Bodyguard

by Lori Foster

  “So much enthusiasm.” He pulled her off her seat and into his lap—something he never would have done in his gym. She thought he might kiss her, and truthfully, she wanted him to. In the short time he’d been at her apartment and then at the station, she’d missed him. She’d worried about him, too.

  Instead he said, “Tell me the name of the guy who harassed you at work, and that ass you were engaged to.”

  “Why?” She tried to twist around to see him, but he hugged her closer so she could barely move. The fact that she was thinking about intimacy, and he apparently wasn’t, left her flustered.

  “I’m going to talk to them both. And no, don’t argue, Red. I won’t embarrass you. You have my promise on that.”

  It wasn’t Riley she worried about. He’d already proven to have her best interests in mind. But her ex-fiancé…“I don’t know what you think they can add to the equation.”

  Riley shrugged. “Maybe nothing. But it can’t hurt to ask them a few pertinent questions, now can it?”

  Actually, it could probably hurt her pride a lot. She bit her lip, but finally nodded. Riley was a professional who knew his business inside and out. It would be ridiculous to contradict him. “The man I worked with is Carl Edmond. He’s a nice enough guy, just different. Sort of intense.”

  “Intense how?”

  “Not in a bad way. Just overzealous about everything, his work, his life—”

  “And you?”

  She couldn’t deny that. “For a while, maybe. He fixated on me. He told me he loved me, but I knew that wasn’t true. His courtship became a bother before he wised up, but he was never threatening.”

  Riley didn’t seem convinced. “And the other guy?”

  Regina hated to talk about him. She couldn’t mention his name without memories swamping her, leaving her hollowed out with humiliation.

  But this time, seated on Riley’s lap, held in his arms, it was easier. “His name is Luther Finley.” She closed her eyes and prayed Luther wouldn’t reveal anything of their private past to Riley. Not that Luther considered anything private. She’d found that out too late. “I assume Carl still works at the paper. He loves his job a lot. And Luther should be in the insurance building across the street. He’s a salesman.” She drew a breath. “Want me to write the names down for you?”

  “Carl Edmond and Luther Finley. I won’t forget.” Riley rubbed his big hand up her arm, then down again. He was silent, introspective, and yet he kept touching her as if he couldn’t help himself.

  When his thoughts finally turned from the men, Regina felt the shift in his mood and she wanted to rejoice. She tipped up her face—and Riley accommodated her by capturing her mouth for a long, deep kiss. She felt the drumming of his heart, tasted the damp warmth of his mouth, and didn’t want him ever to stop.

  With his mouth still touching hers, he murmured, “Damn, you taste good.”

  He tasted better than good. Delicious. Regina pressed closer to slip her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss again and making Riley groan in response.

  The warm sun beat down on them, cooled only by the gentle breeze. Riley’s strength wrapped around her, giving the illusion that nothing bad could ever happen. From his wide chest and thick shoulders to his flat abdomen and strong thighs, he was all male. Being with him, alone each night, would make it nearly impossible to keep any emotional distance.

  Had it been only a day ago that she thought she needed to know him better before becoming involved?

  She knew the truth now. Already she was way too involved, and knowing him better only made it worse. Riley believed in her when no one else did. He put himself in danger for her. By his own admission and by the evidence of his actions, he was more than capable of handling any threatening situation. On every level, he fascinated her.

  She was already half in love with him.

  Riley’s hand moved up alongside her face. His big thumb stroked her cheekbone as he lifted his mouth. “I want to ask you something, Red.”

  Regina felt herself floating. She smiled. “Hmm?”

  “Why did you bring the books and photo here?”

  Her sensual haze lifted. She opened her eyes to see Riley watching her, his expression probing, filled with command. Because their noses practically touched, it was a rather intimidating stare.

  “C’mon, Red, tell me.” She started to straighten, but he shook his head. “No, I like you like this. I enjoy holding you.”

  “Oh.” She shifted a little to get more comfortable, felt his erection, heard his low groan and immediately stilled. No one had ever touched her as much as Riley did. Not even her fiancé had wanted to hold her this way. “I brought the books because I thought, well, we are going to be staying here together. I’m not an idiot. I realize what we’ll likely do before too long.”

  The heat in his blue eyes darkened. “Today.” His kiss was soft, gentle. “It’s going to happen today.”

  Such a sensual promise shattered all other thought. She could only stare at him.

  “But, honey, you don’t need a book.”

  Brought back to the reality of the moment, she winced and gave an awful admission. “I think…maybe I do.”

  Without seeming to move, he gathered her closer to his body. He glanced out into the yard at Butch, saw he was sprawled out in the sweet grass in a spot of bright sunshine. Then he looked to make certain they were well hidden between the sections of privacy fence that lined his small patio.

  His gaze came back to her, resting first on her eyes, then her mouth. “How can you need a book when everything you do makes me hot? You dress up all classy and it makes me think about stripping you naked. I catch you in worn pajamas and I want to feel how soft and warm you are under them. You cook dinner and I obsess about the way your bottom sways while you stir the food.”

  She’d been listening with fascinated wonder until the last, then a startled laugh broke free. “You do not.”

  “I do.” And in a growl he added, “Your backside has played prominently in all my most recent fantasies.” He punctuated that statement by grasping her firmly in both hands, giving her behind an affectionate, caressing squeeze. “Damn. I can’t wait to get you naked so I can explore it in more detail.”

  Her face flamed. “Riley.”

  “Regina.” His smile touched her heart. “I especially like the charming way you blush. Hell, everything about you makes me hot. Believe me, honey, getting you into bed is the objective. Once we’re there, it doesn’t matter what you do. I won’t be complaining.”

  Hearing him say it made her almost believe. Had she allowed Luther’s spiteful comments to influence her too much? It had been such a difficult time, such a humiliation.

  But Riley wouldn’t lie to her, she knew. He was better than that. “All right, I’ll forget about the books if you promise to tell me what you like.”

  He drew her marginally closer. “I like you.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He pressed his face into her neck and gave a gruff laugh. “The way you keep talking about this, like it’s going to happen any second now, has me close to exploding.”

  Regina thought it was going to happen at any moment. She frowned at him, but before she could tell him that she wanted him now, he said, “There’re a few things I want to clear up before we get sidetracked.”

  Sidetracked? Is that what he called making love with her? Feeling put out by his blasted patience, she said, “Like what?”

  He leaned away. Some of the teasing laughter in his eyes darkened to a more serious emotion. “The photo. And why the hell you brought it along.”

  Chapter 7

  BLESS BUTCH’S LITTLE HEART. HE CHOSE THAT moment to interrupt with a loud spate of barking. Regina sat up to see that a rather hefty golden retriever had come over to check him out. Regina started to jump up in alarm, but Riley stayed her with a hand on her arm.

  “That’s Blaze. She’s a sweet dog, honey. She won’t hurt him.”

  Regina d
oubted that after she saw Butch try to sprinkle the gorgeous creature’s nose. Yet rather than snap at him, Blaze lunged back playfully, shook her head, and ran the length of his lead so that Butch could chase her.

  He went so fast trying to keep up, he tripped over his own nose and managed a complete somersault without stopping. When he ran out of rope, he yelped, and Blaze trotted back to him.

  Regina laughed. “I think Butch is in love.”

  Riley sat up behind her, his arms looped around her waist. “Poor bastard. I wonder if she’ll keep pictures of other dogs around just to make him nuts.”

  Regina turned sharply to stare at him. Was he jealous over the picture? But no, that would be too absurd. Senator Welling represented strong values, not sexual allure. Surely, Riley understood that.

  Riley lifted her away and came to his feet. The dogs were still playing, making a terrible racket that didn’t bother Regina at all. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Riley as he stretched, then looked up at the blazing sun.

  In the next instant he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it off over his head.

  Regina didn’t so much as blink. His upper body was gorgeous. Dark hair liberally covered his well-defined chest. Sleek, prominent muscles in his shoulders bunched and moved as he haphazardly folded the shirt and laid it over the back of her chair. In unselfconscious masculine display, he dragged one hand through his chest hair, scratching a little, then flexed his shoulder and rotated his head.

  Regina’s mouth went dry. In something of a rasp, she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “It’s warm out here.” He glanced down at her. “And I’m a little stiff from jumping off your damn balcony so many times.” So saying, he turned to head inside and Regina caught sight of a bruise on his ribs.

  “Riley.” She was out of her chair in a flash, catching his arm and holding him still. “What happened?”

  He looked down at the darkening flesh she indicated. “Nothing. That must be where I hit the ground when I tripped him. I had no idea there were so many little stones everywhere.”

  Wishing she could soothe him, even heal him, her fingertips grazed over his warm skin. “I’m sorry.”

  His gaze stayed on her face, piercing and bright. “No problem, Red.” He unsnapped his slacks.

  Regina stepped back in a rush.

  “I’m going to go change before we have our little chat about that picture. Be back in a second.”

  Change? As in, change into what? Less clothes? It was bad enough when he was at the gym wearing shorts, T-shirt, socks and athletic shoes. But at the gym, there was always a crowd around, plenty of people to keep the situation less intimate.

  Here, there was no one. And she just knew if Riley started flaunting himself, she’d end up the aggressor.

  He was only gone a minute, but it was long enough for Regina to give herself a hot flash, thinking of the night to come.

  “You getting hungry, Red?”

  She jerked around, then took an automatic step toward him. Good Lord, the man oozed sex appeal. He wore gray low-slung drawstring shorts, and nothing else. She realized she’d never seen his feet before. They were big, sprinkled with golden brown hair, narrow, and as sexy as the rest of him. Right now, braced apart as they were, he seemed to have planted himself firmly against opposition. Hers?

  Not likely. Not when everything about him appealed to her.

  Slowly, Regina allowed her attention to climb upward, taking in every inch of his body. Muscular, very hairy calves, nice knees. Incredible thighs.

  Her heart raced. She already knew firsthand how strong his thighs were. She’d watched Riley grappling with some very big bruisers at his gym and he always dominated. Swallowing, she looked higher still and saw the hem of his shorts, hanging to midthigh.

  A little higher and she saw…Oh my. Regina blew out a breath that sounded part whistle, part exclamation, and not in the least ladylike. Under normal circumstances, she would have been appalled at herself. But the soft cotton molded to his sex. He was right, small condoms would never fit him.

  Breathing became more difficult. As an intelligent, educated and modern woman, and as one who had recently read some informed books on the subject, she knew size didn’t matter. That hadn’t been her problem with Luther at all.

  So why did it feel like a volcano of heat had exploded inside her?

  As she stared at him, unable to draw her gaze away, something twitched. Her brows lifted. Fascinated, she watched as Riley became semierect. She put a hand to her throat.

  Riley, blast him, never moved.

  Deciding it might be safer to continue on with her visual journey rather than keep staring at him there, Regina looked at his hard abdomen. That didn’t help one iota. The hair around his navel and the silky trail below it appeared soft, tempting her to touch it. She wanted to so badly, but would that be crossing the line?

  At the moment, did she care? How could any woman remain rational when faced with such provocation?

  Almost from the start, she’d wanted Riley. Every day the feeling grew stronger. Other than her acute sense of caution and propriety, there were no real reasons for waiting.

  She moved toward him.

  Riley made a gruff sound of expectation.

  Savoring the moment, she put her hands on his sides, luxuriating in the feel of hot smooth skin drawn taut over firm muscle. Experimentally, Regina caressed him, her thumbs inward to trace over the sleek muscles slanting toward his groin.

  She looked at his face. He was rigid, flushed, waiting. “I want to touch you, Riley.”

  “Do.”

  One simple word that somehow sounded so provocative. When she looked again, she saw that he now had a full erection. Very full. Just from her touching his waist? Intrigued, she asked, “You like this?”

  “Yeah.” He drawled out the word, husky and deep.

  Emboldened, she slid her hands around his back near the very bottom of his spine, close to his sexy muscled tush. The position brought her closer to his chest and she inhaled deeply. “You smell so good, Riley.”

  He leaned forward, pressed his mouth to her temple, and whispered, “Is that really where you want to touch me, Red?”

  Her nose brushed his soft chest hair when she shook her head. She liked that, so she did it again. “No.”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  Deciding to try pure honesty, she said, “We’re outside….”

  “No one can see us.”

  “But still…”

  “I’m a man, not a schoolboy. I can control myself. Nothing happens unless you say so. Feel free to touch all you want and to stop when you want.”

  Her heart expanded. Such an incredibly generous offer.

  Such an incredibly generous man.

  She tipped her face up. “Will you kiss me while I do it?”

  His expression hardened and his voice went low and rough. “My pleasure, baby.”

  This kiss felt different. Regina hadn’t realized he’d been holding back, that there were so many nuances to kissing until that moment when she felt all his carnal intent in the way he devoured her mouth. It was an eating kiss, hot and hard and overwhelming. He would make love to her now—she understood that and reveled in the reality.

  Again and again, his tongue sank past her parted lips and into her mouth, stroking seductively. She felt consumed. That was enough of a distraction that Riley had to nudge himself forward into her belly to remind her of what she wanted, of what he wanted.

  Bringing her hands around, she first toyed with his navel. His abdomen had grown rigid, the muscles clearly defined, growing more so as she touched him until he felt like granite with no give to his flesh at all. The hair there was just as silky as she’d imagined.

  Breathing hard, her awareness suspended, she encountered the waistband of his shorts, the ultrasoft cotton material and finally the long, solid length of his penis.

  They both groaned.

  Riley’s fingers tightened and he lifted his
mouth away to gulp for air. Keeping his forehead against hers, he encouraged her by saying, “That’s it. Damn, Red…” And he groaned again, harsh and broken.

  Regina could have spent an hour just exploring him. On so many levels, he fascinated her, the freedom he allowed, his open response. Her fingertips trailed up his length, measuring him, then back down again—and she felt the shuddering response of his body.

  Driven by curiosity, she cupped beneath his shaft, cradling his heavy testicles in her palm and heard him hiss in a breath.

  “Easy.” His long fingers gripped her upper arms.

  “Like this?”

  “Yeah.” His grip loosened, caressed, encouraged.

  They spoke in muted whispers, hers awed, his raw with arousal.

  Suddenly he kissed her again, so ravenously that she forgot what she was doing and her hands left him to grasp his neck, holding tight. Strong arms enclosed her, stealing her breath. Her lips were swollen, her head spinning, when Riley again cupped her face to place sweet little pecks on her chin, her cheeks, her forehead.

  “You know what I think, Red?”

  Overwhelmed, she whispered, “What?”

  “That turnabout is fair play”

  Her stomach jumped and her heart began a wild race. When she got her eyes open, Riley was smiling at her.

  “You’ll love having me touch you, Red. I promise. But for right now, we should take this indoors before things get out of hand and neither one of us makes a clearheaded decision.”

  Her head would never be clear again.

  Riley nodded in the direction of the yard. “Butch fell asleep with his new lady friend.”

  A safer topic if ever there was one. Regina turned and saw that Blaze had stretched out on her side in the thick grass. Her golden fur looked beautiful with the sun glinting off it. Butch was curled up on her neck, his whole head practically in her ear. They made such an adorable picture, Regina’s heart nearly melted and stupidly, tears filled her eyes.