Page 19 of My Bodyguard Neighbor
The possessive declaration should have set off every feminist alarm bell in Holly's head.Instead, it sent warmth spreading through her chest.
"And what do I get in return?"she asked, stepping toward him until their bodies were almost touching.
"Everything."Jonah's voice was rough with promise."My protection, my loyalty, my complete devotion.Whatever you need, whatever you want—it's yours."
Holly stared up at him, feeling the truth of his words.This wasn't just about sex or even attraction.This was deeper, more primal.A claiming that went both ways.
"Even the full truth about you and your past?"she asked.
Holly caught a glimpse of the guilt he'd been hiding.
"I want to know everything.All of it."
"Some truths are dangerous."
"So is loving someone you don't really know."
The word hung in the air between them, shocking them both.Holly hadn't meant to say it, hadn't even realized she felt it until the word slipped out.But looking at Jonah's stunned face, she realized it was true.
Somewhere between yesterday and now, she'd fallen in love with him.
"Holly," Jonah's voice was strained."You don't understand what you're saying."
"Don't I?"Holly stepped toward him, close enough to see the conflict warring in his gaze."I know you're not just some bodyguard my father hired.I know you're more dangerous than you let on.And I know that whatever you're hiding, it's eating you alive."
Jonah was silent for a long moment, and Holly could practically see him wrestling with himself over how much to reveal.
"I wasn't just military.I was black ops," he said finally."The kind of soldier who doesn't officially exist."
"What kind of operations?"
"The kind that keep people like your father alive when other methods fail.Assassination, sabotage, extraction—whatever needed to be done without congressional oversight or media attention."Jonah moved to the worn couch and sat heavily, like the weight of his confession was finally catching up with him."I work with a team.They're who have been keeping me updated about the situation.We aren’t unfamiliar with the Popov organization."
Holly sank onto the couch beside him, close enough to touch but giving him space."What are they like?"
"They like to kill people and intimidate judges and juries by kidnapping their friends and family and torturing them.They've done it before in Eastern Europe.Bribe who you can, threaten who you can't, and if that doesn't work, eliminate the problem entirely."
"How long have you been watching me?It hasn’t been since you moved into the apartment."
"No.I’ve been keeping tabs on you for six months.”
“Six...”Holly blinked, trying to wrap her head around the fact that he had been watching her for months and she never noticed him.
“I was supposed to maintain surveillance from a distance.Report on your routines, your contacts, any signs of threat.I wasn't supposed to make contact unless absolutely necessary."
"But you did anyway."
"I did."His hands clenched on his knees."Standard protocol would have been to remain invisible.Watch from afar, file reports, stay objective."
"What changed?"
Jonah was quiet for a moment, seeming to choose his words carefully."You did.I wanted to be close to you."
She should be furious.Instead, she understood exactly why he'd done it."I get it," she said quietly.
Jonah's head snapped toward her."You get it?"
"I felt the same way as soon as I saw you."
