He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. And it was worth it. He left the house that night and we never saw him again.”
“Did he ever –” I wasn’t sure how to ask, or if I wanted to hear the answer. “Did he ever hurt your sister?”
His face darkened. “Hell, no. Lana’s five years younger than me and has autism. If he’d ever laid a finger on her, that steak knife would’ve ended up through his heart, I can guarantee you that.”
Holy hell.Still waters sure ran deep.
The morning sun cut across his face. “She lives in an assisted care facility now, outside of Pittsburgh. My mom took care of her for as long as she could, but…” He took my hand. “That’s why I can’t risk losing this job. It pays for Lana’s care.”
My heart swelled and sank in a single moment. He was right. How could I ask him to risk his job? I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Rafe wasn’t justmyprotector. He was his mother’s and his sister’s too, a twenty-first century knight in shining armor. I didn’t say anything. I just snuggled into his embrace and closed my eyes. For a few minutes, before the day fully arrived, I wanted to savor every moment with this man until it was gone.
Remy shriekedwhen I told her.
I was two hours into my shift at Tunes & ‘Tudes later that evening, and she’d showed up for a cocktail. When I confided how I’d spent the previous night, she grabbed my hand and almost hauled me across the bar. “Vic! Seriously? It’s about damn time!”
“C’mon. You make it sound like we’ve been dancing around each other for years. I’ve only known him a couple weeks.”
“Please. I would’ve been undressing him after a couplenights. So how was it?” Remy’s fingernails were still buried in my wrist. “It was incredible, right? Like rock your world incredible?”
I just smiled.
She sat back on her stool and groaned. “I don’t know whether to be insanely jealous or happy for you.” She took a long sip of wine. “I’ll go with happy.”
“Thank you. And yes, it was mind-blowing. But also a one-time thing.”
She stared at me over her wine glass. “What? Why? Just because he’s your bodyguard? Please. Ninety percent of the celebrities out there have slept with their bodyguards.”
“Maybe. But I’m not a celebrity. And Grace has really strict rules.”
“So don’t tell Grace.”
I’d already thought of that, but I was pretty sure she had eyes everywhere in the Capitol district. “He sends most of his paycheck home to his mom and his disabled sister. If Grace finds out, she’ll fire him. He can’t risk it.”
Remy thought for a few minutes. I could almost see the wheels spinning in her head. “What if you tell Grace you want a different bodyguard?” she finally said. “Rafe gets assigned to someone else, preferably homely and over the age of seventy-five. And you get a new bodyguard – although you better make sure he’s a lot less fucking attractive than Rafe. Then the two of you can do whatever you want without worrying about the consequences.”
Huh. I’d never thought of that. I poured a round of drinks, cashed out two customers, and ran three orders from the kitchen, all the while mulling over Remy’s suggestion. It made sense. Honestly, I didn’t know how I’d be able to concentrate on my job if Rafe continued as my bodyguard. He was already a distraction and we hadn’t even known each other a month.
The way he undressed me with a single look at the end of the night, but dropped me off without so much as a kiss, sealed the deal. I didn’t waste any time. I called Grace the following morning, got her voicemail, and explained that I was requesting a change in security detail.
She called me back in less than ten minutes. “Victoria? Is there a problem with Rafe?”
I sat on the couch with Bruno pressed against my side. I’d already thought about how I would answer that question. “No. He’s great. I just...I know this might sound weird, but I wondered if I might have a female bodyguard instead?”
I’d done my homework. I knew there were a few female bodyguards working in the area, and they were often preferred by female clients. “I just thought in certain situations it might make more sense. I mean, I’ll be spending a lot of time with mistresses, right? We might be shopping or having girl talk over cocktails, and it might be less obvious if my bodyguard is a woman, too. I could pass her off as one of my friends and it wouldn’t be questioned. Angela was always wondering who Rafe was, and I felt bad lying to her.”
Grace made a quiet sound in the back of her throat, and I wondered if I’d offended her. “I never thought about it that way. All right. I can make some calls today and have Rafe reassigned.”
Reassigned.Despite the fact that I’d asked for it, my heart hurt at the words. In less than twenty-four hours he’d be getting to know someone else. Protecting someone else. I’d no longer see him sitting outside my apartment or standing by the door of Tunes & ‘Tudes. He’d have a new schedule, one that might conflict with mine. I’d probably have to fit in my late-night rendezvous with him at weird times and places. Still, this was what I’d wanted. Once he had another client, and I had a new bodyguard, we could be together.
If only it were that easy.
12
I needto see youI texted Rafe after I got off the phone with Grace. I wanted him to hear the news from me first. It occurred to me, as I swiped my thumb across the screen, I should’ve talked to him about my grand plan before calling Grace, but what other choice did we have? He couldn’t be my bodyguard any longer, not after what had happened between us.
An hour later I sent another text, just in case he’d thought the first was a booty call.Hey, I really need to talk to you. Call me when u get this.
No answer. After two hours of silence, my heart started fluttering inside my chest.He’s probably sleeping. Or reading. He’ll call.Of course he would. Wouldn’t he? After last night? But he didn’t. Finally, just as I’d gotten out of the shower and sat down to watch some mindless TV, someone knocked on my door.
