Heart of a Devil

by Morgan James

  For the next hour and a half, I kept an eye on the sliding door, watching for the slightest movement inside the house that would indicate Jana was up and about. Finally, around nine o'clock, a tiny shadow passed in front of the door as she made her way to the kitchen. I hopped up from the stretch I was doing and hustled toward the house. I wanted to catch her where she had no escape, no choice but to listen to me.

  My gaze zeroed in on her as soon as I stepped inside, and there was no mistaking the tense set of her shoulders. She kept her eyes cast downward, ignoring me completely as she grabbed a water bottle, then made to leave the room. I set one hand on the counter, effectively blocking her escape. Every muscle in her body went completely rigid, and though she refused to look at me, I heard her swallow hard.

  “Jana.” Her eyes lifted to my chest, and she stared straight ahead. I’d take it; it was better than nothing. “I need to apologize.”

  I hadn’t meant to put it so bluntly, but the second the words were out, her gaze snapped to mine. The pretty blue irises, normally so full of life and warmth, were cold and hard. “You need to or want to?”

  Damn. The girl wasn’t pulling any punches this morning, was she? “Both,” I admitted. “You were absolutely right. I've been an ass about this whole thing.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn't say a word. I forced myself to continue. “This, all of this, is new to me. Being a bodyguard, having a—” The word wife sprang to my lips, and I clamped my mouth shut to keep it from flying out. I started over. “It's not a good excuse, but it's the only one I've got. I've been trying to keep you safe, trying to follow the rules, but it's only made things worse. There's no reason you shouldn't learn to defend yourself.”

  “There's not?”

  “No,” I said firmly. Jana was gorgeous and talented, no question about it. But what I admired most was her strength and resilience. I was sure it had taken balls of steel—or whatever the female equivalent was—to ask me for help to pull this off. She was independent and headstrong, and I knew she would never relinquish her freedom, even in the face of danger. She wanted to ensnare her stalker, wanted to learn to protect herself. And I respected the hell out of that. “I'll show you what you need to know. Tell me what you want to do, and I'll do my best to make it happen.”

  For several long seconds, she eyed me like she couldn't believe a word she’d heard. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I'm tired of fighting.” I dropped both hands to my sides. “I just want to get through the next week and a half without hating each other.”

  Two little lines appeared in the space over her nose. “I don't hate you,” she said softly.

  “I don't hate you,” I admitted. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “I still can't guarantee that we’ll be able to go out much, but I don't want to spend the next ten days cooped up in the house.”

  A delicate shudder shook her body. “Me, either. I'm starting to go crazy.”

  I cracked a small smile. “What would you like to do?”

  “Honestly?” Her eyes darted out the window toward the ocean. “I'd like to go back to the beach. I would love to see it first thing when the sun comes up, go for an early morning run when it's peaceful and quiet.”

  “Tomorrow,” I promised. “We’ll go down to the beach in the mornings when there are fewer people out.”

  Blue eyes filled with caution blinked up at me. “Really?”

  “I promise,” I replied. “Let's just try to enjoy the time we have left here, okay?”

  Her lips slowly lifted, curling into the prettiest smile I'd ever seen. “Okay.”

  I knew it was going to cost me every shred of sanity and control I harbored within me, but seeing her smile like that was totally worth every bit of it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jana

  Something tugged on my foot, and I kicked it away, snuggling back into my pillow and yanking the covers up to my chin.

  “Come on, sleeping beauty. Up and at ’em.”

  I cracked my eyes open, but the room was still dim in the early morning light. The shaking of my foot resumed.

  “Come on, trouble. Time to get your lazy butt up.”

  With a growl, I bolted upright to face Vince. “What the hell do you want?” I snarled.

  A grin slowly spread over his face as he folded his arms across his broad chest. “You said you wanted to go for a run at sunrise. Here’s your chance.”

  I glanced at the clock. “We still have another hour.”

  “Not if you want to see the best part,” he said, dropping his arms to his sides. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five.”

  “Ten,” I countered with a yawn as I flopped back to the warm sheets.

  “Jana...”

  I screeched as his fingers tickled across the bottom of my foot, and I yanked it away. I glared at him, but he just smiled. “Five minutes, trouble, and not a second longer.”

  With that, he sauntered out of the room. I couldn’t muster the ability to form a retort, and my mind was still blurry, moving too slowly to find the nearest object to throw at him. I swore the man got off on torturing me. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, I reluctantly crawled from the bed. I made my way to the bathroom first, where I relieved myself, then splashed some water on my face to help wake me up.

  Vince lounged against the wall of the narrow hallway as I exited the bathroom, bringing me up short. He threw a glance at his watch before meeting my gaze again. “Two minutes.”

  A low chuckle met my ears as I flipped him off, then headed back to the bedroom. My body was still half asleep, but I somehow managed to wrangle myself into a sport bra and a pair of yoga shorts.

  “Jana...” Vince’s voice floated from the living room as I tugged on a pair of socks.

  “I’m coming!” I yelled. I shoved my feet into sneakers, then stomped out to the dining room where Vince waited not so patiently by the patio door.

  “Took you long enough.”

  “Have I told you recently how much I despise you?” I asked as I stepped outside. The cool morning air assaulted me, and I shivered.

  “You’re such a gem when you first wake up. Is that where your stage name came from?” I didn’t spare him a glance, but I could hear the smile in his voice. We cut across the back yard, then exited onto the soft sand of the beach. “Let’s walk for a minute,” he suggested as he closed the gate behind us then fell into step next to me.

  I smothered another yawn as we reached the water’s edge, and I did a few quick stretches as I looked up and down the nearly empty beach.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  “Back to bed.”

  Vince rolled his eyes and gave a quick tug to my ponytail. “The pier it is.” Without another word, he turned and lurched into a long, loping stride.

  “Hey!” I called to his back as I took off after him. “Asshole.” I caught up to him within just a few seconds, and we fell into an easy rhythm as he shortened his stride to match mine. A cool breeze blew in over the ocean, and goosebumps raced down my arms and over my stomach. “Damn, it’s cold out right now.”

  Vince nodded toward the horizon, which was just beginning to lighten with the first orange rays of sunrise. “It’ll warm up quick as soon as the sun comes out. By then, you’ll be thankful for the breeze.”

  The sand beneath my feet was packed tightly by the tide that had come in early this morning, but it still offered a resistance I wasn’t used to, and after a few minutes, my leg muscles began to burn. I was grateful when we finally rounded the end of the island and reached the pier. “Can we take a break?” I panted.

  Vince smirked at me. “Are you tired already?”

  My eyes swept over him. He looked as fresh as if he’d just stepped out of the shower, no sign of exertion or perspiration anywhere. “Shut up,” I grumbled. “Let’s walk the pier, then we can head back.”

  By the time we reached the end of the pier, the sun had lifted fully over the horizon, its
reflection dancing in the rippling waves below. I stared out at the water, looking so dark and deep. On the surface, it looked so calm, but so many dangers lurked beneath. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of this view.”

  “Me, either.” Vince’s voice came from behind me, and I turned. His gaze was fixed on me, and I faltered for a moment. Was he talking about the water, or... me? My heart leaped at the thought of him referring to me as beautiful, but reality came crashing down again just as quickly.

  Heat crept up my cheeks, and I redirected my gaze back over the midnight blue water, terrified that I was reading too much into things. I was just a job to him, nothing more. Even saying that we were becoming friends would be a stretch. We were roommates for a limited time, two people making the best of a bad situation.

  A dull ache took up residence in the region of my heart, and I forced it down as I turned back to Vince. “Ready to head back?”

  He lifted his chin at me. “Whenever you are.”

  We were silent as we headed down the pier, then stepped into the soft sand. Conversation halted as we fell into a jog on the way back to the house. About a hundred yards from the gate, Vince turned to me, a challenging glint in his eyes. “Race you.”

  Not one to be outdone, I shoved him away then sprinted forward as fast as I could. Within seconds, he was by my side and already starting to take the lead. I growled, pumping my arms faster, willing my feet to dig into the stand and propel me forward. Vince reached the gate first, his fingers brushing the hard plastic a second before mine.

  “I win.” He turned to me with a smug smile as he held the gate open and waited for me to precede him inside.

  “Only because your arms are longer,” I shot back. My legs felt like jelly, and I wobbled around the pool before collapsing into a chaise lounge facedown. “I feel like I’m dying. Just leave me here.”

  A throaty chuckle filtered over my shoulder. “I’ll get breakfast going. Come on in whenever you’re done being lazy.”

  I jumped as he swatted the back of my thigh, and a tiny smile curled my mouth. He could be such a jerk sometimes, but I was incredibly thankful that he was trying so hard to be nice. After our rough beginning, it meant a lot. Once I’d caught my breath, I hauled myself up from the lounge chair, then made my way inside on still-shaky legs to take a quick shower. By the time I got out, the smell of toast and bacon tickled my nose, drawing me toward the kitchen.

  A country station played from somewhere—probably Vince’s phone since I hadn’t seen a radio—and the smooth baritone voice drew me like a moth to light. Who was that? The song was a popular one, but I was certain I’d never heard the man before. It was odd, because I knew, at least by voice, most of the singers in the industry.

  I stopped dead in my tracks at the end of the hallway, and my eyes scanned the room. Vince stood at the counter with his back to me, concentrating on whatever he was chopping on the cutting board in front of him. The sound of the knife hitting wood mingled with his sexy voice as he crooned along to the lyrics. I felt blindsided, completely taken aback. He was good. No, he was better than good—he was incredible.

  “You said you couldn’t sing,” I accused from my place just outside the kitchen.

  Muscles that he hadn’t bothered to cover up with a shirt tensed for a moment, then relaxed. “Never said I couldn’t sing,” he corrected. “I said I don’t.”

  “Why the hell not?” I snapped as I stepped up beside him.

  “Because I don’t want to,” came his reply.

  I slapped a hand on the counter next to the cutting board. “That’s not an answer. You’re really good.”

  He lifted one shoulder as if it didn’t make a difference in the world. “Don’t like to sing in front of people.”

  I thought about that for a second, and about the stage fright I battled for years. “Someone could help you with that. There’s—”

  “No.” His response was swift and abrupt. “Not singing.”

  God, the man was exasperating. “I don’t understand. Why won’t you at least try?”

  Even from off to the side, I could see him roll his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure the guys would have a field day with that shit.”

  And suddenly the lightbulb came on. He didn’t have stage fright—he was afraid of what his friends would say. I was affronted on his behalf. No way would anyone ever make fun of him, especially not someone he called a friend.

  The song he’d been singing ended, rolling into a new one—a duet. An idea sprang to life. “Sing with me.”

  He threw a bewildered look at me. “Didn’t we just discuss this?”

  “Yeah.” I hopped up on the counter next to where he was working. “But this is me.”

  “’Cuz that makes it better.” He rolled his eyes.

  Instead of replying, I started singing along with the female part. Vince turned to face me, and our eyes locked. The words flowed from my tongue, and I felt like I was singing to him. A warm sensation swept over me, catching me off guard. Desire. After our argument I’d pushed my true feelings for him down deep, but now they came flaring to life once more.

  Vince gave a little shake of his head but didn’t look away. “How do you expect me to compete with you?”

  “Just sing,” I replied before picking up the lyrics again as it launched into the chorus.

  Looking torn and more self-conscious than I’d ever seen him, Vince picked up the male part. Quiet at first, he grew bolder, his voice blending harmoniously with mine as we finished out the song together. I drew out the last note and grinned at Vince. He smiled back, a lightness entering his eyes, and I hopped down.

  “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I gently hip-checked him, and he chuckled.

  “No, trouble. Not so bad.”

  “Good.” I pointed to the pan. “Now finish making me breakfast so you can show me some moves.”

  One dark eyebrow ratcheted toward his hairline. “Bossy little thing, aren’t you?”

  I grinned. “That shouldn’t be news to you.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Get out of my kitchen and go sit.”

  Turning toward the small dining table, I jumped and let out a shriek when the slotted spatula he’d been holding connected with my butt. I threw my hands over both cheeks to cover them as I whipped toward him. “Hey!”

  He used the spatula to point at me. “You deserved that for making me sing.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Still don’t regret it. Now”—I made a chopping motion with hand—”chop-chop.”

  I jumped out of the way with a laugh as Vince swatted at me with the spatula again. “Woman, I swear...” He trailed off, and I grinned at the exasperation tingeing his voice. I could definitely get used to this playful side of him.

  Two hours later, sweat poured down my temples as “If you’re ever out in public and fear for your life, yell ‘fire’ instead of ‘help.’ People are more likely to come running.”

  I lifted a brow at him. “Um... why?”

  “People instinctively hesitate to put their own lives in jeopardy. They hear the word help and fear the worst—that they’ll be shot or kidnapped along with the person in trouble. Fire, by comparison, doesn’t hold the same threat.”

  “Well, that’s fucked up.”

  “Sad, but true.” Vince shrugged, then moved into position once more. “Ready?”

  I took a deep breath and swallowed. “Go.”

  Facing me, he wrapped both hands around my neck in a choke hold. I took a huge step backward, bending at the waist and ducking my head, putting pressure on his thumbs and breaking his hold. I quickly slipped under his arm and spun away from him, out of reach of his grasping hands. Once I was free, I jogged a few steps away, then turned to look at him, breathing heavily.

  “Nice job. That’s enough for today. We’ll come back to it tomorrow.” He shot me a grin. “You’re doing well.”

  “Thanks.” I offered him a little smile and shook out my limbs. “I had no idea how har
d this would be. You make it look so easy.”

  “It takes a lot of time and practice to master some of the more advanced moves.” He held the door for me as we stepped into the welcome air conditioning of the house. “I’ll be teaching a variety of different classes for QSG if you want to keep learning or hone your skills.”

  My steps faltered as I strode toward the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Could I still see Vince after all of this was over? Maybe the better question was, how could I not?

  I nodded slowly. “I might have to do that.”

  Because seeing him, even in a strictly professional capacity, was better than not seeing him at all.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Vince

  Jana stood in the open doorway of the fridge, peering inside as if hoping that something different would magically appear.

  I smiled at the look of abject dismay on her face. “What’s for dinner, trouble?”

  She threw a look over her shoulder. “Chicken or... chicken.”

  I didn’t know if she’d intentionally used the line from one of my favorite movies or not, but it made me smile nonetheless. It was something I’d found myself doing more and more often in Jana’s presence. Over the past couple of days, we’d settled into a rhythm of sorts. Our argument the other night seemed to clear the air and, ever since then, things had been better than ever. I still regretted what I’d said, especially now that I was getting to know her better. There were so many facets to Jana I didn’t think I’d ever discover all of them. I was finding new things each day that I liked about her, more things that we had in common. It was dangerous territory, and one I’d promised myself—repeatedly—that I wouldn’t venture into.

  It was getting harder and harder not to admit my attraction to her. We spent hours together each day, almost like a real couple. Except... not. Nothing about this was normal. We were carrying on a temporary marriage to keep her safe—which was my number one priority. Fact was, she was my principle—the person I’d been charged to watch over and keep from harm. I couldn’t do that if I was constantly distracted by my feelings for her.