RIP ME: A Dark Romance

by Naomi West

  And it couldn't be further from the truth.

  "Breakfast?" she asks, and for some reason there's a small fear in her voice.

  I glance at the clock. "Sounds great."

  "I assume I'll be making it?" she asks in a dry voice.

  I stretch and reach over to give her a little spank. "I make a mean bowl of cereal."

  She smiles and stretches and tosses her legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, I've seen how soggy you let your cereal get. I won't subject myself to that."

  "For the record, Rice Crispies are better that way," I say as I watch her slide on a blue silk robe and slippers and tie her hair up in a knot. The champagne feeling starts happening again.

  "Omelet with tomatoes, onions, feta, mushrooms, and spinach. Hash browns, fruit salad, coffee and orange juice," she says like she's throwing down her trump card.

  I hold up my hands in surrender. "You win. We can have soggy cereal tomorrow." She turns on her heel to go get breakfast started but I'm out of bed like a shot. "Not without me," I bark and slam my hand on the door. Her eyes go wide as she jumps back from the door.

  I don't mean to make her jump. I don't mean to yell at her. But she can't just go gallivanting around the house right now. "Alessia, I haven't done any security checks in the last ten hours. Greco himself could be sitting on that couch and we wouldn't know,” I remind her.

  She quails and pulls her robe tighter around herself. "I didn't realize you had such an active involvement at night."

  I slide my pants on quickly and ignore the expression in her eyes. Something is shuttering, closing me out suddenly. The air in the room gets colder, tighter. The open warmth of last night and this morning is frosting over so quickly and I have no way to stop it. I won’t lie to her. Not about who I am or what my priorities are. She’s going to have to get used to my role in her life both as her security and as her… what? Boyfriend? Lover? All of it seems inadequate after what happened last night. All I know is that we’re both going to have to be patient while we figure out how to walk the line we so zealously crossed last night.

  "I monitor everything. All the time. This room is the safest. Almost impenetrable. Which is why I pretty much only sleep when you're locked in here."

  Understanding dawns in her beautiful eyes. I continue on, needing her to understand and needing her to stop looking at me the way she used to. "All the other monitoring equipment is in my room. Where I'm supposed to be. If any sensors have been tripped, I can't tell from here."

  "Right," she says dully, "where you're supposed to be."

  I'm not sure what to say to that, so I just watch her. She whispers something to herself. It sounds like the word iceberg.

  She steps away from the door and goes to sit on the bed. "I'll wait here," she says.

  I want to go to her. Take her face in my hands and explain what keeping her safe actually means to me. But her face is drawn and impenetrable. Her arms are crossed over her chest. She’s protecting herself from me. From what I stand for.

  I decide to take things one step at a time. First things first, I need to make sure she’s safe. I go back to my jacket that I’d tossed off last night and grab my gun belt out of it. I hear her sharp intake of breath behind me and I realize that she probably had no idea I was even wearing it. I had intentionally tried to slip it off without her noticing, worried it would kill the mood between us.

  I ignore her reaction and pull my crumpled undershirt on over my head, quickly strapping the gun to my side. I don’t honestly think that our security has been breached, but protecting myself and my charge is deeply ingrained in who I am. The instinct is as much a part of me as my arms and legs.

  I don’t say anything as I open the door and slide out, flipping the lock as I go so that she’s locked in. I do a quick and efficient sweep of each room, but nothing is out of the ordinary. Lastly, I head to my own room and check the security software on my computer. Nothing has been tripped or alerted. All good. No disturbances. I check the log history of each one of the sensors and check that everything is functioning properly. I designed this system myself and know it inside and out. The automatic timers turned all the appropriate sensors and alarms on, even if I was too busy fucking my brains out to think of it.

  I run a hand through my hair and slam my laptop shut. Fuck. The bubbling feeling is rising inside of me again but this time it’s tinged with panic. I need to get a hold of myself. I’m getting sloppy and that’s not like me. I was in the military, for fuck sakes. Order is the creed by which I live my life. Nothing can get in the way of that. Especially if it means putting Alessia at risk.

  I head back to her room and open her door. She jumps as it swings open but I see that she hasn’t moved from where she was perched on the bed.

  “All clear,” I say and she immediately jumps down from the bed and sweeps past me to the kitchen, her nose in the air like a queen.

  I follow her, not bothering to take my gun off as I take a seat on one of the bar stools and watch her cook. She’s gonna have to get used to seeing me wear it at some point. Her movements are stiff and she’s doing her best not to look at me. My job as her bodyguard is sitting like a rock in between us.

  “I assume everything was in order when you checked it?” she asks stiffly.

  “Of course. The system is designed to function even in spite of human error, like last night.”

  She freezes over the sink. The tomatoes she was washing go still in her hands. I immediately realize my mistake but she’s already turning to me, lightning flashing in her eyes.

  “Error?” I barely recognize her voice.

  “Fuck,” I say and stand up from the stool, dragging a hand through my hair. Something I’ve never felt before is coursing through my veins. “This is ridiculous, Alessia. Look at me.”

  She turns to face me but her eyes are cast down. I cross the kitchen in three steps and take her by the chin. “Gorgeous, as your bodyguard, last night was an egregious error. One I should be fired for. I won’t apologize for saying that.”

  She jerks her chin out of my hands and steps back from me. She’s trapped between me and the sink.

  “I didn’t set any of the security systems, I was completely distracted all night, my phone was in the other room. I fucking fell asleep before you did. Fuck!” I say again, lacing my fingers over the top of my head, completely disgusted with myself, “if anything had happened last night, it would have been entirely my fault.”

  Tears are welling in her big eyes. I soften my voice and drag my hands through her hair, I palm the back of her scalp with one hand and make her look at me. “As a bodyguard, last night was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. But as a man,” I say as I stare into her eyes, willing her to hear everything I’m trying to put into the words, “last night was the best decision I ever made. And I won’t apologize for that either. Not to your father, not to myself.”

  The tears fall to her cheeks but she immediately brushes them away. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that last night was one of the best nights of my life. But I can’t sacrifice your safety again.”

  Her mouth tightens into a little line and she suddenly shoves me back again. “Oh, isn’t that convenient! You get what you want from me and then just go back to ignoring me, huh? Is that how it’s gonna be? You didn’t have a problem breaching security last night, did you? It’s now. In the morning, when you’re all mindful of your job, of your duties.” She sneers the last word at me and tries to leave the kitchen but I don’t let her.

  I pick her up around her waist and set her struggling body on the counter. I spread her legs and stand in between them, grabbing her by the shoulders. “Alessia, listen to me. God. I’m fucking this up. That’s not what I meant. I was just saying that I’m going to have to move all my security equipment into your room for tonight.”

  “Tonight?” she asks, her body stilling and her eyes wide.

  “Yes, tonight. When I lick you from head to toe and make you come so hard
your voice gives out. I want to be able to keep an eye on the house once you fall asleep. I have to monitor your security. I’m not going to sacrifice your safety.” I drop my forehead to hers. “But I know myself well enough to know I won’t be able to stay away from you either. Now that I know what it’s like,” I say as I drag my hands over the hourglass of her waist, “I have to be near you. With you.”

  Her eyes glimmer and she opens her legs even further to me, pressing herself into me. Her legs clasp me around my waist.

  “I thought you were trying to explain to me why you weren’t going to be with me anymore,” she whispers, the pain of that idea evident in her voice.

  I shake my head. I don’t like thinking about that. The thought of turning away from her makes my stomach curdle. “You’re going to have to help me sometimes,” I say. “If I get carried away like I did last night. You have to promise to help keep me on earth. In reality. You might need to help me keep the protocols in mind so I know you’re safe at all times. So that I don’t hate myself the next day.”

  She nods solemnly and reaches up to press her lips to mine so sweetly, so innocently. A great protective instinct that has nothing to do with being her bodyguard rears up inside me. It hits me like train. I would die for this woman. In a second. I break the kiss like it’s causing me pain. In a way, it is. Something flutters in my chest and breaks away, leaving its cracked open shell behind.

  “Breakfast,” I growl. I need a second to catch my breath. She’s making me feel too much. More than I have in years. Maybe my entire life.

  “Okay,” she chirps, but she leans forward and catches my mouth with hers again, sucking my lip in between her teeth and biting down slightly. She runs her tongue over the bite and does it again. Her hand tangles in my hair and I can feel the heat of her pussy against my stomach. She moans softly and licks at me again. I’m completely in her web. Whatever she wants to do to me right now, I’m in. Mortal men don’t turn down Aphrodite.

  But she pulls back. Licking her own lips like she’s trying to catch all of my flavor. She has a satisfied expression on her face as she surveys me. I stare back at her dazedly and realize it was her intention to stupefy me a little bit.

  “You temptress,” I growl at her and she grins, hopping down from the counter.

  “That was just in case you got any ideas about leaving me alone. I wanted to show you what you’d be missing.” She reaches into the sink and pulls out the tomatoes. “Dice these up.”

  I do as she says, glancing up at her every so often to watch her competently dicing the potatoes, adding spices, stirring it all on the sizzling skillet. Her thoughts are obviously wandering as she hums to herself, lost in the world of cooking.

  I’m a goner. As sure as the sky is blue, this becomes apparent. If I’m getting hard just from watching a woman stir onions in a pan, there’s no hope. All I can do at this point is ride the wave and try to keep doing my job well. I sigh as I slide the tray of diced tomatoes over to her and she shoots me a little smile while a little voice inside me prays to God that old man Patrizzio doesn’t find out that I’m fucking his daughter.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alessia

  “Stop looking at me like that,” I growl at Dare across the table. We sit in a dusty back corner of the secluded graduate library. One of the least used places on campus, but I’ve always liked studying here. Nobody ever interrupts you. But I realize my mistake now, as I have barely gotten any studying done.

  We’ve been sleeping together for a week now, and the only time Dare ever keeps his hands to himself is when we’re in public. If anyone else can see us, he instantly resumes his cool, professional bodyguard facade. Occasionally he’ll surreptitiously clasp my hand under the desk or shoot me a private message.

  During one of my morning discussion seminars I receive a text as the instructor fiddles with the overhead projector.

  Stop doing that, Dare texted me.

  Doing what?

  Making me hard.

  I feel myself blush down to my roots and tilt my phone so none of my classmates can see the screen, especially Chris, who continues to dutifully sit next to me even though things had gotten unbearably awkward since the night we were supposed to go on a date. I had explained the next time I saw him that I had a complicated relationship with someone else that I had thought wasn’t going to be an issue when I asked him out, but it had been. He’d been totally gracious, if not visibly disappointed. But since then he’d barely spoken to me. Only when we absolutely had to discuss our class materials.

  But honestly, I barely think about Chris sitting next to me anymore. Not now that the palpable sexual tension between Dare and I has wiped out any other auras in the room. I barely even remember that Chris is sitting there with Dare sexting me from the back of the room. Which, I have to admit to myself, is probably part of Dare’s intention.

  What could I possibly be doing right now that could be making you hard?! I’d text.

  Filling out that shirt like that.

  Touching your hair.

  Leaning forward.

  Crossing your legs.

  Licking your lips.

  Breathing.

  Blushing.

  Existing.

  I get all these texts from him in rapid succession and bite back a laugh as delight blooms like a balloon inside me. I love that I can make cool calm Dare Guinne lose it like that. I love that he is attracted to me. I love that he can’t even make it through an hour-long discussion section without making sure I knew how crazy I made him. I love making him crazy.

  In an intentional move, I turn to where he sits in the back of the class and press the eraser of my pencil to my lip, widening my eyes and pulling my lower lip down. His eyes darken and his mouth draws into a dangerous scowl as the instructor calls the class to attention. I swivel back around and started taking diligent notes, even though I can feel his eyes boring into me for the rest of the class.

  Later we make our way to the library but it’s all a pretense and Dare knows it. The bastard smirks at me as his eyes drop to my mouth, my breasts. He licks his lips, but leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers over top of his head as he watches me across the broad library table.

  He hasn’t so much as touched me in an hour. He hasn’t spoken a word since we got here. I made a big old deal about him leaving me be while I studied, but I’ve been staring at the same page for forty minutes and haven’t absorbed a word.

  I slam my textbook, making myself jump at the loud noise, and he smirks even harder. “Can’t you read a book or something?” I hiss.

  “Am I distracting you, Alessia?” He cocks his head to one side, his eyes sliding up and down my body. I can feel his gaze as if it is a physical caress.

  “Of course you’re distracting me!” I whisper.

  “How so? I’m not talking or making noise.”

  “You know what you can do with your eyes, you smug bastard.” I rifle through my bag and select a different textbook. Maybe if I try and study for a different class I’ll get more work done. Yeah, right.

  A look of satisfaction crosses his face. But also one of curiosity. “What can I do with my eyes?”

  I wave my hand through the air, searching for a way to describe it. “You know, the whole black hole, just-try-and-look-away thing.”

  “Excuse me?” He looks genuinely confused, like he doesn’t actually know what I’m talking about.

  That couldn’t possibly be true. I thought it was one of the weapons in his arsenal that he used most willingly. “Dare, your eyes are completely penetrating. I can’t move or think when you look at me. I’ve never been able to. Even when I was young and there wasn’t anything sexual in your stare. You’d make me babble on and stop me in my tracks. You’d make me forget what I was doing. Forget my own name. I used to think it was creepy.”

  He grins for a hot second and cocks his head to the side again. “And now? What do you think about it?”

  “You know exactly what I think abou
t it now,” I grumble and open my textbook.

  He chuckles but his eyes drop to my breasts again. He gives a small growl when my nipples harden and press against the fabric of my shirt as if he’s willed them to call out for him. That does it. There’s only one way I’m going to get any peace around here.

  I lean back in my own chair and stare at him across the table. I’m clearly not going to get my studying needs met until he gets his sexing needs met.

  I quickly glance around the library and triple check that no one is around and he automatically follows my gaze. I’m reassured when I realize that Dare is hyper aware and would never let anyone walk in on what I’m about to do.

  Licking my lips, I lean back in my chair and run one hand over my breasts. My tight nipples tighten even further and a small gasp escapes me. I really am turned on, wound up tight just from sitting across from him at a table.