Page 49 of Daddy's Bodyguard

“Look, Carissa—”

Her palm shoots out to stop me. “It’s fine. There’s no need to explain.”

Again, there’s the smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, making me feel even worse. I need to get a handle on today before I lose complete control. Daisy being here, Sofia running off at the first chance given, Carissa, the stranger outside … one more distraction, and I’m going to be fucked.

My cell phone vibrates, and I swipe at the screen while moving away from the two ladies. “Cash, talk to me. What have you got?” I say.

“A problem,” he replies, his voice serious, filling me with concern. “A huge one, too.”

Chapter 15

Sofia

“Nick, I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more of what’s going on, but I can’t.” I sigh as I rub my forehead.

It’s not the conversation with my boss that’s making me feel so stressed, although it’s a close second. Nick wants to know why Jasper’s still here, and I can’t lie to him anymore. But he can’t know the truth, either. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place, and I’m sick of it. This situation needs to end. Now.

But I wish this was my only problem. Dealing with the anxiety of knowing someone’s trying to kill me is so much easier than facing my best friend. I don’t know what to say to her. Nothing happened between Jasper and me, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit how much I wanted it to. I’m attracted to him. I’m hungry for his touch. I want him inside me so bad it hurts. But how do I say that to her, knowing how much she’s into him, knowing I’m the one who pushed him her way?

Fuck. This is a mess. I hate messes. God, I don’t know what to do.

“Look, I just want to ensure you’re okay, that’s all. Jasper doesn’t seem like the average reporter. I mean, I’ve seen him observing how we do things around here, but I don’t understand why he’s here so long. Plus, the way he follows you around, one would think he’s your bodyguard or something.”

I reply with a dry snicker. Nick has no clue how close he is to home.

“Whatever it is, Sofia, if you need more time off for anything, just let me know.”

“Time off, now?” I snort. “Very funny. We have way too much to do. Plus, I’ve been away for a week, almost. Maybe after the holidays.”

Nick walks to me, taking my hands. “Sofia, no one appreciates your work ethic more than I do. But you have to understand that you – a burnt-out version of you – isn’t going to do much to help.”

“Yeah.” I sigh, slumping down.

Nick rubs my shoulder. “And if that’s the way you have to think of it instead of doing it for yourself, then think of it that way.”

“Right now, I’m fine, okay. Maybe in a week or two, I’ll take a few days off once I know everything is set, I promise.”

Nick sighs. “Alright. I guess I shouldn’t be complaining that you want to work. The opposite of a problem for a boss.”

“And I shouldn’t be upset that you want me to take more time off.” I give an inch.

Nick chuckles, his beautiful eyes sparkling. “Did you just compromise?”

“Maybe. It’s a work in progress,” I reply with a shrug.

I slowly exit his office, hoping Carissa had already gone back to her desk. I need more time to create a plausible explanation for hanging out with Jasper outside of ‘work’. But she’s still standing in the hallway and talking with Daisy. She sees me and gives me a we-need-to-talk glare. Oh, boy. Guess I’ll have to wing it. I hope Daisy hasn’t told her about the subtle lap dance I gave Jasper or that she thought there were sparks between us.

I move towards her, but Jasper intercepts me before I get there. He takes my hand, his expression grave. “We need to talk.”

“Not right now, Jasper,” I hiss, brushing him off. I take another step towards Carissa but gasp as his powerful arms tighten around my waist. He pushes me into the supply closet and closes the door. He switches on the light, and I push against his chest, trying to get past him, but he doesn’t budge.

“Get out of my way, Jasper! You just made things a hundred times worse!” What the hell must Carissa be thinking right now?

“Sofia, stop and fucking listen,” he growls. “Someone’s been casing your office all day, and from what Cash told me, there may be others on the way. We need to leave. Now.” His voice is low, careful. There’s not a trace of panic even though every muscle of his body is spring-loaded.

“What? That’s not … I still have work to do,” I whisper, then glance at the door. “Jasper, if you’re not one hundred percent sure about this …”

He takes a step closer to me, and I wonder how he even fits in the door. He’s so huge. I don’t know how I forget when I only come up to his chest, but he has a way of making me feel inches taller than I am. But now, he’s overwhelming me with his presence, pushing my panic to the back burner. All I’m feeling now is a white-hot, burning lust. Being trapped in this enclosed space isn’t helping at all.

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