Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
But…what I feel for her goes far beyond the role of my job.
Evangeline Graves, heiress to her father’s empire, is the total opposite of me—sweet, beautiful, and precious. And ever since I accepted this job, I’ve known she’s gonna belong to me and only me.
When a threat to her life means we have to escape to a remote cabin to keep her safe, I can’t resist the urge to claim her in every way possible any longer.
And when the threats follow us even out here, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect what’s mine…even from the man who, like me, was supposed to keep her safe.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
ENZO
“Report to the comms room in five.”
I get the alert through my earpiece just as I see my colleague, Ben, stroll towards me down the long corridor. I scowl before remembering to smooth my expression out, neutralizing my features before the other bodyguard can pick up on it.
“I’m here to take your position while the boss meets with you,” Ben tells me. He uses a patronizing tone as though he’s speaking to a child, and not a trained fighter with nearly a decade of experience as muscle-for-hire and no less than fifteen weapons attached to my body.
But half of being a bodyguard is learning to keep your reactions to yourself, never letting a crack appear in your armor. I’ve seen and heard some crazy shit over the years, and thanks to the many NDAs I’ve signed, I’ll take it to the grave. So dealing with Ben’s bullshit is no more than water off a duck’s back at this point.
I don’t bother replying with words, giving him a curt nod. He takes my post, and I march in the direction he came, heading for the third level of the house—mansion—where the security and comms room is set up.
I’ve worked for Grant Graves, a well-renowned billionaire with an empire of businesses I can’t even count, for the last eight months, and I’m still not used to the sheer extravagance of his home.
The mansion sits on a huge estate, which boasts multiple other properties on the expansive grounds and gardens and could pass for a damn castle on the outside. Inside, it’s full of high-tech features, smart lights and security, and a maze of dozens upon dozens of rooms. Obviously, I’ve mapped out every inch of this place in my mind. I’ll be shit at my job if I’m not familiar with every nook and cranny.
Though my feet carry me to the elevator where I swipe my security pass to be able to access the right floor, my eyes still catch on every insane detail. Priceless artwork on the walls, polished marble and hardwood floors, carpets that get replaced every time they so much as hint at losing their luxurious softness.
The mansion is as pristine and perfect as its main resident—Grant’s daughter, Evangeline Graves. The most valuable asset in this place, not just because she’s the sole heir to the family fortune, but because she’s her father’s pride and joy.
When I first got assigned this job, to guard and protect Miss Graves, I expected to find a prissy, spoiled brat who acted more like a child used to getting everything they wished for than a grown adult.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Not only is Evangeline more beautiful than any of the multi-million dollar canvases and sculptures in this place, but she’s also one of the best people I’ve ever met. Kind, caring, sweet, smart, and tempting as fucking sin.
And, as her bodyguard, she’s absolutely off-limits to me.
That fact alone makes this job the best and worst I’ve ever taken. It’s torture trying to remain professional and restrained around her, especially when I catch her sneaking me those looks. The ones where her emerald eyes glitter and her teeth sink into her plush bottom lip and her long, dark lashes flutter. The ones that make my cock hard in my uniform and my hands itch to grab something other than a weapon.
I shake the thoughts from my head as best I can when I finally reach the comms room, knocking twice before stepping inside. I find the head of security, my direct supervisor, a severe-looking but decent enough guy named Ian, sitting across from Grant Graves at the table. There’s a grim look on both their faces that sets my instincts on edge. Something’s wrong.
“You requested me, sir?” I ask, standing at the door rather than taking a seat, a well-trained instinct to never relax ingrained into me.
“We have a situation,” Ian says, inclining his head to a small stack of printed pages between him and Grant. “An urgent situation.”
“Involving Ev–Miss Graves?” I clarify, catching myself before I use her actual name instead of the professional address we’re taught to use. I hate it, much preferring how sweet Evangeline sounds.
“There has been a series of very serious threats made against Mr. Graves’ daughter,” Ian confirms.
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth threaten to crack, and every muscle in my body tenses. Someone has threatened her. The idea of her in danger makes me want to rip someone’s head off.
“You need to get her away from here and keep her safe and hidden away until we know who’s behind this,” Grant takes over, obvious anger and worry in his words. “The Oakwood Cabin.”
I nod. “Of course,” I agree, already knowing exactly which property he’s talking about. The cabin is one of the most remote he owns, a secluded and well-hidden house in a dense forest far out of the city.