Page 40 of Close Protection

‘Oh, come on, Daph. You really expect us to believe that?’ Henry quips. ‘He’s a good-looking guy, and you’re a good-looking girl. You two have more chemistry than me and Amelia, and I honestly didn’t even think that was possible.’

‘It’s not,’ I confirm. ‘And we don’t. We were simply trying to get out of a precarious situation, which just so happened to result in a small kiss. That’s all. Nothing else to it. So, Meelie, you can give Henry his money back andend this bet because it’s not going to happen.’

Who in the world am I trying to kid?

Them? Because that sure isn’t working.

Me? That sure isn’t working either.

I’ve had very limited kissing experience in my life but that one definitely topped them all. Whether it was under duress or not.

‘You heard the woman, give me back my money,’ Henry teases as I start to head out of the kitchen.

‘Sorry, Hen, no can do,’ Amelia answers, sliding the money into her back pocket before standing up with their finished dinner plates in hand.

‘Well, if you’re not gonna give it, I’m just gonna have to come over there and take it from you.’ He stands up slowly and stalks over to her, giving her enough time to put the plates down before he picks her up, earning a squeal from her and a faster walking pace from me.

The situation between Milosh and me is clearly forgotten as soon as he gets his hands on her, but that’s absolutely fine with me.

If they’d probed me about that kiss once more I might’ve blurted out how it really felt.

And we can’t have that.

Honestly, I don’t even know how I feel about it, only that I want to do it again.

18MILOSH

I finish another lap of the pool and swim up to the edge, running back through the events of the day. Today was an absolute mess in all kinds of ways. That kiss being the messiest of all.

‘Good job, baby.’Why the hell did I say that?

At the start of the trip, when we agreed on the whole fake relationship thing, she was stiffer than a board, but throughout the day she really relaxed into it, leading me to second-guess if any of it was real.

And then there was that kiss.

Her lips were softer than I ever could’ve imagined, and her taste? A delicate mix of mint and sugar. That little moan she let out when her hands were buried in my hair had me suppressing a growl of satisfaction, and left me aching for more. We both knew that guy had gone, but when she pulled me back into that kiss everything melted away, our whole situation forgotten. It was just me, herand our wandering hands.

I honestly don’t know how I restrained myself. Everything about her beckons me. Her honeyed voice, her soft chestnut skin, her kind heart, her regal face with those plump lips, honestly, I could go on forever. I mean, don’t even get me started on how her body felt beneath my touch.

She’s one heck of an actress, too, because the way she was looking at me made me believe it was real, and had me ready to risk it all, job be damned. But I had to swiftly regain control to get us out of that situation safely. How anyone could want to hurt her is beyond me. But they did, and I had to get her out of there.

As I was taking Henry through what happened, leaving out a few minor details, she fell asleep. Her head rested gently on the window and her chest rose and fell steadily. She even sleeps with poise.

When I picked her up out of the car, she instantly curled into me, with one hand coming to rest on my chest. I felt such an overwhelming need to place a gentle kiss on her head, but when I looked over and saw Henry looking between us with a stupid smirk on his face, I decided against that.

Job. Her.

Employee. Me.

Blur the lines and you get a stupid decision waiting to happen.

I dunk my head under the water, holding my breath, trying to clear my head. I blurred the lines so viciously today, and now I truly don’t know where we stand or how I feel. But what I do know is that my actions kept Daphne safe, so ultimately I’m not too fussed.

‘Oh, Mr Petrov, I didn’t know you were down here.’ I hear muffled words from above me. I surface and look up to find Daphne standing there in her robe, her straight hair in a sleek ponytail, holding a bowl of blueberries.

She must have had another nightmare.

‘I was just finishing up,’ I say as I make my way out of the pool.

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