Two things I noticed after being Emmaâs bodyguard for forty minutes.
One. She looked adorable with bedhead hair. Her blonde wavy locks tangled up and framing her face.
Two. She most likely drools in her sleep.
âIâd say neither of them as youâre not going out, but if I had to choose, Iâd pick the red one. It suits your flushed cheeks.â
Her cheeks turned a cute shade of pink and she dropped the skirts on her bed. She didnât meet my eyes as she asked, âWhat are you doing here?â She was going through her clothes, hiding from me in her closet. âAnd what do you mean by Iâm not going out?â
I straightened up to my full height and entered her room. Since the forensics had done their job, it was back to normal as it was. I had asked the house staff to clean up her room once again, so she wonât ever remember that someone had invaded her privacy.
âIâm your bodyguard, Doll,â I said, picking up the red skirt from the bed and feeling the soft fabric. I dropped it and looked over at her when I heard her take a sharp breath âI canât let you go out if it means endangering yourself to others⦠especially your stalker.â
âWhat?â Emma shook her head. âThat canât be right. I-I donât need a bodyguard. I just⦠just find the stalker so I canââ
She stopped and looked back at her closet, hiding her face. She clearly wanted to say more but was holding herself back.
âI donât want a bodyguard.â
âI, too, donât want to guard a nineteen-year-old rich kid, but tough luck.â My voice had an edge to it. âYou should have told me you were nineteen before⦠everythingâfuck.â
Her blue eyes were sharp as a razor when she looked at me, crossing her arms. I had to force myself to keep my eyes above her chin level because crossing her arms in front of me did nothing to intimidate me. It did the opposite of intimidation.
âAll I did was hide the truth.â My eyes narrowed at her when she continued, âBesides, if youâre my bodyguard, then that means Iâm your boss. So, I can fire you right away.â
I smiled, prowling towards her. I leaned down to her height and said, âCute.â Being this close, I could see the small freckles splattered across her cheeks and nose. âYouâre my client, Doll. My boss is Elena and donât worry about firing me, this is my last job. So, you canât get rid of me easily until youâre safe.â
âI am safe!â
I trailed my eyes over her bare arms and she subtly moved her hands back, pushing her chestâfucking hell, Cillian, focus!
âIf you feel safe, then why are your hands shaking, Emma?â I asked, trailing my eyes over her face. Her pupils dilated as she stared back at me with equal ferocity. I pulled back and continued, âYouâre not safe until we know whoâs doing this and catch him or⦠her.â
âYou think itâs a woman?â Her voice was shaky. Even talking about the stalker made her this nervous. Then how the fuck would she survive without a guard? No. I did the right thing choosing to be her bodyguard.
âI think itâs a man, but we canât vote out woman.â I tilted my head and smirked. âYouâre a pretty girl after all.â
Emmaâs cheeks were flaming red. I walked towards the door and paused, turning back. âI have your number and donât worry about the driver. Heâll be following my commands for a while, so you can go anywhere you want with my permission.â I flashed her a small smile, her face growing irritated by each second and I didnât know why, but it made me feel really good. âIâll be staying here, so I need to fetch some things from my house. Behave and Iâll come with you.â
I was ready to leave her room when I remembered something. âYou look adorable with drool, Doll.â
When I closed the door behind me, something struck the wood. My smile widened, knowing full well she was going to be a difficult client.
Emma
What an asshole!
A sexy asshole?
I grumbled more curses underneath my breath, curling my hands into fists. How dare heâugh!
Glad that my washroom was finally clear, I splashed cold water on my face. You look adorable with drool, Doll.
Eat my ass! Groaning at myself, I washed my face with the electronic scrubber, wondering why the hell Damon agreed to him being my bodyguard all of a sudden?
It didnât matter that Cillian was Calebâs dad. I didnât care that he was some hotshot, the strongest and smartest guard or security out there. He was having fun teasing me and telling me what I should and shouldnât do. Where I should and shouldnât go. So much so that he put my driver under his command. Who does that?
Assholes. Thatâs who.
With fresh, moisturized and drool-free face, I strategized my plan. Picking up my phone, I called my friend who knew ins and outs of all the parties and⦠how to sneak out of a mansion without getting caught.
It shouldnât be that hard.
Right?
Turns out, I can be wrong sometimes.
âCan you just catch me?â I asked, groaning and struggling to keep myself upright on the wall as I looked over my shoulder at Summerâs dark curls.
âBabe, I would if I could. But Iâm built like a stick,â she said, her hands on her hips. My Louboutin beside her. âNice underwear, by the way. Really brings out your⦠cheeks.â
âThanks,â I said dryly, my upper body hurting when I slowly lowered myself from the wall. I didnât care that I was flashing my friend. What I cared more about was not to ruin my expensive skirt.
It was easier than I had imagined sneaking out of the front door, but harder to get past the two guards at the front gate; so I had to go to my backyard, over to the pool house while sneaking like a vigilante, and ask Summer to park her car over the tall wall, which I had climbed just because there was a ladder for me to use.
I yipped when my butt landed on the ground, my legs splayed and hands dirty. It didnât hurt too badly and gave me more adrenaline boost than I had expected.
âSo how do you feel sneaking out of your house at ten?â Summer asked, giving me a hand.
My answering grin must be glorious since we giggled. I could easily imagine the look on Cillianâs face and it made me really, really happy.