by Mia Madison
Nico
Adamo Bodyguards Book 1
Mia Madison
Contents
1. That’ll Just Be A Bonus
2. Bring Your Princess
3. With Me
4. Three Things
5. You’re On, Hot Stuff
6. Halle-fuckin’-lujah
7. She Totally Knows
8. Never Better
9. Just A Client
10. Cozy As A Crypt
11. The Last Thing I Feel
12. I’m Not Waiting
13. Persuasive Techniques
Epilogue
Also by Mia Madison
About the Author
1
That’ll Just Be A Bonus
I get right to the point. “Someone tried to kill me today.”
The man seated across a massive desk from me raises an eyebrow. He looks about as shocked as if I’d said I saw an interesting cloud formation while walking my dog. “Tell me what happened.”
Before I can answer him, all the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I twist in my chair to see another man lounging against the doorjamb. Watching me.
Like he’s a hungry lion, and I’m a wounded gazelle.
My skin prickles with agitated awareness. I have enough on my plate right now; I don’t need the kind of man who thinks he’s God’s gift to women complicating my life.
It’s not like me to be rude, but I can’t even think with him around. Turning away, I say, “Where were we?”
Soft footfalls sound behind me. The intruder isn’t leaving; he’s coming in. Ignoring my rebuff.
He stops beside my chair, looking down at me, his gaze sharp with sardonic intelligence, his lips slightly curved as if he finds me amusing. The man behind the desk — Rafael Adamo, the head of Adamo Protection Services — says, “My brother, Nico. This is Juliet North.”
Now that he’s pointed it out, of course they’re brothers. They’re both tall, dark, hot, and built, with muscles that strain the fabric of their t-shirts and jeans. But the resemblance only goes so far.
Rafael, his hair cut military short, his expression serious, looks like the sort of man who should be heading up the city’s leading personal security agency. Someone who will listen to your problems and find solutions.
Nico looks like a rock star. His hair brushes his shoulders, and a tattoo snakes up one arm. He’d be right at home on a stage somewhere, singing his heart out, playing a screaming guitar solo while teenaged girls cry and throw their panties at him.
He must be at least thirty-something — way older than me — which means he’s had more than enough time to grow up and take on adult responsibilities. Instead, he looks like a party waiting to start.
His mere presence in the room puts me on edge.
Trying desperately to ignore him, I say to Rafael, “I was about to tell you what happened.”
My composure vanishes as Nico leans down and puts his mouth right next to my ear. I can smell him now, a dark, spicy cologne mixed with his own masculine scent. It’s intoxicating.
“Got a problem, princess?”
Fury ignites in my blood. I whip my head around and suddenly we’re face to face, our mouths almost touching.
My lips start to tingle.
He still looks like he wants to devour me, and I can’t remember anymore why it’s a bad idea. His eyes drop to my mouth. For a long, simmering moment, I’m caught, mesmerized, waiting for him to kiss me.
Then Rafael clears his throat conspicuously, and it shatters the spell I’m under. I rear back and glare at Nico. “I am not a princess.”
“Whatever you say, your highness.”
I let out a tiny scream of rage and point at the door. “Get out!”
“If anyone’s leaving, it’s you. I work here.” Folding his arms on the arm of my chair, he smirks at me.
The urge to punch him is strong, and I am not a violent person. “Who do you guard? Drunken groupies?”
His eyes flash. “Careful, babe.”
“If we could get back on track,” Rafael says pointedly. “You think someone tried to kill you?”
I wish Nico would move. But he doesn’t; he stays right there, crouched down next to my chair.
Drawing in a deep breath, I will myself to focus. “I’m doing a part-time accounting internship at Powell Construction this semester,” I tell Rafael. “I think someone accidentally gave me access to areas I wasn’t meant to see, and I found some irregularities in the accounts payable.
“When I tried to research the iffy vendors and invoices, my computer crashed. By the time I got it booted up again, the questionable stuff had vanished.
“That all happened this morning. And then, when I was on my home, someone ran me off the road.”
A soft growl in the vicinity of my ear startles me. Nico’s snarling like a feral wolf. “Did you see the vehicle?”
“It was a white SUV. Not much help, I know. I didn’t get the plate because I was busy trying to control my car.”
“Car okay?” Rafael asks.
I bite my lip to hold back the sudden threat of tears. “I hit a utility pole. My car is totaled.”
Nico makes a sound deep in his chest. There’s so much emotion in his dark eyes now that he’s a little scary. “You see a doctor?”
That makes me frown. “I wasn’t hurt, just shaken up. I was more concerned about the ongoing security risk.”
Nico and his brother have a three-second nonverbal conversation. Then Nico says, “Right. Doctor.”
“But—”
He’s already standing up. When he takes my hand, the shock of contact sends a jolt of energy arrowing through me, right to my most sensitive spots. Tugging me up from my chair, he leads me toward the door.
I do not want to be going anywhere with this man. He’s far too disturbing to my senses and equilibrium. I look over my shoulder at Rafael, hoping against hope that maybe he’ll intervene.
He doesn’t. “We didn’t finish,” I say lamely, in a last-ditch effort.
“Later. We need to make sure you’re okay.”
Darned bossy alpha men. I fume internally as Nico leads me away.
“I am not getting on that.”
I’m standing in the parking lot, hands on my hips, staring at an imposingly large Harley. Nico’s lips curve, and too late I realize all the risqué jokes that a mind like his could make about my words.
Sure enough, he says, “Too big? Don’t worry; I’ll make it good for you.”
“What are you, twelve?”
He throws back his head and laughs, and I get tingles in inconvenient places. “I like your spark, babe,” he says when he finishes, and then his eyes get warm. “But trust me, I’m all man.”
My tingles get stronger. Nico acquired a leather jacket on our way out of the building, and now he looks even hotter, like a rock-star biker. Not the kind of guy I would normally pay attention to — or expect to pay attention to me — so my ongoing tingle problem is very annoying.
A glance around shows me that the parking lot is full of black SUVs, all of them parked nose out, and more Harleys. “Why can’t we take one of the SUVs?” I say, pointing.
“Because this is my ride.” I get the feeling he’s saying it just to goad me, but unfortunately it’s working.
“Motorcycles are unsafe,” I inform him, not caring if he thinks I sound ridiculous. “Even if I had a helmet, which I don’t.”
The gleam in his eye puts me on guard. I expect him to order me onto the bike, but what he says is, “All right, princess. We can take on
e of the SUVs.”
“Stop. Calling. Me. Princess.”
He shakes his head, his grin flashing even white teeth that contrast with warm brown skin, and waves me across the lot. Too bad I’d rather brain him with an accounting ledger than sleep with him.
The thought stops me in my tracks.
I am not sleeping with him.
Never mind that no other man has ever made me feel like Nico does. The reasons to stay away from him far outweigh what my tingles are whispering to me.
He’s annoying, and smug, and probably a player who has a million notches on his bedpost. If I were a player too, I could take him on, have some fun, and walk away without a backward glance.
Too bad I’m a good girl who’s barely even kissed anyone. I’d probably do something stupid like fall for him, and then he’d break my heart, and I’d go astray and turn into a hardened criminal or something to fill the void he’d left and compensate for my unending anguish.
“Earth to Juliet.”
I blink. Nico’s standing in front of me, hands on his hips, eyes narrowed. How long was I standing here daydreaming?
Proof enough that he’s bad for me. I am not the daydreaming type. I’m the stay on task until the job is done type.
“What’s in that pretty head of yours?”
I mirror his expression, my eyes going to slits. “None of your business.”
His jaw firms. “Princess, until this is over, everything about you is my business.”
That does it. He pulls out a key fob and beeps open one of the SUVs, but I don’t see which one, because I’m marching back toward the entrance. I refuse to go anywhere with this … man.
When I called my mother after the accident — or I guess I should say incident — she told me Adamo Protection Services was the best personal security company in the area. But she can’t have had any idea what I’d be dealing with. I’ll have to research other firms.
I’m only halfway to the front door when Nico reaches me. In one smooth move, he swings me up into his arms and carries me toward one of the vehicles.
“Put me down!” I protest, and start to wriggle.
“Hold still.” The command cracks out like a shot. Shock has me going immobile.
In a few long strides, Nico reaches the SUV, where the passenger door is already open. He must have done that before he retrieved me … which means he crossed the parking lot to this vehicle, and then caught up to me, with unnerving speed. Like the hard edge to his voice just now, it’s completely at odds with his easygoing demeanor.
He sets me carefully on the seat. As soon as my ass hits the leather, it breaks the temporary spell I’ve been under. “Listen. I don’t know who you think you are—”
I break off when he leans in close. Too close. Kissing territory.
The sensual curve of his mouth, the stubble on his cheeks, the long lashes on his dark eyes — the scent of him, warm and masculine — all of it entices me, makes me reckless with temptation. I want to grab his shirt, pull him in close, and seal my mouth to his.
Before I can humiliate myself by acting on the impulse, he speaks. “Who I am, babe, is the man keeping your sweet ass out of trouble. If I have to spank that ass to make you behave … well, that’ll just be a bonus.”
For a second, I’m speechless, before I realize my mouth is hanging open and snap it shut. “You wouldn’t dare.”
2
Bring Your Princess
As soon as the words are out of her mouth, Juliet’s face pales. Daring me is not a good idea, and she’s smart enough to recognize it.
I’d love to take her up on it. I got an eyeful of her tight, round ass while she was marching across the parking lot. It looks mighty fine, but it’d look even better over my knee, turning pink from my hand, and better still up in the air while I’m fucking her.
She’s worrying her soft, full lower lip between her teeth. Until Sofia checks her out, I can’t risk anything that might jar her spine — like spanking her.
A kiss, on the other hand …
Juliet North belongs in my bed. And anywhere else I can fuck her brains out. The sooner I start getting her used to that idea, the better.
Angling my head, I move in and press my mouth to hers.
She goes still for an instant, and then, with a tiny whimper, tunnels her fingers into my hair, holding me to her. Her tongue darts out and touches my lips, and then I’m in her mouth.
I’m instantly ravenous. I want to lick, taste, devour every inch of her. My cock is so hard it’s about to burst my jeans open.
Only the worry that she might have been hurt in the accident makes me pull back. Her eyes are huge, too big in her face. She looks like she’s never been kissed before.
Maybe she hasn’t.
Virgins are so not my style that the thought should make my cock shrivel up. Instead, I get a mental image of the look on her face the first time I go down on her. The first time I suck her tits, until she’s begging me for more, for everything.
The first time she takes my cock.
Fuck.
I pull back and slam the door shut so hard the SUV shakes, circling around to the driver’s side, and pull out my phone to call my cousin.
“Nico. Tell me you’re not bleeding.”
“All in one piece, Sofia. But I am bringing you a patient.”
“One day, you’ll learn to make an appointment, and I’ll have myocardial infarction from the shock.”
I smile, but then I look in at Juliet. She’s sitting there with her head hung, her hands worrying each other in her lap. Cursing mentally, I tell Sofia the details about what happened and Juliet’s car being wrecked.
“Nico, I’m a family practitioner. I’m not set up for emergencies.”
“She’s ambulatory. Says she’s not hurt. I just want to be sure.”
She blows out a breath. “All right. Bring her by. We’re packed today, so you’ll have to wait a little.”
“Thanks, cuz. I owe you a bottle of your favorite wine.”
“You better believe it.”
Ending the call, I climb into the driver’s seat. Juliet doesn’t look at me, her hands still doing their nervous little dance. My brain rewinds everything that just happened.
She’s no shrinking violet … but if I’m right about her experience, or lack thereof, maybe she’s insecure when it comes to men. To sex.
I am not okay with making her feel bad. Not about anything, but especially me. And us. Because there’s going to be an us, for as long as it takes me to make her safe.
I lean over and whisper in her ear. “I like kissing you, princess. We’re gonna be doing more of it soon. I’m gonna enjoy seeing your pretty lips wrapped around my cock, too.”
Juliet gasps, those gray eyes shooting sparks at me. “You — arrogant beast!”
“Your cheeks turn such a pretty shade when you blush. I bet your ass is gonna look gorgeous when I spank it.”
She wrenches at the door handle, but I’ve already hit the locks. “Uh-uh, princess. You’re stuck with me until this is over.”
Her chest heaves. “You can’t talk to me like that.”
“Babe, if you can look me in the eye, right now, and tell me honestly you don’t want my cock in you, you’ll never hear another word out of me.”
She looks away, her fists clenching, but doesn’t speak.
Damn. This woman. The second I saw her sitting in Rafe’s office, all those curves embraced by a soft, clingy sweater and skirt, I wanted to shove that skirt up, spread her thighs, and eat her pussy out. And then bend her over my brother’s desk and fuck her into oblivion.
As soon as I find out who’s trying to hurt her, and kick their ass into the next galaxy, I’m going to have a good time teaching her how to relax and loosen up. Rules are made to be broken, so screw keeping my distance. The sooner she’s riding my cock, the happier we’ll both be.
But I’ll keep her safe while I’m fucking her.
Since she’s not going to answer me, I s
tart the SUV. “Seat belt, princess.”
“I swear, if you call me that one more time—”
“I like your claws, kitten. I’ll like them even better when they’re digging into my back.”
Juliet gasps, and her skin does that adorable white-to-red thing again. “You’re impossible! I can’t believe my mother recommended this firm.”
My brain flips through my mental Rolodex and makes the connection it should have from the start — if it hadn’t been so distracted by a certain curvy accounting student. “Would that be Senator North?”
She shrinks into her seat a little. “Yes.”
Interesting. Apparently, she’s not eager to claim the connection. It makes me wonder why.
“And your dad … he’s some kind of lobbyist, right?”
“He advocates for environmental issues,” Juliet says stiffly.
“You got any siblings?”
“I have a younger sister and brother.” A wary glance. “Why?”
“We can’t afford to assume that what happened is related to your internship.” From the corner of my eye, I see her tense up as I call Rafael, letting it go through the SUV’s speakers so she can hear. “You’re checking the family?” I say when he answers.
“Yeah. No incidents so far involving any of them, but I’ll follow up with her parents.”
Some of the tension goes out of Juliet’s shoulders. “Good,” I say, and end the call without any idle chitchat, knowing that Rafe will do more than make sure Juliet’s family are safe; he’ll also find out whether any of them were involved in what happened.
That part, our newest client doesn’t need to know. We should be able to easily eliminate them as suspects and find out who’s really responsible. In the meantime, I’ll make sure the only one touching my princess is me.