Page 5 of The Female Warrior & The Charming Gentleman

He stayed far too close, shutting the patio door behind them. The air was refreshing and cold enough to sting her bare arms and face. She liked it.

As they crossed the spacious upper patio, the soft lights decorating his landscaped backyard appeared. She loved this property and home. It was like living in a gorgeous forest. The Jarom Love she’d seen on social media didn’t fit in this rustic and perfect mansion. He should be in the Hamptons or decorating the coast of Newport Beach with his lovely face and chest. But the Jarom she’d met tonight felt right in this space.

Hefelt right.

Autumn pushed that aside and gestured to the rope she’d left hanging from the patio. “Age before beauty,” she said, though her research showed he was only thirty to her twenty-eight, not much difference in age.

“Ladies before gentlemen,” he insisted.

“Wealth before humility,” she shot back.

“Sass before charm,” he returned.

She actually smiled at him. She wanted to keep going with the banter, but they needed to be gone. “I need to make sure you get down safely,” she said. “Please go first.”

“I’m an accomplished rock climber, Autumn, and a man who has no problem following an exquisitely beautiful woman like a dog on a chain. I promise I’ll be right behind you.”

In the dim light, his blue eyes and tall form were intense. She wanted to argue with him, banter with him, hear him say her name and that she was an ‘exquisitely beautiful woman’ again.He was an accomplished rock climber? Why didn’t his social media people share posts of him clinging from a rock?

“We don’t have time to argue,” she said to prove she wasn’t backing down, that she was focused on the mission and his safety. She scrabbled over the side and scurried down the rope. She’d heard other bodyguards say she could climb, spar, or parkour like a monkey. Dropping to the patio below, she saw one of her fellow bodyguards, Adam Monson, doing a rotation through the lower level of the house. He didn’t indicate that he’d seen her, but he was one of the few who knew her assignment tonight.

Glancing up, she saw Jarom was almost to the ground. He moved so quick down the rope using only his hands she’d think he had gecko gloves on. He dropped easily to the ground and straightened, giving her a devastating smile that made her want to tangle her fingers in his hair and kiss him for a long time.

She mentally shook her head and then grabbed the rope, giving it a hard flick of her wrist to release the grappling hook. It fell toward her. She caught part of it, but strong hands reached out and caught the rest.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. Hurrying forward, she shoved the rope under a bush. Adam would take care of it later. “This way.”

Jarom kept pace as she strode across his manicured grass and onto a trail through the thick forest. Neither of them said anything, but his presence was larger than life. Autumn had a celebrity obsession and followed the famous people who in her mind had morals, were benevolent, and impressed her. Jarom Love had been at the top of the list for a while. Thank heavens she had no female friends who knew about her obsession with him, and none of her fellow bodyguards were in touch with their feminineside enough to ask who she worshipped. She smiled to herself. The bodyguards who weren’t hitting on her either became her buddies or kept their distance. She was known to put them in their place both in sparring and in verbal battles and was proud of it.

A blast of light ripped through the night sky. The blinding light was followed by a boom and a roar of fire. Autumn spun, dodging around Jarom to assess the threat. They were far enough away from the explosion that there was no imminent danger. She could feel the heat, hear the roar of burning timber, and see the orange glow even from a hundred yards into the dark forest. Disbelief filled her as she tried to see how bad the destruction was through the thick tree barrier.

“My house,” Jarom muttered.

Autumn didn’t blame him for being upset. His house was a work of art only surpassed by his face and body.

“Was that why you rushed me out of there?” he asked, peering over her shoulder. One problem with being a female bodyguard: she was usually smaller than the people she was guarding. Few people would be peering over Nick, Aiden, or Paul’s shoulder.

“No.” She eased back to stare at the fire’s glow by his side. “We received intel from one of your guards that there was a mole and he might make a move tonight, but we didn’t know he’d try to kill you or blow up your house. We need to go.”

She turned, tugging at his shirt to get him moving, and started jogging through the forest, dodging trees and leaping over rocks and roots. Thankfully and surprisingly, Jarom easily kept up. He didn’t complain about the pace, the night run through obstacles, or his beautiful house exploding.

Her phone rang.

She slowed to a walk and pulled it out of a side pocket. Aiden. Her boss wouldn’t call if it wasn’t safe to do so.

“What happened?” she demanded. No time to waste on hello.

They reached the clearing where she’d parked the Escalade.

“Jarom’s suite exploded. Adam has the perp in custody. A Garrett Redland.”

“He’s one of Jarom’s guards?”

“Yes.”

Jarom glanced sharply at her. She clicked the button to unlock the vehicle and gestured him around to his side.

“Any casualties?”

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