Page 3 of A Bride for the Bodyguard

That’s when I see the most gorgeous woman on the planet stomping toward me across the town square.

She looks to be about twenty-three, a fact that should make her less enticing. But instead, it only adds fuel to the fire building within me.

Her long, dark hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and she’s wearing a hot pink sports bra with tight black leggings that cling to her like a second skin.

A primal possessiveness roars to life inside me as I continue to stare at her.

Everything about this woman is sexy as fuck. From her perky tits to her thick thighs to her pouty pink lips. Suddenly, I’m filled with the urge to claim all of it as mine.

“Um, hello?” the woman asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Well, good morning to you too, gorgeous,” I chuckle.

Now that she’s standing in front of me, I realize that she’s even prettier up close. I let my gaze drift over her openly, making sure she’s aware of the attention.

She rolls her eyes. “The police said you’re the person I should talk to about my cart.”

I furrow my brows in confusion. “What cart?”

“My dessert cart,” she snaps. “In case you haven’t noticed, you just blew it up!”

That’s when it clicks. I glance down at the wreckage behind me and back at her. “You’re Marlie?”

Her eyes widen as her mouth forms the perfect little ‘O’ of surprise. “H-how did you know my name?”

I can’t help but grin at her reaction. “Lucky guess.” I extend a hand towards her. “I’m Jack Barton.”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you planning on explaining why you just blew up half the town square?”

It’s then that I notice the crowd starting to gather around us. The faces of business owners, horror-stricken and angry, mirror Marlie’s upset expression. I quickly guide her away from the growing audience.

“Look, I’m really sorry about your dessert cart,” I tell her. “But the explosion couldn’t be helped.”

Marlie throws her hands in the air. “Couldn’t be helped?” She repeats incredulously. “My dessert stand was all I had.” Her face crumples as she looks down at the wreckage. “Now what am I supposed to do?”

A pang of guilt hits me square in the chest. My mind races through options. Then, in a flash of audacity that surprises even me, I find the solution.

“Tell you what, sweetheart,” I reply. “I’ll help you rebuild. But what if I offered you something that could fix more than just your dessert stand?”

Marlie cocks her head, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “And what would that be?”

The air between us crackles. This is crazy—insane even—but right now, it feels like the most logical thing I’ve ever proposed.

Marlie huffs out a frustrated breath. “Look, if you have a point, you better get to it before I?—“

But I cut her off.

“Marry me.”

Chapter Two

MARLIE

I meet a lot of crazy people in my line of work.

As the owner of a dessert cart, it sort of just comes with the territory. But this—getting proposed to by a complete stranger— takes the cake.

Especially when the stranger looks like… Jack.

---