The Billionaire's Bodyguard Bride

by Weaver, Lisa

  Rafe shook his head in disbelief and turned to leave. “I don’t know how you can say that when I’ve forced you to stay here against your will.”

  Lauren made a desperate grab for Rafe and clung to his arm. She didn’t want her freedom. She wanted—needed—to be here with him. There was more than just his safety at stake now. Her heart was at stake as well. “You haven’t forced me. I’ve chosen to be with you. It’s what I want.” She paused, poised on the edge of a precipice, her heart beating a frantic tattoo in her chest. She needed to take the leap. Had to make him see that he was her world. “You’re what I want, Rafe. You’re my one bright light amidst all the insanity. I couldn’t bear it if you shut me out of your life again. I love you.”

  He shrugged away from her. “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do! I’ve loved you from the moment we met. When you ousted me from your life after the incident in Greece, I tried to convince myself I didn’t love you, but the truth is, I never stopped.”

  “You love me,” he repeated, his voice shaky. “I’ve been driving myself crazy these past few days not wanting to let you go but knowing I had to. It was the toughest decision I’ve ever faced because I love you, too.”

  Lauren fell into his arms, sobbing out her joy and relief. He loved her!

  “I want a fresh start with you. I’ll do things right, this time,” he whispered, hugging her to his chest. “I was worried you’d come to despise me for forcing you into this marriage. If I’d known it was work that was bothering you, I could have found a way to help. Don’t ever be afraid to tell me what’s going on in your life from now on. No more secrets, okay?”

  “No more secrets,” she repeated, forcing the affirmation past a throat tight with shame. But the words sounded hollow to her ears. No more secrets.

  Liz had encouraged her to tell Rafe the truth at any time, and this was that moment. She would make him see how vital it was that he accept protection. She would explain why his father had enlisted Sentinels’ services, and why she’d kept her part in it from him. He’d understand. He loved her.

  He told you he loved you in Greece and look what happened then, her doubting little inner voice taunted. She ignored it, knowing she had to come clean. “I have something I need to tell you.”

  “And I want to hear it,” he assured her, closing the distance between them in one long stride. “Later.”

  The bedroom was too far away. His desk was closer. With a swoop of his arm, he cleared it. Lifting her up, he settled her on the bare surface. And then there were no more words, just a firestorm of need.

  Undoing her blouse and unclasping the lacy wisp of a bra she wore, he rained kisses down her neck and across her breasts while his hands caressed her nipples until she was certain she’d implode from the incredible sensations he was engendering.

  He unzipped her skirt, letting it pool to the floor. Slipping her panties off, he settled his clever mouth at the very heart of her womanhood. Her tiny pants of pleasure blossomed into moans as he tantalized the sensitive folds there until she climaxed in an overwhelming maelstrom of sensation.

  “Your turn,” she breathed. Quickly divesting him of his clothing, she teased him with her lips and her fingers until he reached the breaking point.

  “No more,” he groaned. “You’re killing me.”

  “Will this help?” she asked in mock innocence, rolling a condom onto his hard shaft before positioning herself above him to take him in one amazingly slow slide.

  “You are amazing,” she murmured in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

  “You’re pretty impressive yourself,” he told her, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her up the stairs.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To find a softer surface.”

  “We really have to talk,” she moaned in halfhearted protest as he set her down on his bed, covering her body with his.

  “We’ll talk soon, I promise, but I have a more urgent matter commanding my attention at the moment.”

  “Can we talk now?” she asked, after they’d paid homage to each other’s bodies once more. The sheet slipped as she sat up, and she felt the heat of Rafe’s gaze as his eyes devoured her.

  “You have my undivided attention.”

  “I have something to tell you, and it isn’t easy to explain, so I need you to promise that you won’t jump to conclusions before you hear the whole story.”

  The ringing of this cell phone intruded, but Rafe let the call go to voice mail, focusing completely on what she was about to say.

  Mere seconds later, the phone rang again.

  “It’s okay,” Lauren told him. “Take the call. It could be important.”

  “Possibly. I don’t recognize the number. I’ll take the call from my study in case I need to access my laptop. I’ll be right back,” he promised.

  “What do you want, Payne?” Rafe queried abruptly, upon hearing Milton’s voice at the other end of the phone line.

  “I thought you should know you’re being played again. You have a less than stellar track record when it comes to picking women, don’t you, Dimitriou?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Why, your gorgeous new bride, of course. She’s been keeping you in the dark about her career.”

  “Have you been drinking, Payne? I’m well aware my wife is a freelance photojournalist.”

  “That isn’t her only vocation. I’m e-mailing proof to you now. Check your in-box.”

  Rafe strode to his computer and keyed into his e-mail. Fingers trembling in rage at Payne’s audacity in targeting Lauren, he selected the message and opened the attachment. His brow furrowed as the image appeared on the screen. Lauren and a tall, athletically built man stared back at him from the photograph. Lauren’s head was pressed up against the man’s, and they appeared to be deep in conversation, intent on each other. Jealousy flared. They looked, he thought, like a couple.

  “Is this some kind of joke?” he barked.

  “It’s not a joke. I saw the two of them looking rather chummy at the Fullertons’ gala. It made me curious, so I snapped a picture and had a friend of mine do some digging. It took a while, but eventually he was able to turn up their connection. The man in the photo is Lauren’s coworker. They’re employed by a security agency that provides protection for an elite clientele. Clientele like you.”

  “That’s absurd! I don’t believe you. We both know your track record when it comes to honesty.”

  “Well if you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask your lovely wife?” Milton suggested before abruptly disconnecting the call.

  After taking a moment to get his temper under control, Rafe sent the file to the printer. Snatching it up as soon as the machine spit it out, he returned to the bedroom. Milton was a liar and a thief. He was certain Lauren would have a simple explanation for the photo.

  “Who is this man?” he asked, handing her the photo.

  Her hand shook as she took the printout. “Where did you get this?”

  “Milton sent it. That was him on the phone. He called to spew some nonsense about your being a security specialist.”

  He watched her complexion turn as white as the sheet she was wrapped in. “Actually, it’s true,” she stammered, the beseeching look in her eyes begging him to understand. “It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Frank is a fellow bodyguard. We were working the gala together to protect you.”

  Her confirmation of Milton’s outlandish allegation sent fury galloping through his veins. Plowing his fingers through his hair, he began to pace. “So then this,” he said, gesturing wildly as his anger reached a flash point, erupting like a volcano, “. . . this has all just been a way for you to keep an eye on me? You agreed to marry me so you could babysit me?”

  “At first, yes. But not now. There was a credible threat against you, and you refused your father’s security detail. When your father took matters into his own hands and contacted Sentinels to arrange for your protection, I asked for
the assignment.”

  “And what, you decided to throw in a little extra with the service? Or is sleeping with the client’s son standard operating procedure?”

  “No!” Lauren countered vehemently. “It wasn’t like that, Rafe, and you know it. I’ll admit that initially I agreed to your bargain because doing so made it possible for Sentinels to guard you more effectively. But things changed. What I feel for you is real. You have to believe me! I only lied to you to protect you.”

  Rafe’s disparaging glare scorched her. His anger was palpable as she searched his face for some ray of hope she could grasp on to. She found nothing but an icy blast of resentment and distrust.

  She couldn’t blame him. This time he was totally justified in cutting her out of his life. She’d watched the play of emotions—disappointment, anger, and worst of all hurt—sweep across his face at her revelation. When his handsome features settled into harsh planes of fury, shutting her out, she knew her life was about to implode before he uttered a single word in response. It was a déjà vu of Greece, and seeing the anguish in his eyes was like having her heart cut from her chest.

  She’d sworn she wouldn’t put herself in this place again, but here she was, her heart bleeding and her soul ravaged. How would she ever recover from losing him again? She could make excuses until she exhausted an entire book of them, but there was no way she could ever rationalize the way she’d abused his trust. She should have been completely honest with him from the start. There would be no forgiveness this time; no going back.

  She tried anyway, because he was the only man on earth who mattered to her. Struggling to hold back a tide of tears as the scalding hot lava of his disappointment blistered her heart and soul, she struggled to explain. “My work as a freelance photojournalist is just a cover for my bodyguard duties. Sometimes, in special circumstances, Sentinels assists other agencies like the CIA. That’s what I was doing when I met you in Greece.”

  “So you’re telling me you were helping the government when you took that photo of my father?”

  Lauren nodded. “We were protecting a client.”

  “Is there anything else you’ve hidden from me,” he snarled in disgust. “Any other secrets you’d care to share?”

  “There’s something you should know about your father,” she began.

  “Don’t even go there,” he warned, sparks of fury flashing from the midnight blue depths of his eyes. “You’re unbelievable. Get out!”

  His rejection hurt like hell, but she welcomed the pain. The ache would help her focus on the job she had to see through. Keeping Rafe in one piece until Sentinels could capture whoever was behind the threat to him and his family was paramount. Brushing away an errant tear, she composed a quick text message to Liz to apprise her of the situation.

  She had a reply moments later. “My replacement is on the way,” she informed Rafe. “I’ll leave as soon as he gets here.”

  “Your replacement can leave right along with you. I don’t need anyone to babysit me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “Under normal circumstances, yes, but you have no idea of the resources these people have and the lengths they’ll go to attain their goal. This isn’t just about you. If you don’t let us do the job we’ve been tasked with, you’ll be putting your father and your sister in jeopardy. Our intelligence tells us that the man behind these attacks plans on using you to get to your father.”

  “I’m willing to chance it.”

  “That’s not your call to make. If you have a problem with the status quo, you’ll have to talk to your father about it. He hired us, and until we get word from Philip that he’s pulling our services, Sentinels is your shadow. This is so much bigger than you could ever fathom.”

  “What this is, is unreal,” he raved.

  “You want real? How about the hit-and-run that took your friend’s life, for starters? It wasn’t an accident, Rafe. It was a message to your father from Lawrence Mendacci.”

  “The man in the photograph you took? How many times do I have to tell you my father’s only involvement with him was selling him a stallion?”

  “I’m sorry Rafe, but that’s not the extent of it.”

  “Enough! I don’t want to hear it.”

  “You need to. You need to know the reckless motorist that nearly ran us off the road the night after the hospital benefit knew exactly what he was doing. He was gunning for you. The night the tree fell at the Fullertons’ estate, he had breached the grounds and was making a second attempt. He aborted his mission when Fullerton’s security got in his way. We aren’t dealing with a little neighborhood street gang playing games, Rafe. This is an all-out Mafia war. Don’t let pride be the reason you’re attending your father’s or your sister’s funeral.”

  The intercom at the gate sounded, interrupting her passionate rant. Checking the security cameras, Lauren recognized the black corvette as Frank’s. She zoomed in on the interior of the car to confirm he was driving and that there were no other passengers in the vehicle.

  “It’s okay. Buzz him in,” she instructed Rafe.

  He reluctantly complied, his face a stony mask.

  The concern evident in the bodyguard’s greeting when Lauren opened the door to him grated on Rafe’s nerves. He wasn’t jealous, he told himself as he watched the guy hug Lauren. He no longer cared what Lauren did or who she did it with as long as she walked out of his life and didn’t look back. So why did the sight of the two of them, so obviously comfortable together, make him want to tear the other man limb from limb? If he didn’t take his hands off her, he was likely to do just that.

  “Okay,” he bit out. “Your replacement is here. Now get your stuff and leave.”

  She nodded. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  He refused to acknowledge her when she returned with her suitcases. The hurt in her eyes when she left was nearly his undoing.

  Although Frank knew Lauren would have given the house a thorough once over, he began a second sweep as a precaution.

  “What are you doing?” Rafe demanded.

  It was on the tip of Frank’s tongue to tell Mr. Suave and Sophisticated that he was checking the latches on the windows to keep his hands busy so he wouldn’t be tempted to tear into him for the way he’d hurt Lauren.

  “I’m keeping you secure. It’s my job, remember? This isn’t a drill, Mr. Dimitriou. There have been two attempts on your life already. Sentinels thwarted them, but the person responsible is still at large. Make no mistake, he’ll try again.”

  “I don’t need a nanny,” Rafe growled, unleashing his pent-up anger on the only target available. Opening the front door, he motioned the bodyguard out. “I want you to leave.”

  Frank brushed past him and closed the door. “That’s not happening.”

  “Apparently you’re not hearing me. I said I don’t need your services.” Grabbing the bodyguard’s arm, Rafe pushed him towards the door. When Frank shrugged him off, Rafe’s anger erupted and he let his fists fly.

  Both men landed blows in the heated scuffle that ensued, but the brawl ended when Frank pinned Rafe to the wall. “Playtime’s over,” the bodyguard bit out. “I let you blow off some steam, but taking your anger out on me isn’t going to fix your issue with Lauren. I promised her that I would keep you safe, and whether you like it or not, that’s what I plan to do.”

  Rafe wiped blood from his lip and blew out an angry breath. “You and Lauren seem close. Have you slept with her?”

  Frank twisted Rafe’s arm with a little more force than was necessary. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask such an idiotic question. Lauren risked her neck to protect you. She did it because it was her job, but she also did it because she loves you.”

  “I don’t want protection, and certainly not from Lauren. If I had known what was going on—that she was putting her life on the line for me every day of our marriage—I would never have allowed it.”

  “And that’s exactly why she didn’t tell you. She knew yo
u’d refuse. She also knew you were in grave danger. She asked to be assigned to your protection detail. Now if you can keep all that righteous indignation at a low boil, I’ll release you. Think you can do that?”

  Rafe nodded, his anger spent and his heart splintered.

  “I understand why you don’t want anyone watching out for you,” Frank sighed, dropping his hold to massage his bruised jaw. “I get that. But in this instance, going solo is not a smart move. That pride of yours is going to get someone killed. This isn’t only about you. There are other lives at stake. If you won’t cooperate for your own sake, do it for your father and your sister. Let us carry out the job your father hired us to do.”

  “I’m not going to stand by and watch someone put their life on the line for me.”

  Frank shook his head in frustration. “I saw the file on your friend, and I’m truly sorry for what happened to him. But protecting others is what he chose to do. He knew the hazards.”

  “I can handle this on my own.”

  “Maybe for a while. But Mendacci isn’t a saint. Men like him don’t care about the consequences of their actions or any collateral damage that might result from them. They only care about increasing their assets and their power. If you’re serious about not wanting to see anyone get hurt, you need to let Sentinels do what we were hired to do.”

  “Fine. I have to go. I’m late for a board meeting.”

  “I’ll drive you.”

  “Are you kidding me? You’re telling me I need an escort just to visit one of my offices?”

  “That’s right. Unless, of course, you don’t value breathing.”

  He wasn’t sure he did any longer.

  Back at Sentinels’ headquarters Lauren was doing her best to put on a brave face for Liz and Stephanie. It wasn’t an easy feat when she was dying inside. “I really thought Rafe would understand that I only hid the truth from him to protect him,” she sighed.