To Guard and Protect: A Bodyguard to Lovers Romance Page 2

  Cole checked his close-cropped hair one more time, his green eyes dancing down the rest of himself to make sure everything was in line. He pocketed his keys and grabbed his duffel bag to head out to the SUV parked in the driveway. He’d tried driving a car a few times, but after the Hummers he’d gotten used to working in, sitting that close to the road felt like he might as well be skating to get himself wherever he was going. This was a compromise. No one was going to let him drive a tank down the freeway, though it would have made the traffic a whole hell of a lot easier to deal with. This time of day, it was going to be bumper to bumper, and he was having to leave two hours before he was due to be at his destination just to make sure he was going to make it on time. Living so close to this many people was more than he was ready for most days, though he made up for it by staying home and only leaving the house when he had to. If he was going to be working in the city then this was just something he was going to have to adjust to, he guessed.

  The drive gave him a chance to get his thoughts together before whatever was about to happen. He didn’t know if he had the job or if this was an interview. He didn’t know who he was going to be working for. All he had was an address and an apartment number to head up to. It was easy enough to find. The GPS lead him to a huge high-rise apartment building in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Finding someplace to park was an entirely different matter. By the time he had that figured out, he only had fifteen minutes to get up to the top floor of the apartment building. Once there, he was greeted by a police officer that was clearly on duty by the entrance to the apartment he was supposed to be heading into.

  Cole narrowed his eyes and nodded a greeting to the man standing on duty near the front door.

  “Listen, I’m hoping I’ve got the right place, but I’m supposed to be reporting here for a job.”

  The officer narrowed his eyes in response, glancing down at the clipboard he had held at one side. He ran his finger down the list, glanced up at Cole and raised an eyebrow.

  “Name?” That was it. No greetings. No other questions. Just a single word.

  “Cole Hayes. I’m here about some private security job.” He guessed he was in the right place if whatever was on the other side of that door needed a policeman on this side of it and a name check before he was allowed to cross through the threshold. He just knew that a cop doing a half-hearted job of protecting something like this guy was, was almost as bad as having someone completely untrained with a baseball bat guarding a bank vault. Cole fought the urge to shake his head as the officer turned and knocked on the door, telling the voice that answered on the other side.

  “Security guy is here.” He turned to face Cole, putting his attention back on the piece of paper that was clipped to the board for a moment before glancing up at Cole. “I sure as hell hope this means I can get back to my actual job instead of guarding Pop Star Barbie in there. I’ve got a whole lot of better shit to do, and I’m not sure who I pissed off to get this assignment.”

  Cole narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to say something to the guy when he was interrupted by the door opening to reveal a middle-aged balding man on the other side.

  “Come on in, Mr. Hayes. We’ve been expecting you.”

  Cole walked past the police officer on duty without another word, though there was a lot he wanted to say to him. It frustrated him to no end to watch someone half-ass a job like that. He wasn’t into doing anything unless he put everything he had into it, and to watch someone just going through the motions like that always irritated him. But, there was more to it than that.

  He’d said something about Pop Star Barbie, and that had gotten Cole started thinking. He didn’t know who he was here to meet or what this job was supposed to be, but ending up working for someone famous wasn’t out of the question in this part of town. It was populated with actors, singers, and various other people with more money than talent. You had to have some kind of major source of money to afford the rent on a place like this, the penthouse apartment in one of the newest buildings in the trendiest part of town.

  However, when he followed the heavy-set balding man into the next room he froze in his tracks when he saw who was draped across the couch staring out the window. Delia Morgan wasn’t exactly his favorite artist, but she was the kind of woman who half the guys on his team would have posters of on their walls. She’d been one of those goody-two-shoes teen stars until the minute she turned eighteen. Then she’d gone wild, maybe in some kind of an attempt to shake off the reputation her childhood had earned her, but it had resulted in dozens of posters, photo shoots, and paparazzi photos of her in every stage of undress you could imagine. Cole had already seen more of her than he’d seen of most of the women he’d dated in the last five years, and here she was, in living color, on a couch in the middle of an apartment where he’d been called for a job interview.

  The older man turned and pulled a chair closer to the coffee table in the center of the room, gesturing for Cole to have a seat.

  “Come sit down. We’ve got a few things to discuss before anything is final, and I’m sure you’ve got a few questions of your own.”

  Cole took the offered seat, pulling his suit jacket down as he settled in to make himself a little more comfortable and glancing between the other two people in the room.

  “I guess you could say that. I didn’t get a lot of details from John when he called to offer me the job. He just said that you were looking for someone with my particular skill set for a private security job.”

  Delia didn’t speak, though she did sit up and glance at Cole. He could tell from the look on her face that she wasn’t at all thrilled about whatever was going on.

  “I think maybe I’d better introduce myself before we begin all of this. I’m Harold Williams, and I’m Miss Morgan’s manager.” He gestured towards the young woman who just nodded and continued looking as if she’d rather be anywhere else in the world. “I called your friend John Russell to see if he would be available to work private security for Miss Morgan, and he said he was unavailable, though he’s worked a few events for us before. You came highly recommended, and we trust Mr. Russell, so we’ve extended that to you. Miss Morgan has some… well, peculiar circumstances at the moment that require her to have someone with her twenty-four hours a day for the time being. I’m well aware that’s not going to be the job for everyone, but I was assured that it wouldn’t be an issue for you.”

  Cole wrinkled his brow, glancing back and forth between them. He had no idea what could have happened that would mean Delia Morgan was going to need a babysitter night and day, but John was right when he told Harold that it wouldn’t be an issue for Cole. He had no life at home to speak of. There wasn’t anyone who was going to miss him if he basically moved in with a pop star for any amount of time, not even a goldfish that was going to need feeding while he was away. He didn’t have any kind of ties that were going to stop him from taking a job that meant he was essentially moving out of his home, even if it was temporary, and it explained why the pay was so good. Now, he just needed to know what he was walking into.

  “That’s not a problem. I don’t have anything stopping me from taking any kind of job, and I’m guessing you’re looking for a former military guy since I was in the Navy SEAL’s with John. That just leaves me one question. What in the hell is going on that makes you need a soldier to guard a musician?” That last sentence might be enough to not get him the job, but if that was going to turn them off then he wouldn’t last long in this job anyway. May as well get that hurdle out of the way to begin with.

  Harold glanced nervously over at Delia who just let out a huff and stood up off the couch to stalk into the next room. She returned a moment later with a piece of paper in hand that she basically threw down into Cole’s lap.

  “There, that ought to explain everything. That stupid letter has me on house arrest, and since it came attached to a copy of the key to the front door of my apartment, Harold here thinks I need a babysitter.”


  Cole picked up the letter, reading over it quickly as he noted the menacing tone in all of it, though there were parts that could have been considered innocent enough as a fan letter. However, knowing it came with a copy of her door key was enough to make all of this more than a little unnerving. Harold cleared his throat before Cole finished reading the letter.

  “We’re not asking you to investigate anything. The LAPD is on top of that, but they could only promise us an officer at the door for twenty-four hours, and those twenty-four hours are up at six this evening. I’m not going to leave her alone after that’s over, no matter what she thinks.”

  Delia let out a huff and plopped back down on the couch like a spoiled teenage girl, rolling her eyes. It was clear she didn’t think she needed a bodyguard, but from what Cole had seen of all of this, she was obviously wrong. He didn’t know how easy it was going to be to live with someone who didn’t want him there, but he knew that he had the ability to keep her safe better than the cops or anyone else around here for that matter.

  “And where am I supposed to sleep?” He glanced around the apartment, noting the kitchen and dining room off to one side of the living area and a balcony that was clearly shared with a bedroom next door. There were other doors, though he wasn’t sure where any of them led to. He would do a sweep of the entire penthouse before he really and truly got started

  “There’s a guest bedroom just over there.” Harold gestured towards a door that led off the left side of the living room. “It’s got its own bathroom and a pretty good view of the city. Delia’s room is over there, and her writing studio is next to it. I’ll show you around the apartment when we’re done here.”

  Cole nodded and bit down on the inside of his lip for a moment before the next thing that came out of his mouth.

  “She going to be this annoying the entire time I’m here?” He knew he was rude. He was blunt. It was just a part of what and who Cole was. There was no way he was going to be able to tame it down if he was stuck here twenty-four hours a day with Delia Morgan, no matter how famous she might be.

  She snorted, sitting up from where she had slouched back into the couch.

  “At least he’s funny, Harold.” She stood up and walked over to him offering her hand extended for a handshake. “I tell you what, Sailor, you stay out of my face, and I’ll try to be a little more hospitable. It’s bad enough that I’m stuck in this apartment because of this. I’m supposed to go back on tour in five days, and I’m not looking forward to dragging a bodyguard along with me everywhere that I go. At least you’re pretty. If I’m going to have to look at you all this time, I’d rather you be easy on the eyes.”

  Cole reached out to shake her hand.

  “Alright, Princess. You’re not too shabby yourself, though I gotta admit, you’re wearing a hell of a lot more clothes right now than most of the posters I’ve seen up in the boys’ rooms out on assignment.” He grinned evilly at her, knowing damned well that he was pushing buttons that he might not want to be pushing, but not caring. She could fire him. It would be well worth it.

  He turned to Harold with a nod.

  “It’s a deal. Let me head back to my place and pack a few bags, and I’m all yours.”

  Chapter Three

  Delia

  Delia was far from thrilled about having someone in her space. She’d given Emma the day off while she dealt with police and this new bodyguard. Emma was a mousy kind of girl, who was shy and didn’t deal with stress like this well, although she was the best assistant that Delia had ever had. She didn’t want to stress Emma out any more than she had to, and there was going to be plenty of time for her to get used to having Cole around.

  It was obvious from the first moment that Cole walked in the door that he was perfect for the job. He exuded this aura that just made him seem dangerous, like a caged tiger or a trained snake. He could kill you if he wanted to. Honestly, he could have snapped Delia in half. He was enormous, tall and built like a brick wall. If there was ever a human embodiment of a superhero, this was it. She didn’t doubt for a second that he was the right guy for the job.

  However, she did resent the fact that she needed anyone for the job at all. She was still seething about that letter, hoping it was some kind of joke that Alex, her make up artist, had played on her. She’d even hoped that some radio station or paparazzi was going to pop up and take credit for it so she could end this whole show here and now before her tour started. There was no way she wanted to drag around all this extra baggage while she traveled across the country.

  Being on tour was one of the few chances she ever really got to be free. She could be on stage for a few hours and then get lost in whatever city she found herself in, get into some kind of trouble, drink too much and know Emma would get her home safe. Delia put a lot of trust into Emma, and she earned every bit of it. Having an assistant like that meant she could have as much fun as she wanted without having to worry about the consequences of any of it. Now, there were consequences for being famous and plenty of them, and Delia hated every moment of it.

  Cole was here now, out in the living room while Delia sulked around her bedroom. She couldn’t see him, but she could feel his presence in the penthouse. Usually, this time of night there was no one else here. Delia herself wasn’t even usually here. This was the kind of night she’d find herself dancing until she couldn’t feel her feet in some club or another. Sometimes she’d wind up passing out in the arms of some actor or rock star only to sneak out at three am and grab a taxi home to catch some sleep before doing it all over again.

  Instead, she was here, picking at a cold piece of pizza and staring out the window at the rest of the city going on with their lives without her. It made her feel like a pouty, petulant kid who wasn’t getting her way. What she ought to do instead is go out there and have a good time with her bodyguard even though she resented the fact that they were stuck together. They were going to have to spend a lot of time together for however long all of this lasted. The least she could do was make sure it was a good time.

  Delia grabbed the plate of food that was resting on the edge of her bed and walked into the next room, forgetting that she was wearing nothing more than an oversized t-shirt. She didn’t really care anyway, but the look on the sailor’s face was definitely amusing when it registered. It was nice to know she could at least be a little bit of a distraction to the guy, even if he seemed like he was all about business. At least he wasn’t dressed in that damned suit he’d showed up in anymore. He might only be seven years older than she was, but that suit made him look like he was someone’s dad. It was weird to feel like she wanted to bang someone’s dad.

  Now he was sitting on the couch with his own plate on the coffee table while he stabbed at whatever he had ordered with a fork. Most of the time if there was someone in this apartment beside herself, it was one of Delia’s friends, not a complete stranger. Something told her this guy was going to be far from a complete stranger by the time everything was said and done.

  She plopped down on the couch facing him, tucking her legs up under her body as she mirrored the position of his plate on the opposite side of the table. It took a moment for his gaze to leave her legs and trail up her body to her face, and she was sitting there with a crooked grin painted across her cheeks by the time their eyes met.

  “Hi.” One simple word was all she got out, but it was enough to at least make him crack a little. The corners of his mouth turned up at a minimum. She would take it for now. He was so damned serious.

  “Hi.” His own reply was a little more dubious like Cole wasn’t sure what Delia was going to come up with or why she’d decided to come out of her room to join him out here.

  “So, I’m guessing you don’t do this much.” She raised an eyebrow leaning in to grab a slice of pizza and bring it up to her mouth.

  “Do what much?” Delia loved the confused expression on his face. It made everything that much funnier if she could mess with him a little.

  “
This whole bodyguard thing.” She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant and keep him from being suspicious, though she wasn’t sure that Cole was ever going to be not suspicious about someone.

  “Nah, it’s my first time.” Short, sweet, to the point. All of his replies were the bare minimum amount of words it was going to take to get the message across. He’d been like that in the interview too. Most of the guys she spent any kind of time around never shut up, especially if you gave them a chance to talk about themselves. This was different enough to throw her off her game a little. By now Delia would have been flirting with any guy she wasn’t related to, but she couldn’t get a read on Cole enough to be able to even know how to start.

  “I figured. You’re about as stiff as a fence post. Are you like that all the time or do you let that nonexistent hair down from time to time?” Delia couldn’t imagine what Cole would look like if he actually let loose and had a good time. The world might come to an end if he didn’t look like he was at attention twenty-four hours a day. Did he sleep? Did he shower? Did he do anything that was less than becoming? Was he going to look like an action figure if she ever got him out of those clothes? She had so many questions that she wasn’t sure she was ever going to get answers for.

  “I don’t have enough hair to let down.” He glanced back down at his plate, then around the room when there was a noise out in the hall. It only took a few seconds for him to be up and stalking towards the door.

  Cole moved so fast that Delia didn’t think she’d even seen him get up. Just the sudden change in position was enough to have her heart in her throat, and Delia shifted to the end of the couch farthest from the door. She kept her eyes trained on his back as he moved away.