Falling For Her Bodyguard: A BWWM Suspense Romance (11 page)

At some point, the
quiet sounds of the woods, the sound of the running stream lulled
them to sleep. Gianni leaned up against a tree as she rested her head
on his chest. They slept together until the air started to cool, the
chill waking their bodies up from their peaceful slumber. Kenzie woke
up slowly, rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked around. It
was getting dark.

She shook Gianni awake
before they both climbed back up to the road. A single truck passed
them as they walked, the driver not even sparing them a glance.
Kenzie felt her stomach protest as they walked back to the house
together, the only thing on her mind was food, sex then sleep. In
that order.

Kenzie moaned as she
wrapped her leg around Gianni’s sleeping form. She could feel
the sunlight trying to pry her eyes open, but she closed them firmly,
refusing to believe that it was really morning. His warm skin beneath
hers gave her some comfort.

They had spent the
night talking, laughing and falling into bed multiple times before
they both passed out, their bodies exhausted but satisfied. She
didn’t want to let go of those warm, happy memories to face the
day.

Slowly, she opened her
eyes. Gianni’s eyes were only barely opened as he looked back
at her. A smile formed on her lips, the familiar speeding up of her
heart echoed in her chest. She reached out her hand, long, thin
fingers brushed over his cheeks and ran over the firm chin that had
started to sprout stubble. She moved closer to him, rested her head
under that chin. He stroked her hair softly.

“I don’t
want to spoil the moment, but your album comes out today. Don’t
you want to know how it’s doing?”

Kenzie shook her head
firmly. “No. If it’s good, it’ll only make me more
nervous about the show. If it’s doing badly, well it’ll
make my whole day horrible.”

She felt his hand
drift to her back, his nails scratching over her skin. A moan escaped
her lips. She knew there was still practice to be had, outfits to be
chosen for the concert, plans to be finalized, but just for the
moment she wanted to revel in how normal her life felt. It was just
her and Gianni. She didn’t think she’d ever need anything
more. His lips pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“We should
shower at least,” he mumbled into her hair.

“Mmm, do we have
to move right now? Can’t we pretend the sun hasn’t risen
yet?”

“You know I
can’t ignore the internal clock,” he said with a laugh.

Kenzie knew it was
true. The man was always up at 6 a.m. She could hear him moving
around in his room, walking down the halls. Still, he didn’t
move. Instead, he pulled her in closer, let his hand rest on her butt
as he stroked her skin slowly. Teasing.

“Of course, I
could be persuaded to stay in bed a little longer,” he said
quietly, a smile on his face.

Kenzie giggled before
she looked up at him. He leaned down, pressed a kiss on her mouth
before he rolled on top of her. She started protesting, but laughing
as he began to nibble on her neck.

“Hey, come on.
You said shower. There’s a thing called morning breath…”

“We’ll
just do it like this then,” he said before he flipped her over,
pressing her breasts into the mattress. His strong arms yanked her
hips up into the air. She squealed.

“No, no. Stop
it! I’m going to go shower!”

Kenzie hopped out of
the bed before running into the bathroom, shutting the door behind
her. Gianni grinned to himself. He knew one way to get her moving
when he needed to. The man knew they were both sore from the night
before, her even more so as he’d brought her to her limit again
and again until she simply lay on the mattress, eyes staring out into
space.

She heard the bathroom
door open. A few moments later, Gianni was stepping into the shower
next to her. They took their time washing each other, admiring each
other’s bodies with their fingers, one or twice with a wayward
tongue. When they were clean, they hopped out, quickly trying to keep
themselves from having to shower all over again.

“I was
thinking,” Gianni said. “Since you’re taking a
break from practice today. How about a date?”

Kenzie’s face
lit up immediately. She had planned to simply stay home, practice in
the mirror the best she could. Going on a date with Gianni hadn’t
even crossed her mind, but here he was asking. His usually stoic face
was anxious, nervous she realized. It made her smile. If she didn’t
know him so well, she’d call him innocent.

“I would love
that.”

She watched his face
relax. Her hand slipped into his. Gianni brushed a strand of hair
from her forehead, leaning in before placing a kiss on her cheek. It
was the sweetest gesture she'd ever experienced. There was no
ulterior motive, no expectation, just happiness. When he pulled away,
it took a moment for Kenzie to clear her head before she began to
bubble with excitement.

“So, where are
we going? Or have you not planned it yet?”

“I know exactly
where we're going.”

“Tell me.”

Gianni grinned, the
smug smile back on his face in a flash. “It's a surprise.”

Kenzie glared at him.
“I hate surprises.”

“Liar,” he
said as he kissed her forehead then started walking down the hallway.
“Let's go!”

“Where are we
going?”

“To get changed
so we can go. Our date lasts all day.”

Kenzie grinned as she
followed after him into her room. He was pushing through clothes in
the closet and drawer, searching for what, she had no idea. Instead
of asking, she sat on the bed in her shorts and bra, watching him.
He’d already picked out a pair of jeans for her, next came a
bright orange shirt that she never wore.

“I don’t
want to wear that,” she said.

“Why not? Orange
is my favorite color.”

Kenzie hadn’t
known that. Instead of complaining, she shrugged, decided that she’d
wear it for him one day before she tossed it onto the next bonfire.
He even found one of her old wigs, an all black one that she used to
wear to shows sometimes.

“We’re
going in disguise today,” he said with a grin. “I figured
with the album coming out, the vultures will be out in full effect.”

“I didn’t
think of that. I haven’t really had to deal with them in so
long…” She trailed off.

Gianni continued to
work as she watched him. She was impressed with the way he thought
about her, the way he thought about protecting her that had much more
to do with his job. When he’d gotten everything together for
her, he let her get ready while he disappeared into the other
bedroom. She slipped on the jeans, the bright orange shirt that was
slightly see through and light and a pair of dark flats. After she’d
wrapped her hair in a bun, she slipped the wig over her hair. It was
long, slightly wavy. She pushed her fingers, then a brush, through
the hair until it was perfect. Just as she was gliding a tube of lip
gloss across her lips, he knocked on the door before stepping in.

When she looked at
him, she whistled. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt
that stretched across his strong chest. His hair was pushed out of
his face. It was such a low key look for him that she couldn’t
help but admire it. She’d grown used to seeing him dressed in
suits, ties and shiny black shoes. The natural look suited him. She
grinned.

“You still
haven’t told me where we’re going,” she said.

“I told you,
it’s a surprise, but I know you a little better now. You’ll
like it.”

Kenzie followed him
out into the brilliantly bright day. He opened her door for her,
letting her slide in before he closed it. When they started to drive,
she felt the excitement of a child run through her body. She turned
up the radio, blasted songs until she was singing at the top of her
lungs along with them.

Her mouth flew open
when Gianni joined in. His fingers thumped against the steering wheel
as he bobbed his head. She watched him in silence for a while before
she giggled. Together they sang every song that came on that they
knew. Her hand lingered out of the window, the wind like silk against
her fingertips as they zipped along the highway.

It didn’t take
too long before they pulled up to a big building. The name wasn’t
one she recognized. He parked the car before he opened her door for
her once more. As they walked, her hand slipped into his. They closer
they got to the place, the more noise she heard emanating from the
inside.

“What is this
place?” She asked.

They stepped inside.
Right away she felt at home. There were rows upon rows of arcade
games, old and new. People of all ages ran through the place,
laughing as some games lit up spitting out rows of tickets. Kenzie
hadn’t seen the inside of an arcade in so long, that she stared
in awe for a long time before she hugged Gianni’s arm.

“This is
perfect!”

“I knew you’d
like it.”

He brought them both
wrist bracelets before they disappeared into the throng of people.
They took turns playing arcade games. Battled against each other at
the basketball hoops. They even played a few games of laser tag that
turned intense quick.

Kenzie’s
competitive nature kicked in as they ran around the darkened room.
She’d already taken out a few people, but she knew that Gianni
was still around, lurking. She never realized how quiet the man was
until he snuck up behind her and shot her in the back. The vest lit
up brightly. She placed her hands on her hips.

“How do you keep
doing that?”

“I’ve got
skills,” he said with a grin.

Kenzie had to admit
she felt even safer with him on her team now. The man was quiet,
quick. She liked that. When they were too tired to run around
anymore, they settled in at a table. They ordered a pizza, splitting
the toppings when they couldn’t decide. Gianni cringed as she
took a bite.

“Seriously?
Anchovies? Why not just stick a big, dead fish in the middle of the
slice?”

Kenzie stuck out her
tongue. “It’s delicious. At least I didn’t ruin
mine with fruit.”

They teased each other
as they ate until their plates were cleared. They both ordered beer,
but drank it slowly as they talked. The more they sat there, the more
Gianni seemed to open up. She got to hear all about his family, the
crazy things they’d do just for fun. Games that they’d
made up that were completely fictional. Kenzie loved every story he
told about his family, but it made her miss her parents.

“So, you have
brothers and sisters?” She asked.

“Six. I’m
the oldest of them all. What about you?”

Kenzie shook her head.
“Nope. My parents had me, decided I was more than enough to
handle by myself. I do wish I’d grown up with a sister though.
I mean they borrow each other’s clothes, talk about
relationships, hang out together when one of them is sad. Cassie used
to be like that to me for a long time.”

“What happened?”

Kenzie shrugged as she
took a sip. “I don’t know. She started modeling, I
started singing. We both got really busy. Even before whatever that
was that happened the other day, she changed. She’s not the
same anymore.” She paused. “That’s not really fair
though. I’m not the same person anymore either.”

“You’ve
been through a lot,” Gianni said simply.

Kenzie was happy that
Gianni didn’t elaborate. Didn’t offer her the pity party
that most did. He stated the facts as they were, facts. Although
there was kindness in his voice when he did it, she didn’t feel
like he was pitying her for what had happened. It was a refreshing
change. His hand reached out, brushed over the back of hers. She
smiled.

“Do you want to
go see a movie?” Gianni asked.

She nodded.
“Definitely. I haven’t been to the movies in a while.”

“Let’s
go.”

He paid the check
before leading her back outside, the sun making her squint her eyes
after the dimness of the place. They didn’t go back to the car,
instead they walked a short distance to the movie theater, hand in
hand. They settled on a horror movie, something Kenzie only vaguely
remembered having a lot of blood and guts in the previews. As they
settled in with their popcorn, she rested her head on his shoulder.

When the movie
started, she tried to watch with a straight face, but the more it
played, the more she made grossed out noises with the rest of the
audience. She snuggled into Gianni’s arm deeper. Some of it
wasn’t so bad, but the parts with the knives. She shuddered.
Gianni glanced down at her through one of the scenes. He must have
seen the revulsion on her face. He grabbed her hand before pulling
her from the movie theater. They read the titles above the doors
before they settled for a romantic comedy that had just started.

Kenzie leaned over
closer to Gianni’s ear. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Gianni grinned back at
her, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t let go of her
hand through the entire movie. When it was over, she had forgotten
the beginnings of the anxiety attack that she had began to crawl its
way into her belly. They walked out of the theater together and
headed back to the car.

“I have one more
place for us to go, but I have to make a stop first,” Gianni
said.

That was fine with
Kenzie. She was having the time of her life. The stress was gone,
replaced with affection for the man who sat beside her as the car
drove down street after street. He seemed to know where he was going
through. They pulled into the parking lot of a small grocery store.
When he hopped out, she tried to tag along, but he wouldn’t let
her.

“Stay, relax.
I’ll be right back,” he said before he kissed her and
walked away.

“Sneaky,”
she said with a smile. She knew that whatever he had in store next
she would like just as much as she’d liked the last surprises.