Page 12 of Brooding Bodyguard Summer

Bonus: I am falling a little more in love with him every day.

"Hello, father," I call back, letting him draw me in to kiss my cheek.

"Looking lovely. Thank you for doing what you do, Neko," my father sobers to glance past me at the always present brooding figure.

"Doing my job, sir. Is there an expectation on her attendance tonight?"

"Oh, no. I wanted her to meet a possible suitor," my father teases, drawing the word out to show he is not truly partnering me off. "I've got a partner from Colombia that has a son he wants to hand off to someone. Meet him, smile, show him how out of your league you truly are, and you've done me a huge favor, darling."

Neko says nothing but I almost laugh. Pressed so close, I can feel how my father's words upset him. His entire body coils tight once again. As if this son of my father's partner could ever pose a threat to him. It is laughable Neko cannot see how head over heels I have been for him since I first Iaid eyes on him.

"I will be polite father. You know how much I hate...these people," I mutter the words as if they're difficult to force out. Father laughs and presses a kiss to my forehead.

"I do indeed. I love you. I see your new keeper has taken a liking to you. How about we be careful with him, yeah?"

Pulling back, I beam at him. There is no way I plan to be careful with Neko Walsh. I wanted to be reckless from the first moment. I bite back a gasp of surprise when I feel Neko's hand pass over my hip. It's gentle, light, just enough for me to know he is there, he is close, and he too has no plans to be careful. We've long since passed the parameters of being proper.

To my surprise, father does not seem all that bothered by whatever he sees between the two of us. His gaze shifts and I do not miss his little sigh, letting me know he is keeping his word and expects me to do the same. "Ah, here he is. Isidro, please say hello to my daughter, Noemi. Pinot is her favorite, find her a glass, yes?"

Just like that, he passes me off to a tall, dark, and handsome young man. I turn to greet him, uninterested but on my best behavior. Father asked me a favor so I will grant it. I will let this man get me a glass of wine, with Neko's watchful eye—and imposing presence—staying close.

I shift to let him take my hand, biting back a smirk when Neko makes an almost imperceptible sound at the contact. Isidro dips his head to press his mouth to the back of my hand in a chaste greeting. He is everything my father would want for me: polished, put together, and harmless on paper.

"I spoke with your father yesterday," Isidro says as he pulls dark shades from his eyes. I do not miss the once-over he gives me, or the follow-up growl Neko makes. "Mr. Lane said we would have plenty in common, Noemi, and that we should meet. He did not say how absolutely stunning you would be."

"Father loves to orchestrate things," I reply, offering a smooth, polite tilt of my head. I do take the wine he offers, but my pulse isn't fluttering because of the handsome man sitting across from me.

It’s fluttering because of the shadow hovering two steps behind my shoulder.

Neko hasn't moved since this young man touched me. He stands tall in all black, poised to attack if the situation requires it. In a crowd of bathing suits and board shorts he would stand out even if he was not trying to impose his will without saying a word.

"Do you think we..." Isidro pauses mid-sentence, his eyes flicking briefly past me before settling back on my face with a faint, uneasy laugh. "Your father doesn't skimp on protection, does he? He's... a bit intense."

"He's cautious," I say smoothly.

Behind me, there is a faint, bone-on-bone creak as Neko tightens his fists. The subtle shift in his posture is like a storm gathering inside a small room. He hates this. He hates the way Isidro’s gaze lingers on all my exposed skin—but mostly he hates that my father ever mentioned me to another man while a dangerous one is out there hunting me.

"Well," Isidro says, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from my face, "I hope you'll let me show that you don't need to be cautious with me."

I glance down at his hand, then raise my eyes. Just past Isidro's head, in the dark reflection of a window, I catch Neko's eyes. A muscle in his cheek twitches, his jaw set so hard it looks carved from granite. His gaze burns through the glass, silently daring Isidro to bridge that last inch between us.

A sharp thrill runs down my spine—not for the man offering another glass of Pinot, but for the silent shadow at my back, offering a taste of the only future I truly want.

Chapter Seven

Neko

I would kill a man for hurting Noemi—I might kill one for wanting her.

While I have my own team at Pack Protection doing all they can to track Vance—who has gone curiously quiet as of late—I have stayed focused on sticking close to Noemi. Not just to protect her from the threat we've lost track of. But because close to her is the only fucking place I want to be.

I am livid at her father for introducing another fly in the ointment. Any man who meets Noemi is bound to want her. I am proof of that—so is her persistent stalker. Her father has no idea introducing her to another man is even more dangerous—because she belongs to me.

".... need to be cautious with me," the guy chuffs at her, putting on a smile I am sure he considers charming.

"Time to go, Miss Noemi," I bend close to whisper, jerking my head towards the exit. "I've seen enough of a threat to call this off."

To my great pleasure, there is no hesitation on her part. Because she senses how wound up I am. How hard it has been to keep up the facade of just being her bodyguard when I am so much more. Not just for the past half hour while she let this poor boy flirt with her.