will realize I get my way, a lot.”
Then she looked over that same shoulder, giving me a hint of a smile.
“And you can call me ‘Nat’.”
I ran a hand over my hair as I followed her through the house, trying not to stare at her ass and failing each time. The gun tucked at the small of my back gave me some comfort that I could protect her outside the house, but it also meant I would have to be vigilant the entire time we were out.
Nat led me to the garage, where at least ten cars of various models sat gleaming under the bright lights. Nat selected a key from the peg-board before walking over to a sleek BMW.
“You’re driving?” I asked as she opened the driver’s side door.
She laughed.
“What did you think I was going to do? Hop on the back of your motorcycle?”
Well, not really. I hadn’t been planning on going anywhere.
She climbed in, and I did the same, watching as she pressed the engine button to start the car. The interior was top-of-the-line, the leather seat molding to my body in ways my truck seat would never do. Nat hit the button for the garage door, and we shot out of the garage, tearing down the street in a flash.
I had to admire the fact that she could handle the car very well, getting us to the highway with a series of expert turns, never letting her foot off the gas.
Hell, she looked like she was having fun.
I, on the other hand, was worried I might not make it out of this car alive with her behind the wheel. For a man who lived on the edge, riding a motorcycle more than I did anything else, she scared the hell out of me.
“Why are you doing this job?”
I looked over at her, finding her eyes on the road and her lips pursed. Why should I lie? She would find out soon enough.
“Because I need the money.”
She laughed, a little chuckle that showed me she appreciated my answer.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t lie about it. My father is paying you a nice sum to do this, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” I answered, feeling a bit awkward about having this conversation with her. “He only wants you safe.”
Nat turned the car toward the mall. “Yeah, well, I think he’s more pissed off that he can’t figure out who it is.”
Her tone was quiet, and I tried not to think too much into it.
“Why isn’t your fiancé protecting you?”
Nat pulled the car into a parking spot and shut off the engine, her dark eyes on me. Clearly, I had hit a button, though for any other woman, the answer would be fairly easy to answer. With Nat, I knew I wasn’t getting an easy answer. Her engagement to her asshole fiancé wasn’t a regular relationship.
<
br /> “Why all the personal questions, Fox? If you want to continue this line of questioning, then I’m not gonna answer any until you tell me what your real name is. How about that?”
I opened the door, suddenly angry at myself for caring. She was right. I shouldn’t be even attempting a conversation with her. I was her bodyguard, a hired hand, and – hell – I just wanted the money.