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HE’S MY BODYGUARD, I’M SUPPOSED TO LIKE HIM
KARINA
I leaned against the balcony, wondering if Nathan would show up again, drunk and alone. For three nights he’d gone outside to drink, but as the hours continued to pass, I was sure he wouldn’t make an appearance. Soon enough, a figure caught my attention, moving closer to the balcony and stepping into the light. But it wasn’t Nathan.
“Matthews?” I questioned, my eyebrows raising.
There was no denying it, not when I could see the simple white t-shirt he wore, just like he had the day I met him. Matthews stood tall, his shoulders straightened. His hands casually tucked into the pockets of his jeans.
He tilted his head, a grin plastered on his lips. A grin I couldn’t help but remember all too well from the last time. I hunched over the railing, trying to get a better look.
Matthews checked his surroundings before walking closer. Tugging against the hedges that scaled the pillar, he grabbed hold, climbed up, and pushed himself over the railing beside me.
I gave him a questioning look.
“Can’t exactly let people know I’m here,” he said with a shrug.
“I thought you were in California?” I looked over his face, dried teardrops stained his cheek.
“Well, to be completely honest, I’m here on business. Your father asked me to drop by unnoticed. I don’t think he thought anyone would be outside.” Matthews looked over at me, his gray eyes meeting mine, before I looked back over the balcony.
“I was just checking to see if Mr. James was out again,” I said simply.
“Oh, the bodyguard.” He hummed, turning his gaze back out to the horizon. “Why would he be out if he’s supposed to be watching you?”
“He’s had a rough few nights,” I told him with a shrug. “Personal issues.”
“Gotcha, that’s fair,” he said. “I’ve had my own recently.”
“With your wife?”
He shook his head. “She’s not exactly my wife. I never got to propose.”
I frowned. “Oh. Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, trying not to pry.
“Not entirely.” He crossed his arms, leaning over the railing. “Did you give Mr. James an easy time like I asked?”
“No, not necessarily,” I admitted with a smile on my lips.
“Why not?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes, groaning at the thought. “He barged into my room when I was in a towel.”
“Classic, Nathan,” he mumbled under his breath, looking towards the ground. It was clear I wasn’t supposed to hear it, but after a moment, he looked back at me.
“You seem to care, considering you’re out looking for him.”
“Someone has to, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t mean it like that.” He said, holding my gaze, making me uncertain if that was true.
Nathan was a friend, nothing more. Sure, the way his lips curled into a smile, his laughter, the way his arm wrapped around my shoulder and the warm feeling it brought attracted me to him, but it wasn’t anything serious. “Why does that matter?”
“Because I knew he’d like you. And the way you’re keeping stuff about him a secret…” He paused for a moment. “It makes me realize you like him too.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s my bodyguard. I’m supposed to like him.”
“Karina, I’m not going to hurt him if that’s what you’re worried about. And I stand by my original statement. I don’t care about fucking you. My heart is very much taken.”
Well, that was good to know, even if I didn’t ask him for that information. “Even though you’ve been hurt?”
“You’re quite the observant one.” His lips curved into a small smile. “You’d be good for him,” he said, changing the subject again. “You just have to show him that. Show him how much you want him, and I guarantee he’ll fall onto his knees for you.”
“Is that what happened to you?” I asked with a smirk.
“Yes, and the same went for my little brother.” He winked. “Mr. James deserves something in his life that makes all the bloodshed and trouble worth it.”
He was right. Nathan deserved someone who could make him feel that way. Whether it’d be me was up to Nathan himself. Still, a sudden uncomfortable feeling fluttered in my stomach. Did I actually want to be that person?
“Well, I gotta head out.” he patted my arm and climbed over the railing. “But do me a favor. Take care of each other and be careful tonight. Dangers lurk around.”
I tilted my head, uncertain about what he meant, but I watched as he disappeared into the night. Lost in the sound of crickets chirping, I didn’t hear the footsteps entering my room.
“You’d be a very easy target,” Nathan stated, snickering.
“Nothing you can’t handle, I assume.” I turned, taking a step back as the railing pressed against me.
“Depends on their aim and accuracy. How fast they’re willing to pull the trigger.” He shrugged. His eyes traveled down my body as if he couldn’t look away from my silk nightgown. And after talking to Matthews, part of me didn’t even want them off.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “From what I recall, you can’t step foot in my room.”
His eyes snapped back up to my face. “Yeah but, you said I could stop by if I ever needed anything.”
I smirked. Stepping forward, I closed the distance between us. If there was any time to test Matthews’s theory, it was now. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I kept my eyes on him. “Oh, and what exactly do you need?”
A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. He gently took my hand, lowering it from his body. He took a step back. “Aside from not being seduced by my boss’s daughter?”
“Don’t pretend as if you’re not attracted to me,” I told him, seduction dripping from my voice as I tried to close the space between us once again.
He looked over at me once more, his gaze lingering on my exposed legs. “Who wouldn’t be attracted to someone like you?”
His eyes flickered back up to mine. There was no shred of doubt in them. In my head, his words echoed to the sound of my beating heart. It was more like a sweet ballad than an alarm. Nathan was my bodyguard, after all. He was supposed to be a red flag and yet… he didn’t feel like one.
“Matthews,” I stated flatly.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Who the fuck is Matthews?”
“He’s the one who helped me after I was kidnapped,” I told him. “He works for my father.”
Nathan reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose. “There is no Matthews who works for your father, Karina. He’s probably a spy trying to hurt you.”
“Matthews isn’t trying to hurt me. He would have done it when he was here.”
Nathan snapped his attention to my face. “He was here?”
I nodded. “Yeah… not too long ago.”
He pulled me away, closing the door to my balcony. “What were you thinking? Fuck.”
He paced back and forth, his fingers running through his hair.
“Nathan, calm down.”
“No, I’m not going to calm down. I don’t—I can’t—” He took a deep breath, looking back at me. He moved closer and placed a gentle hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb against it. “I can’t lose you too.”
I smiled softly at him and leaned up, pressing my lips to his.
“Karina, we can’t,” he warned.
“We can… I’ll be quiet,” I told him, my hand slid to the back of his neck. “It’ll be our little secret.”
“No, no. This is probably what they want. For us to be distracted so they can—”
With the help of my toes, I brushed my lips gently against his one more time. “Please Nathan, just this once,” I whispered.
I kissed him again, and his lips melted into mine.
His fingers traced over my hips, sending shivers up my body. His arms suddenly wrapped around me, pulling me closer as he leaned down, giving me better access.
“Just… this once.” He whispered back.
