Page 137 of The Bodyguard

Angela prayed she wouldn’t lose this man. “Come with me. As Sawyer. Not as the man who keeps saving my life. But as the man in my bed. Who I—” There was so much to say, and most of it would send him away. She wanted him to know how much she loved and needed him, but she couldn’t. “I know I can’t ask you for more—”

“Wait.” His voice had dropped to a bottom-of-a-barrel rumble. Its vibrations rolled over her skin, and goose bumps spread down her arms and back. Her frenzy of electrical sparkscontradicted what he’d said. Cut off, she closed her eyes to whatever he would say in his best, most caring way to let her down.

Sawyer wrapped her into his arms. Her eyes pinched tighter. His lips dipped to her temple, her cheek, and finally, her forehead. She couldn’t help but lean her softness into the rock-hard protection of his hold.

“Look at me, Ange.”

Her reaction to this was something else she couldn’t help. Her head tipped back. If only they could stay like this forever.

“You can ask me anything,” he whispered in a way that made his chest rumble again. “Always.”

“Maybe.” Her voice trembled. She was terrified, and he could see it.

Sawyer cupped her chin and then eased back until he sat on the edge of his bed. He held her between his legs, eye to eye. “You can. And you know why? Because I have been in love with you since… I don’t know. Since I first met you? When we first became friends? Or I first kissed you?” The corners of his lips curled into a sexy, soul-stealing smile. “And I keep falling in love with you. Over and over again. In so many different ways. So you can ask me whatever you need to ask of me.”

Her heart raced. “Sawyer…”

“But you have to know this. I willalwaysbe the man willing to save your life, Angela.” Sawyer cupped her chin in his hand. His thumb caressed her cheek. “I didn’t think I could have a woman in my life again. When I told you that, I believed it. But I was wrong. I couldn’t share my life with anyone again until I did so with you.”

“Sawyer.”

“You deserve the world. You deserve to feel safe and loved.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

“I want to be the man who gives you everything.” He swiped away a tear. “I love you.”

More tears spilled as her heart exploded. “I love you too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against it. Relief and excitement raced through her veins. She laughed, and Sawyer draped her over his chest as they fell backward onto the bed.

He threaded a hand into her thick hair and pulled her face close. Their lips tangled. He rolled over and caged her to the bed. “You are my everything.”

A flood of tears returned. “Stop making me cry.”

He laughed, shaking his head.

She caught his cheeks between her hands. “You’ll go into Witness Protection with me? It shouldn’t be for very long.”

Gently, he kissed her lips. “I will go anywhere with you. Always.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Witness Protection wasn’t exactly like Angela had seen in the movies. She and Sawyer wouldn’t be in the Marshals’ protective care long enough to establish new identities in a new community. They simply had to stay put. No job. No communication with the outside world. No responsibilities other than staying within the secure confines of a federal safe house that was planted in the middle of nowhere. Truthfully, she didn’t even know what state they were in, only that they were within a day’s drive of the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where Pham’s trial would take place.

Sawyer and Angela only had each other, a closet full of board games, a pantry and kitchen full of food, and a huge, inviting bed. Witness Protection had been very nice in the lots-of-orgasms, lots-of-snuggling kind of way.

But their time together hadn’t just been orgasms that could set the world on fire. Sawyer wanted her to be comfortable when they returned to the outside world, and he’d made it very clear that things would be different when they resumed their ordinary lives. There’d be no hiding that he was her man. Angela loved that in a way she didn’t know she could.

Rain poured through the thick forest of trees that surrounded their little house. She’d tried her hand at video games that morning and discovered that she wasn’t too bad with the old-style NES games that she’d only wished she’d been allowed to play as a child, but the games du jour gave her motion sickness. After that, they’d raided a closet full of board games, dice, and cards.

She watched her man shake the dice in the cup and roll them. Sawyer scrutinized the dice and smiled in the way that only a larger-than-life superhero of a man could while playing Yahtzee. Four of a kind. He marked his score sheet.

She tried to see his tally of points. “I’m going to lose, aren’t I?”

His smirk was one part don’t-give-up-yet and two parts you-better-catch-up.

She hated to lose games almost as much as she hated to play games based on chance. They gave her the same feeling as jumping headfirst into a public, serious relationship. There was only so much she could say and do to control their debut and future. Angela hadn’t needed to discuss anything with her ex because they hadn’t had a real relationship. Not one that she invested herself in or planned for the future. With Sawyer, she was crazy enough to envision growing old together. But she still needed to know some details. “So, I have a question.”

Sawyer hummed as though he understood she wasn’t clarifying the rules to Yahtzee or asking what they should do for dinner. “I was wondering when this would happen.” His brows rose. “Will you throw your dice first?”

---