Page 29 of Tempt Me
Watching Rue go back to her office, my heart nearly explodes with love for that woman.
She’s strong and beautiful, and I know that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. Even if it means putting my own feelings aside and watching her lust after someone else. Isaac Winston. What an ass. I get that he thinks he’s all high and mighty, but he is no different to me. We even look similar. It’s just I’ve been slightly looked over by Solitaire as a whole, due to the nature of my relationship with Viktor. We are family. Not by blood, although we are distant cousins, I was adopted. I’ve been by Vik’s side for as long as I can remember, and being on his security team was a given. I never expected him to assign me to Rue’s detail, and even though I tried so hard, I fell in love with her from afar. It wasn’t until she turned twenty-one that I realised how I felt about her. She went from a sassy teen to a fierce woman, and she was perfect in my eyes. Being ten years older than her isn’t too much of a gap, but it’s enough for her to dismiss me. And besides, I know she doesn’t feel the same way about me as I do about her. It’s been like this for years - me pining after her while she sees me as nothing more than a trusted bodyguard. Apart from the whole forbidden aspect, now I see how she lusts after Isaac, who is even older, I wonder if age was never the issue and the problem is just me.
I’ve tried to be there for her, and I hope that she trusts me because she can. I’m more loyal to her than I am to her father, and that is saying something because I would die rather than hurt Vik. This is why Isaac’s accusation has infuriated me. How dare he question my loyalty to my family. The fact that Giselle’s name has come up as well is annoying as fuck. We dated a while back, and she wanted more, but I couldn’t commit to her, not when I was in love with Rue. But I’m guessing Giselle is out to cause trouble and probably told Isaac some lie about me, which makes him dislike me even more. It’s a concern as we are meant to work together, but if he is going to act like an ass, then he can be treated like one as well.
But as my mind wanders back to Isaac, the thought of Rue’s ridiculous arranged marriage rears its ugly head. Antonio Broden.
Ugh. He’s a slimy guy, always leering at Rue whenever he thinks no one is looking. And the way he talks to her is just...wrong. It makes my blood boil. He has had his eye on her for a while, and I won’t be so arrogant as to say I know what the hell Vik and Fran are thinking with this arranged marriage, but it has to be something political. They wouldn’t throw their daughter to that wolf just for the sake of seeing Rue married off.
But why? What is it that Antonio has that makes him the center of this fiasco?
But I have to keep my cool. My job is to protect Rue, not start a fight with her fiancé, or Isaac, or Vik, for that matter.
As I stand here in the bullpen, watching over Rue’s office, not for the first time, I think about what it would be like to kiss her. To hold her in my arms and feel her body pressed against mine. It’s a dangerous thought, but one that I can’t seem to shake.
As I lean against the wall and close my eyes, I let myself drift into a daydream. In my mind’s eye, I’m standing in a small cottage by the sea. Rue is there with me, wearing a beautiful white sundress that hugs her curves in all the right places. Her hair is down and blowing softly in the breeze, and she looks breathtakingly beautiful.
In my fantasy, I take a step forward, my heart pounding. “Rue,” I say softly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. “I need to tell you something.”
She looks up at me with those big brown eyes, and my heart skips a beat. “What is it?” she asks.
“I love you,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
Her eyes widen in surprise, and for a moment, I think she’s going to pull away. But then she steps closer to me, her hand reaching up to touch my face. “I love you too,” she says softly.
And then we’re kissing, our bodies pressed tightly together as we lose ourselves in the heat of the moment.
But as quickly as the daydream comes, it fades away. I open my eyes and take a deep breath, forcing myself back into reality. Rue doesn’t love me like that, and even if she did, there’s no way we could be together. My job as her bodyguard would make it impossible.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turn my attention back to the task at hand. I need to find out who’s behind this snake and why they’re after Rue. If it did come from Arachon, there’s every chance it’s connected to her father.
Making a mental note to reach out to some of my connections in Arachon and see if I can dig up any information, but for now, I’ll keep a close eye on Rue and make sure she stays safe.
As I turn back towards the Receptionist I was talking to earlier, I see a look in her eyes that is not unfamiliar but I have no interest in her. She wants to continue our conversation, but I was only passing the time. Dismissing her with a stiff smile, I move across the offices to sit outside Rue’s door. My mind races with possibilities. Is it someone from Arachon? Or could it be someone closer to home?
I need to find out, and fast. Because no matter what, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Rue.
Chapter18
Isaac
Surprised to find the car still at the curb, I figure that because it’s registered to the Di’Castellos, it’s immune from being towed.
Nice perk.
There again, they have a charmed life. I’m not envious of it in the least. Snakes in boxes are not the craziest thing I’ve seen or done while I’ve been working for them.
Drawing in a calming breath, I close my eyes for a second before slipping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. Cruising easily back into the traffic, I aim for home, determined to get to the bottom of this once and for all. I have nothing concrete on Luca, and Rue seems to trust him, but this requires blowing past both of them to the top.
As soon as I get home, I march directly into Viktor’s office and slam the door behind me.
He looks up at me over the tops of his half-glasses and grimaces. “Okay, I guess it’s my turn.”
“What do you know?”
“The box was brought to me last night.”
“And then what?”
