Page 37 of Daddy's Bodyguard

“Testing this theory!” He jumps up and tosses one of my shoes on the couch and drops the other in front of me.

I want to fix it, to put them back where they belong, in line with the others. But at the same time, I don’t want to prove him right. The war rages for a moment, but my fingers itch to correct the issue. I bite my lip, then go for my shoes. Jasper catches me on the couch, and I smack him with my shoe. “Knock it off.”

“O.C.D., huh?”

“Okay, I admit it. So what? Plenty of people have it. The people around them should be happy because everything’s always clean and … and…”

His eyes drink me in, boring deep into me and stealing my trail of thought. I want to look away from his magnetic stare, but I can’t. Hell, I’m in trouble. Big, big trouble.

“I have PTSD,” he suddenly murmurs, his face serious. “There are nights when I don’t sleep because there’s no other way to keep the nightmares at bay.”

“Oh, Jasper,” I whisper, clutching my shoe tighter, so I don’t touch him. I don’t think there would be any coming back from it. But damn, he’s giving me all the feels right now. I just want to erase that sadness in his eyes.

He takes a deep breath, his mouth slightly parted like he’s about to say something, but then it seems he’s changed his mind. The transformation on his face happens so quickly, it’s like the sun moving from behind a dark cloud. But the smile he’s giving me isn’t real.

“We’re both screwed in the head, aren’t we?” I say, when he tightens his arms around me.

“That’s why we’re here, hot stuff.” He brushes his fingers through my hair, and for half a second, I’m sure he’s going to kiss me. “And why we’re going to survive this shit without killing each other. Right?”

The last thing on my mind is killing you, Jasper. If only you knew. Out loud I reply, “Right.”

Chapter 12

Jasper

“You’re sure about this?” I ask Sofia again as I button my shirt. I’m not a fan of any item of clothing that takes over ten seconds to haul on, but for tonight I’ll make an effort.

“Yes. I’m sure. For the final fucking time,” Sofia says, and I look up to find her palming her eyes like she does anytime I walk around shirtless. I smirk slightly. She’s been sweet the last few days, overly sweet, but she got back to her normal self last night with the help of some alcohol and terrible scrabble.

And we almost got into trouble. On the couch, before we somehow got untangled, I nearly kissed her, nearly tried to take my shot … and would have shot myself in the foot based on the fact I’m going out on a date with her best friend tonight, and she’s been talking about it all day.

She spreads her fingers to look at me, then drops her hand. I arch an eyebrow. It feels wrong. Like I should find an excuse to stay here, keep her safe, or drag her along with me. My job says I should. This tug in my chest says I should. But Sofia … she says no. She pulls out her laptop and a few folders.

“Seriously? Are you really going to work on a Saturday night?”

She rolls her eyes. “What are my options? There isn’t much to do here, so I’m going to be productive.”

“You could come and tell me all the ways to get Carissa to fall for me.” I shrug.

She looks up at me and arches an eyebrow. After shaking her head, she tucks her feet under her. “I’m good. Thanks.”

“Sarcasm hurts.”

“You’ll live.” She refocuses on her laptop screen, an obvious sign of dismissal. I decide to leave her to it. I’m already late, anyway.

I check my phone, making sure I have alerts from the security system going there and access to the cameras. Even if I’m not here, I can keep an eye on her. Plus, the restaurant is only five minutes away.

The cab pulls up to the restaurant a short while later, and I immediately scan the area, check my phone, and see Sofia in the exact same spot I left her. I smile slightly as she bites the tip of her pen. She holds it between her lips as her fingers glide over the keyboard.

“Ahem.”

Looking up, I see Carissa strolling towards me. She’s wearing a cute, deep blue, knee-length dress that accentuates her figure beautifully. Wetting my lips, I stuff my phone in my pants. “Wow.”

“Wow good or just a basic wow?” she asks, running her hands over her hips.

“Wow very good. Great.” Jeeze, it sounds like I’ve never given a compliment. “You brought your appetite, right?”

She grins and accept my kiss on her cheek. “Absolutely.”

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