Tempted By The Bodyguard

Short of dragging Shelby out of the bar, Daniel wasn’t convincing her to leave until her grandfather returned. Resigning himself to waiting this one out, he nodded at Patrick. “I’ll do my best.”

The older man’s eyes narrowed. “Do better. She’s the only family I have left.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Come on, Lana, let’s get you sewn up before you bleed all over the place.” He winked at her and led her out of the bar.

Ignoring Daniel, Shelby clapped her hands together. “Come on, people. We have a party arriving in twenty minutes. Let’s get this place cleaned up and ready.”

The waitresses, busboys and bartender hurried back to their duties. Shelby snagged a mop and a bucket of cleaner and headed for the kitchen.

Daniel followed.

“If you’re going to hang around, you might as well help.” She shoved the mop into his hands, stepped over the puddle of blood on the floor and, using a strainer, scooped the broken glass out of the sink and deposited it in the trash.

While she cleaned the dishes, Daniel mopped the floor, thinking there was no glory in being a Secret Service agent. Once again, he wondered what he’d been thinking when he’d agreed to be Shelby’s bodyguard.

Trouble. With a capital T.

As expected, a group of thirty men from a rowing team out of D.C. converged on O’Hara’s, shouting, laughing and raising good-natured hell.

Daniel helped by bussing tables while keeping a close eye on Shelby. He studied all the men, searching each face for a clue as to his intention.

Most of them wore polo shirts with their club logo on them. They were healthy, muscular men with innocent faces out to have a good time. For the most part.

Daniel wished Shelby was serving behind the bar. As she wove her way between the tables, any one of the men could attack and he’d be too late to help her.

He tried following her around, but that only made her mad, and she told him to back off.

At one table, she smiled and chatted with several of the rowers while serving fresh drinks and collecting the empties. When she turned back toward the bar, she tripped and would have fallen, but one man reached out and yanked her onto his lap, saving her, but not the contents of her tray.

Bottles and mugs toppled to the floor. Only one broke; the rest remained intact. Rubber tub in hand, Daniel hurried to her side.

“Oops.” Shelby laughed. “Thanks for the save, but you can let me up now.”

The man who’d pulled her into his lap laughed and refused to let go of her, his buddies egging him on.

Shelby retained her ever-present smile. “You really should let me up.” With a glance at Daniel, she looked back at the man. “My boyfriend doesn’t like it when other guys touch me.”

The man immediately let go. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t mean to poach.”

Daniel’s fingers clenched around the tub he’d been about to throw at the man. He still wanted to throw it, but he held back with a considerable amount of effort.

Shelby’s lips twisted into a crooked smile. “See? He gets all hot and bothered when other guys so much as look at me, don’t you, baby?” She kissed his cheek and slid a hand along his shoulder as she passed by him.

The guy in chair held up his hands, apparently seeing the danger in Daniel’s eyes. “Like I said, man, I didn’t know.”

After a moment, Daniel shrugged. “No harm, no foul.” He bent to clean up the bottles and mugs. When he had the mess cleared, he went to find Shelby.

She wasn’t in the bar.

His pulse ratcheting upward, he hurried for the kitchen. Not there either, nor was the cook or anyone else.

The back door stood open as if someone had gone out in a hurry.

Daniel slammed the tub of bottles and mugs on a counter and ran for the back door.

Outside, the cook was tossing a heavy bag of trash into the Dumpster.

“Where’s Shelby?” Daniel demanded.

The young man lost control of the bag he’d been hefting up into the trash container and it crashed back behind him, breaking open. “Well, damn.” He glared at Daniel over the mess. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Shelby? Where is she?”

“How should I know? You’re the one who’s been following her around all night.”

Daniel glanced left then right. Nothing moved in back of the building and there was no sign of Shelby. He ran back into the building and down the hallway toward the bar. A door opened immediately to his right and someone stepped out of the ladies’ room and smacked into him. Reaching out, he grabbed the woman to keep her from falling.

His hands wrapped around Shelby’s arms. As soon as he realized it was her, he crushed her against his chest. “Where the hell have you been?”

“To the bathroom,” she said breezily.

“You just about gave me a freakin’ heart attack.”

“I didn’t go far,” she whispered, her mouth close to his, her breath warming his skin.

With her body pressed to his, his adrenaline still running high, he couldn’t hold back. “Woman, you’re making me crazy.” He crushed her lips with his in a brutal kiss. His fingers knotted in her hair and he tugged, tipping her head back more so that he could trail his mouth along her jawline and down the side of her throat to that place where her pulse raced beneath her delicate skin.

Shelby’s hands circled the back of his neck, drawing him closer, her calf rising up the side of his leg, curling around. “Missed me, huh?”

Chapter 9

Shelby could have kicked herself.

From hot and fiery to cold and distant, Daniel pushed Shelby away and stepped back. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“But it did and you can’t take it back.” Her lips curled upward in a smirk. “You wanted to kiss me. Admit it.”

He stared at her for a long time. Then he pushed his hand through his hair and turned his back to her. “We’d better get back to work.”

She grabbed his arm. “Would it hurt so much to admit you find me attractive?”

He whipped around, his eyes blazing. “It wouldn’t matter. You’re in a different stratosphere entirely. I’m your bodyguard, not your lover. Don’t get the two confused.”

“What do you mean, I’m in a different stratosphere? We’re both human. What’s so different about you versus me?”

“You’re the granddaughter of the former vice president of the United States, for the love of God.”

Shelby’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s what’s got your shorts in a twist?” She shook her head. “I’m the granddaughter of a man who owns a bar. I don’t live in a mansion, I’m not a debutante with a purse for every outfit and a room full of shoes. I’m Shelby O’Hara.”

“And I’m your bodyguard. Nothing else.”

“Damn right it’s nothing else. And I thought you were down-to-earth and a straight shooter. But I believe you’re something of a snob.” She pushed past him and marched back into the bar. “Just stay out of my way. I have work to do.”

Much as he’d like to stay out of her way, he couldn’t. Not when the danger was real. If the first kidnapping hadn’t convinced her, the second attempt sure as hell had convinced him.

He spent the rest of the evening jumping at every loud noise, dogging every one of Shelby’s footsteps and hating that all the guys in the bar were falling in love with the petite brunette with the perpetual smile for everyone but him.

The more he frowned, the brighter her smile grew, to the point he wanted to throw her over his shoulder like a caveman and take her back to the Winston Estate just to put an end to his agony.

Near eleven o’clock, Patrick O’Hara returned to the bar, having taken Lana to a twenty-four-hour clinic for the stitches and dropped her off at her house on the way back.

Patrick hugged his granddaughter as soon as he walked through the door. “I was worried sick the entire time I was gone, thinking I’d get back to find you had disappeared again.” He kissed her forehead and she hugged him again.

“I’m not going anywhere. We had a good night and nothing out of the ordinary happened.”

Daniel noted that Shelby hadn’t bothered to tell her grandfather what had happened at the university. Had she informed him of the near miss, he’d have been even more determined to stick to her like glue, something Daniel had discovered Shelby didn’t like. She was an independent young woman, sometimes too independent for her own good. His job was hard enough keeping her safe without worrying about her taking off because she was mad at him for something.

Thankfully, the rowing team had to be up at the crack of dawn to work out. One by one, they filed out of the bar, leaving it nearly empty.

“You two can head back to the Winston Estate now. I’ll be right behind you as soon as I give the order list to Marisa.”

“Are you sure?” Shelby wiped her hands on a towel and tossed it on the bar. “I can stay and help clean up.”

“No, the staff handled it fine while you were gone. I’m sure they can do it again.”

Her brows furrowed. “Don’t think you’re going to get rid of me altogether. This arrangement is only temporary.”

“I hope so, dear. The sooner they figure out who was responsible and lock him up, the sooner you won’t have to have a bodyguard and the better I’ll feel. Now get going so I can finish up.”

When Patrick put it that way, Daniel didn’t know how he felt. On one hand, he’d be free of babysitting duties. On the other, he’d have no need to be around Shelby. They’d part ways and that would be the end of it. A Secret Service agent’s life wasn’t geared toward long-term relationships. “You heard your grandfather. You’re slowing him down.” Daniel hooked Shelby’s arm and guided her to the exit and his vehicle.

Shelby jerked her arm free. “You don’t have to be so pushy, bodyguard.”

He prayed she’d stay mad. After the fiery kiss in the hallway, he wasn’t sure he could keep his distance. “I do if I want to get you back to the Winstons’ place before dawn. As it is, it’ll be nearly one in the morning before we arrive.”

“Well, then, let’s get crackin’.” She led the way out the door to Daniel’s SUV.

When she placed her hand on the door handle, he stopped her. “Let me check first.”

Shelby stood back while Daniel shone a pocket flashlight under the car. He opened the hood and checked inside the engine compartment for anything that didn’t belong. When he was satisfied there weren’t any explosive devices attached to the vehicle, he waved a hand toward the passenger seat. “Your chariot awaits, princess.”

Her lips thinned. “I’m not a princess. I’m a waitress.” She got in and slammed the door shut.

Daniel hid a grin as he slid into the driver’s seat and buckled his seat belt.

The long drive back to Raleigh was completed in silence. Shelby fell asleep against the window, the shadows beneath her eyes more pronounced.

Daniel had to remind himself she’d only been free from her captors for a little more than a day. A lot had happened in that time frame. She was exhausted. When she wasn’t mad, her face softened and her lips relaxed, full and pink and completely kissable.

Daniel forced himself to concentrate on the road ahead. If he wasn’t careful, he’d drive into the ditch. He stayed alert by going over everything that had happened. D’Angelis had told them enough to save the girl before he died. But he’d died in custody. Someone at the police station had to have poisoned him.

D’Angelis had been a Secret Service agent like Daniel, with one huge difference: he’d gone bad. Sold out to the highest bidder, and it was suspected he’d worked for the Cartel. If there were dirty agents in the Secret Service, there could be dirty cops at the police station. But who had access to the man? Who could have slipped him the poison between the time he was brought from his cell and the time he died?

Daniel’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He didn’t know who to trust anymore. Anyone could be after Shelby. If he asked Kate to find a different agent to provide for her safety, he couldn’t be certain that agent was a good agent.

The only reason he could come up with that would make someone target Shelby was her connection to Kate Winston. And who would have known Kate’s daughter had survived? For all these years, Kate had presumed her child was dead. The only others who knew about her pregnancy were her mother, father and the hospital staff who helped deliver the baby. And, of course, her grandfather.

Daniel pulled up to the gate of the Winston Estate, no closer to the truth than when he’d left and a whole lot more frustrated by a couple of incredibly hot kisses.

He parked at the front of the house. As late as it was, he didn’t want to make Shelby walk any farther than she had to. She was still asleep when he rounded the car, grabbed her duffel bag out of the backseat, looped it over his shoulder, then opened her door.

She tipped slightly until her seat belt caught her and kept her from falling out.

Daniel reached across her lap and unbuckled her belt, then gathered her in his arms and carried her up the steps to the big house.

The door opened as soon as he stopped in front of it and Kate Winston stood there in her bathrobe, her face clean of makeup. “I was beginning to worry, until Patrick texted me to say you were on your way back. Any mishaps?”

“Not on the trip back. Let me get her up the stairs and then we’ll talk.”

“I can get there myself.” Shelby’s eyes blinked open and she stared up at him. “Put me down.”

“Are you sure, dear?” Kate asked. “You look so very tired.”

“I can walk.” Shelby pushed at Daniel and he set her on her feet, keeping one of his arms behind her back to steady her.

“Let me check your room before you go up,” Daniel insisted.

“I’m sure it’s the same as I left it. You and Mrs. Winston need to talk, and I need a shower. I can manage on my own.”

Daniel hesitated. “I’d rather not leave it up to chance.”

“And I’d rather be alone,” she said. “I’ll be sure to scream if there’s a monster under my bed.”

Kate touched Daniel’s arm. “Thad was here earlier. I had him check things in Shelby’s room. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Shelby cocked an eyebrow. “See? Even the lady of the house thinks it’s safe here. If it isn’t, I might as well go back to my home.”

With a smile, Kate took Daniel’s arm. “Let her have her peace. Shelby, honey, do you need help getting up the stairs?”

“No.” Shelby took the duffel bag from Daniel and set off across the foyer toward the stairs, her gait more wobbly than Daniel liked. She made it to the stairs and gripped the rail all the way up, half carrying, half dragging the duffel bag. The whole time Daniel watched, wanting to go after her and carry her and that damned bag up to her room.

“Come, Daniel,” Kate said. “I want to know everything that happened today.”

Daniel followed Kate into her study, determined to tell her only the things pertinent to the case. Kate didn’t need to know he’d kissed her granddaughter.

What would she do if she did know? Have him reassigned?

Without knowing who to trust, he couldn’t leave Shelby in someone else’s hands.

Shelby had to drag herself up the stairs. The nap she’d had in the car had done little to banish the exhaustion she was feeling. Working at the bar had been a stretch after two weeks in hell with no exercise. Though it had felt good to be back to normal, she’d been tense and jumpy all night. Partly because she wasn’t sure who to trust in the crowd at the bar and partly because of Daniel watching her.

Her lips still tingled from the kiss on the landing outside her apartment and the kiss in the hallway outside the bathroom in the bar. She’d kissed a few boys in her life, but nothing had compared to what she’d experienced with Daniel. Not only had it been good, it had sparked desire so strong, she’d almost forgotten where she was.

She moaned softly. The thought of kissing Daniel heated her blood and pushed her exhaustion aside. Now that she was awake, her body recalled the way it felt pressed against his. He’d been hard with desire, of that she was certain, and it made her hot and bothered all over.

A cool shower and her own nightgown would help her settle in for a good night’s sleep.

Dropping her bag on the floor, she rummaged inside until she found clean panties and her favorite baby-doll nightie. She’d bought it on a whim and hardly wore it. Living in the apartment over the bar, she’d always worn an old T-shirt and stretchy shorts to bed.

Living in the Winstons’ mansion made her more conscious of everything she wore, including her nightclothes. At home, instead of grabbing the ratty T-shirt she normally wore to bed, she’d dug the pretty teal nightgown out of her drawer. Now she almost changed her mind and scrounged for a T-shirt, but one glance at the connecting door made her hold on to the gown.

The man had some serious commitment issues and prejudices against people with a lot of money, not that she was one of them. Shelby had served all kinds at the bar and they all put their pants on the same way. Her connection to Kate Winston was an accident of birth. She was not connected to Kate’s bank account and wouldn’t want to be, even if she was asked.

Shelby had inherited her grandfather’s sense of responsibility and drive. If she made it in this world, it would be because of hard work and her intelligence, not because she’d been born into wealth.

Gown in hand, she entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her. The bathroom was bigger than her bedroom back home and almost as big as the living room. The counters and shower were made of a beautiful white granite with brown and black speckles. The floor was covered in white marble tile and the fixtures were a shiny gold.

She glanced at the bathtub she’d used the day before and her cheeks heated. That was the first time Daniel had seen her naked.

And the last time he would, she decided. He’d have to beg her to make love to him after he’d been so callous earlier. Even then, she’d tell him where he could get off.

She stripped out of the clothing Kate had given her, now rumpled and stained from waiting tables at the bar. She glanced down at the sweater with regret. It was nice and she’d hate it if the stains wouldn’t come out.

She filled the sink with water, applied some of the hand soap to the spots and then let it soak.

Stripping off her undergarments, she couldn’t help but think of Daniel sleeping in the room on the other side of her bedroom. All she had to do was walk over there, open the door and let herself in.

Her core tightened, electric tingles spreading through her body, angling downward. She jerked the handle on the shower, setting it on cool and stepped beneath the spray. The chill of the water made her catch her breath, and her wrists stung when the water hit the sores she’d created scraping the zip tie off. Both shocked her back to sanity.

Daniel was off-limits. He was her bodyguard, a Secret Service agent and a damned good kisser. But that was all. He wasn’t the stuff relationships were made of. He’d told her that in no uncertain terms.

Knowing him only a day was not long enough to form an attachment to her guardian angel, the man who’d pulled her from a burning building. Hell, a fireman could have done the same and she wouldn’t be drooling over him or wishing he’d kiss her again.

She should be worrying more about catching up on homework or about who was trying to kidnap her and less about getting in bed with the government agent. She squirted a little of the beautifully scented shampoo on her hand and applied it to her hair, scrubbing hard, as if she could scrub the images and thoughts about Daniel out of her head.

Not likely.

With quick efficiency, Shelby washed her body and rinsed her hair and skin, careful to avoid touching the bump on her forehead. Then she shut off the water. The towel she wrapped herself in was thick and luxurious, like everything else in the mansion. All the towels they had back home on the Outer Banks had been well worn and washed. They were thin, some threadbare. It wasn’t that she and her grandfather were poor, they just hadn’t found a need to replace things that worked just fine.

Shelby tossed the towel over the rack and slipped into her nightgown and bikini panties.

A sound in the bedroom made her jump.

“Daniel?” she called out.

No answer.

She grabbed the metal toothbrush holder and eased toward the door. “Daniel?” she called out, louder this time, her heart lodged in her throat.

As the bathroom doorknob turned, she remembered that she hadn’t locked it and dived for the handle and the locking mechanism, twisting hard.

She got it locked. With her pulse slamming against her veins, she stood in her nightgown, holding the toothbrush holder and wondered what the hell to do next.