Show Stopper: A Single Dad Bodyguard Romance

by Amy Brent

  “You done eating?” I asked.

  “Uh huh,” she said.

  “Why don’t you go start the bath, and I’ll be there in a second?” I asked.

  And as she ran off to begin her own bath, I couldn’t help but wonder if she would like Bridget. Would the two of them get along? Would Bridget enjoy having Lacey around? Would Lacey like to meet Bridget?

  I shook the questions from my mind, however, when Lacey called out for me.

  “I can’t find the bubbles!”

  My heart lifted with joy at the sound of her voice barreling through the house. No matter what happened, I would always have my little Lacey, and that was enough for me.

  “I’ll be right there, sweetheart!”

  Chapter 11

  Bridget

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met a celebrity who runs so many of her own errands,” Thomas said.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t always have my nose in the clouds,” I said. “I like a bit of normalcy.”

  “Don’t you get tired? I mean, you have that massive house. If I owned that house, I’d never leave it.”

  “You saying I’m spoiled, Thomas?” I asked.

  “If anything, I’m saying you’re not taking enough advantage of the perks of being you.”

  We were riding around today, finishing up some errands I had to do, and the conversation flowed easily between us. I kept watching the clock, thinking about his daughter and how she would need to be picked up soon. The clock was nearing three, and I could see Thomas’s eyes darting nervously from the clock to the street and back again.

  “Would you be all right with me meeting Lacey?” I asked.

  He whipped his head around at my question, and it didn’t take him as long as I thought it would to answer.

  “Of course. I think she’d really like you. Why?”

  “Well, I don’t think we’re gonna make it back to your car for you to get her on time. We could just take this car to go get her, if you’d like?”

  “That’s kind of you, but if anything, I can just call my parents and tell them to get her,” he said.

  I didn’t blame him for not wanting me to meet his daughter. After all, he was guarding me for reasons I wasn’t comfortable telling him. The secret I held could really put his daughter in trouble if things went sour, but I really enjoyed Thomas and his company, and I knew he could keep us safe if something happened. Plus, the way he lit up whenever he talked about Lacey only increased my curiosity about her.

  She was a very important extension of my employee, and since he was entangled with my life, I wanted to be entangled with his.

  “I promise it’s no trouble,” I said.

  “I’ll just have my parents pick her up, but you could come by tonight, if you’d like. Lacey’s a bit interesting until she eats dinner.

  “Aren’t we all,” I said.

  He called his parents and told them to get her while we sat in traffic, waiting to get back to my house. When we finally pulled up, he helped me out, and I told him I could get the bags of stuff.

  “Go home and feed that hungry kid,” I said. “Once I put all this stuff up, I’ll be on my way.”

  “See you around five?” he asked.

  “I’ll be there.”

  I dragged everything inside and put it all away, and when I was done, it was a little past five. I ran upstairs and showered quickly to get the sweat off my body, and then I put on some comfortable jeans and silky little top before I headed back down to the car. Bernie was sitting downstairs waiting for me, sipping on a cup of tea he made himself. I was so thankful to have him around sometimes, carting me around wherever I went.

  “You ready to go?” he asked.

  “Whenever you’re done with your tea,” I said.

  He took a long pull from his tea before he placed it in the sink, and then, off we went. I gave him Thomas’s address from his job application, and before I knew it, we were pulling up into his driveway. I recognized his car instantly before I saw the “Jeffries” sign on his mailbox, and I couldn’t get over how cute his home was. It had a dark blue exterior with white shutters, and a small, wrap around porch housed rocking chairs that looked weather worn and absolutely adorable.

  It was the perfect house to raise a little daughter in, and it made my heart melt.

  I knew I was technically late, but I was sure that didn’t matter at this point. I got out of the car and told Bernie I’d call him when I needed him. I watched him back out before I made my way to the porch. Movement behind the frosted glass of the door caught my eye, and before I knew it, the door swung open, and Thomas was standing there.

  In form-fitting jeans and a white shirt.

  “Creepy,” he said, grinning. “You didn’t even call to ask for my address.”

  “Ever heard of a job application?” I asked.

  He chuckled a bit, rumbling my rib cage with the smooth sound of his voice, and just as I stepped into the home, a little girl with beautiful blonde hair came running around the corner and ran smack dab into my legs.

  “Are you Bridget?” she asked.

  “And you must be Lacey.” I crouched down so I could be eye level with her.

  Thomas shut the door behind me, and she showed me a painting she was holding between her fingers.

  “I’m making this for you,” she said.

  “And it is absolutely beautiful,” I said. “Can I help?”

  She took my hand and led me through the house. I caught a glimpse of Thomas just before we disappeared around the corner. I couldn’t really read the look on his face, but his eyes were watching us closely while we played. I helped Lacey paint her picture before we hung it up to dry. Then, she wanted to show me how she could build a tower with her blocks.

  “I bet I can build a tower bigger than yours,” she said.

  “You’re on,” I said, smirking.

  We raced to build a tower, and Lacey stuck her little foot out to make mine fall. I feigned shock and tried to scramble to get my tower up, but when she crowned her tower with the last block, she ran around in triumph. I couldn’t help but laugh at her, and when she ran at me, I opened my arms for her, and we tumbled to the floor.

  “Miss Bridget, you should come over more often,” she said.

  I held the little girl close to me just as Thomas popped around the corner, and he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets while I ran my fingers through the little girl’s hair.

  “That feels good,” she said.

  “I’m glad. It always makes me feel good when someone does it.”

  “Who runs their fingers through your hair?” she asked.

  “All right, Lacey,” Thomas said. “Time for bed.”

  “Dad, no,” she whined.

  “Yes, young lady. You’ve already played through your bath time. We’ll take one in the morning before school. Now, off to your room. Get into your pajamas and brush your teeth, and I’ll be in there in a second to read you a bedtime story.”

  “Could Bridget read it to me?” she asked.

  I looked up at Thomas whose eyes were boring into mine. I had no idea what he was thinking, but in that very moment, I didn't care. If this little girl wanted me to read her a bedtime story, then that was what I would do.

  “Of course, I will,” I said. “Go get ready and pick out a book.”

  She got ready for bed, and I read her a story. All the while, Thomas stood and watched. I read it to her twice before she finally fell asleep on my shoulder, and I tucked her in before I kissed her forehead.

  “Sleep tight, little Lacey,” I said lightly. “And know that you are loved.”

  I walked out past Thomas, who shut her door behind me. All at once, I felt this urge to kiss him. He had been staring at me the entire time I was there, watching me interact with his daughter, but the vulnerability behind his eyes was shaking my knees. I was a grown, independent woman. If I wanted something, all I had to do was take it.

  And I wanted to kiss Thomas, so I did.

/>   I tugged on his white shirt, and his lips crashed down onto mine. His hand flew to the back of my head before we stumbled into the wall, and I could feel my lips swelling underneath the pressure of his touch. His hand blanketed me from the harshness of the wall, while his arms slipped tightly around my waist. Our tongues danced like licks of fire growing on a pile of embers.

  My body was heating up just for him, giving way with every swipe his tongue made against the roof of my mouth. But when I collapsed into his body, he didn’t push me away like I thought he would.

  Instead, he picked me up and took me to his room.

  Chapter 12

  Thomas

  I pulled her close to my body when I laid her down onto my bed. Her lips bit at every inch of skin I had available to her. I could see her perfect tits poking through the fabric of her bra, and all I wanted to do was rip every shred of fabric off her body and lay the tatters on my bedroom floor.

  I leaned up and ripped my shirt over my head. Her hands made quick work of my jeans, and by the time we were finished and her body was bared to me, I leaned down and wrapped my lips around her nipple. She bit back a groan as my tongue circled her perfect nub, puckering harder under my ministrations before I pulled it between my teeth. Her legs parted easily for me, allowing me to slip against her heat and feel her wetness along my dick.

  I crashed my lips back up to hers, and her fingernails raked down my back. I knew I wanted to feel that while she came all over my dick. I wanted her to dig so deep into my back that it left bruises for the next morning, just so I could remember the sweet, succulent woman I’d had in bed with me the night before.

  I slipped easily into her dripping pussy and swallowed her groans with my mouth. Holy fuck, she was tight as hell, and I had to slow down when I was pushing my thick dick into her. She shook and trembled with every inch I gave to her, and her pussy felt so good. It gobbled down my entire length and stretched to accommodate me, just like I’d always imagined her body would.

  “Holy shit, Bridget,” I said.

  “Fuck me with that cock of yours,” she said.

  Her words lit a fire in my gut. I drew my hips back and snapped them into her. Her back arched in pleasure, and her tits pressed into my face. I barreled into her perfectly sculpted body while her hands clamped down on the muscles in my back.

  Her long, smooth legs wrapped around me, pulling me deeper into her. Her pussy walls fluttered around me, and I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up from the bed. My dick stayed sheathed inside of her, her juices dripping down my balls, and I pinned her to the wall next to my window. I held her gaze for just a second, taking in the sheer delight in her eyes. I brushed the hair away from her face, and then I captured her lips with mine before I drove my cock straight into her pussy.

  Her heels dug into the small of my back, and I groaned with every rake of her fingertips along my skin. She trembled and panted while beads of sweat rolled down my body. Her face was buried into the crook of my neck, and her hands were grasping at anything I had to give. My hands tucked up underneath her legs and grabbed onto her ass, giving me handfuls of that beautiful backside of hers.

  I felt her pussy clamp down onto my cock, and I hooked my arms up underneath the crooks of her legs and pinned her to the wall. Her eyes widened as my hips continued to snap into hers, picking up their pace while she was completely pinned to the wall. She couldn’t move, and she couldn’t thrust. All she could do was bang her head against the wall and choke back her sounds of pleasure while I shook her body with the tremors of my own.

  “Fuck,” she groaned. “I’m so close. Please, let me move.”

  I thrusted a few more times before I finally let her legs go. She came hard around my dick, and I held her body close to mine and slid right out of her. She shook around me while her hands gripped into the muscles of my back. I stumbled backward onto the bed while my hot streams of come shot up against the wall.

  It had taken her no time at all to come. I held her there on my bed, and I began to run my fingers through her hair. She relaxed into me, almost as if she was made to be there in the first place.

  “Oh, my god,” she said through her heavy breathing.

  “I know,” I said.

  After she slowly recuperated, she got up to go clean herself up. I wiped down the wall before I put on my pants, and she emerged from the bathroom looking flushed with a healthy glow. Even as I walked her out to her car, I wished she would stay with me, just so I could hold her through the night and convince myself it had actually happened.

  I had slept with Bridget Meyers.

  And it wasn’t a random hook up, either. There had been passion and lust building since the moment I’d laid eyes on her. Even as I put her in her car and kissed the top of her head, I couldn’t get her off my mind. The way her pussy swallowed all of my dick and the way her fingernails scratched against my skin, it made me shiver just thinking about it.

  I laid down that night with nothing but her on my mind. The room smelled of sex, and the bed had her perfume where I’d laid her down earlier. The wall was still stained with my come, and I figured I would probably have to paint over it, but none of that mattered to me.

  What mattered was that I had just slept with the most incredible woman alive. And I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant I could hold her afterward.

  Chapter 13

  Bridget

  I had to get my hair and nails done for the party tomorrow, which meant Thomas had to accompany me. A charity auction was taking place for the national children’s hospital, and they had asked me to be one of the spokespeople for their campaign. I had agreed to give them both my time, my support, and a donation for the fund, so I was required to make an appearance. It was a formal function for many high-profile people to attend, so I wanted to make sure I looked my best.

  I was nervous to see Thomas because I wasn’t sure if things would be awkward. But when he arrived at the house, all my nerves dissipated. He had a huge smile for me and gave me a warm hug. I instantly melted into him again, just like I had last night.

  “Hey there,” he said.

  “Morning,” I said. “I know you’re gonna hate me, but we have errands to run today.”

  “You just never stop doing things, do you?” he asked.

  “I have a hair and nail appointment at noon for the party tomorrow, so bring something to read.”

  “I could just stare at you, if that’s all right.”

  I felt my cheeks heat up at his comment, and a soft giggle peeled from my lips. It wasn’t awkward like I thought it was going to be at all, and that brought me a comforting relief. We went and sat at the table while I brewed some coffee, and the conversation flowed easily between us while it percolated.

  “Lacey is adorable, by the way. She’s absolutely beautiful. Keep that gun handy for when she reaches her teenage years.”

  “I’ve already got my hunting rifles ready,” he said. “If I’m gonna hunt them down, I’m gonna do it right.”

  “Those poor guys don’t stand a chance with the girl whose father is the Hulk himself,” I said.

  “No worries. I’ll teach her how to throw a mean punch, and they won’t even get to my doorstep.”

  I got up to serve the coffee, and I couldn’t stop smiling. It felt so nice having him around, and my body gravitated toward him naturally in a way I’d never experienced with anyone before. Every other guy just wanted to fuck me, but Thomas wanted to actually get to know my body.

  At least, that was what it felt like.

  “She liked you, too, you know,” he said. “She wouldn't stop asking me when you were coming over next time.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Man, she’s too cute.”

  “You were all she talked about on the ride to school. ‘Bridget painted with me,’ and ‘Bridget played blocks with me,’ and ‘why don’t you ever run your fingers through my hair like she did?’”

  “Well, I can personally testify as to how good that feels wh
en you do it,” I said. “Don’t rob your daughter of something like that.”

  Shit, his daughter liked me. At least if she had hated me, I wouldn’t have to tell Thomas my secret. But being around his daughter and her wanting me to come back around meant I had to be honest with him. I had to tell him what he was protecting me from, in case it backfired and put them in some sort of danger.

  But when his eyes connected with mine over the edge of his coffee mug, I shoved the idea to the back of my mind. I could tell him after the party, like on the way home or something. I didn’t want anything tainting something that was supposed to be good for the children, especially if it would cause a rift between us like earlier this week.

  “So, what’s this fancy party for?” he asked.

  “It’s a charity auction for the national children’s hospital. All proceeds go to funding treatments they give terminally ill children.”

  “That’s a wonderful cause,” he said. “Any reason why it caught your eye?”

  “They asked me to be one of the spokespeople for their campaign, and I thought it was a wonderful cause. I kept thinking that, one day, if I’m lucky enough to have kids, that might be my kid. I might wake up one day with a child who has cancer or who is born with a debilitating disease, and I’d want something like that available for him or her.”