Page 50 of Daddy's Bodyguard

“I’m sure enough, Sofia.” He keeps his voice low, controlled. “Trust me.”

“They would hurt everyone here, wouldn’t they?” It comes out shaky. “Carissa and Nick and the volunteers and …”

“To get to you, yes.” He nods.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Just relax. And I don’t want you to alarm anyone, either. Just tell your boss you need to go, then grab your bags and let’s leave as quietly as possible.”

“What will I tell Carissa? And what about Daisy? She’s still here. Jasper—”

“Sofia, breathe.”

“No! I can’t do this. I—”

Jasper grunts, gripping the back of my head and seizing my mouth. My thoughts pause for a beat. My body stills. This isn’t real. There’s no way Jasper’s kissing me right now. But when he parts my lips with his tongue and deepens the kiss, it sends a teasing shiver up my spine that confirms how real it is. How amazing. Fuck, this man can kiss. His big hand spreads over my back, then clutches at my shirt, fire following in the wake of his fingers.

He licks into my mouth, changing the angle to get deeper, and my whole body ignites. I shiver, rubbing the nape of his neck as his body presses to mine. Groaning, he drags me closer, nearly sweeping me off my feet to kiss me deeper, harder.

The sudden knock on the door makes me pull back, breathing hard. The lust on Jasper’s face makes me want to finish what we started, but the door’s already opening, revealing a concerned-looking Nick.

“Is everything okay?” he asks, glancing from me to Jasper.

I nod, hoping my expression gives nothing away. But my body’s still on fire. I’m sure my face is crimson red right now. “Jasper and I were just discussing an angle for his story.”

“In the supply closet?”

“Yeah, I wanted total privacy,” Jasper replies. “Do you mind?”

I shoot him a hard glare before giving Nick my attention once more. “Do you need me for something?”

“Yes. I need the monthly budget. Since the latest proposal got rejected, we may need to make several adjustments if we’re going to stay on track.”

“Okay, I’ll email it to you. I’m also going to take a few days off like you suggested. You were right. I need to rest for a while.”

His expression flickers with surprise, but he just nods. “Of course. Take all the time you need.”

I move past him, leaving him in a stare-down with Jasper. I hurry to my computer and email the budget, then apply for a week-long departmental leave. I’m almost done packing my bags when Carissa appears at my desk.

“We need to talk,” she says, her tone cold as ice.

“I know, and I’ll explain everything to you later, okay? But I need to go.” I drop my cell phone inside, then zip it closed. “But it’s not what you think.”

Except I just locked lips with Jasper in the supply closet, and I didn’t want to stop. It was the best kiss of my life, hands down. My life is in danger, and all I can think of is Jasper’s arms around me, his cock pressing against my belly. This is wrong. So, so wrong. But I can’t help myself. I want more.

I take a deep breath, knowing I’m about to hurt my best friend for the first time. “Okay, so I’m lying. But Carissa, please don’t hate me. I never meant to—”

“Sofia. We need to go. Now!”

The urgency in Jasper’s tone makes me grab my bags, giving Carissa another pleading glance. Her expression’s half hurt, half curious as she watches us walk away. Jasper’s hand braces the middle of my back, pushing me forward. The elevator sounds before we get there. Jasper pauses, one arm now around my shoulder, the other on his hip. He shoves me to the side when the doors open, revealing a tall, spiky-haired guy with a rifle in his hand.

Holy shit.

I land on the floor sideways, my face hitting the tiles. An overwhelming terror threatens to take over, but I shake it off along with my bags and scuffleunder a desk[A4]. The sound of explosions reminds me of fireworks on the Fourth of July, but there’s no excitement. Only fear. Is Jasper okay? My coworkers, are any of them hurt?

There’s a sudden break, and I fall to a tabletop position, listening for movements. My entire body’s shaking. My mouth feels dry. There’s this sudden urge to pee that’s getting worse by the minute. Oh, God. I can’t die like this.

A sudden sound to my right makes me tense, and I relax when Carissa comes into view, shuffling on all fours. I quickly beckon to her, and she hurries over, joining me under the desk.

---