Captured by the Bodyguard (3 page)

“You don’t tell me what to do,” she said coldly. “Besides, it’s late. I’d rather just go to bed and pray for this to be over as soon as possible.”

Cane merely smirked, walking up to the door which compelled Alexandra to back out of the room as he advanced. Once she was out in the corridor, he nodded politely. “You do that. Have a good night.”

The door shut in her face and Alexandra muttered a few choice curses as she stalked to her room next door. She felt a grim satisfaction in slamming the door shut even as she berated herself for being childish.

Alexandra locked the door securely and rested her back against it, letting out a long drawn out sigh that felt like she’d been holding it in all day. Her anger arose as she thought of the infernally vexing man in the next room and told herself that though he might think he’d won this round, she was going to put him in his place the first chance she got and it wouldn’t be too soon.

Chapter Three

Alexandra was awoken the next morning to the smell of bacon. She stumbled out of bed, her eyes squinting in the brightness coming through her windows. She made her way out of her room, following the sounds of crackling as well as the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.

Seriously? He’s making breakfast? Alexandra wondered as she came to a stop inside the kitchen. Catching sight of Cane in front of the stove, she felt a mighty snag grab at her chest.

Cane. In blue jeans and a dark muscle shirt. Sweet heavens above.

This morning he seemed a whole lot different from the mean machine in a suit he’d looked like yesterday. The dash of sunlight that hit right on him from the nearby window gave her a detailed view of his casually dressed body which looked ripped as hell in his casual, snug-fitting clothes. He hadn’t noticed her yet so she could unabashedly drink in the utterly sexy image of him standing there looking like a young stud with his broad shoulders and pecs, washboard abs evident beneath the thin shirt and his narrow hips encased jealously in those sinful jeans. There was not an ounce of spare flesh beneath his clothes and to top it off he was barefoot which was sexiness personified since he happened to have the most gorgeous feet. Alexandra blinked as she realized it had been a hell of a long time since she’d woken up to a hot, virile man – black or white – standing making breakfast in her kitchen.

Whew
. Either the delicious scents from the food or the equally delicious sight of Cane was making her mouth water and her head swim. Whichever it was, Alexandra was torn between dashing away from the kitchen in confusion or advancing and giving in to the urge to run her fingers along every inch of his awesomely fit body.

Realizing what she was thinking and asking herself what the hell she thought she was doing, Alexandra was however precluded from bolting when he suddenly looked up and found her frozen just inside the doorway. He broke into a grin that almost knocked her off her feet. He looked years younger when he smiled like that and his amazing green eyes caught her in a trance she had to shake off as she berated herself for being so silly. So he was sexy as sin. She was well over that. Or she should be since he could also be an infuriating male specimen who never seemed fazed no matter what she said or did.

His gaze flickered over her for a moment and she only just noted she was dressed in nothing but a pair of cotton shorts and a loose sleeveless crop top. Hardly seductive but she couldn’t help feeling somewhat self-conscious being so scantily clad, with her hair in a mass of curls around her face. Not that he seemed to notice with the way he nodded amiably, wiped his hand on a kitchen towel and held it out to her.

“Good morning. I can’t help but think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. Truce?’

Thrown off by his pleasant demeanor, so different from his aloof persona of the day before, she slipped her hand in his and felt his warm, firm grasp. Moments later he let her go and Alexandra couldn’t help but expel an inaudible breath.

He swiftly returned his attention to the frying pan which was filled with sizzling goodness. Alexandra normally couldn’t work up an appetite so early in the morning but today her taste buds were itching to savor whatever had led her nose from the bedroom to the kitchen.

“Um…it all smells really nice,” she ventured, and he gave her a quick smile that sent tingles coursing through her. Damn! Alexandra told herself she had to stop acting like a schoolgirl with a crush and view Cane as exactly what he was, an employee paid by her father. Nothing more. It didn’t matter how freaking fine he was or that he seemed to know his way around a kitchen which was normally a plus in her books when it came to men.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked so I made a bit of everything. Bacon, toast, eggs, pancakes. I’ve plated yours already, by the way,” Cane added, gesturing his head in direction of the dining bar where a plate was set along with a glass of orange juice.

“Thanks – but you really shouldn’t have,” Alexandra said, even as she gravitated irresistibly to the laid table. “I could have made my own breakfast.”

“Like I said, it’s a peace offering,” Cane told her with a sideways grin. “And hopefully you’ll decide I’m not a total ogre when you try my fantastic cooking.”

“Fantastic? Maybe I should be the one to judge,” Alexandra said drily with a raised brow, her lips curving reluctantly in a smile. She saw his look of triumph at her banter, and sighed inwardly. Okay, so she couldn’t fault him for buttering her up, so to speak. They didn’t really need the acrimony and as much as she wanted her life back, she wasn’t really the kind to be difficult or snotty. In fact, she was known for her easygoing nature but around Cane, she couldn’t understand why she was always so on edge.

One thing was for sure, the man was right about his cooking. She wasn’t sure what, but he had to have put some kind of extra touch to the bacon and eggs which happened to taste insanely good. Far better than what she could hustle up which was saying a lot. No doubt Cane was full of surprises but what other tricks did he have up his sleeve in his bid to win her over? Whatever it could be, Alexandra swore she wasn’t falling for it. Letting down her guard around a man like Cane would be lethal. She’d sworn a long time ago never to give in to her baser instincts when it came to men. She’d tried it once before and it had ended really, really badly. No freaking way she was going to make the same mistake twice – not even when the man had all the ingredients of a sweet temptation the way Cane did…

***

Cane could sense her putting up her ice maiden wall again. She’d eased up enough to accept his olive branch of sharing breakfast with him but he sensed he was a long way from getting her on his side. He couldn’t help but pin his gaze on her over his coffee cup, thinking that she had to be aware that she was driving him insane in those pajamas or whatever it was she had on.

There she was perched on that bar stool in that to which was half off one shoulder, revealing her deliciously smooth and dusky skin. The top was cropped and hardly covered her ass, and if she had on any underwear in those maddening shorts, it would most definitely be a tiny thong. She was killing him. Really. Barely twenty four hours around her and he was like a tiger in heat. He’d never seen a woman look so lovely right out of bed, her hair a tempting mass of curls he longed to fist in his hand as he tugged those sweetly full lips of hers beneath his.

Just the thought of kissing her made him stiffen in his jeans. He didn’t think she had any idea what she did to him – what she’d do to any man looking the way she did, a stimulating mix of angel and temptress in her soft brown eyes. No way Cane could let her guess the things going through his mind right then, but they had a lot to do with chocolate sauce being spilled and then painstakingly licked drop by drop from every inch of her delectable flesh…

Forcing down his raging arousal and cursing himself for staying too long without a woman’s thighs wrapped around his hips, neck or shoulders, Cane finally joined her at the table with his plate and they talked easily over her plans for the day. Not long after, she rose to wash her plates and said she was heading off to shower and get ready.

Cane found himself almost tipping off his stool as he stretched to the side just to catch the final glimpse of her bouncy ass as she glided out of the kitchen. Damn but he was getting to like watching her leave. He still thought she was going to be a handful duty-wise but there was no denying that he was looking forward more and more to this assignment. Cane knew he just had to keep reminding himself that the maddeningly sexy Ms. Alexandra Duke was out of bounds and he’d do just fine. Yep, the look-but-don’t-touch policy was fully in force here and no matter how much his attraction to her was growing, rules were rules. He’d never broken them and had never been tempted to.

Until now.

***

Alexandra found herself taking more time than normal styling her hair, picking out what to wear and even applying some makeup which she never really bothered with apart from lip gloss.

She looked at her reflection and regarded herself critically. She wasn’t sure about Cane’s tastes when it came to women and she told herself she didn’t much care. But she couldn’t help wanting to make the extra effort and not be caught slipping. She wasn’t even sure where the urge came from to want to ‘wow’ him but maybe it was just the female in her. What woman wouldn’t want to look her best now that she was being shadowed by a bodyguard with a face and body of a sex god?

Alexandra sighed and shook her head, not really liking the direction of her thoughts. It was so unlike her to get tripped up by a handsome face. But something told her it was more than Cane Hutchinson’s hot looks that got to her so easily. More reason, she told herself, that she should keep on her guard. Alexandra had learned the hard way never to let people too close, especially when it had anything to do with her father. She could never be sure of their motives and the more she felt drawn to them, the more she pushed them away.

It was a defense mechanism that had spared her further heartache so far and she didn’t want anything finally cracking through her shell. And although Cane making her breakfast had been a nice touch, she was determined to keep her distance. Anything but that would turn her bodyguard into a risk factor she couldn’t very well afford.

Chapter Four

After a few days, Cane was well into the routine of Alexandra’s everyday life. Whether it was her early morning run, the gym, her classes at FIT, or her social events, he was getting more and more insight into what made her tick.

Not that she ever let down her guard enough to ever really have a real conversation with him. All their interaction remained on a professional level - but he was still able to see beyond her remote façade to glimpse how vulnerable she really was inside.

Yes she had friends; had a highly sociable life when she wasn’t working on her designs or taking classes, but there was no doubt that beneath it all, Alexandra wasn’t all she seemed to be. The confident, talented and beautiful young woman held a secret that flickered just behind the chocolate orbs of her soulful eyes. Had she been hurt in the past? Was that why she seemed to have no love life to speak of?

Not that he was the one to judge. He hadn’t been in a serious relationship in years, and he wasn’t going to count those few flings that had been all physical and no substance. No woman held first place in his heart; all Cane cared about now was his job. He had no real family; he’d been adopted as a child and had lost his adoptive parents when he was sixteen. By seventeen he’d signed up with the Navy and it was the military that had shaped him into the man he was today.

He wasn’t looking for love or romance and wasn’t sure he even believed in it. And yet there was a part of him that wondered if out there was a woman who could make him feel complete; fill the void that even his successful career in the Navy Seals as well as his job in close protection could never do. He knew something was missing but he just couldn’t be sure he’d even know it when he found it.

He settled in the back of the hall where Alexandra was taking her classes that day, keeping busy on his laptop with the news updates and current affairs online while the class discussed about the history of worsted wool or some such. His eyes kept getting drawn to Alexandra, and he couldn’t help but notice that although she seemed as engrossed in the class as the others, there were times she scribbled in her notebook and let her mind wander. A part of him wished he knew what she was thinking and if she’d ever let anyone close to the real her. The Alexandra she hid away from the outside world, kept well wrapped in protective covering.

Only yesterday he’d called Noah for a progress report.

“Still want out of the gig?” Noah had asked a few minutes into the call. “Because Halliday is back from his assignment traipsing around Europe protecting that rock star’s son on vacation. He wouldn’t mind taking over for you.”

Instead of giving a direct answer, Cane asked, “Do you really think there’s any authenticity in the belief that Alexandra could be in danger?”

“Her old man seems to thinks so,” was Noah’s thoughtful reply. “It was something about what the competitor said when they had their last negotiations. The man’s name is Pat Vincent and to some he’s considered no more than a hood dressed in a Saville Row suit. The guy’s bad news and isn’t always known to play by the books even in the confines of corporate gentility.”

“So what have we got?” queried Cane.