Page 11 of Trust My Bodyguard

Don’t even get me started on Brody. From the moment our eyes caught, I knew he was going to be a special kind of difficult. He refused to look away, his icy gray gaze growing flintier the longer he took me in. I’m certain I didn’t look as put together as the woman clinging to him but still. No need totryto disintegrateme with just the eyes.Trybecause he couldn’t. I eat intimidating glares for breakfast.

But something happened between the moments our eyes locked and the moment Callum called him away. Something that left me flustered and warm despite the chill that clung to our skins. That’s why I avoided his gaze in the hallway. It called to something in me, but I wasn’t going to answer. Not until he proved himself capable of ensuring Iris’s safety. And not afterward, either. He’s meant to protect my sister and nothing more.

I have no doubt he has a selection of women on his roster too. What with his open flirting with that lady and how many eyes were drawn to his towering stature. He’s hard to miss. It doesn’t help that he’s fine as hell. Yes, I said it.Bite me.

The very least he could do was prove he wasn’t just a pretty face, but no. He didn’t even have the decency to leave our presence before taking off his shirt and showing off back muscles that look like they’re hewn from stone. The vivid picture reappears in my head. I bury my face in my hands and let out a groan.

“He’ll be here soon,” Callum says. “We must have caught him at a bad time.”

If I were bothered by his lengthy absence alone, that’d make this much easier. But now my tired brain has convinced itself that he is attractive. Awareness stirs in my lower belly.

No.No. I shouldn’t think about the man meant to keep my sister safe like that. Or maybe it’s his fault I think this way. He should have been more professional.

Just then, the bathroom door opens and Brody returns wearing fresh clothes. I’m not sure whether to feel glad or sad that he has a shirt on now. His golden blond hair is combed back and the excess hairs on his face are tamed into a nice shave showing off a strong jawline.

My fingers twitch with the urge to fix my hair. Wait, no. I don’tneedto look good. What’s happening to me? It’s the lack of sleep. I need to get myself under control before I embarrass myself.

Brody grabs a straight-back chair and plops down before us. His legs are long and strong, and thick thigh muscles strain against the jeans. Elbows braced on his knees, he leans forward with his hands clasped before him. “So, tell me everything.”

Callum starts to speak but I cut him off.

“It’s only decent to introduce yourself first, don’t you think?” I point between Iris and me. “Since we’re strangers to you and all.”

His icy gray eyes latch onto mine. A surge shoots through me. It’s the same way it felt when he looked at me in the lobby. There’s a depth to him. An underlying current beneath the handsome veneer. He’s not a man to be trifled with.

Callum mentioned that he’s ex-army, right? Well, fuck that. This is not the army. Civilians behave civilly, and if he wants to attend to us, he has to prove that he has some decency. I hold his stare not caring that my eyes hurt. Or that my belly swirls with strange sensations.

“You must know who I am if Callum brought you here.” His deep baritone voice holds a stern note. “I’ll learn about you as wespeak. So I suggest you start telling me what I need to know. I don’t have time to waste.”

“And you think that we do? You kept us waiting as you took your sweet time putting on your makeup! The least you could do is apologize but I guess that’s asking too much of you.”

He leans back, sizing me up. “Look, lady—”

“It’s Ivy, and you’d have known that if you followed the right protocol.”

“Listen here, Ivy,” he speaks through his teeth. “I am the one who sets the protocol so you better behave yourself or you’ll find your little ass out in the fucking snow.”

I gasp. “Don’t you dare threaten me.”

“That was not a threat. It’s a promise I intend to keep and I’m prepared to show just how quickly if keep running your mouth.”

Who does he think he is? “Oh, really? Show me—”

“No, no.” Callum stands, walking between us. “No one is showing anyone anything. Calm down, guys.”

“Tell him first!” I point at Brody.

Brody rises to tower over Callum. “What the fuck, man? Why did you bring trouble to my doorstep?”

“I am not trouble. You are trouble,” I hiss. “You should learn how to treat your clients properly.”

“Clients?” Brody’s frown deepens like that’s the worst word he has ever heard.

“Yes, and I’m reconsidering.” I’m not. We have nowhere else to go. I trust Callum’s judgment but I’m so damn tired and Brody is a piece of work.

“You’re not reconsidering,” Callum says sternly, and then he turns to Brody. “She’s not.” Back to me again. “You know why we’re here, Ivy. Reel in the temper.”

“I don’t have a temper,” I murmur, arms folded and eyes cast to the side.

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