Page 65 of South Beach Bodyguards

“I don’t imagine she would.” He snapped his fingers for his guard. “Take Mr. Lewiston to the girl.”

“Thanks, Benito. By the way, this house is killer. Really beautiful.” It was. A modern wonder of glass and sharp angles.

“Thanks, bro. I appreciate that.” He looked genuinely touched and proud. “There are cameras in the room she’s in, just so you know.”

I nodded. “I figured as much.” I stood and offered him my hand. “I’ll see you in ten minutes or less.”

He took my hand and shook it slowly. We were both aware that neither of us trusted the other. Beneath my casual stance, I was coiled to spring if necessary, and so was he. It was a damn shame. I really had loved him like a brother.

When the guard led me downstairs and unlocked the door, I heard Olivia crying. That kicked me in the nuts. God, I didn’t want her scared or hurt. When the door was shoved open, she abruptly stifled her sobs. I walked into a very luxurious guest room and found her huddled on the bed, face and eyes swollen and red. She had a bruise on her jaw. But her initial recoil of fear at whoever was coming in the room gave way to relief when she saw it was me. She jumped off the bed and threw herself into my arms.

“Wester! Oh, my God, I’m so glad to see you.”

I pulled her into my arms and gave the guard a wink over my shoulder. He didn’t react outwardly at all, but pulled the door closed behind him and locked it again. I rubbed her back to reassure her and kissed the top of her blond head. “You okay?”

“Wait, why did he just lock you in here? Are you a prisoner too?” She pulled back, looking panicked. “Did you get caught too?”

“No, of course not. I don’t get caught.” The very idea offended the fucking hell out of me.

She whacked me in the chest. Hard.

I rubbed the spot. She’d hit the edge of my still tender bullet wound. “What the hell was that for?”

“How could you let me get kidnapped? God, this is all your fault!”

“I didn’t let you get kidnapped. You got pissed off, locked me out, and then crawled out the damn window.” It would have been entertaining if it hadn’t gotten her hauled off by Benito’s men.

“Well, it’s because you?—”

I clamped my hand over her mouth to shut her up. I didn’t need to rehash this when we were pressed for time. I doubted there was audio in the room but nonetheless I kept my voice down. “You can’t tell them you’re not Eva, do you understand me?”

Her eyes were rebellious, but she nodded.

Dropping my hand, I brushed back her hair, all snarled and needing brushed. She looked angry and scared, and still so very sexy. “Listen to me. The guy who did this, Benito, is an old friend of mine and that’s the only reason I was let in here. I have one shot to get you out and it’s because I told him we’re screwing Ricardo over and having an affair. That you’re my girlfriend.”

She frowned. “Okay. Though I’m pretty sure I’d rather die than date a man like you.”

Even now, she didn’t hesitate to take a jab at me. I fought annoyance. I was saving her ass, after all, at great risk to myself. I slid my finger across her lip. “Give me a kiss.”

She reared back. “Oh, no. I’m not falling for that twice.”

But I held her in my grip, tightly against my chest. I kept a smile on my face for the cameras but my voice was urgent, intense. “Listen to me. They’re going to kill us if we don’t play this right. This is no joke. You have to be my girlfriend. You have to act happy to see me. There are cameras on us.”

Her body stiffened. Fear flashed in her eyes and her breath came out in audible little pants of shock. “What do you want me to do?”

“You have to have sex with me. Right now.”

four

It took me a second to process what Wester had said. “What? What do you mean?” I had to have heard him incorrectly.

“It’s the only way they’re going to believe we’re a couple. We have to have sex. And it has to look like you’re enjoying it.”

Oh, shit, he really had said that. “I can’t do that! I don’t even know you.”

His eyebrow rose. “No? I can still taste you on my tongue. An hour ago you were completely prepared to have sex with me.”

He was right and that made me flustered. “But that’s before I knew you thought I was my sister. I’m mad at you,” I added, lamely. Damn, I really had no argument. But I’d changed my mind and that was the last word on the matter. A woman was entitled to change her mind once she found out a guy was a jerk. Besides, these were not sexy circumstances. I couldn’t just turn it on that easily. “I can’t.”

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