Runaway Heiress (5 page)

              Before he realized what he was doing, he was standing behind her. He couldn’t seem to stop the forward movement. All his inner lecturing and self-pep-talks weren’t penetrating his own thick skull.

              “Do you need help?” he asked, taken aback at his own husky tone. He wasn’t holding himself together well. He could imagine what his team would think of his behavior. They’d probably be on the floor laughing – no probably about it, they’d definitely be cracking up at his expense.

              “No, I got it…” Bree started to say as she turned around. When she realized how close he was, her eyes widened. He watched as she looked from his neck, then tilted her head up, up, up to stare into his eyes. Once she reached their deep azure depths, hers widened even more.

              Their gazes remained locked together, and he was losing the battle to maintain distance. Just one kiss – he could allow himself a moment of pleasure. They were both consenting adults – and no one would be hurt by a simple kiss. He was sure it wouldn’t be as great as he expected. One kiss, then he could get back to his job of guarding her - minus the sexual tension.

              Chad slipped his arm around her back. If she gave even a hint of protest, or resisted in any way, then maybe he’d get a little sense back into his head. But instead she melted like butter against him. She never removed her eyes from his and her body seemed like it was made to fit only him. She sank against him, her eyes seemingly surprised by their behavior. One taste, he promised himself. He’d only have one taste of her, then he’d let go and get their relationship on a strictly professional basis. If he couldn’t, he’d tell George he had to find someone else to guard his daughter. He couldn’t protect her if he couldn’t keep it professional.

              His heart pounded as he leaned forward. His body tightened even more, and the sigh escaping her lips sent his heart racing. She was turning him inside out.

              “Just one kiss,” he muttered out loud without conscious thought. Her eyes slid shut as his mouth edged closer. She was openly inviting him – he was doing nothing wrong.

              Before his lips made contact with hers, there was a loud pounding on the door. Chad wanted to rip apart whoever dared to interrupt them. He swore aloud before he was able to stop himself. Bree’s eyes slightly opened as she looked at him with confusion. It was obvious she hadn’t heard the knock. She was wondering why he hadn’t closed that final gap between them.

              The pounding on the front door grew louder and Chad pulled back, forcing himself to concentrate. He didn’t think her stalker was going to make his job as easy as knocking, but then again, there were criminals that stupid.

              He pulled his gun from his belt and silently approached the front door. He didn’t see the fear creep into Bree’s eyes at the sight of the deadly weapon. He’d carried it for so long, his hand felt empty without it – like something was missing. When he peaked through the curtain, he let out a frustrated breath, causing Bree to nearly panic.

              “It’s okay,” he assured her before stepping to the door and flipping the lock. Did her siblings have built in radar?
My sister’s about to get violated by her bodyguard, we’d better hurry over there.
He was grateful for his many years of service; otherwise he didn’t think he’d be able to pull himself together so quickly.

              As four huge men stepped through her doorway, Bree went from frightened to angry in two-seconds flat. She loved her brothers and cousins, but she had left to get away from the interference, not have them keep following her around. She hoped Chad wouldn’t say anything to them about the break-in or they’d really freak out on her.

              “Where are Larry, Mo and Curly?” Bree asked with an innocent smile.

              “Lucas, Mark and Austin couldn’t make it,” Trenton stepped up and answered, knowing exactly who she was referring to. “Charlie stepped up to take their place, though,” he finished, pointing to his long-time best friend.

              “How you doing, kiddo?” Charlie asked as he stepped forward and enveloped her in a bear sized hug. All the air was immediately squeezed from her body as he embraced her overly tight. He’d been doing it since they were kids and it always made her feel awkward.

              Charlie had always been the pimply faced band geek, but he’d shot up about eight inches in high school and joined the football team, where he and Trenton had become inseparable. He’d practically lived at their place. Now, he worked for the corporation so he’d transferred with them during the move a few years back. She was glad he was there but could do without all the manhandling.

              Charlie noticed Chad putting his gun away and narrowed his eyes at the weapon, but kept silent. No one else seemed to think it was out of place for Chad to be sporting a deadly weapon in Bree’s tiny living room.

              “Did Dad send you?” Bree asked when Charlie finally released her and she could breathe again. She noticed immediately when Chad stepped too close to her in a bodyguard manor. Who the heck was he protecting her from? Her brothers? She’d like to pound the over-sized, macho men, but she didn’t need protection from them. She looked at him quizzically but he didn’t take his eyes from the group of men.

              She stared back and forth from her brothers, cousin, and Charlie, to Chad, and found it almost funny how they were all standing so rigid, almost in preparation for a brawl. Last she knew, her family had been who’d hired Chad so why did they seem like they wanted to rip him to pieces?

              Chad’s libido was still revving to go, and from the look on her family member’s faces, they knew it – and weren’t happy about it. They glanced from him, around her room, then back, seeming to realize they’d jumped their sister from the frying pan into the fire. She needed protection, but it was obvious they were thinking she may need a chastity belt as well – at least in his presence. They were probably right.

              “Is there something wrong with visiting?” Max asked as he finally broke the odd standoff and stepped forward. He gave Bree a much gentler hug before stepping back. That seemed to trigger the others to step forward and hug her. When they were finished, she sighed and headed to the kitchen.

              “I guess not, as long as that’s all you’re doing here. I’ll make fresh coffee,” she offered. The sooner they got to the real reason for the visit, the sooner they’d leave her in peace. She’d prove to them she didn’t need to run home. After her house getting vandalized, she needed to prove it to herself as well. She was still extremely shaken from her stressful day.

              “Nice to know we’re so welcome,” Alex said with sarcasm, but the smile he threw her showed he didn’t have any hard feelings.

              “There’s not a whole lot of room but we should all fit around the table,” Chad said, taking over and leading them to her hardly adequate dining area. The men looked at the chairs skeptically, but gingerly sat, letting out relieved sighs when the chairs didn’t break. Chad remained standing against the counter and Bree turned so he wouldn’t see her smile. He was still in alpha-dog mode, protecting her, maybe without even fully realizing what he was doing.

              “Getting mighty cozy in this place, aren’t you?” Charlie asked, his entire attitude was yelling loud and clear that he didn’t like Chad and didn’t want him in Bree’s home. It seemed Charlie was a little jealous. He decided to poke him a bit.

              “We’re making do,” he said with a lazy smile. His comment earned him glares from all four men. Chad knew he could take them out – or he was cocky enough to think so, but he wouldn’t want to do that to Bree – they were her family.

              “Okay, enough of this posturing. I don’t know what the heck is going on in this room, but the testosterone is flowing in sickening waves. I thought you were the ones who hired Chad in the first place,” Bree said, her tone full of irritation. No one spoke for several moments, then Trenton let out a chuckle and soon Max and Alex joined him. Charlie continued to glare.

              “Sorry, sis. Dad wanted Chad to babysit… I mean act as a bodyguard,” he quickly corrected. “None of us were thrilled to have someone so… well… um…” Trenton trailed off, seeming at a loss for words for the first time in his life. Chastity finally put the puzzle pieces together and her grin spread in victory. Oh, the fun she was going to have for all the crap her family put her through.

              She walked away from the coffee pot and stood right in front of Chad, who looked at her suspiciously. He knew she was up to something, but he had no idea what. She could see the concern in his eyes. Good, he was messing with her hormones; it was time to mess with his.

              Before he could stop her, Bree leaned into him, pressing her body tightly against his and landed her lips on his frowning mouth. Her arms reached up and pulled his head down to hers. He was so stunned, he allowed her control over him for about two-seconds. Then, his body took over.

              The electricity between them caused him to forget all about their surroundings and her family being in the room. He forgot everything and focused solely on the way he felt with Bree in his arms. She felt better than a cool lake on a hot summer’s day. His arms snaked around her and he immediately deepened the kiss. Just when he was ready to pick her up and cart her to the bedroom, she pulled away on shaky legs.

              Bree took a breath, her heart pounding as she tried to control her reaction from the kiss. She hadn’t known it would cause her head to spin. She was trying to make a point and instead she felt like she was on a boat in the middle of the perfect storm. She turned to see all four men shooting daggers at both her and Chad. Good – she’d gotten the reaction she wanted. It helped calm her thundering heart.

              “So,
what
, Trenton? Young? Masculine?” Bree mocked. She gave them a Cheshire cat smile as she turned back to the counter and pulled down six coffee mugs. She set them on the table as if nothing was wrong, then began pouring hot liquid into each cup.

              Trenton was in shock at Bree’s behavior but he finally pulled himself together and sent first her and then Chad a smile. It was obvious Chad didn’t appreciate being used. He could instantly see Bree was playing them all and he wasn’t giving her the victory of knowing she’d done a great job of causing him more stress. He grabbed his cup and took a large gulp, not even wincing when the hot liquid burned his tongue and throat.

              “I don’t care how you react, Bree. You need someone to protect you and Mark and Uncle Joseph both vouch for Chad so it looks like you’re stuck with him. If you want to act that way, have at it,” Trenton said, calling her on her bluff. Her shoulders slumped as her plan backfired. She forgot how good her brothers were at one-upmanship.

              “Fine, as you can see, we’re just comfy cozy here. There’s no need for all of you to hang around, too,” she said as she sat down.

              “Sorry for hassling you, Chad, but we tend to worry about Bree,” Max said, further shocking Bree. It seemed they were deciding it was smarter to team up with Chad than to fight against him. She figured they knew if he was their buddy, she would no longer want to side with him. He’d become more of an enemy than a friend. They were right.

              “I’d feel the same way if it were my family. Mark is like a brother to me, and Bree being his cousin is a good enough reason for me to want to protect her,” Chad answered, all his animosity seeming to evaporate.
Great, just great
, Bree thought,
next they were going to sing ‘Save the World’ and start a bonfire.

              “Has anything happened since you got here?” Alex asked. Bree tensed, not wanting Chad to talk about the break-in. He ignored her as he looked at the men.

              “Someone broke into her house,” he answered, which had all four men sitting up straight in their seats again.

              “What the hell, Bree! Why didn’t you say anything sooner,” Trenton shouted. She expected that kind of response from him.

              “First of all, I didn’t tell you because it just happened today. Secondly, I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. Finally, you guys hired this over-the-top bodyguard for me, so no one has a chance of getting near me, anyway.”

              “Someone came pretty damn close,” Max interrupted.

              “I wasn’t here,” Bree fought back.

              “This is getting ridiculous. I should just throw you over my shoulder and drag you home, whether you like it or not,” Trenton threatened.

              “Over my dead body,” Bree shouted.

              “You’re not going to be acting so tough when some maniac knocks you over the head and drags you away,” Charlie said, speaking up for the first time in a while.

              “That’s not going to happen. You all need to settle down. I’ve agreed to let Chad stick around, so cool your jets.”

              “Your stubbornness is going to get you in too much trouble one of these times,” Max stated.

              “I’m trying to have a normal life. I don’t think I’m asking for too much. Give me a chance to live a little, then I’ll be the good little girl and come home. I will make sure to get nice and pregnant, run around the house barefoot and serve you all,” Bree said with sarcasm, but real pain was in her voice too. She needed them to trust her – to let her live.