Page 25 of Just a Bit Guarded

“Your powers of observation are astounding,” Will said wryly. “You usually don’t get up so early. Are you even awake? You still look sleep dumb.”He put a hand on Gadiel’s chin and tipped his face up to study it.

Gadiel nodded mutely, unable to speak. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone touched him so gently, and he found himself leaning into the touch greedily. God, Will smelled so good. He was unshaven, so it couldn’t be his aftershave; it was something about his skin. It was such a nice, earthy scent that made Gadiel think about safety, comfort and something purelymale—the scent of a virile male in his prime who could take care of him and keep him safe; at least that was what his hindbrain insisted on. It wanted him to go back to bed and take Will with him, so that he could sleep surrounded by that scent.

His hindbrain was fucking crazy.

Clearing his throat a little, Gadiel pulled back. “Good morning,” he said, not looking at his half-naked bodyguard. Some ogling of straight men was fairly harmless, but at some point it became... a cause for concern.He needed to focus on what was important—which was Scott. The man who was perfect for him in every sense. Thegayman. Not this very straight man who wasn’t interested in him in the slightest. Will was just his bodyguard. Scott was his endgame.

“Scott wants another date,” Gadiel said, clearing his throat again. “But he doesn’t know where to go, so it’s up to me. What do you think? I have no idea.”Unfortunately, there was a very limited number of romantic things two men could do together in Dubai without making it obvious that it was a date.

Will hummed thoughtfully.“I guess you could hire a private yacht tour with dinner service, show off Dubai’s landmarks at night. It’s romantic enough but it’s a pretty normal cruise tourists go for. No one will think much of it if you do it for a friend.”

Gadiel grinned. “You’re a genius!” He threw his arms around Will’s neck and kissed him on the scruffy cheek.

They both froze.

Um.

He probably shouldn’t make a habit of kissing his bodyguard. But. It was an innocent kiss on the cheek. There wasnothingwrong with it.

“Hardly,” Will said after a few seconds of silence, his body firm and warm against him. “It’s a pretty obvious choice for a tourist.”

“Yes, and that’s why it didn’t occur to me,” Gadiel said, blushing.Pull away, idiot,he told himself sternly, but his body didn’t obey him, utterly content to be where it was—which was all over his bodyguard’s personal space. He felt boneless and terribly needy, wanting Will’s arms around him, wanting to be held tightly against Will’s firm chest. Ugh, it was so damn pathetic. It was his touch deprivation. As soon as he and Scott got together, the problem would be gone and he’d stop feeling so touchy-feely with men he had no business being touchy-feely with.

Gathering all his willpower, Gadiel stepped back a little. “I’m not a tourist, so I was really overthinking it. I’m glad I have you—to tell me when I’m missing the obvious answer.”

“Glad I could help,” Will said, rather stiffly. “Have fun.”

Gadiel frowned.“But you’ll be there too.” Obviously. It seemed unthinkable that Will wouldn’t be there. Gadiel needed him there. Needed him with him.

“Why would I be there?”

Gadiel opened his mouth and closed it before finally saying, “It would look a tad suspicious if it’s just me and Scott. Youhaveto be there too.”

A grimace distorted Will’s face. “I don’t particularly want to be the third wheel on a dinner date.”

“Pretty please?” Gadiel said, giving him his best puppy dog eyes. “Come on, Will! You have to help me!”

“Gadiel—”

“I need you. There’s no one else I trust.”

Will went very still. He stared at Gadiel with a strange expression before heaving a sigh. “All right, I can’t do this,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I can’t keep lying to you.”

Gadiel’s brows furrowed. Lying?

“What are you talking about?”

Will raked a hand through his hair. “I’m Scott’s cousin.”

Gadiel looked at him blankly. “What?”

Sighing, Will pulled a face. “Scott talked me into becoming your bodyguard so that he could have access to you. He’s embarrassed by it—he didn’t want to be seen as desperate, so he didn’t want me to tell you about it.”

Gadiel closed his mouth, unsure what to think. Unsure what to feel. He supposed in a way it was flattering that Scott had gone to such lengths to be able to see him, but...

“Don’t be mad at him,” Will said. “It was poorly thought out, but it wasn’t malicious. Scott doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body. I’d know—we grew up together.”

For the first time, Gadiel noticed how similar Will’s eyes were to Scott’s—at least in shape and color. He hadn’t noticed that before, maybe because their expression was completely different. Scott’s eyes were kind and flirtatious. Will’s were steady and guarded, except for the sardonic, amused twinkle that sometimes appeared in them.

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