Читать книгу Tempted By The Bodyguard - Elle James - Страница 19

Shelby leaned forward as they crossed the Washington Baum Bridge onto the strip of land known as the Outer Banks. With her window lowered, she breathed in the salty tang of the air, her chest swelling with love for the island, love for the long stretches of beach and this crazy touristy piece of heaven.

The sun was low in the western sky, making the sky orange and the water glisten like a thousand black, sparkling diamonds.

“I love this place,” she said out loud, not expecting any response from Daniel. “It’s home to me.”

Daniel had driven all the way from the university without uttering a single word.

Shelby had been hesitant to break the silence, figuring he was still mad about her attempt to escape him. She wanted to be mad back. After all, she was more or less on a short leash with the bodyguard, unable to take a step without his approval or clearance.

Mad as she should have been, she couldn’t wipe that kiss out of her mind. When she’d been thinking about him naked, she hadn’t imagined how just a kiss would fry every brain cell in her head and leave her lips tingling for the next hour. Hell, they still tingled.

Sure, she’d dated guys, had sex with a couple of them, but none of them had kissed her like that and left her wanting so much more.

She sat as far away from him as possible in the confines of his SUV, running her tongue over her lips, tasting him there, and as she wondered what had triggered the kiss, one thing became perfectly clear. As much as she’d been thinking about him, he’d also been thinking about her.

Heat filled her insides, surging into places that shouldn’t be feeling warm while stuck in a car with a surly bodyguard for the next few hours.

When they crossed the bridge and she could see the Atlantic Ocean ahead, she felt a sense of relief, of coming home and excitement.

“There were a couple of times I didn’t think I’d see this place again,” she said, her fingers gripping the armrest, emotion swelling in her throat.

Daniel glanced her way. “Seems like you did your best to make it happen.”

She nodded. “I couldn’t give up. I knew my grandfather would be beside himself with worry. If for no other reason, I had to make it back for him.” She smiled. “But now that I’m here, I’m glad I made it back for me, too. I love the smell of salt, the beautiful sunrises you can only get here on the edge of the ocean.”

Daniel turned south along the long stretch of land that made up the Outer Banks, passing tourist shops, restaurants, hotels, cottages and all the places Shelby knew by heart. She’d ridden her bicycle past them when she was too young to drive and driven past them every day she went to school or on those rare occasions when she went to Raleigh to do some shopping at the big department stores.

She loved this place where people came to relax and vacation away from the stress of the bigger cities.

When she spotted the roofline of O’Hara’s Bar and Grill, excitement filled her and she could hardly wait for Daniel to park the SUV before she threw open the door and jumped out.

“Shelby,” Daniel said, his voice stern, brooking no argument.

She stopped and waited for him to join her, aware he’d saved her twice in the past two days, and she owed him something for that.

When she stepped into the bar, the waitresses and bus boys stopped what they were doing and rushed over to her, exclaiming and hugging.

“Shelby, oh, dear, sweet Jesus,” Lana Innman cried. “We were all so worried about you. You grandfather has been beside himself. How are you? Are you okay?”

Shelby’s heart swelled at the welcome and she blinked back ready tears. “I’m fine, just glad to be back.”

Marisa Webber joined the group hug. “Patrick said you’d been found, but I couldn’t believe it without seeing you with my own eyes.” She sniffed and brushed tears from her cheek. “We’d almost given up hope.”

“Yes, we had. Almost. But I knew you were tough and you wouldn’t let anyone keep you down long.” Lana hugged her again and glanced across at Daniel. “Wow. Who’s the hunk?”

Shelby bristled. “This is Daniel. He’s my…” she struggled with calling him her bodyguard, not wanting to sound like she was all that important.

“I’m her friend,” he finished for her, saving her the embarrassment.

With a grateful smile at him, she repeated, “That’s right, he’s my friend.”

“Just a friend?” Marisa asked. “If that’s all, can I have his number?”

Normally Shelby couldn’t be mad at Marisa; she flirted with all the male customers. She was kindhearted and fun loving and didn’t have a mean bone in her body. But after Daniel’s kiss, Shelby had a hard time taking Marisa’s flirting lightly.

Patrick O’Hara came out of the back office, grinning from ear to ear. “I told you she was okay. Now move, so I can get a hug in there.”

The staff stepped back and let Patrick in. He engulfed her in a bear hug. “I can’t seem to get enough of these.” He kissed the top of her head, the way he had when she’d been a little girl. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“We only came in to collect her things,” Daniel said.

“I’m glad. I was about to go through your bedroom and would probably have gotten the wrong items.”

“Don’t worry. I’m here now, and I can get what I need.” Shelby kissed her grandfather’s cheek. “Don’t forget you need to be back at the Winston Estate sooner rather than later.”

“I will, as soon as I put together the order list for tomorrow.”

“Don’t take too long.” Shelby hugged a couple of the others, then broke free and headed for the back exit and the staircase that led up to their apartment above the bar.

Daniel grabbed her arm before she put her foot on the first step. “Let me go first.”

“Fair enough.” She handed him her key and followed him up the stairs. “The lock can stick a little. You have to wiggle the door when you put the key in it.”

He inserted the key and attempted to twist it in the lock. As she’d predicted, it didn’t work.

“Like this,” Shelby reached around him and wrapped one hand around his holding the doorknob and the other over his fingers and turned the key, wiggling the handle at the same time.

When she touched him, a jolt of electric awareness burned through her.

As soon as the handle turned and the door opened, she jerked her hands away and moved back. In her hurry, she forgot she was so near to the edge of the landing. She teetered on the steps and nearly fell.

Daniel slipped an arm around her waist and crushed her to his chest. “Steady there,” he whispered into her hair, his mouth touching her temple.

Her pulse slammed against her veins, shooting red-hot blood through her body.

Though she’d gotten her feet under her, he didn’t let go, holding her longer than was necessary, and she was glad. Had he let go, her knees would have given way and she’d have melted like a puddle of goo at his feet.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his lips brushing against her earlobe.

Hell, no, she wasn’t okay. The man made her turn to mush whenever they touched.

Digging deep, she summoned enough willpower to pull herself together and look up at him. “I’m…”

That was her second mistake. In the fading light, she stared into his smoldering green eyes and lost herself all over again. She leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

He cupped the back of her head and sealed the kiss with one of his own, his mouth consuming her, his tongue thrusting between her teeth to caress hers.

When at last he lifted his head, he dragged in a deep breath and stepped through the door, pulling her behind him. “Wait here,” he commanded.

Wait? Her body on fire, she stood rooted to the spot, afraid if she moved, she’d collapse.

In the span of a few minutes, Daniel had searched the entire two-bedroom apartment.

But those few minutes were barely enough for her to come back to earth and get a grip on her rioting emotions.

“Get your things,” he said, his voice stern. “We’re going back to Raleigh.”

She’d been ready to march into her room and do just that, but having him come back at her as though what they’d shared hadn’t happened was a slap in the face. Anger rocketed up inside her.

“What just happened here?” she demanded.

His gaze met hers briefly and he looked away. “Nothing.”

“Are you telling me that kiss meant nothing?”

He faced her, and for a long moment, he stared down at her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Really, Miss O’Hara, I’m just doing my job.” He turned and walked toward the door, where he stopped and glanced down at his watch then back up to her. “Five minutes.”

Daniel waited outside the apartment door, sucking in fresh air and sanity. The kiss had rocked him deeply and he had been far too tempted to drag her into the apartment and take it ten steps further. And, damn it, that was the worst thing he could do.

He was on the job, not on vacation. He wasn’t supposed to kiss the woman he should be protecting. It violated every ethic in his books. As a bodyguard, he was supposed to remain detached and observant. When he’d kissed Shelby, he’d lost track of everything. If someone had decided to shoot at them, they’d have had plenty of opportunity to kill.

The best way to end this was to make a clean, if ugly, break. Piss her off and she’d never get close enough for him to be tempted to kiss her again.

By the sound of drawers and doors slamming and the curse words coming from inside the apartment, he’d accomplished his mission.

That didn’t do anything to lessen his desire for her. He’d have to deal with it. No more kissing the girl.

After five minutes on the nose, she emerged from her bedroom, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She breezed past him and clomped down the stairs, her eyes blazing and her back ramrod straight.

Oh, yeah. She was mad. And damn if she wasn’t even sexier.

Swallowing a groan, he followed her down the stairs.

A few steps ahead of him, she entered the back door, the spring slamming it shut between them.

He had his hand on the handle to open the door when he heard a piercing scream.

Daniel ripped open the door and ran in. At first, he didn’t see Shelby. She couldn’t have gotten that far ahead of him. He rounded the corner into the kitchen and found a group of the staff gathered in a tight circle.

Daniel pushed through, zeroing in on Shelby’s light brown hair. “Shelby, are you okay?”

She shot him an irritated glance. “I’m fine, but Lana isn’t.” Shelby held the woman’s hands tight, bright red blood dripped from both of them.

Patrick O’Hara hurried through from another door, his face pale, the lines around his eyes and mouth deeper. “Here’s the first-aid kit.”

“Someone give me the gauze and surgical tape. I can’t let up on the pressure until we can apply more.”

Lana’s face was pale and tears streaked down her cheeks. “I can’t believe I was so stupid. I knew there was a broken glass in the dishwater, but I wasn’t careful.”

“We’ll get you fixed up enough to stop the bleeding,” Shelby reassured her. “But you’re going to need stitches.”

Lana swayed. “I’m feeling kind of dizzy.”

“Get her a chair.”

One of the busboys ran out to the dining area and returned with a chair. Daniel seated Lana, then took the first-aid kit from Patrick. He pulled out a roll of gauze and medical adhesive tape. He made a tight pad of gauze and applied tape on two sides. “Can you stand long enough to dip your hand under clean water?”

Lana nodded. “I think so.”

He eased them toward the sink.

Marisa turned on the cold water and Shelby held Lana’s hand beneath the steady stream. “I’m going to let go. Look at me, not your hand. I don’t want to pick you up off the floor.” She smiled. “Come on, Lana, you’re tough. You can do this.”

“Okay, Shelby, just do it.” She stared at Shelby as they pushed her hand beneath the water.

Once Shelby let go, the blood flowed heavily.

Daniel pulled her hand from the water and clamped the wad of gauze over the cut and taped it down. He added another wad of gauze and more tape. “She needs those stitches.”

Shelby washed the blood from her hands and found a clean dish towel for Lana to hold under her hand. “We can take her.”

“No, let me. As the owner, I should take her.” Patrick hooked Lana’s arm and guided her toward the exit. He paused and turned back to Shelby. “I just let Kayla go home sick and we have a group scheduled to come in. They’re going to be shorthanded.”

“I’ll stay and help out.” Shelby shot a glance at Daniel, daring him to argue.

He washed the blood off his hands, shaking his head. “We’re not staying.”

“I’m not leaving. Unless you plan to hog-tie me and throw me in the back of your car, I’m not going anywhere.”

Marisa whooped. “Yeah, baby. I gotta see this.”

Daniel’s adrenaline spiked and he fought to control the urge to do just what she’d said. With a deep breath, he resisted and played on her father’s fears. “Mr. O’Hara?”

Patrick shook his head. “No, sweetheart, you need to go with Daniel.” Her grandfather frowned. “I don’t want to leave you, knowing you could disappear again.”

“Go, Granddad.” Shelby touched his arm and Lana’s. “I’m fine, and I’ll be here when you get back. Take care of Lana. She needs you now.”

Patrick’s gaze went to Daniel. “Don’t let anything happen to my girl, will ya?”

Short of dragging Shelby out of the bar, Daniel wasn’t convincing her to leave until her grandfather returned. Resigning himself to waiting this one out, he nodded at Patrick. “I’ll do my best.”

The older man’s eyes narrowed. “Do better. She’s the only family I have left.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Come on, Lana, let’s get you sewn up before you bleed all over the place.” He winked at her and led her out of the bar.

Ignoring Daniel, Shelby clapped her hands together. “Come on, people. We have a party arriving in twenty minutes. Let’s get this place cleaned up and ready.”

The waitresses, busboys and bartender hurried back to their duties. Shelby snagged a mop and a bucket of cleaner and headed for the kitchen.

Daniel followed.

“If you’re going to hang around, you might as well help.” She shoved the mop into his hands, stepped over the puddle of blood on the floor and, using a strainer, scooped the broken glass out of the sink and deposited it in the trash.

While she cleaned the dishes, Daniel mopped the floor, thinking there was no glory in being a Secret Service agent. Once again, he wondered what he’d been thinking when he’d agreed to be Shelby’s bodyguard.

Trouble. With a capital T.

As expected, a group of thirty men from a rowing team out of D.C. converged on O’Hara’s, shouting, laughing and raising good-natured hell.

Daniel helped by bussing tables while keeping a close eye on Shelby. He studied all the men, searching each face for a clue as to his intention.

Most of them wore polo shirts with their club logo on them. They were healthy, muscular men with innocent faces out to have a good time. For the most part.

Daniel wished Shelby was serving behind the bar. As she wove her way between the tables, any one of the men could attack and he’d be too late to help her.

He tried following her around, but that only made her mad, and she told him to back off.

At one table, she smiled and chatted with several of the rowers while serving fresh drinks and collecting the empties. When she turned back toward the bar, she tripped and would have fallen, but one man reached out and yanked her onto his lap, saving her, but not the contents of her tray.

Bottles and mugs toppled to the floor. Only one broke; the rest remained intact. Rubber tub in hand, Daniel hurried to her side.

“Oops.” Shelby laughed. “Thanks for the save, but you can let me up now.”

The man who’d pulled her into his lap laughed and refused to let go of her, his buddies egging him on.

Shelby retained her ever-present smile. “You really should let me up.” With a glance at Daniel, she looked back at the man. “My boyfriend doesn’t like it when other guys touch me.”

The man immediately let go. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t mean to poach.”

Daniel’s fingers clenched around the tub he’d been about to throw at the man. He still wanted to throw it, but he held back with a considerable amount of effort.

Shelby’s lips twisted into a crooked smile. “See? He gets all hot and bothered when other guys so much as look at me, don’t you, baby?” She kissed his cheek and slid a hand along his shoulder as she passed by him.

The guy in chair held up his hands, apparently seeing the danger in Daniel’s eyes. “Like I said, man, I didn’t know.”

After a moment, Daniel shrugged. “No harm, no foul.” He bent to clean up the bottles and mugs. When he had the mess cleared, he went to find Shelby.

She wasn’t in the bar.

His pulse ratcheting upward, he hurried for the kitchen. Not there either, nor was the cook or anyone else.

The back door stood open as if someone had gone out in a hurry.

Daniel slammed the tub of bottles and mugs on a counter and ran for the back door.

Outside, the cook was tossing a heavy bag of trash into the Dumpster.

“Where’s Shelby?” Daniel demanded.

The young man lost control of the bag he’d been hefting up into the trash container and it crashed back behind him, breaking open. “Well, damn.” He glared at Daniel over the mess. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Shelby? Where is she?”

“How should I know? You’re the one who’s been following her around all night.”

Daniel glanced left then right. Nothing moved in back of the building and there was no sign of Shelby. He ran back into the building and down the hallway toward the bar. A door opened immediately to his right and someone stepped out of the ladies’ room and smacked into him. Reaching out, he grabbed the woman to keep her from falling.

His hands wrapped around Shelby’s arms. As soon as he realized it was her, he crushed her against his chest. “Where the hell have you been?”

“To the bathroom,” she said breezily.

“You just about gave me a freakin’ heart attack.”

“I didn’t go far,” she whispered, her mouth close to his, her breath warming his skin.

With her body pressed to his, his adrenaline still running high, he couldn’t hold back. “Woman, you’re making me crazy.” He crushed her lips with his in a brutal kiss. His fingers knotted in her hair and he tugged, tipping her head back more so that he could trail his mouth along her jawline and down the side of her throat to that place where her pulse raced beneath her delicate skin.

Shelby’s hands circled the back of his neck, drawing him closer, her calf rising up the side of his leg, curling around. “Missed me, huh?”