Page 160 of 5+Us Makes Seven

Alexandra spoke before the others had a chance to respond, a blank expression on her face. “Yes, we are.”

“Now why don’t you use your big muscles for something more useful than standing there looking scary?” Lucy said breathily, staring into my eyes.

I waited for a second, playing dumb, and also, wondering slightly if the girls knew what I was by now. If they did, they clearly weren’t intimidated by it.

Lucy gestured up the stairs with a dainty hand. “Our suitcases are up there, too heavy for us weak, defenseless women to carry downstairs by ourselves.”

Giving me a hard time ‘cause your daddy’s rich, I thought to myself, annoyed. I wasn’t takin’ no shit from girls who were too used to gettin’ their way all the time. I cleared my throat.

“I’m gettin’ paid to be a bodyguard. Ain’t nothing in my contract about being no bell boy, kiddo.”

Lucy frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to be struck dumb. Clearly, she wasn’t used to the staff talking back to her.

Better get used to it, girl.

Olivia and Alexandra laughed, both looking a little flushed.

After hesitating for a while, Olivia, Alexandra, and Lucy begrudgingly walked back up the stairs. I heard a muttered, snide remark from Lucy, just quiet enough so I couldn’t make out the words.

Knew she’d be trouble.

But it would take more than a spoiled little rich girl to piss me off.

A few seconds later, the girls filed downstairs, struggling with their massive suitcases. With my arms folded, I watched them awkwardly make their way down with the cases. Outwardly, I frowned, but only because I was struggling not to laugh.

When they’d managed to get halfway down the stairs, I ran up to meet them, springing into action. My speed surprised Olivia and Lucy, but not Alexandra. Her expression was hard to read, but I thought she looked awed. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my end.

Deciding it was time to show off, I lifted Alexandra’s suitcase first, my chest and biceps bulging as I settled it on my left shoulder. I then lifted Olivia’s suitcase with my left hand, having to hold it at an awkward angle to keep Alexandra’s balanced on my shoulder.

Christ, what the fuck had they packed?

Nevertheless, I gave no indication that the cases were heavy, lifting Lucy’s case onto my right shoulder and balancing deftly on the stairs. I smoothly took the cases out to the car.

When I returned, the girls stared at me.

“Listen,” I said, “I’m here to keep you safe. Something I’m good at. If you’re ever in trouble, you can count on me being there. See anything suspicious, tell me.” I paused, looking at them each in turn. “But I ain’t takin’ any shit. If you need help with something, you ask nicely, and I’ll think about it.”

Lucy approached me, swaying her hips and smiling with her dark eyes fixed on mine. She put her hand on my bicep and squeezed a little too familiarly. “Well, there is one thing you could help with, if you’d be so kind?” she said teasingly. “There’re three more cases at the top of the stairs. Could you please help and bring them down for us? You’re obviously more capable than we are.”

I looked down at her, raising my left eyebrow. “That’s more like it. See, it ain’t hard, darlin’.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexandra looking at me covetously. I suppressed a frown, hoping that she wasn’t falling for me. I’d been counting on her to not make things easy…

Alexandra

We were all stunned into a girlish silence at Cruz’s display of strength. He showed no sign of struggling, carrying three fully loaded cases to the car. Lucy was the quickest to react, flirting with him to get the rest of the cases down. She thought she could manipulate him, but I had a feeling she was going to struggle with him. The second she slipped up and didn’t ask him for something nicely, she would likely be in for a rude surprise.

I had to admit, I was impressed with the man and his strength. Oh, and he was easy on the eyes too. Rough, but handsome. And those big hands...

Before I could visualize the rest of his body, we were taken out to the car. Cruz immediately switched from relaxed to professional, becoming cold and expressionless. It looked to me like he was taking everything in, his hawk-like eyes everywhere yet, nowhere in particular.

I could already tell that we were going to have to work to get some conversation out of him. It made me regret not talking to him longer the first time we’d met.

Yet, my internal thoughts and developing desire for Cruz were forgotten somewhat as I got into the limo last after running back to the house to give Sue a big hug goodbye.

“Take care, my lovely!” she shouted from the doorway. I gave her one last wave, smiling.

Lucy and Olivia had made themselves at home in the back of the limo. Olivia was deftly opening a bottle of expensive champagne she’d somehow procured as if by magic, and Lucy was sitting with her legs stretched out on the long leather couch that nearly took up a whole side.

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