I made it halfway before I lost my grip and dropped back down to the mat. Two seconds later, Marilee landed on the mat right next to me, a carefree smile on her face.
“You didn’t make it.”
“I didn’t make it,” I said, rolling on my side to face her.
She was dressed in gym shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. Meanwhile I was a panting, sweaty mess. I really needed to level up my workouts, this was embarrassing.
“You gave it a good try though.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Trying is for losers, winners do. Or at least that’s what my father always said.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Your father sounds like a dick.”
I laughed. “Yeah, he really is.”
Our eyes caught, and the laughter died on my lips. I could see Marilee’s eyes shifting again, changing color as she stared backat me. I felt warm again, and it wasn’t from the effort of running the obstacle course.
I wasn’t sure how it happened, it wasn’t like I made a conscious decision to move, but suddenly I was on top of her, my lips crashing down as she rose to meet me. Just like last night, my entire body electrified the instant we touched. I licked along the seam of her lips, sucking her tongue into my mouth when she opened for me, my hands moving to frame her face.
“Why do you taste so good?” I whispered as I drew back enough to kiss my way along her jaw and back to her mouth.
Instead of answering, Marilee bent her knees and flipped us over so she was on top of me, her legs between mine. She rubbed her hips against me as she gave me a rough and claiming kiss that lit up every nerve ending in my body. I ran my hands along her back, down the curves of her ass, memorizing the feel of her as the kiss went on and on.
When she finally pulled back, my heart was racing and my panties were soaked. I watched her nostrils flare as she inhaled, no doubt catching the scent of my arousal with her sensitive nose. But judging by the way her nipples were jutting through her shirt, I wasn’t the only one affected.
“We should stop,” she said regretfully. “We’re crossing a line we shouldn’t be crossing.”
It took a few seconds for all the reasons this was a bad idea to penetrate through my lust-addled brain. Oh yeah. She was mybodyguard. She needed to focus on my safety. Plus there was the fated mate thing. I didn’t want to lead her on and make her think we had a future together. People like me didn’t get futures.
People like me might not be alive in a few weeks,I reminded myself.
I didn’t think my parents would kill me. I knew they loved me in their own twisted way. They wouldn’t hesitate to lock me up somewhere though. I had no doubt about that. Their enemies were another story. Now that my father had offered a bounty of his own for me, they knew I was important. Killing me would send a message, the same way killing my little brother had.
Marilee must have sensed my shift in mood.
“Are you okay?” she asked, studying me carefully.
“Yeah. I’m just hungry,” I lied.
She looked like she was about to challenge me but just then my stomach growled loudly, backing up my claim.
“Martha and Allie should be here soon to join us,” she said, leaping to her feet with a grace that I envied. “I think Bella is still here too – you met her the other day in the conference room -- we’ll see if she wants to join us for dinner. I imagine we’re all hungry by now.”
She reached out a hand to help me get back up and I took it, studiously avoiding her gaze while we put back the equipment and wiped down the mats.
An hour later the five of us were at a nearby Chipotle and I was laughing as Bella told me a story about her sister Darla.
“So Darla is doing close protection for this doctor, Kathryn, who turned out to be her fated mate…”
“Wait, it seems like a lot of you find your fated mates on the job, is that right?” I asked.
Bella nodded. “Yeah. I did. Darla. Wanda. Angie. Martha… It’s kind of a trend.”
Her eyes bounced between me and Marilee, making me wonder if she knew that her coworker thought I was her mate.
“But don’t mention it in front of Lois, it enrages her.”
