A Soldier For Bella (Love Conquers Life #4) (2 page)

Chapter 1

Bella

Strutting into my photo shoot, I flinch when Kelly shouts out, “Hey, girl!” I turn to her and she adds, “What’s wrong?”

“I guess I’m just a bit tired. I’m having a hard time sleeping because of everything that’s going on,” I tell my friend.

“Is this stalker of yours still at it?”

“Somewhat. He’s been quiet lately. It has been driving Derek and me crazy. We don’t know who this freak could be or where he is. Derek is totally stressed over this. The guy hasn’t done anything more than send me flowers. The freak tells me he’s interested in me, but Derek thinks he’s going to take it to another level despite the fact he’s been quiet.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s all a bit stressful, and I can see why Derek’s worried.

I sigh. “Don’t get me wrong, the guy freaks me out, but I really think he’s going to get bored and go away.”

“I hope you’re right,” she says.

“Bella, come on! I have to start getting you ready,” Sidney shouts from the door. Kelly and I giggle, and when I walk away Kelly shouts, “See you in a few.”

As I approach the door, I wink and say, “Hey, Sid. You ready to make me beautiful?”

“I don’t need to make you beautiful. You already are. However I am ready to do your hair and makeup, yes,” he says, putting his arm over my shoulder and walking me into his small makeup room.

Today I’m doing a swimsuit session for the summer release. I spent half the day at the salon getting ready for the shoot.

I take my seat so Sid can get to work on my hair and makeup. He’s been in charge of my hair and makeup for years now, and I absolutely love him. He’s the sweetest man I know and funny as hell. He’s a few years older than me. He stands about five foot eleven with blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes. He’s got a great body that he loves to show off. It cracks me up when the new models all go crazy over him and then he winks at them and says, “Sorry, but you’re not man enough for me.”

“How are things going with you and Clayton?”

“Oh, do not even bring him up. We got into a fight the other night, and I told him to take his happy ass home.”

“You didn’t! You realize you’re never going to find someone to settle down with if you keep kicking them out of your house over silly things.”

“Whatever, our chemistry sucked anyway,” he says as he starts curling my hair to perfection. I giggle at Sid’s dismissal of him. “How are things with you and your man?”

My smile grows. “I like him a lot, but he’s a bit protective and I’m really not used to that. I’m struggling with it.”

“Can you blame him with this guy stalking you? I mean seriously, you’re beautiful and someone else wants what’s his.”

“I get that, but that’s just it. I want him to want me for more than just my beauty. Don’t get me wrong, we have a great time together. He’s cute and he makes me laugh, but am I more than just a pretty face to him?”

“If you ask me, that sounds more like someone’s insecurities talking than an actual issue.”

He says nothing more, leaving me to ponder his words. I’m so used to men just wanting me for my looks or so they can say they date a model that I can’t wrap my head around what I mean to Derek, if anything. Maybe I should talk to Patty about it when she gets back from her honeymoon. She and Carter will be home this week, and Derek and I have invited them over for dinner over the weekend. Maybe I'll plan a lunch date for just Patty and me so we can catch up.

“Earth to Bella?” Sid says, stealing me from my thoughts.

“Oh. Sorry, Sid. Am I done?”

“Look up so I can get a better look at you,” he says, staring at me. He runs a brush over my face in a few more spots then says, “Yes, you're done. Now go get changed because Kelly’s ready for you.”

I jump out of the chair and stroll toward my changing room. There are three different bathing suits in here, and as always they’re hanging in the order I’m supposed to wear them. I slip on the first one and glance in the mirror. I see a perfect body with slight curves and flawless skin, yet the thought of Derek only liking me for this perfect body makes me sad. I love what I do, but I need more. I laugh and shake my head because I’m the one refusing to give him more, but I don’t know if I can trust him.

There’s a knock on the door. “Let’s go, girl. We have a ton of pictures to take.” I sigh as Kelly’s pounding brings me to the present.

I open the door. “Sorry, Kelly. I don’t know what’s gotten into me today.”

We walk out onto the set and Shayla is there. She rubs small amounts of oil into my skin to give it a slight shine. Once she’s done, I take my place and Kelly directs me into different poses. After about twenty minutes I change into the next bathing suit and quickly drink some water while Sid pats down my face. The lights are bright and warm. They can easily cause dehydration. Plus, they make you sweat, and that’s not pretty. Once he’s done I jump back on the set to take a few shots in the next bathing suit. This suit is a one piece that’s very flattering, but not something I would wear out myself.

“Nice,” Kelly says as she snaps a bunch of pictures. “Tilt your head to the left slightly.” I do as she asks. “Perfect.” She gives me a few more directions and then says she’s all set and that I can change into my final suit.

“Can I take a quick break to get some more water?”

She looks down at her watch. “Sure, take your time. We’re ahead of schedule, as usual.”

I smile and stroll off to get some water and change into my last suit. At this rate I’ll be home in time to surprise Derek with something nice for dinner. I down an entire bottle of water and then change into my next swimsuit. Glancing in the mirror, I smile because I really like this one. It’s a colorful string bikini that not only fits me perfectly, but makes my eyes pop and complements my slightly tanned skin.

I once again walk out of the changing room, but this time I’m surprised to see Derek standing there, waiting for me. I smile as I walk over to him. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I’m on my way to a meeting, so I thought I’d surprise you with these.” He hands me some beautiful flowers. “I can’t stay because I’ll be late, but I know you’ve been a bit stressed so I wanted to try and brighten your day.”

“This is perfect, thank you.” I stretch up on my toes to give him a kiss. I’m tall at five foot ten, but Derek is even taller at six foot two.

He pulls away. “Watch it. You look mighty fine in that bathing suit. I don’t need to attend my meeting with a hard on.”

I giggle as I rub my hand down his muscular chest and over the front of his pants, where I feel his cock starting to thicken. “No worries, hot stuff. I’ll take care of that later.”

I purposely shake my ass as I walk off toward Kelly to start my last round of photos, and I can hear him groan as he walks out the door. I think to myself, O
h yeah, tonight is definitely a romantic dinner kind of night.

I take my place in front of the camera, determined to get this over with and get out the door. I need to run to the store to pick up a few things for dinner and then go home to start preparing for a nice night with Derek. I’ve been a bit of a bitch lately, and here he is bringing me flowers. I definitely have some making up to do.

About an hour later, I’m freshened up and out the door. As usual, the second I step outside Jordan is waiting for me. “Are you ready to go home, Ms. Campbell?”

“Actually, I need to go to the store first, then you can take me home,” I say to my guard as he opens the door for me.

I slip into my car and lock the doors as I watch him slip into his. According to protocol, he’s supposed to follow at a distance directly behind me. I quickly arrive at the grocery store, and while I walk around and pick up what I need, Jordan is never far from me. At first it was nerve-wracking, but now I’m starting to find it comforting.

I don’t have a lot of time to make something too nice, so I decide on pasta with meatballs and garlic bread. My man likes his pasta and since I don’t have another shoot until next week, I have a few days to work this off at the gym.

I’m out of the store in a matter of a few minutes. I slip back into my car, and he follows me back to the house. He opens the door for me when we arrive at Derek’s house and helps me with the bags I’m getting from the passenger’s seat, and then we walk up the walkway to the door. I’m always leery about approaching the door because my stalker has left stuff on the porch for me. Thankfully there’s nothing today.

Jordan unlocks the front door and peeks inside. I follow behind him. He glances around the foyer and then moves through the living room and kitchen before going through the remainder of the house. He always walks around the house to make sure nothing is out of place and the place is empty when we get home. While he does that, I get busy in the kitchen making the meatballs. Once they’re in the oven, I set a romantic table for two with candles and the flowers I bought.

I run up to Derek’s room to change into something sexier than the skinny jeans I’m wearing. I slip into a cute dress that has three-quarter length sleeves and comes just above my knees. It’s low cut in the front, revealing my cleavage, and I’m sans panties. I turn in the mirror, feeling good about my choice.

When I get back downstairs, I put the fireplace on low for some ambiance. Then I go to the kitchen to pull the meatballs from the oven to add them to the sauce. I place a pot of water on the stove to make the pasta and then prepare a salad.

I’m placing the salad on the table when I hear the front door open. “Mmm, it smells amazing in here,” Derek says when he walks in.

I walk into the kitchen to stir the pasta. “I’m in here.”

He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. He whispers in my ear, “You look amazing.”

“Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself.”

He pulls me away from the stovetop and when I turn, his mouth crashes into mine in a very passionate kiss. I moan into his mouth as his hands glide across my ass, squeezing each globe.

He breaks our kiss and stares into my eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that since I left you this afternoon. You’re all I could think about in my meeting.”

I giggle. “That’s good because you’re all I’ve thought about since you left me. However, dinner is just about done, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starved, but not for food,” he says, pressing his erection into my body.

“That’ll have to wait. I need to feed you so you have the energy to keep up with me.” I wink.

He laughs and says, “I’m sure I can keep up just fine, but you’re right, you’ve worked hard on this dinner. Let’s sit and eat.”

He pours us some wine while I put the finishing touches on dinner. Once I’m done, he carries our plates to the dining room and I take the two glasses of wine. We both sit in our usual seats and eat in a comfortable silence.

“How did the remainder of your shoot go?”

I shrug. “Good, I guess. I don’t usually get to see the pictures for at least a few days after the shoot, and sometimes I don’t see them until the ad launches.”

“Doesn’t that bother you? I mean, you have no idea if you’ll even like the pictures, but they’ll end up in an ad anyway?”

“It used to,” I say as I take another bite of my salad. “But I got over it because in reality I get paid whether I like the pictures or not. What really matters is that the company likes them.”

“Mm, this is really good, babe. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until we sat down.”

“Thank you. How was your day?”

“It was fine. I had a meeting with Tobey this afternoon to discuss the budget for our area and things we need to come up with funding for. He swears we’re fundraising gods since the last one was such a huge success.” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to top the last one, but we need to come up with something. We’ve got guys who need service dogs, and Tobey doesn’t want to let them down.”

“You and Carter make a great team. I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” I say, pushing my plate away as he finishes his.

He stands from the table, blows out both candles, and takes the plates into the kitchen. I follow behind with the salad. I place the cover over the bowl and put it in the fridge. When I turn around after shutting the refrigerator door, he pins me against it.

“Time for dessert.” He leans in to kiss me.

“I need to finish cleaning up,” I argue, but he continues kissing his way over my jaw to my neck.

“After,” he says as his hand glides up under my skirt. He rubs his hands over my ass, discovering there’s no thong string. “Holy shit, you’re not wearing any fucking panties.”

I giggle. He grabs my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. Toying with him, I try to resist, but he just scoops me up and takes the stairs two at a time. He slides me down his body at the foot of the bed, and my dress rides up. Quickly, he tosses the dress to the other side of the room, revealing that I’m sans panties
and
bra.

“God, you're beautiful.”