Chapter 21: Bossy Bodyguard: Part 2 – Chapter 21

“Really. I can’t thank you enough for this.” Sarcasm poured out of me as I glared at Sean, who was proudly smirking at both of us.

“So, so, so, you mean Em is like being stalked? And this is all… serious?” Caleb asked, his eyes wide, staring at both of us and the screen.

“You’re signing the NDA,” I told him in my Dad-voice and added, “Yes. This is serious adult stuff, so don’t go around telling your friends for fun.”

“But someone will guess something’s wrong when you’ll follow her everywhere around the campus. Rumors will—”

“I don’t care. You’re not telling anyone.”

“Okay,” he sulked and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

I lifted my hand and gently patted his shoulder. “I don’t think she’s ready to tell anyone yet. She will tell you when she’s comfortable.”

“And now you know, so this way you can monitor her—”

I glared at Sean. “Don’t listen to him. You don’t need to do anything. Just focus on your life and studies and forget this conversation ever happened.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” he said, standing up and straightening his shoulders. “Even if we are not in a relationship anymore, she’s still my friend. I will keep—hold on, I’ve got to take this.”

We both watched him take the phone call and heard the loud music coming from the caller. Sean sighed, stretching his arms. “Kids these days. They can’t stay away from their phone for ten minutes.”

I stood up. “I need to pack my bag and go keep an eye on her.”

I didn’t like the way Sean smirked at me, so I paused. “What?”

“What what?” He blinked innocently, grinning at me.

“Spit it out.”

“Well,” he said, his grin widening and continued, “You were in her guest room, alone, and you’re looking after your son’s ex. Lots of forced proximity and—”

I took the tablet and glared at him. “Don’t say another word if you want to explain to everyone why you have a bruise on your right cheek for two weeks. I bet your little girlfriend won’t like that.”

“Aw, big bad wolf is angy!”

I flipped him off as I walked out of the kitchen and yelled at him, “Clean the dishes before you leave!”

I was about to head upstairs and pack my bag for a couple of days when I overheard the conversation of Caleb on the phone call. I only stopped because I heard her voice and her name being chanted repeatedly.

“Can’t you just throw water at her or something and get her down?” Caleb was pacing around the living room, running a hand through his hair, and his eyes only widened when I loomed over him.

He didn’t question me when I opened my palm. He handed me his phone and I turned the speaker on. It was a guy’s voice who was laughing. “Dude! Why the fuck would anyone stop her? She’s looking banging in her bra—boooo! Her friends are trying to get her down or something, but I’m telling you, she’s ten on ten. I can’t believe you got to tap that, you son of a bit—”

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you,” I said, keeping the mic of the phone near my mouth and speaking slowly. “What’s your name? Doesn’t matter. I’m coming there and if I see a single guy having the balls to touch Emma, I’m breaking their fingers one by one and then their tiny little toes until they fucking apologize. Am I clear?”

I didn’t wait for him to reply and ended the call when I heard a small gasp. I handed the phone back to Caleb, who was gaping at me. Marching towards the door, I grabbed my keys and barked over my shoulder,

“Come with me. I am attending this party.” And someone is getting into huge trouble tonight, I added mentally.

It only took a few minutes to reach the house where the party was going on. I slammed my car door shut, glaring at anyone and everyone who dared to stand in my way. I had ordered Caleb to look for Emma or her friends and call me when he finds her. I was going to look from the backyard, but I didn’t have to search for her.

Because she was standing half-naked, wet and dancing on the roof. I didn’t care. There were a bunch of other girls and guys with her, equally half-naked. but…

My nose was flaring as I stormed past the hooting crowd of drunk teens. Most of them were wasted or high or both. I had given her one simple command before I left. Behave. And look how well she was behaving.

“Get out of my fucking way,” I gritted through my teeth when I reached upstairs. The hallway was so crowded that I had to push past a few people before I could enter the room. There was a tiny pool on the balcony and half-naked people grinding on each other.

I found a fully dressed brunette and dark-skinned girl speaking something in Emma’s ears, thrusting her clothes towards her, but she was so fucking wasted that her voice was slurring.

“Emma,” I called her, shooting daggers at the guy who was trying to slip his hand over her butt. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I grabbed her arm, taking her from the crowd. Her friends followed me.

“Hey mister, leave our friend alone!”

“Who are you?”

I shot her friends a dark look. “I’m Cillian. Her bodyguard who told her to stay at her house tonight, and an hour later I find her inebriated, half-naked, ready to get naked with anyone who’d give her attention.”

She was so fucking limp in my hand that I wondered what the fuck she had been drinking to get so wasted in an hour. Finding a corner, I leaned her against a wall, pushing her hands through the armholes of my suit and covering her up. I didn’t think twice before buttoning it up, ignoring the swell of cleavage or how hot her bra and underwear were.

Her hair was all wet, and she kept mumbling something underneath her breath.

“I didn’t know she had a bodyguard,” the girl in bright clothes said.

I exhaled sharply and showed her my ID. “You can call her brother and ask about me. Look, I know you are concerned about Emma right now, but I’ll take it from here.”

The brunette narrowed her green eyes at me. “If you are her bodyguard, where were you when Em started sobbing and stripping out of her clothes?”

I stared at her and slowly moved my gaze to Emma. Her eyes were swollen and there were streaks of tears on her cheeks.

“She was sobbing?”

“Yes. Which was very unlike the Emma I know,” her friend said. “I’ve never seen her shed a tear. Maybe her mother’s death and the breakup took a toll on her.”

She slurred something and raised her hand in the air, flailing around. “Burn… Caleb! He’s a witch.”

She hiccupped, her feet giving out and ready to fall on the floor. I straightened her and looked around the crowd to see if Caleb was there. Muttering a curse under my breath, I leaned down and picked her up in my arms.

I ignored the way her soft, warm breath brushed over my neck as she kept mumbling something against my chest. Her hair was tickling my arm and her thighs felt soft to my touch. My scowl only increased when drunk people started cheering her name, seeing her.

“Where are you taking her?” Her friend had to yell even when we stepped out of the house.

I marched towards my car, opening the door and lying down the drunk doll on the seat, holding her shoulders and strapping her up in a seatbelt.

“Her home, where she should have been all this fucking time,” I said, turning around and looking at both of them. They didn’t look drunk, but their pupils were dilated, and I could smell beer on them. “Do I need to drop you off?”

“There’ll be no need for that,” a smooth, deep voice said.