Page 11 of Guarded Rebellion

I thought I’d be one step ahead of her, done with my workout, showered, and dressed well before I expected her to exit her room. To my surprise, she appeared ready to go earlier than eight thirty. I’d only just pulled my shirt on when she exited her room.

What the hell?

Between the snug cling of her jeans on her slender legs, the low-cut collar of her white sweater that stretched over her huge tits, and those sexy-as-fuck reading glasses she seemed to prefer over contacts, she resembled an academic and scholarly siren.

Shit.

I wasn’t prepared to be… attracted. I had no right to notice her like this. But there was no point in denying she looked hot as fuck without seeming to even try.

Fuck my life.

I’d have to spend half my time warning college frat boys to look the other way. No man was going to touch her. I didn’t need the Boss to emphasize that she was to remain a virgin for whichever groom he’d choose for her.

“Let’s go,” she said sternly, lifting her face and forcing her long brown waves to tumble over her shoulders. Giving up on looking down at her phone, she peered at me over the top of her glasses.

I glanced at my watch. “I said eight thirty.”

“And I say we go now.”

Keeping my face blank, I walked up to her until I was in her space. Soft hints of lavender hit my nose, but I knew better than to drag in a deeper inhale as if to savor her proximity.

“Whatyousay?” I tilted my head to the side, peering down at her and admiring her smooth, unmarred skin. She was fifteen years younger than me, but her youthfulness didn’t make her seem juvenile. Just… pure.Untouched.“You have no say, Eva.”

Her neck strained as she swallowed. “I want to go early to meet the roommate who texted me worried when I didn’t show up. Kelly is in my first class, and I thought that getting coffee with her before the lecture begins would be an acceptable alternative to whiling away the time here under your guard.” She spoke clearly and levelly, but I caught the sass in her words.

You’re going to be a pain in the ass, aren’t you?The idea didn’t irk me. If anything, I felt excited about the challenge. I held out my arm, gesturing for her to proceed.

Head held high, she exited the apartment. I remained right behind her, texting Rurik about the update. He would be my backup, and in these first few days of settling in and seeing how security could be run on the campus, he would be my eyes and ears I relied on.

Lev:Heading to campus now.

Rurik:Noted. Why now, though?

He was there already, scoping the place out. When he wasn’t doing surveillance like that, he’d be expected to take intel and news back to Oleg.

Lev:She wants to meet the roommate I “deprived” her of living with.

Rurik:Garnet? She’s at the café on the first floor of their lecture hall.

I furrowed my brow. That was… precise. Rurik was there as an extension of security for Eva. Not to notice her would-be roommate.

That’s not unreasonable, though.Keeping an eye on Kelly Garnet was incorporated in the agenda of Eva’s protection.

Eva didn’t speak on the drive. Neither did I. Even in silence, though, she was just as combative. Glowering out the window. Frowning. Likely wishing I weren’t there at all.

Tough shit, brat.

She changed her tune when we arrived.

“Morning,” Rurik greeted, nodding at me as we met him in the parking area.

“Oh, I get two hulking shadows now,” Eva quipped wryly.

“Oh? Hulking, you say?” Rurik teased playfully as he flexed his arm, showing off his bicep.

She smiled slightly, sighing as she walked past us. “God forbid I inflate your ego, Rurik.”

I scowled at them.What the hell is this?Once her back was to me, Rurik frowned and shrugged.

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