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She chose a short, backless dress tonight made of black velvet fabric. It exposes her back and barely covers her ass, which means I have to be extra alert with wandering hands and men who think every unaccompanied female is fair game.
Fuck them.
Katherine can wear whatever she wants. She can come here wearing nothing but a sack for all I care, but on those nights, I know my hands will be full.
The last guy I punched was the second one tonight. The first scampered like a scared cat after tripping on his own feet.
Pathetic sons of bitches. There’s never any shortage of scumbags in places like this.
Finding an empty seat near where she’s dancing, I grab a half-full bottle and bring it with me. To anyone looking, I’m just a guy nursing his beer and watching his girlfriend.
How I fucking wish.
Three months ago, I wasn’t like this. I was a normal dude. Well, as normal as I could be. I worked at a security firm my brother and I owned. We were who the rich, powerful, and famous called to make sure they were always safe.
I was hella good at my job.
Until I saw Katherine.
Her parents hired us to look after the guests—a mix of celebrities, politicians, and multimillionaires—at their annual holiday party. Everything was normal. No threats, no suspicious guests, nothing.
It was supposed to be a typical gig with a huge payout.
At first, I saw someone standing off to the side, sipping a cocktail. She looked out of place and uncomfortable—shoulders hunched, whole body tensed—as if she was ready to bolt at the first chance.
This intrigued me, so I paid her my full attention. She must have felt eyes on her because she raised her head to stare back at me. When our gazes locked, blood roared in my ears, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
Everything stilled, a split second of suspension, where I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I felt nothing … but her.
Her shiny brown hair cascaded down her back, framing a heart-shaped face.
When she turned the other way, time resumed at double speed.
As the boss, I always hammered into my employees how we needed to be alert all the time, how our spatial awareness could make the difference between safe and dangerous, and how we couldn’t afford to get distracted.
For the first time ever, I broke all the rules. Rules I made myself.
There were dozens of people between us, but all I saw was her. I thought she felt the same way too, that she felt the connection between us, the crackle in the air … until she squinted her striking tawny eyes, scrunched her eyebrows, and tilted her head to the side. She rubbed her eyes and widened them, like it would help her see better.
Later on, I learned she couldn’t see anything past her arm.
It worked out well for me in the end because she didn’t know what I looked like. The following week, I left the company in the care of my brother and applied as a security guard in her office building just so I could keep a closer watch on her. Cade couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it either. Even after I explained, he was in a state of pure disbelief.
I wasn’t the type to lose my head because of a pretty face, and we both knew it. Any other woman could stand naked in front of me, and I’d still prioritize scoping out the area for threats.
As a man who believed everything had an explanation, I had none for my behavior. I felt something shift in me, and I knew nothing would ever be the same.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I take no more than ten seconds to check who it is and decide it’s unimportant. When I look back up, Katherine is nowhere to be found.
Shit.
I swing my gaze frantically, trying to see past the throng of people now jumping up and down. My heart races, and I wonder if she’s gone home with someone. Someone I failed to notice.
That’s always been my fear whenever she’s in the mood to party. It eats at me when I think of her going home with another guy. I mean, it’s one thing to beat someone whose advances are unwanted and unwelcome, but if she chooses someone else over me…
I’d rather have someone skin me alive.
With my whole body on high alert, I spring to the entrance, something thick and hot coiling in my stomach. I’m not sure what I’ll do to whoever she’s with. The one whose only mistake is trying to take what’s mine.
