Page 11 of Sultry Bodyguard Summer

So much for sexual wellness.

I press the microphone button to text back.I’m fine. Oliver handled Blake. It was an entirely verbal confrontation.

That’s what Oliver said. But he thinks Blake is capable of more hostility. I’m glad you’ve got Oliver with you.

Me, too. Is he always so serious?

The most serious guy I know. Be patient. He’s like a shy puppy. He’ll come around if you bring treats. You should make him superfood smoothies. He’s always drinking something that looks totally disgusting but apparently is really good for you (shrug emoji).

I look up superfood smoothie on my phone and open my shopping cart.

Oliver glances out the kitchen window to where I’m sitting on the outdoor patio next to the firepit I’ve never used. I curl my legs under me on the well-cushioned swivel rocker and press the call button on my phone.

He pours the rest of his breakfast smoothie into a glass and sips. This morning I made him a purple concoction after we got back from our run. I used blackberries, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a ton of spinach, and something called spirulina, which smelled like a swamp. Then I added Greek yogurt and a touch of honey.

Oliver took the concoction with a simple thank you, the way he's taken all my smoothies the last few mornings. Then he did like always does and sat at the kitchen island, sipping his smoothie while he watched me make my breakfast of eggs and toast.

Once I got my plate prepared, I sat with him and presented him with another conversation-starter. This morning the topic was cars. He told me about every car he’s driven since he was sixteen. Then he asked me about my car ownership history while he did the dishes.

After the dishes, he drank the rest of his smoothie and cleaned the glass. He’s the perfect houseguest.

Except he’s making me out-of-my-mind horny.

I can’t stop thinking about our tiki bar make-out session. Was it the best make-out session of my life? I can’t remember anything better, especially on the first go. Somehow, the uptight, nevertheless sexy, bodyguard knew exactly how I liked to be kissed.

Because it’s how he likes to be kissed, too.

Were we made for each other? I’ve never felt the seductive, hot weight of a man when I was standing upright with his hands at the back of my neck and his leg bent like it was shielding me from the world. I’ve never been so taken aback by a rush of sensations that I forgot there was a madman in the room who seems to simultaneously wants to fuck me, own me, and kill me.

My brother’s phone goes to voicemail. I could call Mom or Dad, but talking with them spikes my blood pressure and my blood pressure, along with the entirety of my nervous system, is under control these days thanks to the presence of my very kissable hot bodyguard.

Motion from the house catches my eye. Darcy has arrived. I wave for her to come out to the patio. The morning is sultry warm and the scent of plumeria hangs in the air. Oliver follows her across the backyard. They walk alike. It’s confident, rapid, and authoritative, and so elegant you wouldn't think they mean business.

“Hello, my dear.” She leans down and gives me a brief hug. She and Oliver take chairs around the firepit. I’m charmed by how they sit the same way because of the gun holsters at their waists.

“Any news?” I ask.

Darcy shakes her head. The coffee incident didn't yield any evidence against Blake. I wish he'd left fingerprints, but was relieved he didn't try to poison me. “Nothing new. But we’vegot a proposition for you. I think we've gotten to a point where we need to take some deliberate action. You want to go back to Houston. None of us wants him stalking you here or there. How do you feel about drawing him out?”

A surge of panic has me tightening every muscle in my body. “What do you mean? Do you want to use me for a bait?”

“I wouldn't go that far. We want to draw him out. He hasn't shown his face around Mangroves Club as far as we know since coffee incident. The bartender at Sandbar & Sips told us Blake has continued his daily ritual of drinks at noon followed by happy hour and a boozy dinner at Bluefin Marina. After that he goes back to Sandbar & Sips for his bedtime rounds.”

She nods at Oliver, who’s facing the fairway. “We were thinking that you and Oliver could put on another lovey-dovey performance for him at Bluefin tonight. You can have dinner, courtesy of Sunbreak Security, and let him see you with another man.”

She places her hand on my forearm. “I think it's time we saw if Blake is capable of giving up and walking away. Can he leave you alone to be with your new boyfriend? If so, that’s important information.”

“So, Oliver and I have dinner at Bluefin like we’re a couple and see if he loses interest and leaves town.”

“Exactly.”

Oliver keeps his gaze on the golf course. It's hard to imagine us being lovey-dovey at dinner tonight. But I thought the same thing before the tiki bar. Then he jumped right into the role.

“Alright, I'll do it.”

Chapter Six: Sienna

“Staythere.I’llopenthe door for you,” Oliver says, which is probably the most he’s said to me since Darcy proposed we have dinner at Bluefin Marina.