Page 21 of Guarded By the Phantom

She blushed but held my gaze, crossing her arms on her chest. “And does it happen to you often? People try to ditch you? Gosh, I wonder why. It surely can’t be because youpeepat them!”

Damn, if I could sweat, I would. That belligerent expression did things to me, and even though I should have grabbed onto the tattered remains of my professionalism, I fought back instead.

“Oooooh, the kitten can do sarcasm!” I mock-exclaimed, clapping in encouragement. “Report me all you want, doll. You’ll get laughed at, because I wasn’t freaking peeping. It was a penetration test, and you failed.”

She drew herself up, as straight as a stick, her eyes casting thunder. “Ifailed? It’s your job to protect me! Instead, you’re… playing in the bushes!”

I realized with alarm my body got substantially warmer over the course of our argument. A nice shade of pink tinted my vision as I looked up at the furious, disheveled woman in tight clothing, who happened to be my principal I was forbidden to fuck.

It was time to stop this.

I shot to my feet and patted my butt to make sure no grass stuck to it. Barbara’s nostrils flared cutely as she shot me an irate look.

“The only favor I’m willing to perform is to guard you around the clock and follow you everywhere you go,” I said primly, putting my hands behind my back in an attempt to reclaim my lost professionalism.

For just a second, her eyes slid down my body, making the pink coloring my vision intensify. It wasbad.I only saw the world in pink hues in the company of someone I was really into. My default mode was a yellowish sort of tinge, and then red when I fought or gave chase.

Abomination eyes were funny that way. They colored the world in different hues, which served as an early threat detection system, because my vision would turn red even before my brain realized I was in danger.

And it turned pink before I realized I was turned on, helping me better identify potential mates.

“I really want to kick you right now,” she said darkly, eyeing my crotch with a menacing frown.

“Don’t,” I said at once, alarmed by the influx of pink that made the world look hideously cute in my eyes. “It will make me hard.”

She looked up, eyebrows arched in disbelief.

“What did you just say?”

Chapter 8

Barbara

Icouldn’t believe I thought of him as an ally just this morning. When I woke up, my plan fully formed in my head as if my brain had worked all night long to come up with it, I was filled with hope. I was angry and scared, too, but mostly hopeful.

What must have helped was the fact my nose spent the night buried in the thick material smelling of cigarettes and a hint of a male scent that was faint but devilishly good once I took a good whiff of it. He would be on my side, I just knew it.

Well, now I knew better. Phantom wasn’t just a total jerk but also a pervert who climbed trees to peep at girls and made rude, inappropriate jokes. With barely three hormonal brain cells in his head, I had no idea how he even managed to save me last night. What was my mother doing, hiring someone who had the temper of a pubescent boy? Did shewantme dead?

“Forget I said anything,” he said fast, right after pressing his knuckles to his grinning skull teeth like he sincerely regretted his words.

When he turned away as if about to escape, I reached for him without thinking. I grabbed his bicep, and he froze, his body charged with energy.

“Nuh-uh. No. Stay right here,” I demanded, gripping tight. “See, you can claim you were in that tree to perform your duties or whatever. But the thing you just said? You can’t talk your way out of it. I’m reporting you.”

He was still, and for a moment, I marveled at howhardhis body was under my fingers. I sensed his armor through the thin material of his tight shirt, and it was cool with no give. Like hard plastic, except, plastic would have been warmer.

It was an odd sensation. Like touching a prosthetic, I supposed. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact his armor was fully organic. Abominations were fascinating, even if this particular specimen was a total moron.

Phantom still didn’t turn to face me as he spoke, his voice perfectly even but strained. “The thing I just said that I deeply regret? Well, it turns out, it might apply to touching, too.”

It took me a few seconds to understand him, and when I did, I unfurled my grip finger by finger, angry he would make another stupid joke like this. It was in poor taste and it made me feel hot around the neck even though I knew he was just making fun of me.

I might be naïve, but I wasn’t stupid. Grown men didn’t get erections just like that. For whatever reason, he wanted to fluster me, and I refused to be affected.

When I fully let go and stepped away, doing my best to ignore the way my palm tingled, he turned around, his eerie grin firmly in place.

“I don’t care if this was just a dumb joke,” I said, raising my index finger. “You were out of line and I’ll report you.”

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