Bedding The Bodyguard by Virna Depaul

into the bedroom to grab some clothes and dress. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the ground.
    What the hell was he going to do? He wanted Kat Bailey more than he’d ever wanted anyone, and the knowledge that she wanted him back was playing with his head. It was also eating away at his resolve. He was trying to do the right thing, but she’d come to him this time completely on her own, with no manipulation or effort on his part. That counted for something, didn’t it? Besides, he didn’t just want to fuck her, he genuinely cared about her and wanted to keep her safe. If she wanted him close, why shouldn’t he give them what they both wanted?
    Finally, he stood. When he opened his bedroom door, he smelled a delectable aroma. He heard Kat singing softly in the kitchen and he listened intently. Her smoky, low voice was pleasant and warm, and he walked toward her, never wanting her to stop.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Kat turned away from the stove to see Luke walking toward her, his lean body clad only in a pair of ratty jeans and a T-shirt gone soft from washing and wear. Her heartbeat sped up so rapidly she was half-afraid she would fall face-first on the floor in front of him.
    Boy, that would make me look cool, calm and collected, wouldn’t it?
    It was hard to be cool, calm and collected around Luke. Every time she looked at him, she felt achy and restless. She wasn’t used to being thrown so off-balance, even by a man as attractive as Luke.
    “That smells good,” he said.
    You smell good, she thought. More than good. Delicious. His aftershave had a definite tang, and his soap mingled well with it. Below those scents was a different scent, a musky masculine odor that was solely his.
    “Here, have a seat,” she said and placed a plate of food in front of him.
    “You weren’t kidding about taking care of me, after all. But I thought you were just going to feed Bella.”
    She shrugged. “I poked around your pantry. I hope that’s okay.”
    “Of course. Thank you.”
    She waited until he took a healthy bite of his sandwich and then bit into hers. It was perfectly golden-brown and the sweet cheese was offset by the tart, crunchy apple.
    He looked surprised as he chewed. When he was done, he said, “You make a mean sandwich.”
    Kat laughed. “I learned out of self-defense. My mom is an awful cook but she cooked a lot. She said it gave our lives normalcy.”
    “Was your childhood not normal?”
    She’d said too much. She didn’t want to talk about the limitations that had been placed on her as the child of a public figure. She didn’t want to talk or think about limitations at all. Here, with Luke, with her still feeling antsy from the way he’d backed her up against the counter earlier, she wanted to think about possibilities instead. “Is anyone’s childhood truly normal?” she asked.
    “Well—”
    “Luke, I need to say something. Two something’s actually. Can I—can I do that?”
    He leaned back in his chair. “Of course.”
    “First, I wanted to say thank you for helping me with those men by the lake. You were right. I should have used my head a little bit more. Since you’re not female and you obviously have never been…” Kat paused, relaxing a little more when he smiled. “Well, it’s hard to explain to a man how hard it is to live your life according to what men may or may not do to you.”
    “I get that, Kat, honestly. I’m sorry I gave you attitude. I didn’t mean to imply you deserved what happened. I just wanted you to be more careful next time.”
    “Yeah, well hopefully there won’t be a next time.”
    “Right. Hopefully,” he said. “So what was the second thing you needed to tell me?”
    “That’s it? We’re—we’re okay?”
    “We’re more than okay, Kat,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I expressed how okay I think you are before my shower.”
    She blushed, then tilted her chin up. “Well, it seemed you were kind of mad then, too.”
    “I