Page 39 of Daddy's Bodyguard

“She says you’re a good kisser.”

Fuck.

Damn it, Carissa’s quick. I imagine she made that phone call the second she pulled away from the parking lot. Well, Sofia’s her best friend, so I guess that’s unavoidable. I move to sit on the couch. Sofia crosses her arms and stares down at me.

“Something you want to say about that?” I ask when she keeps staring.

“No.”

“Are you sure? I can practically see the gears turning in your brain. What’s going on in there?”

She glowers at me, but I see wrinkles between her eyebrows. I smile and lean my head to the side. “You want to know if she’s right? If I’m a good kisser?”

“Oh, fuck off.” But her blush gives her away.

“So you want to, but you don’t want to hurt Carissa. Got it,” I tease.

She rolls her eyes. “Why are you like this?”

“Wonderful, charming?”

“Yeah. That’s clearly what I mean.” She huffs.

I glance at the food on the center table, and my stomach growls. Chili and rice. I hadn’t eaten a huge dinner, and now my appetite’s gone through the roof. “How much of that did you make?”

“Have some.” She sighs. “Maybe you’ll stay quiet, so I can work.”

I eat it and relax a moment, letting Sofia work until she lets out a frustrated sigh. It can’t be me; I’m not doing anything. She runs her fingers through her hair with a groan. “We were just rejected.”

“What do you mean?”

“My proposal. It was just rejected by a fortune 500 company we’ve been after for months. The assholes don’t see the value in treating people like people. Fucking shit.”

“Sofia.” I turn her chin to face me. “Hey.”

“Go ahead. Give me some bullshit ‘it’ll be okay’ thing or how I shouldn’t expect different.”

“I’m sorry.” I say. “Not everyone sees the world like you do, and if they can’t profit off it, they don’t see the worth.”

Sofia looks at me for a long time, then swallows. “Thanks for that. I’ll just try harder next time.”

“It’s not about how much you try. Some people just suck, and I’m sorry about that. You do a lot, and I know that it’s recognized by the people who matter.”

She narrows her eyes, then pokes my chest. “If you’re teasing me.”

“Why would I be teasing you?”

“Because every second thing out of your mouth is a lie. I know that. Telling Carissa you were in Greenpeace?”

“I didn’t want to tell her I was in the military. It would lead to too many questions that I don’t want to answer. You only get to know that because I’m protecting you,” I point out. “I don’t lie to you, Sofia.”

“But you lie to everyone else. Got it.”

“Trust me, lies are a mercy.”

“They’re a cop-out, and you know it.”

I glower at her. “You want real shit?”

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