I nodded. “I’d better get to it, then.” I started toward my truck, then paused. “This job seems straightforward. So was the last one. You aren’t giving me the less dangerous ones because of—”
“No. I told you before we all makemistakes. I trust that you’ve learned from yours. Besides, jobs aren’t always as simple as they seem on the surface.”
I knew that as well as anyone.
With a nod, I slid behind the wheel of my truck and cranked up the AC.
Once I got back to my house, I grabbed my to-go bag, which was always packed in case of a last-minute job, and put it in the back of my truck. I had a few minutes before I had to leave, so I took the time to read through the file.
I’d worked my share of security details for famous people—actors and musicians but never an author. I couldn’t say they were my favorite jobs. A lot of standing around. Some of the famous people I had worked with had been entitled and bratty, while others had been down-to-earth. I scanned my eyes over the face of Luna Darling and wondered which one she would turn out to be. If she only went viral recently, hopefully the fame hasn’t already gone to her head.
Chapter Three
Luna
“Ma’am, you need to get off the plane now,” the flight attendant said firmly.
I glanced up and realized I was the last person onboard besides the crew.
“Sorry,” I said, scrambling to get my things together. I had gotten into the zone writing on my laptop during the flight from Vegas to…somewhere in Texas.
As usual, time got away from me. The good news was I didn’t have writer’s block. Anastasia’s idea of a bodyguard romance had the ideas flowing. The bad news was that I didn’t have time to just sit and write like I’d like to. I took one last glance at the royal-blue seat I had been sitting in for the past five hours and fumbled my way down the aisle with my laptop, carry-on, and giant purse.
I hadn’t been paying attention when the flight attendant said where the baggage claim was, so I followed the people in frontof me until I came to the right place. My brain was still stuck on the plot that I had been writing, and it wasn’t until he was right next to me that I noticed my new bodyguard.
How could I have missed him?
The man was massive. Not like basketball-player tall, but more like walk-through-a-door-sideways broad.
Not to say he wasn’t tall, too. He towered over me, nailing the intimidation thing with dark glasses and a complete lack of a smile.
His black T-shirt stretched tight over bulging biceps. His pecs were so big, he probably filled out a bra better than my b-cups did. His tight jeans stretched to capacity over powerful-looking thighs. He had the beard, too. Of course, he did. Not long and scraggly like he’d been lost in the woods, but it had just enough length to whisper “Trust me, I know how to use a hammer.”
“Ms. Darling?” His tone was low and even. Calm in a before-the-storm kind of way.
“I, um, yes.”
He extended his hand. “I’m Hayes from Lone Star Security. Your publishing team hired me for your book tour.”
My eyes went from his extended hand to his muscular forearms. They had the thick muscles and prominent veins that I had waxed poetic about on TV like an idiot.
The universe had a sick sense of humor.
His eyes flicked over the crowd and then locked on me. “Ms. Darling?”
“Yes, sorry, long flight. And Luna is fine.” I reached out and shook his hand. It was warm and rough in mine. A hand that belonged to a man who did the kind of things I had talked about in my interview.
Was that a woodcutting callus?
I wish I knew.
I needed to write allthese details down. I started to dig through my bag for a notebook, ignoring the irritated flex of his jaw. I shoved aside lip balm and old receipts, looking for something to write with. I could so clearly see the story in my mind—rigid, former military protector, and the woman who made him question everything.
The tension wrote itself.
Strong enough to carry the weight of the world, guarded so only the right woman could pry him open.
I finally found my pen, but Hayes was having none of it. “It isn’t smart to hang around in a public place when your publisher is worried about your safety enough to hire me.” He growled the words next to my ear.
