Bedding The Bodyguard by Virna Depaul Page B

him?”
    “No, no. I had a bodyguard but…well, he ended up getting drunk and bailing on me, and I just needed some time to regroup. Some time to be by myself. Away from others. I needed time to think. That’s why I’m here. And that’s why I reacted so badly when you accused me of being careless with my safety yesterday. I need to know I can take care of myself. I need to.”
    From the vehemence in her voice and the look in her eyes, he suspected there was even more to the story but what? He’d been so busy tracking her down and setting up security measures here that he hadn’t bothered to dig very deep into her background, but perhaps he needed to do that. Right now, however, he didn’t want to push her. “I have no doubt you can take care of yourself in most situations, Kat. But when someone is threatening you? There’s no shame in accepting help.” He looked at her intently for a few seconds and then he said, “If not from a professional, then from a friend. While I’m here, I can keep an eye on you. I’d be honored to take care of you.”
    Her eyes widened. “You already took care of me.”
    He leaned toward her, unable to stop himself from touching her. His hand stroked up her arm and back again, and she shivered. Through her shirt, he could see her nipples stiffen.
    “I took care of you yesterday. You took care of me today. Maybe we can continue taking care of each other.”
    She blushed. That little red flush hit her cheeks and spread up to her forehead, reminding him of that magical flush a woman got just as she came. His cock throbbed in an agonizing way.
    “What do you mean?”
    His fingers moved upward. Her lips parted just slightly. He tucked a tiny strand of hair behind her ear then let his fingers wander down to her neck. His fingers rested right above her collarbone as he said, “I’m going to come right out and say it, Kat. I’m attracted to you. I was attracted to you long before you told me you’re a famous actress.
    Her throat worked with some kind of emotion. “I’m attracted to you, too.”
    His hands slipped lower, came around so that one of his strong fingers pressed lightly against the pulse at the hollow of her throat. He felt it speed up and his own pulse accelerated. “You mentioned a cheating ex. Does that mean you’re single?”
    “I am most definitely single. What about you? Do you have a wife or girlfriend stashed away somewhere that you are conveniently forgetting to mention?”
    “Not at all. So since we’re both single…and we both appear to be quite good at taking care of the other…maybe we can keep each other company while we’re here. Just have fun.”
    She gave him a long assessing glance. “Do you mean keep each other company in bed?”
    “If that’s what you want. I certainly do. But even if you don’t want that, I’d just like to spend more time with you. Starting with dinner tonight.”
    She paused, her eyes locked onto his. For a moment he was positive that she was going to reject his invitation. She cleared her throat. “I’m not looking for someone to watch over me, Luke. I can protect myself.”
    “I’m not trying to protect you.” The hell he wasn’t, and she was wrong—she couldn’t protect herself. Not if someone was hell bent on hurting her. Granted, it didn’t appear that danger had followed Kat to Tahoe, but he was staying alert. That didn’t mean they had to stay holed up in the cabins.
    “How about this? You want a healthy dose of normal, right? Let’s go out tonight and just have some fun, no pressure.”
    “Go out where?” she asked.
    He hesitated. Was she feeling anxious at the thought of going out in public? Maybe he should play it safe and suggest they stay in. Only everything about Kat screamed that she was longing for a bit of normalcy in her life. That she didn’t think she could have a normal life, be safe, and be an actress, too. He wanted to show her differently, if only for one evening. She was already opening