The Heiress & the Bodyguard

by Ryanne Corey

  “I try,” he replied, one side of his mouth tipping up in a smile.

  “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, so I promise to be on my best behavior. We’ll pretend we just met, and I’ll act exactly like they taught me in finishing school. Rule number one—when meeting new people, do not talk about yourself. Instead, ask about their background and interests. Where are your people from?”

  Billy’s smile dropped like a rock. “My people? There you go, sounding stuck-up again. Did they teach you in finishing school that some people might not enjoy talking about themselves?”

  Julie shrugged helplessly, having no idea what she’d done to suddenly turn him into the growling, undercover cop again. “And there you go again, being rude. I’m doing my best to—”

  “Julie Roper?” This was a new voice, a female voice dripping with an affected drawl. Both Julie and Billy’s heads swiveled simultaneously, eyes locking on the woman who stood in the aisle next to their seats.

  “I don’t believe my eyes,” Julie said, in the same tone she would have used had she spotted a mouse running about the plane. “Marie Claire. What a terrible—uh, a what a terrific surprise. Fancy running into you way up here in the sky.”

  Billy gave Marie Claire a single, sweeping look, identifying and tagging the fortyish redhead immediately. Species: rich, nosy and affected socialite. Icky, very icky.

  “Darling girl,” Marie Claire gushed, bending down to give the air next to Julie’s face a kiss. “Precious, adorable girl, whatever are you doing in business class? I stuck my head around the corner, and there you were. ‘Why, that’s Julie Roper,’ I said to myself. I just had to come and say hello. If I’d known you were on the plane, I would have insisted you sit with us in first class. Unless you’re with someone already…?” She looked pointedly at Billy. “A new friend?”

  “How are you, Marie Claire?” Julie replied, trying to gloss over the question. “Is Louis with you?”

  “Darling, no.” Marie Claire placed her hand over her heart as if preparing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. “Feel for me. I’m trapped up front with Danielle Devereaux, can you imagine? I swear to you, she never stops talking. She’s arranged a show for her latest pet artist at Galleo’s in Los Angeles, and we’re flying out for the opening. You must come.” Then, without missing a beat, she turned her scarlet-rimmed smile on Billy. “And any guest you’d like to bring, naturally. I hope I didn’t interrupt. And you would be…?”

  I would be sick to my stomach, Billy thought, revolted by the woman’s affectations. He was also revolted by her hat, which loomed over them like a pink flamingo with wings outstretched. It was enormous, heavy-laden with what appeared to be perfectly trimmed pink bonsai trees. The sheer weight of a hat like that could cause spinal injuries.

  “My name is Billy,” he said. When she waited for him to continue, he stared at her blankly. “What? Do I have something in my teeth?”

  “Heavens. Of course not.” She tittered, looking back at Julie. “Isn’t he interesting? Have you known each other long?”

  “Just since the plane took off,” Julie said, painfully aware of the sharp gaze Billy turned in her direction. “I’m traveling alone.”

  “Well, of course you are,” Marie Claire said, patently relieved. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Beau is such a darling, and the two of you are priceless together. Will he be joining you?”

  “No.”

  “Harris, then?”

  “No. I’m just going to do a bit of shopping, then fly home first thing tomorrow. You know what that’s like when you have a man tagging along. Such a bore. It’s been lovely seeing you, though. Give my love to Danielle.”

  “Of course. And we’ll see you on the sixteenth. Your birthday party sounds absolutely marvelous. Of course, Harris never does things halfway, does he? I’ll call you when I get back home, darling. We’ll try out that new bistro on Lighthouse Point.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice confidentially. “Darling, I have to compliment you. Your clothes…so outrageously original. Flirty and fun, and so amusing! New designer?”

  Julie looked down at her Gator Getaway crop top, biting down on a smile. “Yes, but I’m keeping him to myself. It’s so hard to find anything unique.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Marie Claire said. “Guard your secret, darling. If the word got out there was a hot new talent, simply everyone would be wearing his clothes. Where’s the fun in that? Bye-bye, then! Safe trip home.”

  The woman and her hat went back to first class from whence they had come, bonsai trees bobbing. “Talk about bad luck,” Julie told Billy, striving for a light tone. “Of all the planes in the world, we had to pick the one Marie Claire was on.”

  “But it must have been agonizing for you,” Billy said, imitating Marie Claire’s over-emotional delivery. “The first time you travel business class, and someone has to see you. Not only that, but you’re seated next to a man who simply isn’t up to snuff or you would have introduced us.”

  “How was I supposed to do that? I don’t even know your last name.”

  “What-ever. Would you like me to move to another seat, darling?”

  “This is not my fault. If I’d told her we were traveling together, she would have grilled you like a salmon. Marie Claire has to know everything about everyone. I was trying to spare you, not to mention get rid of her as quickly as possible.”

  “And I’m sure it had nothing to do with Bo-Bo, right?”

  Julie shrugged helplessly. “She happens to be Bo-Bo’s…Beau’s aunt. I just thought it would be easier to keep things as simple as possible, for you and for Beau.”

  “Protect little Bo-Bo if you like,” Billy said in a silky, dangerous voice. “But don’t you dare put me in the same category. I’m nothing like the people in your world.”

  “I know,” Julie whispered. “That’s why I’m here, Billy.”

  He was sensitive to the shaky wave of emotion in her voice. Marie Claire, Bo-Bo and the rest of the world went on spinning, while Billy stepped off the ride and fell into her eyes. It was incredible; the overwhelming longing that came so quickly. Nothing had ever felt more real than the primeval magic she stirred in him. It didn’t seem to matter if he was angry or frustrated or confused—the need remained with him like the haunting underscore of a sweet, sad song.

  “Lucas,” he said softly.

  Her dark gaze drifted over his mouth. “What?”

  “My last name…it’s Lucas.” He studied her with somber intensity, his senses flooded with her ethereal, spring-like scent. He experienced an inkling of how murderously difficult the next few days would be. He sympathized deeply with himself. “And unless you want to be embarrassed in front of all these business-class people, you’d better get that look out of your eyes.”

  Six

  It was long past sunset when they landed. The stress of the past two days was telling on Julie; the faint pallor of her skin evidence of a soul-deep weariness. She walked in whatever direction Billy pointed her, giving a soft sigh of relief when they were ensconced in yet another rental car.

  “I wish it wasn’t dark,” she sighed, stifling a yawn with a ladylike pat of her hand. “I wanted to see everything. Usually when I’m in California, I see only the inside of a limo and the back of the driver’s head. And Rodeo Drive in L.A. I know that area pretty well.”

  “She shops on Rodeo Drive,” Billy muttered. “I shop at All-a-Dollar. Talk about being in over my head.”

  Either she didn’t hear him, or she chose to ignore him. “I need to buy some clothes first thing tomorrow. And makeup. And I should buy a camera. I want to take pictures of absolutely everything.”

  “A little scrapbook for Harris,” Billy replied, thinking it would be very good evidence for the man to submit at the trial when he sued Billy. “How nice.”

  “Speaking of clothes…” Julie turned a puzzled gaze on him “…where are yours? You didn’t check any luggage at the airport.”

  That’s becau
se everything is back at your house in Florida, Julie. “I can wear Colin’s stuff while I’m here. That way we didn’t have to go back to Miami for my bags.”

  She was too tired to ask where in Miami, what the hotel would think when he didn’t return, etc., etc. Billy was grateful for this. The happy lack of conscience he had enjoyed as an undercover cop was getting harder and harder to tap into. Every lie he told, he realized, he would have to take responsibility for sooner or later. He awaited that day with the same anticipation he would have shown for a root canal.

  “Okay,” she said vaguely. “This friend of yours, Colin. Do you two work together?”

  “Used to,” Billy replied, happy to divert her attention to something harmless. “Unfortunately, he got demoted to a humble patrolman a couple of months ago. Colin has a temper, and it got the best of him during a drug raid. So now he’s back in blue, with a nifty new crew cut.” Billy grinned, remembering the shouting match in the captain’s office when Colin had been ordered to lose his prized ponytail. “He looks like a poster boy for the marines now. It’s killing him.”

  “Are the two of you close?”

  “Like brothers. We’re both rebellious nonconformists, so we bonded from the beginning. We’ve always said we would have been very successful criminals had we not chosen to work for Truth, Justice and the American Way.”

  Julie feigned shock. “There’s two of you?”

  He smiled, watching her eyelids grow heavy. “Scary, isn’t it?”

  Julie tried to stay awake—it seemed she was doing a lot of sleeping in cars the past couple of days—but long flights had always given her jet lag, and jet lag usually translated into a prompt semi-coma. The last thing she remembered was the soft sound of Billy’s fingers thrumming on the steering wheel, jamming with Springsteen. “Badlands.” What an appropriate song for her nonconformist…rebel…

  “You’re so…I love the way you…” she yawned, head drooping against the seat.

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” Billy nudged her with his elbow. “What? If you were going to say something nice to me, wake up. Julie? I’m so what?”

  Julie’s dream-hazed mind somehow translated the elbow prodding her side to a massage at the Golden Door Spa. “Let’s do a seaweed wrap, Aristotle,” she said quite clearly. “And I’d adore some peach juice.”

  “Seaweed, schmeeweed,” Billy muttered. “And who the hell is Aristotle?”

  “We’re here, Sleeping Beauty. Wake up.”

  Once, twice…Julie’s lashes fluttered open on the third try. Through the windshield, she saw a garage door. Nothing else, just a garage door. “Where’s the rest of the house?” she mumbled.

  “On the next floor.” He grinned as she sat up, rubbing the small of her back. “You have a big old wrinkle in your face.”

  “And I have a big old kink in my back. Why are we sitting here with the car idling?”

  “We’re waiting,” Billy explained, unable to take his eyes off her. Her hair was glowing white-gold around her face, a little angel halo that was at odds with her slightly disgruntled expression.

  “What are we waiting for?” she asked.

  He disciplined a smile. “For the door to open.”

  “Well, it’s not opening. The electronic beam must be…” Her voice trailed off as she exchanged a look with Billy. “There is no electronic beam, is there?”

  “No, ma’am. We’re slumming it. It’s manually operated.”

  When Billy moved to open the door, she told him to stay put. She climbed out of the car, lifting the heavy aluminum door as if she had been doing it all her life. Illuminated in the headlights like a stand-up comic, she whirled towards Billy and clapped enthusiastically for herself. “It was easier to deal with than the rotary phone,” she called out. “I have great potential for becoming an ordinary woman.”

  “Not a chance, lady,” Billy whispered, unable to take his eyes off her. Her magnificent eyes were flashing with renewed energy and her lavish smile was enough to break a former undercover cop’s heart. His little adventuress had come to sunny California with nothing beyond a Gator Getaway toothbrush and the clothes on her back. She didn’t seem too worried about the fact, either. His eyes lingered on the soft fullness of her breasts beneath the thin T-shirt she wore, then drifted lower to her bare midriff. The car continued to idle. And idle.

  The adventuress planted her hands on her hips. “What?”

  Billy spared a moment’s gratitude for the shadowed interior of the car. An instant sunburn heated his face as he drove carefully into the garage. He gave himself a second to cool down, lowering his window and directing Julie to a light switch near the back door.

  “I know,” she grinned over her shoulder, still plucky and positive despite the long day. “It’s not motion sensitive, right?”

  Billy walked ahead of her into the house, turning the lights on one by one. The floor above the garage was small but cozy: a kitchen, living room and dining room all rolled into one. Thankfully, it looked as though Colin had hired someone to clean after his last visit. A trace of pine cleaner still hung in the air, along with the stronger lemon scent of room freshener. The plush carpet was vacuumed free of footprints, the pillows on the sofa plumped and neatly arranged and a variety of magazines fanned out on the coffee table. Definitely not Colin’s work, Billy thought. When in residence, Colin decorated with beer cans, pizza boxes and newspapers.

  Beyond the spotless glass sliding doors was a small redwood deck overlooking the ocean. Julie could make out a hammock on the deck, along with several hanging flower baskets. Beyond, the ocean gleamed with a strange, shimmering tinfoil color.

  “It’s overcast tonight,” Billy said, watching her as she stood motionless in front of the glass. “You won’t be able to see much until morning. I suppose we could walk down to the beach if you’d like…?”

  Julie shrugged, still smiling at him. “In the morning. I forgot you were driving while I was sleeping. Where do we…where do you sleep? And where do I sleep?”

  Smiling at her careful little question, Billy led her to the top floor where the master bedroom and bath was located. The room was decorated in crisp tones of beige, white and black, again offering a balcony beyond the sliding glass doors. The bath was enormous, a walk-up Jacuzzi in the corner beneath a huge, stained-glass skylight. It was also the only bedroom.

  “Just one bedroom,” Julie murmured. Her thoughts couldn’t have been plainer if they’d been written on her forehead with black permanent marker.

  “The sofa downstairs,” Billy told her gently, “pulls out into a bed. There’s also a guest bath downstairs, so you’ll have complete privacy. Did you really think this was going to be a problem?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I did.” It was the strangest thing, but Julie felt as if she had known him forever. They connected on a level she had never experienced before, no matter how unusual their circumstances. Although she couldn’t explain it even to herself, she felt as if she could see into his heart. He had proven himself to be a gentleman, far more so than many of the “gentlemen” Harris had introduced her to. Those poor, self-absorbed fellows grew prematurely old worrying about money, and they couldn’t seem to distinguish between valuables and valuable. Never had their inner resources been truly tested, and heaven help them if they had. In choosing the profession he did, Billy no doubt had faced the ugliest side of life. If he had been emotionally deadened by those experiences, she had yet to see evidence of it. For all his posturing about money and his lack thereof, she couldn’t help noticing a softness to his hard-edged persona. Oh, he was male through and through, but his beautiful blue eyes were still amazingly gentle. A grown-up Boy Scout with a fine variety of scars for merit badges.

  She smiled at him, just a little, then found herself unable to look away. Her smile dropped off by inches, lost and forgotten. They stared at one another while time slowed and pooled in the shadowed corners of the room. The air was thick with unspoken curiosity and soft, strange anticipation of…so
mething almost within their grasp. Whatever happened would happen…but not tonight.

  “It’s been a long day,” Billy said in an oddly strained voice. “I’ll leave and let you get some rest. Is there anything else you need?”

  Strange, Julie thought, still staring. Throughout her privileged life, she had always felt something terribly vital was missing, something she needed but couldn’t find, buy or borrow. But now, standing face-to-face with a man she had known for only two days, she realized the nagging, empty space inside her was mysteriously sated. “No, thank you. I have everything I need tonight.”

  He nodded, changing his weight from one foot to another, reluctant to actually walk out the door. When he did that, he wouldn’t see her again for hours. “You’re sure? Maybe some warm milk or something? Except I doubt Colin has any milk in the refrigerator. I could check—”

  “I gave up warm milk when I was four years old. But thank you, anyway.”

  “Okay, then. Fine.” He cleared his throat, exasperated with his own asinine behavior. It wasn’t like him. “I suppose I could read you your rights, but since I’m not arresting you, that would be silly. Before I make a bigger fool of myself, I’ll wish you sweet—”

  “Get your hands up, now! Don’t breathe, don’t turn around. Get your hands up!”

  This from a third person in the room, and Billy Lucas, undercover cop of great renown, hadn’t heard a damn thing. Instinctively, he crouched and went for the gun that was no longer there. Also acting on instinct, Julie screamed, whirled towards the door and screamed again. At the same time, mindful of her instructions, she reached for the ceiling.

  There was a man standing in the doorway pointing a gun at them. In his other hand, he held a beer can.

  “Don’t be stupid,” said the new, quite deadly voice, watching Billy’s movements from behind. “I just had this place carpeted, and I’ll be really ticked off if your blood stains it. Get your damn hands up.”