Page 5 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha
The minty scent of toothpaste on Electra’s breath. The saltiness of the bacon in the serving dish. The acrid smell of chemicals that had been used to clean the tables.
The smooth fabric of her uniform under my fingers. The rasp of cotton against my chest as her breasts pressed against me.
I saw the flecks of hazel in her eyes. Her pupils dilating. Her lips parting in surprise.
Beast surged again, growling and snarling in my head. And then Ifelther. Sadness. Loneliness. Longing.
And in that moment. I knew.
My mate wanted me. My mate needed me.
Whatever she wanted. I would give it to her.
Chapter 3
Electra
Bastien was holding me. I was in his arms. I’d told him I wasn’t hungry and he’dlunged. He was so fast I’d barely understood what he was doing before he’d scooped me up. Before I could do more than gasp, we landed on the sofa. His body was hot against mine, his arms like steel bands holding me in place. Not that I was trying to get away from him. I knew I should. But right now, I couldn’t. Because I felt his touch everywhere. His hard thighs behind my knees. A firm hand at the nape of my neck. Pressure against my chest and stomach.
I was being touched. Held. By Bastien. My boss. The Council President. The man who haunted my dreams. After so long, I couldn’t resist the pleasure. And all my carefully constructed defences collapsed like soggy paper. I let out a long slow sigh and my eyes closed. Like a flower in the desert after rain, my body blossomed. I softened against him. My cheek dropped against the wool of his suit. I could feel his heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump. It matched my pulse. Slowly, waiting to see if he stiffened in rejection, I wrapped my arms around his hard torso. He was so broad that I couldn’t reach fully aroundhim. His arms tightened around me. Bliss. I hadn’t been warm for so long. This. This was what I needed. What I craved.
All too soon, he dropped his arms, ending the embrace. I missed his body heat immediately. The chill rushed back into my bones. I’d been wrong. Having his warmth and then losing it was worse than never having had it at all.
“Are you dizzy?” he asked again, lifting my chin with a gentle touch. His eyes searched mine, as if they’d give him the answer. And his eyes. His eyes were blue. The brilliant blue of the Mediterranean on a summer’s day. The blue of lapis lazuli. Lit by an inner fire, they blazed. Something had happened. I didn’t understand it. His eyes never showed the blue of his Shifter heritage.
I didn’t like things that I didn’t understand.
“You can let go of me now, Mr President.” I only ever called him Bastien in the privacy of my mind. In the one place where I could pretend that my infatuation could be reciprocated. I tried to stand. Wobbly legs be damned.
“No,” he said, one large palm against my thigh holding me in place. Holy hell. How could that feel so good? “Are you dizzy?” he repeated.
“Sir! What if someone comes in?” Now that my brain had wrestled control back from my body, I knew this had to stop. If the President was caught cuddling his bodyguard, his reputation wouldn’t suffer. He was a Shifter. An Alpha. And single. It was almost expected that he would sleep with anyone who as much as gave him a ‘come hither’ look. But my reputation was another matter. I’d spent five years as the Ice Queen. I had enough pride that I wasn’t going to have a scandal with the President as the last thing anyone remembered about me before I quit. Nor did Iwant them to think that an affair with my boss was the reason I resigned.
It was so far from the truth that it would be the biggest joke the universe could play on me. For years I’d regretted saying no to his offer. But I had never once been anything less than professional. So, his torso might be as hard as I had imagined, his fingers on my skin firm but gentle. But it had to stop. I wasn’t going to ruin my professional reputation now.
“Call me Bastien. No-one will enter.” His head dipped. Was he sniffing my hair? And why did I like it? I had to get off his lap before I melted into a puddle. I wriggled forward, trying to get away before I gave into the temptation to lick the salt off his skin. His hand on my thigh tightened. “Stop. Just give me a moment.” His voice was deep. Guttural.
I froze. Oh shit. Under my bottom I could feel that his cock was hard. Very hard. Very hard and very large. I mean, I knew he was tall, but… wow... definitely proportional. Would that even fit? I swallowed, trying to soothe my suddenly dry throat. Discreetly, I tried to press my thighs together. Would he smell my damp panties? He was a Shifter. His enhanced sense of smell would probably tell him exactly what was happening. He already knew whenever I was on my period.
Fuck! How had this happened? Well, duh, I understood how it had happened. Obviously. It should have been no surprise that he was aroused. It was simple biology. He was an Alpha Shifter who hadn’t had a sexual partner for years.
But why today of all days? On top of the poor night’s sleep and my almost-panic attack earlier, the awkwardness of being on Bastien’s lap while his monster cock pressed against my ass was too much. Sudden panic clawed at my chest. My uniformshirt was too tight. I couldn’t get enough air. I had to leave. I couldn’t deal with this right now.
Bastien’s hand lifted. Not overthinking the reason for my sudden freedom, I staggered from his lap. And I bolted from the room.
Chapter 4
Bastien
Fuck. I’d started to follow her, tochaseher, to find out why her heartbeat had accelerated rapidly against my chest. Why she’d fucking panicked. One moment she’d been as relaxed as a contented kitten. Then she’d startled.
I couldn’t believe that it was because she’d felt my hard cock nestled against her ass cheeks. The delicious scent of her arousal had perfumed the air and I’d seen her try to press her thighs together. She’d wanted me. And then suddenly she didn’t.
Was she still angry at me for being an asshole five years ago?
I’d tried to undo my mistake. The morning after I’d hurt her, when she’d denied me her smile, I knew I’d done some serious damage to our budding relationship. But I’d still been confident. I thought I could play the long game. Seduce her slowly. Court her. I made sure she was on the roster when I went on vacation. Island resorts. Skiing in Europe. We dined at expensive restaurants where she chose to eat salad and refused alcohol. Nothing I did seemed to give her joy. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled at anyone, let alone me, since the day I’d called her ‘Ice Queen.’ When she was off-duty,she didn’t socialise with the other staff. The only person she spoke about was her sister Calypso.
My mate was sad. She was achingly lonely. I was failing her.
