Tempted By The Bodyguard

“You will.” Daniel climbed out of the SUV and opened Shelby’s door for her, his face grim, his jaw hard. “Perhaps you need to understand a few things.” He held out his hand, pulled her out of the vehicle and stood her in front of him.

“Don’t get all he-man on me,” she said, pushing his hands away before the feel of him made her do something truly foolish. “You’re just the bodyguard.”

“I might only be the hired help, but Kate Winston was a good vice president and she’s an even better person. She didn’t have to come to your rescue, but she did. And she doesn’t have to provide you protection. But she will.” He gripped her arms and glared down at her. “I suggest you be grateful you’re alive, thank Kate for making that happen and stop whining about school.”

Shelby opened her mouth to tell the man she wasn’t whining, but he stood so close she could feel the heat from his body and the intensity in his gaze. All the words she could have shouted back at him died on her lips and she shut her mouth with a snap. It wasn’t in her nature to be so angry. And, damn it, Daniel was right.

She should quit worrying about school. Free from her kidnappers, no longer confined to the darkness, she had a lot to be thankful for. And she had yet to thank this man for saving her from the burning house.

Her grandfather chuckled as he rounded the vehicle. “Shelby has a mind of her own, but I do believe she’s met her match.” He glanced up at the house in front of him, his smile fading. “Kate sure has done well for herself,” he stated.

Shelby stepped back from Daniel, her voice caught in her throat as a surge of emotion welled up in her. She was lucky to be here, and she should accept a night’s protection from the woman who’d been someone special to her grandfather forty years ago.

Slipping her arm through her grandfather’s, she leaned into him. “In case I haven’t told you yet, I’m glad you didn’t give up on me.”

He pressed her arm to his side. “Never.”

Shelby stared up at the house and shook her head. “Pretty impressive, isn’t it?” Shelby glanced at her grandfather.

For a man who didn’t know a stranger and always had a smile on his face, he looked pretty grim. “I could never have given her all this.”

A thread of anger shot up her back, stiffening her spine. “You’d have given her everything she needed.”

His lips twisted. “But not this.”

“Funny, I grew up in your house, and I never longed for anything.”

“There were a few times I was hard-pressed to put food on the table.”

“We always had plenty of love.”

“Remember the time after the hurricane that almost destroyed the bar? I didn’t know how I’d get back on my feet.”

Shelby hugged him to her side “Everyone on the Outer Bank helped us rebuild.”

“When you didn’t come home…” His face blanched and his throat worked as he swallowed hard. “Hell, Shelby, I could replace a bar, but I could never replace you.”

Shelby blinked to keep tears from welling in her eyes. All the time she’d been held in captivity, she’d worried about her grandfather. He didn’t have anyone else in the world. And neither did she. At least, she’d thought she didn’t have anyone else. Things were changing.

The other SUV pulled to a halt behind Trey’s. Kate, Debra and Thad stepped out.

“I hope you weren’t waiting on us.” Kate hurried forward. “Please, come inside. I’ll have Maddie make tea and coffee and find something for lunch. Lucy’s on the way. She’ll help Daniel and anyone else with injuries from the explosion.” Though her knees were scuffed, her pretty gray suit was wrinkled and dirty and her hair was mussed, Kate marched up the steps like a force to be reckoned with.

Shelby and Patrick both drew in long breaths and followed her up the steps into the house. Shelby told herself it would only be for a day. Maybe two, then she was going back home. She didn’t belong in this big old mansion.

Most of all, she wanted to get away from the bodyguard who had such a low opinion of her and who got her stomach all tied in knots every time she glanced his way.

Before Kate reached the top of the steps, Trey and Sam got there and threw open the doors. She smiled at them and stepped inside, then turned to welcome her guests.

Beneath the smudges, her cheeks glowed a soft pink as Patrick stepped past her. Her eyelashes dipped down and her gaze followed him like a shy teenager.

Shelby was shocked by the change. From confident former vice president to shy young woman, Kate Winston was an enigma. Which was the woman who’d abandoned her baby girl and broken her grandfather’s heart?

The wide front doors opened into a spacious foyer tiled in black-and-white marble. A grand, sweeping staircase curved upward to the second floor, trimmed in glistening rich mahogany. To one side of the entryway was a large, formal living room with shining wood floors and white furniture. In sharp contrast, a black grand piano filled one corner, ready to provide an elite guest list with subtle entertainment.

An older woman, slightly plump with red hair, hurried forward, her arms opening to Kate. “Oh, Mrs. Winston, I’m so glad you’re not harmed.” She engulfed the former vice president in a hug and then stepped back, raising an apron to dry her eyes.

“I’m quite all right, Maddie.” Kate patted the older woman’s back. “Just a little shaken up by the explosion.”

Maddie shook her head. “When Debra called ahead to warn me about what happened, I nearly had a heart attack.” She pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. “I had to see with my own eyes.”

“Well, now that you know I’m fine, let me introduce my granddaughter, Shelby O’Hara.” Kate swept her hand toward Shelby. “And this is her grandfather, Patrick O’Hara.” Her voice dropped and her eyelashes swept down over her eyes, her cheeks flushing. “They’ll be staying with us until we sort all of this out. Shelby, Patrick, this is Maddie Fitzgerald, our housekeeper, the rock in our household. If you need anything, she’s the one you should ask.”

Sam hugged the older woman. “She’s so much more than a housekeeper. She’s like a surrogate grandmother.” He kissed the top of her cap of short red hair. “She’s really part of the family. She takes good care of us all.”

Maddie smiled and held out her hand to Patrick, her gaze going from Patrick to Kate, a slight wrinkle in her brow. “You both are welcome here.” She turned to Shelby, her smile widening, her hand reaching for Shelby’s. “My goodness, girl, you’re the spittin’ image of your grandmother.”

“And my mother, so I’m told,” Shelby added.

Kate stiffened beside her, her face paling. “I’d better clean up. I have a meeting with the press in an hour. I’m sure they’ll want to know all about what happened this morning.” She inhaled deeply and let it out.

Debra leaned close to Kate and whispered, “You might want to tell her what to expect.”

With a nod, Kate’s gaze captured Shelby’s. “If word gets out that I have a granddaughter, be prepared to be inundated by the press.” Her lips twisted. “I apologize for that, but I can’t change what is.” She glanced over Shelby’s shoulder to Daniel. “Daniel will help to keep them at bay, but you won’t be able to go anywhere without someone snapping pictures of you.”

“We should be going,” Debra prompted Kate. She smiled at Patrick and Shelby. “Maddie will help you two get settled.” Then she ushered Kate toward the staircase, the two women walking with quick, purposeful steps as they climbed to the second floor.

“Press?” Shelby’s head spun with the thought. “Why me?”

Trey scrubbed a hand over his face and grimaced. “With so much happening, I hadn’t thought about that.” He stared at Shelby. “Brace yourself.”

Shelby’s belly tightened. So much was changing around her, she was having a hard time grasping it all.

Sam touched her arm reassuringly. “The fact our mother had an illicit love affair before marrying our father will have the tabloids screaming for all the details. You’ll be a celebrity by association.”

“Sam Winston, don’t you have something better to do than scare this poor child?” Maddie waved her hands toward the big Winston man as if she was shooing a fly. She took Shelby’s hand and tugged her toward the stairs. “Come with me. I’ll show you two to your rooms.”

Shelby was swept away by the woman and herded up the stairs, her grandfather following and Daniel bringing up the rear.

Everything was happening too fast. From a nameless college student to the granddaughter of the former vice president of the United States all in the span of a day. Or rather, in the span of the two weeks she’d been held prisoner.

Shelby shivered, wishing she could go back to being the faceless college student who had nothing more to worry about than the next exam or the next paper due.

Daniel followed Shelby up the stairs. The consummate professional, he shouldn’t have been focusing on the sway of her hips as she took one step at a time. In the tailored slacks and cashmere short-sleeved sweater, she looked more like one of the Winstons than the soot-covered waif he’d found passed out on the kitchen floor of a burning house.

Even in the new clothes, she still conveyed a sense of vulnerability, no matter how fiercely she valued her independence. The kidnapping had to have taken its toll on her and made her aware of just how helpless one woman could be against two strong men. Hell, a grown man would be equally helpless in the same circumstances. Especially if he wasn’t expecting an attack.

His back stung where shards of metal and glass had impaled him, but he refused to tend to himself until he was certain Shelby was secure. After he’d taken a bullet for Kate Winston, he knew the threats to the Winstons were real and not only in the outside world, but behind their supposedly secure gates.

Shrugging his shoulders, he winced and continued up the stairs, concentrating on Shelby’s sweet derriere. Each of her movements took his mind off the pain in his back and his bum knee.

At the first opportunity, he’d seek out Mrs. Winston and ask her to remove him from the responsibility of watching out for Shelby. She was young, opinionated and didn’t want the added aggravation of someone following her around. He couldn’t blame her. He’d grown up in a large family and he valued his privacy. But there was inconvenience and there was danger. She needed to understand the difference.

Shelby had to figure out really quickly which was more important. But Daniel didn’t want to be the man to play babysitter to the college coed. Let someone else be.

Still, she was pretty, slim, athletic, and when she smiled, as she had when he’d pulled her from the fire, it did funny things to his insides. Apparently, she’d gone through hell being kept in the dark for two weeks, not knowing why she’d been targeted, who was keeping her, or if they’d eventually kill her. Poor kid.

She reached up to push the hair back from her forehead, the motion emphasizing her narrow waist, the swell of her hips and the sexy way she moved. His groin tightened and he had to retract his previous thought. She wasn’t a kid. At twenty-three, she was six years younger than he was. He told himself that she might as well be a baby. While he performed the role of her bodyguard, he had to get his mind and his gaze off those hips. The woman was his job, not a conquest.

Chapter 5

Maddie climbed the steps as quickly and with as much agility as a woman half her age.

Tired and still recuperating from her ordeal in the basement, Shelby wasn’t going to complain about the stairs. She held on to the railing and climbed, wishing she could find a nice soft bed to fall into.

“You’ll have the blue guest room,” Maddie was saying. “On account of it’s the most feminine of the rooms. Your grandfather will be staying in the brown room.” She stopped and threw open the door to a room decorated in creams and browns. The bed was made from intricately carved burled wood. The mattress was covered with a cream duvet and pillows in various shades from cream to a rich, dark chocolate. In one corner stood a deep brown leather wing-back chair and a burled wood table with a wrought iron and stained glass reading lamp. Wide windows gave them a view out of the back of the house.

Directly below was a swimming pool, the water rippling in the breeze, sun sparkling off its surface.

Shelby blinked her eyes at the intensity of the sunlight. After days spent in complete darkness, it would take time before she got used to light again.

Beyond the pool lay an expansive garden and neatly trimmed grass. Trees shaded the edges of the lawn and made Shelby long to walk among them. She had to stop herself from exclaiming over the beauty of the room, the house and the surrounding grounds. O’Hara’s Bar and Grill on the Outer Banks was nothing to compare with the elegance and luxury of the Winston Estate.

Her grandfather stood beside her, his lips pressed into a thin line, the dark circles beneath his eyes more pronounced.

Maddie chattered on, “There’s a private bathroom through this door and it’s fully equipped with towels and toiletries. If you should need anything that isn’t provided, let me know.” She faced Patrick, her smile fading. “Is something wrong?”

Patrick forced a smile. “Nothing at all. This will be fine.”

Shelby could tell by the tightness of his jaw that everything was not fine. She could bet what was going through his mind. He was probably comparing their home over the bar to the Winston Estate and coming up short. She slipped her arm around him and squeezed. “Think of it as a fancy hotel. We won’t be here long,” she whispered.

He nodded and squared his shoulders. “The main thing is to keep you safe. Come on, let’s see your digs.” He winked and stepped out of the beautiful room.

Maddie crossed the hallway and opened another room. “This is the blue room where you will be staying, Miss O’Hara.” She led the way in and crossed to another door. “You have your own walk-in closet and bathroom. Mrs. Winston is having additional clothing delivered this afternoon. If there’s anything in particular you’d like her to include, just let me or Debra know and we’ll add it to the order.”

Shelby raised her hand. “Wait. What’s this about clothes?” She shook her head. “I don’t need clothes. I have my own.”

“Mrs. Winston wanted you to have anything you might need brought here.”

Shelby glanced around at the soft blue-gray painted walls, the gauzy white curtains and the beautiful driftwood-style white headboard. The room was too beautiful. Too pristine. All light and clean. Almost sterile. Had she traded a dark hell of a prison in a basement for a lighter, beautiful cage so foreign to everything she’d known and grown up with? “I’d rather have my own clothing. Please thank Mrs. Winston. But as soon as I can, I’ll go get my own.”

Maddie smiled and nodded. “I completely understand. I’ll have someone sent out to collect whatever you want from your home.”

Shelby bit down on her tongue, wanting to tell the woman what she thought of someone else digging through her drawers in her tiny bedroom above the bar. But to do so would be attacking an older woman with an open, honest, welcoming face who was only doing what she was ordered to do.

Shelby squeezed out a smile. “Thank you, Maddie. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a shower.”

“Oh, dear. After all you’ve gone through, you should soak in the whirlpool bathtub.” Maddie opened the door to the bathroom and stepped inside with more purpose than Shelby expected from a seventysomething-year-old woman.

Before she could say anything different, the woman had the water running into the tub, bath salts and bubbles sprinkled in the water and towels laid along the polished granite edge.

“Do you need help out of those clothes?” Maddie asked as she advanced toward Shelby.

Shelby backed away. “No, no. I’m quite capable of undressing myself.”

A chuckle sounded from behind her. She turned to see where it had come from.

Her grandfather stood beside Daniel, a grin spread across his face.

Daniel’s face gave no indication of what he was thinking. But was that a twitch she saw at the corner of his mouth, and were his eyes twinkling? The man’s face lit, making her insides flip. He was too good-looking for her own good.

Shelby squared her shoulders. “If everyone doesn’t mind, I’d like a little privacy.”

“Certainly, Miss O’Hara.”

Not at all used to the formality and slightly irritated by it, Shelby insisted, “Please, call me Shelby.”

The older woman smiled. “Shelby.” Maddie waved Patrick and Daniel toward the door. “Now, you two shoo. Give the girl some space.”

Patrick hugged Shelby. “I’m going to take a shower and then I want to speak with Kate. Don’t worry about coming down. Take a nap or a long soak in the bath. After all you’ve been through, I’m sure it’ll feel great.”

When she didn’t let go right away, he pushed her gently to arm’s length. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be downstairs should you need me for anything.”

She let go of her grandfather, not wanting him out of her sight for even a second. “I missed you,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I know. And I missed you, too.” He turned and left, his eyes suspiciously bright.

Daniel stood inside the room. “I’m not leaving until I check out the room.”

Maddie frowned. “Oh, yes. Of course. One cannot be too careful.”

Shelby watched as Daniel checked the huge walk-in closet and the bathroom where the water ran in the bathtub and bubbles formed on its surface. Back in the bedroom, he dropped to his haunches and checked beneath the bed.

“Looking for the boogeyman?” Shelby taunted.

He straightened, his broad shoulders making the room seem so much smaller. “It’s my job.”

A twang of regret tugged at her belly. She was just a job to him. Not that she cared. When she left the Winston Estate, she’d forget about him before she drove off the grounds.

Liar.

How could she forget looking into his face when he’d carried her from the burning home? She’d thought he was her guardian angel.

Now he was just another reminder of the threat to her and of her need to be aware and ready should someone try to kidnap her again.

“Are you finished?” she asked.

“No.” He nodded toward the door on the other side of her room. “You need to leave that door unlocked.”

Shelby frowned. “I would think you’d want me to lock all doors. Why not this one?” She walked toward it. “Is it another closet? Because if it is, I don’t have enough shoes in my entire collection to fill it.”

She jerked open the door to another bedroom. The walls were painted a rich cream with white crown molding. A king-size bed stood on one side of the room with a simple ebony headboard and matching nightstand. In a corner near a floor-to-ceiling window, a black lounge chair sat beneath a wrought iron floor lamp. The artwork on the walls showed black-and-white images of river and lake scenes.

Shelby frowned and turned back toward Maddie. “I don’t need two rooms, you know. There’s only one of me.”

Daniel’s lips twitched unmistakably this time. “That’s not another room for you.”

“Then who is it for?” Even as she said the words, a warm shiver rippled across Shelby’s body and her pulse beat a rapid staccato against her eardrums.

Maddie answered, “Mrs. Winston asked Daniel to move his things from the guest house into the main house to be closer to you. He’ll be staying in the room adjoining yours.”

Shelby’s heart flipped and slammed into her ribs. How could she sleep knowing Daniel would be in the room next to her? The man exuded testosterone the way flowers gave off fragrance.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Maddie had turned her back and was headed out the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on supper.” Maddie left the room, hurrying down the hallway.

Shelby was left alone with her bodyguard.

Daniel fought the grin threatening to overtake his entire face. He found that he liked tormenting the young woman. The color rising in her cheeks and her flashing blue eyes made him want to grab her and kiss her before she walked away.

Shelby’s mouth sagged open and then snapped shut. “I’m sorry, but this arrangement is not acceptable.”

“I normally stay in the guest house at night. Mrs. Winston thinks it would be better for me to stay closer, especially since the bombing this afternoon.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. “Trust me, I’m no happier about the arrangement than you are. I much prefer solving crimes than babysitting spoiled heiresses.”

The pink in her cheeks deepened and she glared at him. “I’m not an heiress, and I’m not spoiled.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows challengingly without saying a word.

“I’m not.” Shelby stamped her foot and stared down at it, her eyes widening. “I’m not,” she repeated. This time, she didn’t stamp her foot. “I work hard, I support myself financially and I’m trying to further my education so that I can improve my skillset and my life.”

With her shoulders thrown back and her chest pushed out, she was a fiery goddess and far too attractive. Straightening his spine, he dismissed her with a soft snort. “Nice speech.” He turned away. “There are no monsters under your bed at this time. Please, enjoy your bath.” He walked to the connecting door and turned in the threshold. “If you need me, all you have to do is call out my name.” His lips quirked up at the corners as he pulled the door closed behind him.

“Jerk,” she said to the closed door.

“I heard that,” came his muffled response.

“I’d say it to your face,” she said, louder.

“I know.”

Alone and fuming over the bodyguard’s low opinion of her, Shelby considered throwing something at the door. One glance around frustrated her even more. She’d feel guilty if she broke any of the fine porcelain statues or if she ruined the pretty white lacy pillows.

The sound of running water reminded her of the bath. Shelby turned away from the connecting door and hurried to shut off the water before it overflowed the enormous gleaming white bathtub. For the moment, she ignored the bath, stripped out of her clothing and stepped into the granite-lined shower that was big enough for two people.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she envisioned a naked Daniel standing beside her under the second showerhead, water running over broad muscles and down tight abs. Her body heated and she switched the handle back toward cold.

What was it about him that made her feel off-balance and out of whack? Then again, everything about her current situation did that. But Daniel’s insistence on being close had her more on edge than anything else. She could put up with living in the mansion for the short-term, and even wanted to get to know her uncles. But the bodyguard made her skin twitch and places low in her belly ache for something she had never ached for in the past.

Sure, she’d had her share of experimenting with sex with men her own age, but none of them seemed as raw and dangerous as Daniel.

After she’d cleaned her body with scented soap, she scrubbed her hair with herbal-scented shampoo, applied conditioner, rinsed and climbed out of the shower.

The tub full of water and bubbles called to her, the soft-scented bath salts filling the air with subtle fragrance. What would it hurt to soak for a while? After being tied to a chair for the better part of the past two weeks, stretching out in warm, perfumed water sounded like pure heaven.

Wrapping her hair in a large fluffy towel, she pressed the button on the side of the tub that activated the jets lining the sides. The water roiled, creating more bubbles. Shelby slid into the warm water and stretched her legs along the bottom of the tub, positioning herself in front of strategic jets and redistributing the bubbles to cover herself should anyone walk in uninvited.

Again, her core tightened and throbbed.

If she called out from the bathroom, would Daniel hear her through two doors? Her nipples peaked through the bubbles. Why couldn’t she get the man off her mind? Daniel had told her he wasn’t thrilled with his assignment. He obviously wasn’t interested in her or the fact that she was naked in the room beside his.

Shelby lay still, letting the jets and warm water do their thing to relax her and let the soreness of two weeks of captivity leach from her muscles. With her eyes closed, she pushed all thoughts out of her head except for the amazing way her body felt. She leaned back and let go of a long sigh.

Moments later, sleep claimed her and she slipped into the nightmare.

She was back in the parking lot at the college, juggling her books to get her key out. Dark figures floated out of the trees and surrounded her, shoving her into the dark interior of a van.

A hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her scream. She struggled, but couldn’t break the hold on her arms. Shelby kicked out, but only hit air and water.

Her mouth and nose covered by meaty fingers, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get air to her lungs and felt herself blacking out.

A moan rose up her throat. One of the men backhanded her cheek. Another moan escaped and she thrashed, trying to break the hold on her.

Then strong arms scooped her up and carried her away from the van.

She fought the arms, kicking, struggling, desperate to get away and back to her grandfather.

“Shh…it’s okay,” a deep male voice whispered into her ear. “Open your eyes, Shelby.”

“It won’t help. It’s dark,” she muttered.

The arms lowered her into a bed so soft, she felt as if she floated on clouds. It wrapped around her, warming her wet body.

“Shelby, open your eyes.” A hand smoothed across her cheek.

She winced, afraid of being hit again. “My eyes are open,” she insisted.

“No, they’re not,” the voice said. A thumb brushed gently across her eyelid. “Look at me.”

Shelby blinked, her eyelids fluttering. Light filtered through her lashes as she focused on the face leaning over her. She wasn’t in the parking lot of the university, but in a bed. She’d fallen asleep.

A glow from behind illuminated the highlights in his dark blond hair. Moss-green eyes stared down at her and he wore a gentle smile on his face. “See? You’re safe. You were having a bad dream.”

She leaned her face into his shoulder, breathing in the clean scent of his shirt. Her hands pressed into the solid wall of his chest and she felt safe and protected.

He held her, his warm hand stroking her back, skin against skin. After a while he stiffened and set her away from him. “This isn’t a good idea.”

Without his warm chest to lean against, a cool air-conditioned breeze brushed across her skin and she glanced down. The remaining fog of sleep whipped away and she pushed to a sitting position. “Holy hell, I’m naked!” She grabbed the comforter and pulled it up over her body. “Explain yourself,” she demanded in the commanding tone she only used when she had to evict a rowdy customer from the bar.

The bodyguard chuckled, straightened and stood. “Let’s get something straight, little girl—I never explain myself.” He trailed a finger along the curve of her shoulder. “You might want to dry off with a towel. And next time you take a bath while recovering from a concussion, don’t fall asleep. I’ll do my best to protect you from bad guys, but unless you want me to be with you in your bathtub, I can’t always protect you from drowning.”

Daniel retreated to his room. As soon as he closed the door between them, he heard a soft whomp against the door. Probably a thrown pillow. He smiled.

“I’m not a little girl!” she shouted, the sound muffled by the door.

No, she wasn’t a little girl. When he’d carried her wet, sexy body to the bed, he’d been more than aware of that fact. And he was glad he’d left her mad instead of terrified, as she’d been when he’d found her, thrashing in the tub, splashing water over the sides, deep in a nightmare.

She must have been reliving her kidnapping and captivity. Kept in a basement in the dark for two weeks had to have played hell with her mind, not knowing who was holding her, what they had planned for her or if she’d ever see her family again.

Lucy, Thad’s nurse fiancée, had been to his room, removed the pieces of shrapnel lodged in his back and applied antiseptic ointment.

He’d just dressed after showering off the stench of smoke from the day before, when he’d heard her soft moans. At first, he’d thought the sound was the wind in the trees. When the moans continued and grew louder, he’d pushed through the connecting door, afraid she was under attack again and that he wouldn’t get to her in time to save her.

He’d run into the bathroom and found her caught in a terrifying dream after having fallen asleep in the bath. He’d reached in and scooped her out, holding her naked body against his.

She’d fought, kicking and wiggling, her breasts rubbing against his knuckles, her thighs straining against his hold, and he’d been so turned on by the sight of her body he could barely walk with her into the bedroom and lay her on the bed.

When he should have set her down and walked away, he couldn’t. He’d stayed, holding her, his pants growing tighter by the minute.

Then she’d leaned into his chest, pressing her breasts against his shirt, her fingers curling into the fabric, holding him hostage.

Hell, he’d wanted to strip down and climb onto the bed with her.