The Billionaire's Bodyguard Bride (9 page)

“Interesting. So now Frank knows you’re a Sentinels agent.”

“Yeah. I haven’t talked to him since Liz clued him in. I’m a little worried about how he’s going to react to my not having been honest with him about what I really do for a living.”

“He’s a government agent. He should understand better than anyone why we can’t go around broadcasting what we do,” Lauren assured her. “But why is he thinking about joining Sentinels when he’s a dedicated, card-carrying member of the CIA?”

“Because he isn’t with the CIA any longer. He resigned after his superiors forced him to abort his most recent case. He was pursuing a solid lead when they strong-armed him into shutting down his investigation. Liz told me Frank was certain he was onto something big, and he thinks they pulled the plug because he inadvertently stepped on some politically connected toes. She says the whole fiasco has soured him on the agency.”

“It must have been something really huge for him to walk away from his career like that.”

“That’s what I gather from what little Liz has told me. Obviously Frank can’t share any specifics, but no doubt the case was one he felt very passionately about. I’m relieved he’s thinking about joining Sentinels instead of going off on a tangent and taking justice into his own hands.”

“Me too. Going rogue would be not only a very bad move but a dangerous one as well. I hope he decides to join us. He’d be an awesome addition to our team.”

“Mmhmmm,” Stephanie murmured noncommittally.

“I’m not detecting a lot of excitement here. For someone who’s been checking her phone like it holds the secret to finding the Fountain of Youth, you suddenly don’t seem very enthusiastic about our potential new coworker. What gives?”

“It’s just that I’m worried mentoring him could get a little awkward.”

“Awkward? Why do I still feel like I’m missing something?”

“Okay. If I do the full-disclosure thing, you have to promise not to tell another soul what I’m about to tell you,” Stephanie insisted.

“Of course. I’m a master secret keeper. Now spill.”

“I’ve mentioned Frank and I attended the same high school, right?”

Lauren nodded. “So?”

“Well, the truth is, I had a huge crush on him. The embarrass-yourself-silly kind of crush. Frank was the captain of the football team, and I was a geeky bookworm. I wasn’t even a blip on his radar. And as if doing the typical lovesick puppy-dog routine wasn’t bad enough, I had to take it one step further and totally humiliate myself.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Trust me, it was.”

“What did you do?”

“At the end of his senior year, Frank got the part of Romeo in the school play.”

“Uh-oh. I think I see where this is going.”

“Right? I wanted to play Juliet in the worst way. I didn’t get the role, of course, but I did land understudy. On the last night of the show, I offered the senior who was playing Juliet my entire prom-dress savings if she’d fake the flu so I could fill in.”

“You bribed Juliet? What happened then?”

“Miss Capulet turned me down and told Frank. I was completely mortified.”

“Well, you managed to forge a friendship with Frank all the same, so all’s well that ends well.”

“Cute pun,” Stephanie grinned. “The thing is, I still feel like that geeky sophomore around him.”

“You hide it well. I never would have guessed.”

Stephanie shrugged. “I value his friendship, and I don’t want to mess things up by letting on that I still think of him that way. I’m not sure it will be easy to keep up the act if we’re working together. I guess I’m going to find out. That is, if he’ll ever speak to me again now that he’s discovered I wasn’t honest with him about my real career.”

“I wish I had some solid advice for you, but I don’t. I’m facing a similar dilemma with Rafe. I’ve decided it’s easier to dodge bullets than to try to maintain a pretense with someone you care about.”

“Exactly. I’m so glad you get it. I just hope Frank can forgive me.”

“Learning the woman he thought was a mild-mannered librarian is actually a top-notch covert bodyguard is a lot to process. Give him time. He’ll come around.”

“I hope so. And what about you and Rafe? Are you sure you really want to commit to this bargain he’s proposed? A year is a long time to play-act married bliss. We can still protect him if you decide not to go through with it.”

“I know, but it’s easier this way. And I really want to do this, so you can stop worrying. I’ll be fine.”

Stephanie held up her hands in mock surrender. “Okay. But you’re not to give even a second’s consideration to any random acts of heroics. If you get an inkling that something is about to go down, you’d better call in backup.”

“I will,” Lauren promised. But her physical safety was the least of her worries. No amount of backup could protect her in the face of her greatest concern. How was she going to protect her heart?

Thursday morning dawned murky and wet. Rafe paced the length of his den, glaring at the overcast skies that mirrored his stormy mood. With an impatient flick of his wrist, he checked his watch again. His bride, he seethed, was late.

Her brother’s career was on the line. Surely Lauren wouldn’t renege on their agreement. Or
would
she? She had given him her word she’d see their deal through, but how much stock could he really place in her promise given her history? He was certain she was capable of backing out of this marriage of convenience without the slightest twinge of conscience. Every time he looked into her eyes he saw secrets lurking in their emerald-green depths, and secrets could be dangerous.

Running a hand through his dark hair in barely contained exasperation, he resumed his pacing. Maybe she was stuck in traffic, he allowed.

Or perhaps, the devil’s advocate side of his subconscious taunted, she’d decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. The notion was oddly unsettling, making him wonder if he was indeed as immune to her as he’d thought.

He’d been certain he had the upper hand when he conceptualized his plan. He had even been looking forward to extracting a little pleasure from this mess fate had forced on him. He certainly hadn’t foreseen Lauren working her way under his skin again.

She was a clever one, smoothly charming him when they’d spent the day together yesterday, just as she had in Greece. But he hadn’t reached the pinnacle of success he’d attained by being weak.

It was nothing more than a bad case of lust that had his blood pulsing hot and his mind dulled to everything but her. It had been too long since he’d lost himself in a woman. He simply needed to satiate his need. Too bad the one thing that could put an end to the distracting thoughts tantalizing him by day and hijacking his dreams by night was out of reach. He had promised he’d uphold the vows he and Lauren would exchange today, and his bride of convenience was determined not to give in to her physical need for him. The end result was a frustrating stalemate.

Stalemate aside, he had a more pressing problem to deal with. Pulling off a wedding would be an impossible feat as long as the bride-to-be remained conspicuously absent.

Palming his cell phone, he tapped Lauren’s name. He was about to tap her number when his butler entered the room.

“Your fiancée has arrived, sir.”

Something akin to relief washed over him. He brushed the feeling aside, not willing to psychoanalyze the root of it.

“Thank you, George. I’ll greet her at the door. Can you let Maria know she’s here?”

“Certainly, sir.”

Dismissing his butler, he opened the door to Lauren’s knock himself. “Cutting it a bit close, aren’t you?”

“I told you I’d be here,” Lauren replied. “And I’m early, actually. You said the ceremony was slated for nine. It’s only eight. You weren’t worried were you?”

“Of course not,” he dismissed offhandedly. “I merely assumed you might want some time to prepare.” Motioning for her to follow him, he led her into the living room.

“You call this a country house?” she murmured in awe as she took in the vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, and elaborate furnishings. “This is a mansion.”

“You’ll find there’s plenty of room to spread out. I’ll give you the grand tour later, but for now I’ll show you to our suite. Maria, my housekeeper, has set out everything you’ll need there.”

She raised a blonde eyebrow. “I hope I didn’t hear you say ‘our suite.’ I’m pretty sure I made my feelings on that subject clear. No shared bed. Ever.”

“I got your message loud and clear the first time around. If you’re worried I’ll try to force you into intimacy, you needn’t be. I can assure you I’m perfectly capable of controlling my baser instincts. The fact remains that in order for this arrangement to culminate in the outcome we both desire, you’re going to have to make a concession or two. Sleeping in my bed is one of them. Should someone on my staff notice we’re sleeping apart and let it slip, Fullerton could catch wind of it and it would blow the deal.”

“Why not tell your staff we won’t be sharing the same room because your snoring keeps me awake?” she quipped.

“Because that would be a lie, and I don’t mislead my employees. Or anyone else for that matter.”

“Is that so,” Lauren replied sarcastically. “Then what do you call what you’re doing now with this little ruse of yours? You don’t think you’re playing mind games with Fullerton?”

The pulse in his jaw ticked into overdrive. “I’m not proud I had to take this particular approach, but regrettably it’s the only way.” Stopping at a heavy oak door at the end of the hall, he opened it before turning towards her. “Here we are.”

Decorated in shades of cream and green, the suite was spectacular. But it was the masterpiece in white silk hanging from the wardrobe door that had Lauren sucking in an amazed breath. Rafe had told her he had made arrangements for her wedding dress, but she had no idea he’d gone to such lengths. “It’s the DeChamps I modeled for the fashion show,” she murmured in awed disbelief. “You didn’t!”

“Oh, but I did,” Rafe countered with a self-satisfied smile. “It’s yours.”

“But why? The gown is far too elaborate for a simple private ceremony.”

“When I saw you wearing it at the benefit, I knew it was meant for you. No one else could do this dress justice. Besides, it’s perfect for the wedding photos. You’ll look like a true Dimitriou bride.”

“This isn’t a real marriage in any sense of the word. It’s just a parody.”

“It can be as real as you want it to be.” He stepped up behind her and nuzzled her neck, pressing heated kisses along her soft nape. A shiver ran down her spine, and she had to swallow the moan of pleasure that raced, unbidden, up her throat.

She forced herself to step away when she really wanted to turn and melt into his arms. “Not without love in the mix it can’t,” she avowed. “When I give myself to a man again, it will be because I know he feels something for me that runs deeper than physical attraction. I want his heart along with his body.”

“If you change your mind, know that I’m more than willing to pick up where we left off. I’ll expect you to play your part when we’re in public, however, and that will entail the occasional gesture of affection.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold up my end of our bargain.”

“Good,” Rafe nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. “I’ll leave you to get ready. Maria will be along in a few minutes to help you with your gown.”

He walked out without a backward glance, leaving her alone to absorb what had just transpired.

Lauren had assured Rafe she could handle her role, but contemplating the small intimacies that would be required to convince others of their newly wedded bliss gave her pause. How was she going to keep her emotions in check when simply standing beside him had all her senses rioting? Was segregating the emotional pull she felt for him even possible when her brain short-circuited every time he was in her sights?

Exchanging her street clothes for the exquisite wedding dress made her feel like a princess in a fairy tale. She also felt like a fraud. There wouldn’t be a happily-ever-after ending to this story. The gown was meant to be worn to mark a union of love rather than this farce of an arrangement. The dress deserved better. She deserved better.

Rafe might want her, but he didn’t love her. She needed to remember that. She’d believed he was her Prince Charming once before and look what had happened. He’d morphed into a heart-crushing ogre.

Okay, maybe that was unjustly harsh. He’d behaved like an ogre because he believed she’d betrayed his family. He saw her as a cold, heartless traitor who had wormed her way into his life with the express purpose of bringing scandal to the Dimitriou family. But it hadn’t been like that.

And, to be fair, his ogre side had mellowed a bit over the past few days. Rafe had been attentive, thoughtful, and considerate. Of course he had every reason to be, she reminded herself. He needed her to secure his deal, a deal that meant so much to him he was willing to put aside her supposed treachery and, if not let bygones be bygones, at least tolerate the enemy and invite her under his roof.
And into his bed.

A knock on the door interrupted her musings, and Lauren opened it to find an older woman with softly curling gray hair and warm blue eyes smiling at her.