Page 82 of The Forbidden Bodyguard

My knee bounces, and I try to calm myself as I’ve done a hundred times in a military aircraft on the way to a mission.

This feels different.

We aren’t going to extract a dignitary.

We aren’t going to kill some terrorist.

This morning we need to knock some sense into Stella’s father and work out a way to resolve this so the woman I’ve fallen in love with can choose her own path.

Choose me.

Jesus, I’m in love with her.

How it happened this quickly, I have no idea, but from the moment I saw her, something clicked inside me.

The need to protect her.

The need to know her.

To wake and have her sprawled over my chest, where I can then roll her over and slide inside. God, just to spend hours holding her hand as we wander through the park, hearing her laughter. Or sip on a beer with her as she tells me about her latest book.

I’ll listen to her until my dying breath, just because she lights something up inside of me.

Suddenly, I’m overcome with the desire to take her home to meet Mom, and wishing Dad were alive to meet her. He’d understand this need to topple buildings and move mountains to stop these nuptials.

I can’t let her do this.

I know Stella enough that she’d give up her life—and me—to keep them safe. Even her fucking father. God, the fear she’s been living with. It’s enough to make me pull out my weapon and run up the forty-something floors of Voss’s building and put a bullet in his forehead.

I spoke to my mother this morning. She has an uncanny ability to ring me when I least want her to, but probably need her.

“Hi darling, how’s the new role? I bet your team misses you.”

“Mom, please don’t. Not today.”

After a moment of silence, while I pinched the bridge of my nose, she spoke. “What is happening? If you hate it, I’m sure you can reenlist.”

“That’s not happening.” Although at the time, before speaking to Josh, I wasn’t sure if he was going to fire my ass. “The job has turned out to be a little more complex than I expected.”

“You hate it.”

“I don’t hate it. If Stella were someone else, I’d probably find it invigorating...” I realized my mistake immediately.

“Stella.”

Crap.

“The woman I’m protecting.” My fingers pressed into the corners of my eyes.

“Hmm.”

“Not hmm, she’s hired me. It’s nothing. Confidential.”

“You like her.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

I let out a sigh.

“Did I tell you how I met your father?” she asked, despite knowing she’s regaled anyone who would listen to this story a thousand times. No one loves their spouse as much as my mother loved my late father.