The Reluctant Wife: Chapter 5

I step into the elevator, followed by my new bodyguard. He punches the button for the ground floor, and the doors close. Finally, some level of privacy! I turn on him.

‘What are you doing here?’ I hiss.

‘I’m your new personal protection officer, of course.’ He clasps his hands behind his back and regards me with an unwavering gaze.

My cheeks flush. I can’t stop thinking of how he came to my rescue and saved me from that creep last night. Or how it felt to have his lips pressed against mine, to be plastered against his strong, broad chest. Surely, he’s not going to spill the beans on what happened, is he? I gave my security team the slip and escaped. I shouldn’t have been at the bar. I certainly shouldn’t have kissed a stranger. No way, do I want my father finding out about what I got up to, either.

‘What happened at the bar⁠—’

‘Will not be repeated.’ His tone is firm. His features assemble into a stony mask. There’s a shutter over his eyes, which have turned into sheets of bullet-proof glass. He’s saying all the right words. I’m a princess and he’s…my bodyguard. Of course, I can’t indulge in a relationship with him. Not when I must marry someone else. Not that it stops me from wanting this man.

Or wishing he’d acknowledge this thrum of chemistry spiking between us. Or hoping… He intends to repeat what happened yesterday between us. So even though it’s a relief to realize he’s not going to pursue the matter, I’m also disappointed to hear it.

‘It was a mistake. I apologize for it, Princess.’ His tone is formal. His jaw is granite. He holds my gaze steadily, and there’s nothing in his expression to tell me he recalls how our mouths clung to each other, how I hung onto his biceps while he kissed me with a dominance that I felt all the way to my feet. A lick of anger curls up my spine.

How dare he call what happened between us a mistake when I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss?

I dig my fingers into the handle of my handbag, then say in my best princess tone. “You chased after me. Why?”

He hesitates. “I wanted to make sure you got home safely. That’s why I followed you out of the alley.”

“That might be so, but it’s not the only reason.” I search his features. “I saw your face from the limousine, remember? And you looked gutted.”

He arches an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t put it like that.”

“Then how would you put it?” I demand hotly.

“I admit, I wanted to take you home. Who wouldn’t? After all, you were willing too.” He shrugs. “I was surprised you cut and ran. I knew you wanted me, and⁠—’

“And you wanted me,” I remind him, trying to stay calm, when everything inside me wants to stab my finger into his chest and demand that he confess how much he was affected by that kiss.

“It was a moment of insanity.” His features remain bland. “And when you left so abruptly, I felt compelled to make sure you were okay.”

I search his face, frustrated that he’s talking so calmly and logically when what I want is for him to throw me down and complete what we started yesterday… Which, going by the resolve on his face, it’s clear is not happening anytime soon.

I blow out a breath. “So, that’s it?”

“It has to be.” He tilts his head, his face inscrutable. “I will not tell anyone what transpired between us, Princess. Your secrets are safe with me.”

I should be grateful he’s saying that, but frankly, I don’t care. I wish… I could throw caution to the wind and have a hot, no-holds-barred fling with this man. Which is what I was hoping for when I saw him at the bar, wasn’t I? At least that way, I’ll have some memories to hold onto when I’m locked in my emotionless marriage. My stomach bottoms out.

I didn’t realize how much I’ve been dreading my upcoming nuptials until I met this man. He’s turned my world upside down, and he’s not even aware of it.

It makes me want to chip away at his very irritating composure until he acknowledges that the kiss meant something to him too. Also, a part of me is secretly rooting for a replay of what happened between us last night.

He seems satisfied by my silence and jerks his chin. ‘It’s best we meet every morning with your personal assistant to discuss your appointments, so I can plan the best course of action each day.’

I suggested this to my previous security team, who disagreed with me. But then, they were rather incompetent and, even to my inexperienced eyes, seemed to make obvious slip-ups. With them, it felt like a game where I tried my best to evade them and, often, succeeded.

The thing is, I don’t want a bodyguard on my tail at all times. Although I might be more than willing to have this man on my tail. I resist a smile that threatens to break free.

Still, I feel the need to not comply right away with his suggestion. Instinct tells me I need to carve out the boundaries on my terms, so he knows I’m not going to accept everything he recommends without questioning it. ‘What if I want to be spontaneous?’

His forehead furrows. A spark of anger in his eyes shoots a thrill of excitement down my spine. Ha! He’s not made of stone, after all.

He holds my gaze with his startling green ones. “I can cope with spontaneity, but I also know your engagements are decided in advance, so there’s no excuse not to share those with me. I can plan your safety escort around them.’

Damn! This man knows his job. Which reassures me that I’m safe. It also makes me realize I’m not going to be able to get away with much with him around. More reason to hold my stance. I scowl at him.

His lips twitch. Ugh! No doubt, he’s loving the fact that I thought I’d managed to put one over on him.

When he speaks next, his voice is mild. ‘It’s important that you understand the security measures I will be putting in place to guard you.’

I do understand, but I can’t stop myself from baiting him.

Something about that inscrutable mask he’s pulled over his features makes me want to see how far I can push him before he snaps. Something about that tightly leashed control, evident in the coiled muscles of his shoulders makes me want to disrupt it so he reveals that passion I felt last night.

‘Hmph.” I scoff, pretending a rudeness that I hope will upset him. “You do your job, and let me get on with my life, will ya?’

But does this man come any closer to losing his cool? Nope. He simply tips his head to the side, not looking very surprised with my defiance. Then, he reaches over and stabs the stop button, and the elevator screeches to a halt.

‘What the—’ I gape at him. ‘Did you just⁠—’

‘You leave me no choice.” He turns slowly to face me. “We need to be in sync about your safety precautions.’

I tap my foot. ‘There are people who will realize the elevator has stopped and call you⁠—’

His phone buzzes as if to punctuate my words. I look at him triumphantly. Yeah, yeah, I know. Not very princess-like of me to swear inwardly. But I’ve spent my entire life trying to break out of the box people keep trying to put me into, and no bodyguard, however hot, and gorgeous, and drool-worthy he may be, is going to rein me in.

He pulls his phone from his pocket and growls, ‘Davenport.’

A voice squawks on the other side.

‘The princess and I decided it best to have our discussion in the most secure place possible, an elevator, which I searched beforehand to make sure there were no bugs.’

He listens again to the voice.

‘You can monitor us on the security cameras. We should be on our way in five minutes, at the most.’ He disconnects the call.

I stare at him open-mouthed. ‘You told them⁠—’

‘The truth. Which is always best, don’t you think?’ He pockets his phone, leaning a shoulder against one of the walls. ‘As I was saying, we’ll meet every morning with your personal assistant to go over your schedule for the day.’

I fold my arms across my chest and paste the most regal expression I can summon on my face. Not that it has any effect on him.

‘You will always be accompanied by me, wherever you go. I will be present at all your meetings, internal and external,” he says in a voice which brooks no argument.

I brush aside the resentment bubbling inside and say in a remote voice, “Whatever.”

His forehead furrows but doesn’t react to my less than enthusiastic response. ‘For safety reasons, my room will be in the same suite as yours in the hotel.’

‘Oh?’ A shiver squeezes my spine. I hadn’t expected that. It’s exciting to think of this epitome of masculinity being so close.

‘Also, once we have our morning meeting there will be no more changes to your appointments for that day,” he declares.

My frown deepens. “That sounds very rigid.”

“It’s the only way to ensure all preparations are made to protect you throughout the day,” he rumbles in that reasonable tone I’m coming to hate.

What he means is that there is no way I can make a last-minute change, then take advantage of the resulting confusion and slip away, like I used to do. Which was more a testament to their ineptitude than my innovativeness, if I’m being honest. It livened things up though. And now, that window of opportunity is gone too. A suffocating feeling squeezes my chest. I take a breath to calm myself.

“There have been enough threats in the past, none of which have played out.” The words slip out before I can stop myself.

He face tightens. “Which doesn’t mean this threat should be taken lightly.”

“Yes, I get that. But what if you put these measures in place, and then, it turns out the threat was empty?” I lock my fingers together. “Meanwhile, there are even more restrictions on my life.”

“What if the threat is real?” His voice is not unkind. “It’s better to be safe than to regret the lack of security measures later.”

It shouldn’t be a big deal that my freedom is even more curtailed, but it makes me feel like I have even less control over my life. That sense of suffocation spreads to my throat, and I struggle not to panic.

I must let some expression slip, for his features soften. ‘This is for your safety, Princess. I am only as good as your cooperation. If you think these rules won’t work for you, now is the time to speak your mind.’

And disappoint my father? I can’t do that.

‘They’re fine.’ I pull out my phone from my purse and pointedly glance at the screen. ‘Can you get the elevator moving? I don’t want to be late for my appointment.’