Page 21 of Guarding the Billionaire

Julia:Bring your bodyguard. Is he hot?

Me:She’s a she. And yes, she is. See you tomorrow.

I finally gave up on the idea of working. Packing away my laptop and files, I headed upstairs. I wasn’t sure where Teresa was, but I had no doubt she’d come running again if I needed her. She seemed to have great hearing.

After a short internal debate, I took a long, hot bubble bath, slathered my entire body in lotion, and then headed to bed early, falling into a deep sleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

Teresa

Iwas startled out of sleep by a high-pitched scream. I bolted out of bed, wearing only panties and a tee shirt, grabbed my gun from underneath my pillow, and raced into Flora’s room.

She was in bed, thrashing around and making little whimpering noises. I blew out a breath as I realized no one was hurting her, she was just having a nightmare.

“No,” she cried. “Please, no!”

I walked closer.

“Flora. Flora, wake up.”

When she continued to sleep, I grabbed her shoulder, shaking her gently. She screeched, then stiffened before coming awake.

“What? What happened?” she said, peering at me. The room was lit by the light of the moon shining through the window and the light from the hallway, so I knew she could tell it was me.

“You were having a nightmare,” I told her.

“Oh.”

She pushed up to lean against the upholstered headboard and reached for the water bottle at the bedside table, taking a long gulp. She was shaking, I realized.

“Thanks for waking me up,” she said.

Her voice sounded so tiny. So sad. Almost defeated. My vampire was pushing me to take care of her and make her feel better. My human side was in full agreement.

“Do you want me to stay with you for a while?” I asked.

“Please.”

I sat on the side of the bed, intending to watch her until she fell back asleep, but instead she slid over, patting the bed next to her and giving me a seeking look. I got into the bed next to her and Flora grabbed the blanket, pulling it over the both of us. I lay onmy back, staring at the ceiling, practically shaking with the effort of not touching her.

Flora had other ideas though. She scooted closer until the sides of our bodies were touching, her bare leg sliding against mine. Unable to resist her silent plea, I stretched out my arm. My mate immediately snuggled in, resting her head on my shoulder. It was an intimate pose, one that I wouldn’t mind repeating every night for the rest of my life.

I was getting in deeper with her, whether I wanted to or not. Then again, maybe it was true that there was no supernatural that could resist the mate bond. I’d seen it happen over and over again with my friends from work.

The funny thing was that out of all my female friends, I was the one who’d always wanted to find my fated mate. I’d watched as one person after the other paired up, secretly sad that it was them and not me. And now that I’d found my fated mate, what did I do? Look for reasons why it couldn’t work.

As Flora slipped back into sleep I resolved to stop being an idiot. Fate had seen fit to bring me this woman. It wasn’t a mistake. I just needed to figure out why.

I’d always been a light sleeper, even before I went into the military, but I slept better with Flora than I expected. I came awake much more slowly than I usually did, feeling her small hand rubbing small circles on my belly. My bare belly. Apparently my shirt had slid up while we slept.

I glanced down, seeing that my mate’s eyes were closed like she wasn’t totally awake yet. On impulse I grabbed the hand on my stomach, bringing it up to my mouth and pressing a kiss against her knuckles.

Flora stiffened before realizing where she was. She looked up at me with sleepy eyes.

“Good morning.” Her voice was rough with sleep. “Sorry I’m all over you like some kind of a creeper.”

I noticed that she made no effort to move away.

“I don’t mind,” I said. “To be honest, I kind of like waking up with you.”

---