Page 43 of Let Me Protect You

One moment, I’m almost certain we’re feeling the same thing, and the next, he reminds me that he’s my bodyguard. “Yes, yes, I understand.” I practically spit the words. Then I pull away and heave out a breath.

I move to head inside where Abby is waiting, and Elias’s huge, warm hand finds mine. It still fits perfectly in his. What in the world am I thinking? And I haven’t even had a drink yet. Maybe this isn’t the smartest idea, but it’s too late to back out now. Especially considering I felt like Abby needed a friend tonight.

Tugging, I try to move away, but his grip tightens.

When I glance up at him, he shakes his head once. Heat blazes in his eyes. “Tonight, you’re mine.”

Chapter 22

Harmony

Tonight, you’re mine.

I almost trip over my own feet as his deep, gravelly voice fills me up until I’m about to burst. Sure, I agreed he could be my fake boyfriend for the night. But what does that even mean?

And why do I like it?

Elias winds our fingers together and tugs me through the crowd and into the nightclub. Bright and colorful strobe lights are our only source of light. We pass by Abigail, and I grab her arm, tugging her along for this roller coaster of a ride. A group of scantily-clad women vacate the bar, leaving enough room for us to squeeze into.

“What do you drink?”

I suppress a smile. Elias knows everything about me except things from the last few years. There’s still stuff for us to learn about each other. “Cranberry vodka.”

Abigail wiggles in between Elias and me, tearing apart our interlaced fingers. I flex my fingers, which suddenly feel bereft of his warmth.

Abigail’s back is to me, but I recognize her flirty voice. “How about you make that two of them?”

“You can buy your own drinks,” Elias replies.

“Aw, but why are you buying Harmony a drink then? I call favoritism.”

“Because she’s my girlfriend,” Elias replies, his voice louder, but with how thunderous the music is, I doubt anyone other than the three of us hear.

But that doesn’t stop my stomach from swooping.

Abigail jumps away from my so-called boyfriend. “You two are back together? OMG, I need every single detail.”

I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. I can’t believe she still says OMG, but I also love the fact that she’s so loyal that even being within five feet of Elias makes her look like she’ll be ill.

Now is the time to tell her, or else I might lose any trust I recently earned back.

“Don’t worry. We’re just pretending for tonight,” I whisper directly into her ear so no one will overhear me.

Her eyebrows scrunch together. “Why?”

Telling her is probably smart. If I want to gain her trust again, it’s best to not keep her in the dark, so I quickly fill her in.

“Your what?” Her screech is so loud I slap my hand across her mouth.

“Shhhh. I’ll explain everything later. For now, Elias is my boyfriend.” She still looks shell-shocked, so I ask, “Do you understand?”

She nods. “How about we make my cranberry vodka a double.” She turns to Elias and finishes, “And you’re paying for my first drink.”

Someone scoots in beside Abigail and says, “I’ll pay.”

She turns to him. He’s at least six feet with dark hair, but that’s all I can tell with how crazy the lights flash. Elias also faces him, but I can’t hear any of their conversation.

While they talk, I order drinks for Abigail and me.