Page 41 of Forced Proximity

Outside, a breeze cools my heated face. I’m acting like a jealous boyfriend, and it’s ridiculous. Jesus, maybe Zane is right and I need to get back out there and date. Dating’s miserable, but I’d at least entertained the idea. Before Doc. But now, I don’t want to be with anyone.

Anyone else …

Christ. Enough. Not that I want to be with Doc. Or maybe I do. Shit. I mean, I don’t let myself go there, but being around her, now at least, is easy. Comforting. Not in the sense of physical safety, but she sees me, who I am. She’s witnessed the true Justin Greenwood, all my skeletons, my best and worst parts, my quiet and my loud, and she’s still here. My mother couldn’t stand to see the real me. Neither could my father. And yet, Doc stays.

Yes, this is her job, but I think it’s more to her. It’s certainly more for me.

I open the umbrella on the patio table as Conner slinks into the chair at the opposite side. ‘Dude, how do you not hit that every time she’s here?’ He links his hands behind his neck and taps the back of his head with his thumbs. ‘I’d be going wild, for real. She’s hella hot.’

‘Seriously, man, show some respect,’ I snap. ‘She’s my bodyguard.’

‘Christ, relax.’ He drops his hands and reaches for his soda. ‘I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I’m just saying that she really is beautiful. Kind of seems like she’d be up your alley.’

I pull my baseball hat further down my face. Conner is the very last person I want to talk with about Doc. ‘I honestly haven’t paid attention to her looks. She works for me, you know? That’s it.’

He smirks, and I know he can see right through my bullshit. ‘Whatever.’

‘What?’ I tilt back under the shade and close my eyes. I’m done with this conversation, and if Conner keeps prodding, I’m going to lose my shit. ‘I don’t even think of Doc like that. She’s not my type.’

Even muttering those words steals my breath. Not my type? She’s exactly my type. I just need Conner to shut the hell up. Which he did, thank Christ. But it’s not like I can tell Doc how I feel. Even if I did, she’d turn me down, nicely of course, and then it’d be awkward as hell for the rest of her contract.

But the more I sit here and stare into the pool waterfall, the more things become clear.

Trying to get closer to Doc with a game of one-on-one wasn’t enough. I have to do something. I just need to decide what.

Chapter 19

Lexi

Ouch. Justin probably didn’t know I was in the kitchen and heard him say ‘she’s not my type’ through the open window. The words drop like a boulder, but I shake it off. I’m paid to read body language; I’ve seen the way he peeks at me from the corner of his eye when he thinks I’m not looking, how his shoulders relax when I step into his home, the way his mouth curves into a grin when I talk. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, though, and projecting the stuff churning inside me onto him. But why did the words sting? He’s my client. This should be expected. Welcome, even. Not make me want to hide in the corner.

No … this is good. After Katey, I promised myself I’d never open my heart again. The words Justin just said sealed the small fissure he’d created these past couple of months. So, really, the words are a gift. I need to refocus all my energy on the only place I receive validation – my job.

I check my blood sugar and eat a banana when footsteps march toward the kitchen.

‘Gross. It smells like testosterone in here,’ Zane says, tossing their crossbody onto the counter. ‘I should’ve stayed hiking.’

Hiking sounds a hell of a lot better than what’s in store for us tonight. ‘Welcome back,’ I say. ‘So, um, for tonight …’

Zane rests a hand on my forearm. ‘Don’t worry, Doc. I got you covered.’

At least this is one less thing to fret over for this evening. I’m still uneasy about tonight. Sure, this is part of the gig. But the unpredictability of a place like this is a logistical nightmare, not to mention I won’t be in optimal protection mode because of the dress and heels. With the no-firearm policy, even for security, I’m at an even greater disadvantage. Of course, the heels are slip-on, not strap, so I can kick them off in a snap, but protecting a principal barefoot with no firearm is not good. No matter how many years of jiu-jitsu I have under my belt, an assailant will have an immediate advantage over me because of my wardrobe.

‘Thanks,’ I say. ‘I didn’t know who else to turn to. And I’m supposed to blend in, so …’

‘Well, I don’t know how much you’ll blend in. With your killer arms and presumably killer legs, you may stand out, actually.’

Heat shoots to my cheeks.

Anthony, who arrived a few hours ago and has been hanging with the guys, tells me he’ll stand guard while I get ready. I suck in a grin. I outweigh Anthony by a good twenty pounds, and with his sometimes-uncoordinated hand movements, I’m pretty confident he couldn’t take out a chihuahua. Showering is not in the bodyguard playbook, but knowing Anthony has a cell and Conner’s with Justin, I’ll let it slide for the next hour while I get ready and keep my phone next to me the entire time.

‘Ready?’ Zane asks.

Nope.

‘Time to get your game face on.’

Here goes nothing.