Page 6 of Just a Bit Guarded

Within days, Zain informed him that he had gotten him a new bodyguard, who was basically going to be in charge of Gadiel’s life: Gadiel wasn’t even allowed totalkto other men without clearing it with his new bodyguard first. It was fucking unbelievable. Gadiel screamed at Zain until his throat was sore,but his tyrant of a brother remained unmoved. So Gadiel got smashingly drunk.

The rest of the night was something of a blur. He fell asleep and had some strange, vivid dreams.

He still felt tired when he woke up in the afternoon, a raging headache making his head throb. Fuck, he never should have drunk that absinthe. If Zain or their father found out… Then again, why would they? It wasn’t as though they cared to check on him as long as he didn’t embarrass them in public. They didn’t give a damn if he fucked up in the privacy of his apartment.

His lips twisting bitterly, Gadiel dragged his miserable self to the bathroom and took a long shower. Thankfully, it made him feel somewhat human, his headache receding to a dull ache he could ignore.

He was drying his hair when an image pushed to the forefront of his mind.

Light blue eyes glaring down at him. A big bulge against his mouth.

Gadiel frowned. The image was weirdly vivid for a dream. The man looked somewhat like Scott but definitely wasn’t him. So strange. Why wouldn’t he dream of the man he was currently crushing on? That would have made more sense. But maybe it was the absinthe. Maybe it really caused hallucinations.

Wrapping a towel around his hips, Gadiel padded out of the bathroom. His mouth felt dry, so he made a beeline for the fridge. He probably needed to hydrate.

He nearly jumped when the elevator suddenly opened—and the very same man from his dream entered the apartment.

They stared at each other.

After a small eternity, Gadiel finally managed to pick up his jaw. “Y-you—” he stammered, flushing as he reviewed the contents of his supposed dream. He didn’t remember everything, but he did remember mouthing this man’s cock through his pants—and he remembered being turned down. Had that really happened? Or had he met this man somewhere and then had a very inappropriate dream about him?

“I’m Will Summers,” the man said, his handsome face impassive. “Your new bodyguard. We have met this morning, but you were still pretty out of it.”

Gadiel’s face was on fire.It looked like his dream hadn’t been a dream, after all.

I don’t want you, this man had said, looking at him with derision.

A hot wave of humiliation made Gadiel’s stomach cramp.

“I don’t remember you,” he said stiffly, feeling small and foolish. “But forget anything I might have said or done—I do stupid things when I’m drunk, things I’d never do in my right mind.”

“Right,” the man said, very dryly. He walked forward and stretched his hand out for a handshake. “Let’s pretend it’s our first meeting, then.”

After a moment, Gadiel shook it.Summers’s hand was big, calloused, and warm. His handshake was firm.

“Nice to meet you,” Gadiel said insincerely, swallowing as those light-blue eyes held his. He was suddenly acutely aware of his nearly naked body and the older man’s tall form inhis dark-gray suit. The stark contrast between them made him feel... odd. Something base curled in the pit of his stomach, a primitive, animal awareness. Will Summers might not want him, but objectively, he was a splendid specimen of a man: a tall, strikingly handsome male in his prime, with broad shoulders, narrow hips and powerful thighs that looked like they would be excellent for thrusting—

Gadiel winced at the direction of his thoughts, but he was hardly surprised. These days, random horny thoughts were the norm for him. It had nothing to do with the man. Thanks to Zain’s efforts to cockblock him, it had been months since he’d last gotten laid, and the dry spell had been driving him crazy. He was half-hard constantly, for little to no reason. He was one step away from humping the furniture like a horny dog. The mental image would be funny if it wasn’t terrifyingly likely.

Gadiel cleared his throat a little, his voice coming out sharper than he’d intended when he spoke. “Actually, it’s not nice to meet you if what my brother told me is true.”

Summers looked at him steadily. “And what did he tell you?”

“That you’ll be living here, with me,” Gadiel bit out, his resentment finally overcoming his embarrassment and self-consciousness.“That I can’t even talk to men without your prior approval or at least your presence.”

“That would be correct,” the man said without much interest. He sounded bored. Bored!

Gadiel flushed, spluttering with helpless anger. Rationally, he knew it wasn’t really Summers’s decision; he was simply doing what he was being paid for. But he was still complicit. He was fine with stifling someone’s freedom for a fat paycheck. Itmade the guy at least partly at fault, even if Zain took the larger portion of the blame.

“I refuse,” Gadiel said, lifting his chin. “Over my dead body.”

The other man continued to gaze at him steadily, looking entirely unimpressed. “That might happen sooner than later if you keep up your reckless behavior. From everything your brother told me, you do need a minder.”

Gadiel blinked at him, stunned. None of his previous bodyguards—and he’d had a legion—had ever dared to talk to him that way. “I don’t need a minder,” he said faintly. “I don’t want you here. Go away.”

“I can’t, I’m afraid. Take it up with your brother if you have a problem with it.”

Huffing, Gadiel marched into his bedroom, grabbed his phone from the nightstand, and jabbed angrily at the screen.Zain, I don’t like him, please don’t do this to me! Can he at least stay downstairs? I can’t live with him!

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