Page 17 of Bodyguard Crush
I’ve been seriously cursing myself out for at least an hour now. I’m covered in small scrapes and scratches. I have bug bites and more spider webs in my hair than I ever care to know about. Just when I’m about to collapse out of exhaustion, I push through the trees, surprised to see the big space before us. The creek is right there in front of me, cutting right through the wilderness and separating one side of the land from the other.
The water is so clear you can see the pebbles beneath it. I fall onto my butt on the ground, taking a deep breath and looking around at the pure beauty. It’s just like he said. He walks out into the water, getting his feet wet. He bends down, scoops up some water, and then splashes it onto his face. He stands and turns around to look at me.
“Well, what do you think? Is it all you hoped for?”
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe out, still catching my breath from the hike.
“Well, are you going to sit on your butt the whole time, or are you going to get out here and swim?”
“Swim?”
He reaches for the hem of his shirt, then pulls it up over his head and tosses it at me. “Yeah, why not?”
I catch his shirt and laugh. “I’m not wearing a suit.”
He shrugs his broad, muscular shoulders. “So? You’ll be dry by the time we hike back to the car. Come on. Have some fun. We didn’t hike all the way here for nothing, did we?” He turns and starts walking deeper into the water in his shorts and tennis shoes.
I let out a growl as I push myself up and start following him out into the water. The water is cold as it seeps into my shoes. It feels even colder as it climbs up my legs with each step, but it helps to cool my overheated body. When I’m about waist deep, I drop down and sit, letting out a squeal as the cold water covers everything but my head.
He laughs as he makes his way over. He sits beside me on the rocks, the water stopping at his belly button while it hits me just under my breasts.
“Thank you for bringing me here. It really is beautiful, and I feel like I know you a little better now.”
He nods. “Well, you showed me yours, so I figured it was only fair to show you mine…my place, that is.”
I giggle and bump his shoulder with mine. “I can’t wait for all of this to be over. I want to keep doing things like this, exploring the world around me without being so…overprotected.”
“I promise, I’ll get you there,” he says, and I turn my head and look over at him. Something about this moment pulls me closer, and I’m reminded of last night when we almost kissed. That’s twice now that we’ve almost kissed, and still, I want it more than anything. He has to know that I’m attracted to him by now, right? Because I didn’t stop it either time. I wonder if we’ll actually kiss now.
I wet my lips and look at him from beneath my lashes. I move a little closer, and so does he. His tongue runs across his bottom lip, and I bite down on mine, hoping and praying that nothing stops us this time. I have to know how it feels to kiss him. I have to see if we could have something or if this is just some silly crush I’ve developed from being so sheltered in my own home. I need to live and experience things like a normal person.
His hand moves toward my face like he’s going to cup my cheek, and when he does, his skin is cold from the water. It feels like ice on my overheated face. Seconds later, his mouth is pressing against mine, and an eruption happens somewhere within my body, within my soul. My tongue brushes against his lips, begging for entrance. His lips part, and his sweet tongue comes out to tangle with my own.
Turning my body toward him, I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on as I deepen the kiss. My lips are tingling, my heart racing. His hands move from my face down my body to my hips. He picks me up and sets me on his lap. I’m straddling him, and I can feel his length pressing against me, even in the cold water. My hips rock against him, and I moan into his mouth at how good he feels against me. When I do, he rolls, laying me down in the shallow water on my back while his body presses against mine. My legs move up to his hips, but before I can lock them so he can’t get away, he breaks our kiss and pulls away, leaving me surprised and shocked. Why did he pull away? What did I do wrong?
“It’s getting late. We should head back,” he says, bending down and picking up his shirt from the ground.
I take a moment to gather myself and catch my breath. Finally, I stand and start following him back through the trees to the awaiting car that will carry us back to my sheltered, overprotected life.
10
KADEN
Iwant to kick myself in the ass for touching her. Not only for touching her but also for kissing her, for pinning her down in the water and grinding my body against hers. She didn’t stop me, but could she have if she wanted to? I don’t know what’s happening between us. I don’t know if she’s ever been in a serious relationship or if she’s just yearning for limited attention. Maybe I’m the only person she’s allowed herself to get close to. Maybe she doesn’t want me, but she wants someone.
I use the hike back as a way to clear my head. Neither of us talks. We both just keep pushing forward until we make it back to the car. By the time we do, the sun is starting to fall from the sky, and it’s twilight when we make it back to the cabin, the night growing darker and darker.
Our clothes have dried like I knew they would, but they’re stiff from air-drying, and we’re both sweaty and dirty from the hike. We both go to our own rooms to shower and get cleaned up for dinner. I take my time, trying not to allow myself to think about her, our kiss, or how it’s going to be even harder now to keep to myself. I pull on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. I put my gun belt on and hide it with the shirt before sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling on my socks and shoes just in case I need to go running out of the house again tonight.
I exit my room and notice that her bedroom door is open. I peek inside to see if she’s still in the room. She’s not, so I make my way downstairs. The house is dark with the staff all going home for the night. I look in the dining room and find a piece of paper on the table. I think maybe it's from her, so I pick it up and read it. It’s from the cook, letting us know that dinner has been put into the fridge if we get hungry. I drop the piece of paper and turn, walking toward the living room. It’s empty as well. Confused, I walk farther down the hallway and see the orange glow from under her office door.
I knock on the hardwood door.
“Come in,” she says from the other side.
I open the door and step into the room. The fire casts an orange glow around the room, and I find her sitting in front of the fireplace wearing the same nightgown as last night.
I shut the door behind me and walk over, looking down at her and the fire. She’s holding a glass of wine. “Everything okay?”
