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“Yeah.” One of Taylor’s perfectly groomed eyebrows arched up. “Why?”
“Schedule it for later. You shouldn’t broadcast your location.”
She sighed out of her nose, her shoulders sagging. “I do that all the time. It’s just for my Instagram stories.”
“That was before you had us. Schedule it for later, preferably tomorrow.”
The deflation in her posture turned rigid with annoyance. “Fine, whatever.”
I sat back in my seat and watched her tap around on her phone.
“Wrap things up,” I said. “We need to get to your meeting. There’s traffic.”
“Already?” She checked her smartwatch. “I usually don’t leave for another five minutes to get across town.”
“Again, we need to get to locations early. The car is already waiting for you.” I slid my tablet back into its case. “Let’s get going.”
Taylor packed up her things, not looking at me. A tinge of guilt, an unfamiliar feeling in my work, came up. She wasn’t being a petulant child, but she obviously wasn’t happy with how things were going. But she had to get used to it, just as I had to get used to her. I wasn’t used to being affected by my clients in a way beyond the professional sense. But Taylor was different, apparently.
I shoved my guilt down. I was doing what I had to do to make sure she was safe.
I walked her outside and opened the door to the black SUV. Cody was in the driver’s seat, and Harrison was in the front passenger seat.
“Good morning, Taylor,” Harrison said with a big smile.
Taylor brightened immediately. “Good morning.”
“Ready to head out?” Cody asked, glancing over his shoulder at her. Taylor nodded and buckled her seatbelt.
He drove off. Harrison filled the silence with small talk, asking her about how her day had been going so far. In addition to my serious attitude, Cody could be intense, giving off a sometimes-helpful, dangerous air, so I was grateful for Harrison to add balance. It seemed like Taylor was going to be easy to manage in some ways, and difficult in others. I just hoped she wasn’t going to start pushing back against me for being so stern.
CHAPTER4
Taylor
Having three huge, hulking men around me at all times was really, really hard to get used to. They weren’t in my face all the time or anything. Aside from Ethan, who had stayed on my ass for every little thing the day before, the others stayed behind me. I’d gone to the rest of my meetings and dinner with a few friends without much fanfare, at least.
But they were distracting in that they were all ridiculously hot. Seriously. Where did Troy find them? A security firm that produced security guards who were so handsome that they distracted any would-be attackers?
I’d only gone to meet them to appease Troy. I really didn’t want bodyguards. But as soon as I saw them, I relented. It wasn’t just about them being hot, though. They made me feel safe, and although having someone with me at all times would take some getting used to, I liked knowing that someone was protecting me.
Harrison was enormous, probably around six-foot-five and burly in a way that made him look like a big teddy bear. His dimpled smile, which he flashed often, made my insides melt like chocolate under the sun. And the way his light brown skin crinkled around his eyes when he was smiling made me flat out weak in the knees. Of course, he had to go and be nice on top of that. I wasn’t supposed to immediately form a crush on my bodyguard.
Cody was Harrison’s opposite in a lot of ways. His blonde, slightly long hair, tanned skin and blue eyes should have made him look like a surfer, but something about the way he moved and acted made him feel dangerous. Not in the way the people trying to stalk me felt, but dangerous in a sexy way I never thought I’d be into.
Then there was Ethan. I never thought I’d be attracted to a guy who drove me a little crazy and irritated me with his stiff ways. I would have been able to tell that he had been in the military even if Troy hadn’t told me. His upright posture, short brown hair, and square jaw made him look like he was the poster child for the Navy. But he clearly didn’t like me all that much, so it was a tiny bit easier to pretend I wasn’t salivating over his muscles. Just a tiny bit, though.
I sighed, tying my hair up in a bun and studying myself in the mirror. I was going to spend the morning at the spa, sponsored by one of the skincare brands I worked with, so I hadn’t put on makeup. These were my favorite days as an influencer. I loved being pampered.
My doorbell rang right on time, and my stomach flipped inside of me. Shoot, I was running late again. My guards had my schedule, but I didn’t have a schedule of who was going to be my primary bodyguard on what days. Was it going to be Ethan again? I tried to imagine him in the spa, frowning and poking around the calm space. Ugh. Definitely not what I wanted.
After adjusting my robe to cover up as much as possible, I rushed across my apartment to the door and started undoing all the locks they’d installed. Before, I’d had a smart lock that opened whenever I got close with my key fob, but they’d taken that away just in case someone stole it from me.
I opened the door to find Harrison, and I tried not to look as excited as I felt. He flashed me one of his huge smiles, those dimples deepening. His eyes flicked over my body, making warmth spread through my chest. He hadn’t leered or anything; he was probably just noticing the fact that I wasn’t dressed and ready to go. But still, some interest was there.
I wasn’t experienced with men, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew that I was beautiful, and that men were attracted to me all the time. But something abouthimbeing attracted to me felt good.
This was so bad. I tried to focus on his outfit and earpiece, which broadcasted the fact that he was a bodyguard. A bodyguard whom I absolutely could not form a crush on.
