Page 25 of Her New Bodyguard: Colton

JULIA

Colton held my hand as we walked around a bit. It was barely a town at all, only a little more built up than the surrounding rural area.

I was used to men yelling whenever they were upset, like Dad. I liked that Colton remained quiet even though he was clearly angry. Discovering that the company he had worked with for years might be in bed with criminals would be trippy.

I was angry too. If this was directly Dad's fault, what would Colton think of me?

Not to mention I had to find a way to tell Mom that she should leave. I knew that she hadn't been happy for years. Her sister moved south two years ago, and for a couple of weeks, Mom got very quiet. If it weren't for me, I'm sure she would have gone and joined her. But she probably didn't want to leave me behind with Dad, and didn't have the guts to ask me if I wanted to come along.

That was one thing about the women in my family. We needed more guts.

As if he could read my mind, Colton asked, "Do your parents get along? "

"No," I admitted. "Not anymore. I know that Mom would rather live with her sister."

"What about you?" he asked, stopping under a tree to look down at me, his thumb trailing along my cheekbone. "Where would you want to live?"

"Any small to medium town is fine with me," I said. "As long as it's big enough to have a couple of yoga studios where I can keep studying, I'm good."

Colton chuckled. "My low maintenance chick. "

He became quiet, as his hand slipped around my lower back. "Would your mother be okay with you living with me? She could go to her sister, and we could go…wherever we decide."

"You want me to move in with you after we've only known each other a few days?"

He sighed. "If we were dating like normal people, we would see each other for a few months, and I would spring this on you slowly. But this is a strange situation. Honestly, I feel I need to get you away from your father and to somewhere new."

My mind was reeling. "It seems really fast. I mean, it could be a good idea. But there's a lot to think about."

Colton smiled sweetly. I loved how patient he was. "We can do whatever we want, baby. Doesn't yoga tell you to trust your gut? Listen to your inner voice?"

I smiled back. "What does your inner voice say?"

"To protect you at all costs, and do everything in my power to make you happy for as long as you want me, Julia."

That made me melt.

"I want to say yes, but feel like I should say…probably. Let's see how the next few days go. Is that reasonable?"

"More than reasonable, baby."

Wrapped in those thick arms, it felt like his strength was pouring into me.

I'd always worried that I wouldn't have my own life because my father was always in charge. Instantly moving in with a big, powerful man like Colton might sound great, but I still wouldn't have my own space. My independence.

I needed to create my own life. Although I desperately wanted to do that with Colton, it was still so new. I wanted to trust the things I was feeling, but I was nervous.

I had to find a way to listen to my mind and my gut instead of my brand new libido.

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