HER BODYGUARD

It would be very weird if she woke up suddenly and found him staring at her like some kind of creep. He thought. Hell, he felt like a creep. Standing there and fighting the urge to reach out and tuck her hair behind her ears. Most of it covered a part of her beautiful face.

He wanted to.. But he didn’t.

He turned and left the room as quietly as he had come in. Careful not to wake her.

———————–

Kimberly walked back and forth in the small room until her legs and back ached, then she perched on the edge of the bed and stared at the door. One again, she had no idea how much time had passed or when Asher Adams would return. She only knew that she was afraid and desperately needed to go home.

One thing she had learned in the past few days was that she wasn’t ready to die. And she didn’t trust her rescuer. She rested her elbows on her thighs and dropped her head to her hands.

The man who had rescued her clearly hated her. Why he did, she had no idea. She had never met the guy. Maybe it wasn’t about her. She thought. Maybe the man was fed up with something.. That was understandable… His friend got shot. Or maybe he just hated his job. It couldn’t be easy putting yourself on the line saving other people.

But whatever it was, it wasn’t her fault. So he was an asshole for taking it out on her. She looked at the blanket that had mysteriously appeared in the room. She doubted Mr tough guy was the one who had brought it to her. He had probably sent one of his team members to do it. The man obviously showed no emotion.

He was incredibly attractive too. She thought. It was such a shame he was so grumpy all the time. He had dark wavy hair she wanted to run her fingers through… And strong arms. A Class-A hunk. She thought. Tall, dark and handsome with a body brimful of strong masculinity. Dark and intense…. Like his eyes… which seemed to bore holes in her everytime he looked at her.

Kimberly sucked in a quick breath as her heart skipped into a wild canter. She shouldn’t be thinking about him like that.

A sound caught her attention. She straightened, then stood, only to sink back onto the bed when the room seemed to swim around her. In the time it took her to clear her head, the door opened and Asher stepped inside.

Kimberly forced herself to her feet and stared at him. His expression gave nothing away, which shouldn’t surprise her. She wanted to speak, but her mouth was too dry. The ever present fear grew until it pushed the air out of her body.

“I talked to your father last night” he said as he leaned against the door frame and crossed his arm over his chest.

“Yes?” she whispered, never taking her gaze from his face.

“You will be returned to him today. I sent one of my team members to go get you some clothes, and the other essentials so you can change. I thought you might need them. When he returns, you can freshen up before we leave”

Kimberly nodded. “Thank you,” she said.

“It’s nothing personal” he said, almost like he was trying to convince himself instead of her. “Just doing my job”

Kimberly nodded slowly. She knew she should have kept quiet, but something in her head forced the words out and soon she heard herself asking…”Is there a particular reason why you don’t like me, Mr Adams?… Or is that your usual attitude towards everyone?”

He lifted an eyebrow questioningly.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Kimberly knew she should probably stop talking now. But one of her problems was that when she started talking, she found it hard to stop. So she continued.

“I can’t help noticing that you have a problem with me. I just want to know why” she said.

Asher contemplated ignoring her and just walking away, but she had this challenging look in her eyes, daring him to answer her question. And he decided to do just that.

He stepped forward. Watching her through hooded eyes. Then he leaned towards her.

“Okay” he began. “Since you really want to know. I think you are a rich bitch drama queen. And I hate that you think that everything is just going to go your way just because you are… You know…. You”

Kimberly stared at him angrily. “I find it interesting that you have taken such a dislike to me when you don’t even know me at all,” she said.

“I know your type,” he said.

“And what type is that?”

“Rich. Useless”

He spoke with certainty that told her she wasn’t the first wealthy woman to cross his path and that whoever had done it before had scarred him in some way. Who was it? A lover? A client?

She didn’t ask. It wasn’t her business. He defined her in words designed to wound, but right now she didn’t care what he thought of her.

She swayed slightly and Asher frowned.

“How long did you sleep last night?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Kimberly replied.

“When was the last time you ate something?”

“It’s been a while.” she said.

His face tightened with contempt. “You refused to eat last night. Starvation isn’t much of a fashion statement” he said.

Kimberly couldn’t take it any more. Her eyes flashed and she poked a finger in his chest. “It’s not about fashion. I couldn’t eat there.. Or here. Thanks to you. This isn’t about being on a diet… I just… Have you ever been kidnapped? It’s not a restful situation. And then you rescue me and you don’t even say anything to me…. I think you are an asshole for making stupid assumptions about me when you don’t even know anything about me. For God’s sake we met for the first time yesterday. And yet you put me in the same box you put other women you might have met. And that says a lot about you too. It says you are a fucking asshole and I’m sincerely sorry for whoever has to work with you or be involved with you in any way because you are indeed a horrible person”