Page 10 of Protecting Hailey

She struggled to answer my question and scratched my forearm with her long nails. I realized my arm was pressing too tightly against her windpipe, so I eased up.

She inhaled a desperate breath, her chest heaving, and her breasts pressed softly against my skin.

“I—I—”

I shook her for stalling. “Out with it. Who are you?” I shouted.

She dug her nails into my arms, and I ground my teeth, biting back the pain.

Then she sneered, “I. Am. Hailey. You idiot.”

I immediately released her, and she fell to the ground on all fours. Her baseball hat tumbled in front of her. Waves of long auburn hair tumbled down, shielding her face from me.

She remained like that for a few minutes, breathing heavily in and out. I dropped to the ground beside her, finally recognizing her. “Are you all right?”

I remembered her injury and touched the back of her right shoulder. A thick swab of cotton stuck out from her black T-shirt. I pressed my finger on top of it and exhaled when it felt dry.

She pulled away. “Get your hands off of me, you, you psychopath.”

She backed away, crawling with her hands and knees on the floor. “Get out before I call the cops.” Her voice cracked on a sob and I realized belatedly that I hadn’t properly introduced myself.

I put my hands up. “Hailey, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to protect you. I’m your new bodyguard.”

She stopped crawling and looked up at me. Her green eyes shone through the darkness. “What?”

I nodded.

“Then why the hell did you attack me?” She had a raspy voice that hit low but strong.

“Because I thought you were an intruder. I’m sorry about the misunderstanding, but your mother said you wouldn’t be back at the house until morning. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Well, I didn’t realize I needed to announce my arrival at my own house.” She struggled to get up, wincing when she put weight on her right hand to steady herself.

I gently put my arm underneath her knees and neck and held her gaze, asking for permission. She stared back, her green eyes narrowing in the dark. She nodded, and I immediately lifted her off the ground.

I carried her to her bedroom and slowly lowered her onto the bed. She wet her lips. “Thank you.”

I shrugged. “It’s the least I could do under the circumstances.”

She smiled wryly. She couldn’t have been taller than five foot six, but she had long legs, which made her appear a lot taller, even as she lay helplessly on the bed.

She cleared her throat. “You can leave now. I’m going to rest. Fighting off an attacker makes me tired.”

Her lips twitched, and my chest loosened. I appreciated her humor. She could fire me here and now for that mishap, but it seemed for now she’d allow me to stay.

As I walked down the hallway toward my room, I felt my pulse racing through my body. It could be from the struggle earlier, but I worried it had more to do with the beautiful woman lying on that bed.

I shook my head, tossing the thought away. I could appreciate her beauty and still work for her. I was a man, not a beast. My mother raised me with manners and respect for women. No, my pulse was racing from adrenaline. It was stupid to think—even for a moment—that it was anything more than that.

4

Hailey

Every muscle in my body ached, not just my wounded shoulder. I used every ounce of energy to fight off… well, my bodyguard. I rolled my eyes, thinking how silly that sounded. But it told me two things. First, he was not afraid to step up and protect me, even in dangerous situations like a break-in. And second, I was extremely weak. Like, I had no muscle mass to defend myself.

As I pulled on a pair of black running shorts, I made a mental note to add weightlifting to the rigorous routine my trainer had me on. His goal was to keep me fit so I could dance and sing on stage, but I wanted more. I wanted strong arms and legs to defend myself, too.

A tune wormed its way through my thoughts and I hummed the melody out loud.

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