Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom Page 5

  He nodded, his eyes mocking her. “If that’s what you want. Strictly business it is. Shall we order dessert and formulate a conference plan?”

  Brianna had to hand it to him. He made the shift back to the agenda at hand far more seamlessly than she did. He offered up some excellent ideas for the conference, but she was still having a hard time focusing on the professional side of things.

  They’d both ordered the dessert that had made the restaurant famous, a heavenly chocolate torte. Each time he forked a bite of the decadent treat, her eyes were drawn to his perfect lips as he licked the tines of the utensil clean. Fortunately, he misinterpreted her interest for gluttony, and offered her the last morsel.

  “Oh I couldn’t, thanks,” she declined. “I’m stuffed. One more bite and I’ll burst.”

  “Come on. You know you want to.”

  She gave in and leaned forward to claim it, savoring the torte’s smooth, rich flavor. It was sheer bliss. “Thank you. That was delicious.”

  But it was nowhere near as yummy as the man watching her. Why couldn’t she push this bad case of the lusties aside and transition back to business mode, like he had? How hard could it be?

  Next to impossible when the man responsible for her lust attack took the definition of eye candy to a whole new level. He seeped into her every pore, overwhelmed her senses.

  Get a grip, she mentally admonished herself.

  “Trevor recommended I head directly to Maine from here so I can scope out the venue. I’ll definitely incorporate your suggestions as I pull everything together. I’ll keep you abreast of my progress via e-mail.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” he assured her.

  “Thank you. I won’t let you down,” Brianna beamed, delighted she’d earned his confidence.

  “I know you won’t. There’s no one else I’d rather see handling this project than you. But the reason you don’t need to keep me in the loop is because I’ll be on site as well.”

  “You will?”

  “You seem surprised.”

  “I assumed you’d be too busy to take time out of your schedule for a project of this scope. I’m more than capable of handling it.”

  “I’m positive you’ll do an amazing job, but I don’t expect you to do this alone. I’ve cleared my calendar for the next three weeks so I can focus on helping you pull the conference together.”

  “But why not delegate the assignment to someone on your staff?”

  He shrugged. “I’m a hands-on kind of guy.”

  Another wave of heat suffused Brianna’s cheeks as her mind automatically made the leap to a very unbusinesslike type of hands-on activity. It was going to be a long three weeks.

  The peal of her cell phone intruded as she was about to plead her case again for handling the planning solo. She frowned when she recognized Trevor’s office number on the screen.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologized, getting up from the table. “I’m afraid I have to take this call.”

  “Of course.”

  When she returned a few moments later, Luke rose from his seat to pull her chair out for her. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. It’s just a little hiccup. Trevor offered me the use of his vacation place in Maine, but his brother neglected to tell him, until now, that he’d promised one of his business associates he could stay there this week. The man is flying in today with a group of friends. An entire delegation of backpackers, apparently. Trevor’s secretary called to book me into the resort, but it’s the height of tourist season and they’re completely sold out. She’s trying to find alternate accommodations, but she’s not having any luck.”

  “Tell her she can stop looking. You’ll stay with me, of course.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Sure it is. The resort is only an hour away from my vacation place. You’ll be safe with me. Scout’s honor. After all, I’ve already seen you naked. I didn’t take advantage of the situation then. Well, not really,” he amended with a devilish glint in his eyes.

  She was quickly learning he was like a steamroller when he latched onto an idea. It would be foolish to fight him, especially when his invitation solved the immediate problem of having a roof over her head for the duration of her assignment.

  “As long as you’re clear that if I stay with you, that doesn’t mean I’m sharing your bed.”

  “Understood,” he assured her.

  “Okay,” she acquiesced. “Thank you.”

  “Now that we’ve got that settled, why don’t we plan on meeting for breakfast tomorrow before we head to Maine? You can leave your car here and travel with me. There’s no need for both of us to make the drive. I keep a second vehicle at my vacation place. You’re more than welcome to use it if you need transportation while we’re there.”

  She was feeling steamrolled again, but she had to admit his suggestion made sense. “Okay. Shall we plan on meeting in the dining room, then? Say around eight?”

  “Great idea,” he agreed, looking entirely too pleased with himself for her peace of mind.

  “It’s been a long day. If you don’t mind, I’m going to call it a night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

  He accompanied her to her floor and waited outside her door while she retrieved her key card. She half expected him to make another play to try and convince her to drop her “all business” stance and to develop the sensual side of their relationship. Instead, he was a perfect gentleman. After ensuring she was safely inside, he walked away with a polite “good evening.”

  Shutting the door and locking it, she leaned against it with a sigh. She shouldn’t be disappointed that Luke had respected her ground rules. So why was she?

  Inexplicably restless and knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she wound down from the day’s unexpected turn of events, she grabbed her e-reader and stretched out on the sofa in the suite’s living room to read for a while.

  Twenty minutes later, all hell broke loose. The crash of shattering glass resounded from the bedroom, followed by an earsplitting, body-jarring explosion that sent her tumbling to the floor. Her head collided with the unyielding oak parquet, and she was pitched into darkness.

  ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

  Incessant pounding tugged Brianna rudely back to consciousness. Where was that ungodly noise coming from?

  Processing anything resembling a cohesive thought with her brain shrouded in a muzzy, shock-induced fog was like slogging through quicksand. As the wooziness slowly dissipated, she realized the commotion was coming from behind her hotel door. A familiar voice sounded above the din, urgently summoning her from the other side of the heavy partition.

  “Brianna! It’s Luke. Let me in!”

  Chapter Six

  Luke was poised to breach the door to Brianna’s suite when he heard the click of the lock mechanism releasing. He froze mid-kick, relief cascading over him.

  She’s alive. Thank God!

  Imagining the woman he was supposed to protect lying lifeless on the other side of the door had shattered him. He’d feared he’d failed Brianna the same way he’d failed Tanya.

  The instant the door swung open, he stormed in. His eyes swept over her, searching for any sign of injury.

  “Are you okay?”

  She exhaled a shaky breath. “I think so.”

  His racing heartbeat decelerated at her assurance. “Sit down,” he urged, steering her toward the sofa. “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure. I heard something smash through the bedroom window, and then there was an explosion. The next thing I knew, I was getting up close and personal with the floor. I must have hit my head and blacked out for a moment.”

  Luke’s gut clenched in rage. He should have prevented this.

  He’d been keeping guard over her room, diligently surveying both the interior and outer perimeters of the hotel when he’d spotted a shadowy figure scaling the balcony to Brianna’s suite. He’d go
ne in pursuit of the intruder, and had almost nabbed him. But almost didn’t cut it. The chase had been effectively derailed when the blast had rocked Brianna’s room.

  Forced to choose between running down the intruder or rushing to Brianna’s assistance, the decision had been easy. He would make the same call again in a heartbeat.

  He turned to her now, concern for her overriding everything else. Imagining her wounded—or worse—had taken ten years off his life.

  “Let me take a look at your head.” He carefully probed the goose egg that was forming on the back of her scalp. Despite his cautious touch, she drew away from his hand with a wince.

  “Oww,” she complained.

  “Sorry. That’s a nasty bump. I’m taking you to the emergency room.”

  “No! I’m fine. Really.”

  “If you won’t let me take you to the ER, you need to let me get a trained medical professional here to check you over.”

  She shot him a perturbed glare. “When the room stops spinning, I’m going to slap you. I don’t need a doctor. Call the police if you’re hell-bent on doing something.”

  The defiant tilt to her adorable chin and the stubborn gleam in her eyes might have convinced a lesser man to back down, but he wasn’t that man. He adamantly held his ground.

  “Help is already on the way. I dialed 911 when I heard the explosion. Just humor me and let someone with the appropriate initials after their name give you a clean bill of health.”

  She opened her mouth to argue the point, but he held up a hand to halt her protest. “It’s for your own good.” Alarmed by her pallor, he poured a stiff shot of brandy from the minibar and handed it to her. “So is this.”

  Her fingers brushed his as she took the glass. They were icy with shock, but the incidental contact packed a searing punch all the same. If he didn’t need to keep a clear head, he would have been tempted to pour a glass of brandy for himself as well. He normally avoided alcohol, but he could use a fortifying drink right about now.

  He watched her take a gulp of the amber liquid, then sputter as the beverage burned its way down her throat.

  “Thanks, I think,” she managed, her eyes watering from the alcohol’s bite.

  A knock sounded at the door a moment later. “Police,” a voice announced.

  Luke ushered in the two officers and the EMT who accompanied them. Once the medic had examined Brianna, assuring Luke she didn’t have a concussion and she’d be fine, Luke answered the officers’ questions.

  Later, while the men took Brianna’s statement, he took the opportunity to step out of the room and report in to Liz.

  When he returned, the officers were wrapping things up. “Thanks for your time,” the older of the two detectives told Brianna. “That’s all we need for now. We’re going to take a look at the scene.”

  Luke moved to join the authorities, and Brianna rose unsteadily to her feet. “I’m coming, too.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re still shaky. You should take it easy for a little longer.”

  She reluctantly agreed, and he saw her settled safely on the sofa before joining the officers.

  When he caught his first glimpse of the war zone that had been the high-end hotel suite’s master bedroom, he was glad he’d insisted she stay behind. He didn’t want her to see this. His hands trembled with barely suppressed rage as he took in the devastation. The explosive device the intruder had planted hadn’t been powerful enough to completely demolish the room, but it had wreaked plenty of havoc all the same. Fury surged through his veins at the thought of how close Brianna had come to being seriously injured … or worse. This should never have happened on his watch. What the hell had gone wrong?

  “We had an incident similar to this one two weeks ago at a café downtown,” the older of the two detectives commented. “The damage here is more extensive, though. If this bomb was planted by the same individual or individuals, they’ve upped their game.”

  The younger detective scratched his head. “No other rooms were hit. Miss Atwood said she doesn’t know of anyone who would have a grudge against her, but it certainly looks like someone may have been targeting her.”

  Luke made sure the bedroom door was closed tightly before he pulled out his identification. “I’m a covert bodyguard. Miss Atwood’s father has retained protection for her in the wake of threats made against his family. She’s not aware of the security concern, and she doesn’t know I’ve been enlisted to watch over her.”

  The officer in charge raised an eyebrow. “Well, that certainly sheds some light on the situation. Do you have any idea who’s behind the threats?”

  “That’s still a gray area, I’m afraid. We believe her father’s ties to a reputed mob boss, Lawrence Mendacci, may have placed her in peril. Proving it and tracking down the person or persons Mendacci has hired to carry out his dirty work is the challenging part.”

  “Mendacci is well known to us,” the older detective relayed. “He’s as slippery as they come. Every time we think we’ve gathered enough evidence to build a case against him, he squirms out of our grasp. He has a gift for slithering around in sewage and coming out smelling like a rose.”

  “It’s Sentinels’ job to make sure he’s not so lucky this time,” Luke asserted. “We know Mendacci isn’t carrying out the attacks personally. If we can catch the middleman, we should be able to obtain the ammunition we need to nail him.”

  “Good luck with that. We’ve been trying for years to get something substantial enough on Mendacci to put him behind bars.”

  “Miss Atwood’s father, Philip Dimitriou, knows more than he’s saying, but so far he’s been reticent about giving us any information regarding the identity of the individual or individuals behind the threats against his family. Hearing about this attack may prompt him to be more forthcoming. I suggest you contact him.”

  “I’ll get right on it,” the officer relayed. He paused then, as though he was uncertain if he should proceed. “I’m not questioning your professionalism, but do you think continuing to keep Miss Atwood in the dark is wise? This situation could escalate.”

  “Covert protection is Sentinels’ specialty. We have a near perfect track record when it comes to keeping our clients safe. I can assure you I don’t intend to be the one to mar that record.”

  Especially not when protecting this package is beginning to feel personal.

  Despite his intentions to the contrary, he’d allowed Brianna to get under his skin. And that wouldn’t do. The romantic distraction was too dangerous. It was essential he stay focused on his mission, and that meant maintaining his emotional distance when it came to the woman he’d been assigned to guard.

  He needed to do a better job of that than he’d done so far. He already had one strike against him in the emotional stakes.

  The moment Marcus had left him alone with Brianna at dinner tonight, he’d let a part of his anatomy that wasn’t his brain dictate his actions. It hadn’t been pretty. He’d shown all the restraint of a randy teenager, practically propositioning her before dessert.

  He realized he was lucky she’d shot down his advances. He’d had a narrow escape. Tonight’s attempted ambush was a reminder of the gravity of the assignment. He couldn’t afford to muck it up by allowing his focus to be splintered by lust.

  The officers wrapped up their review of the blast area, assuring him they’d keep him abreast of any developments in the investigation. He escorted the men out, then joined Brianna back in the suite’s sitting area.

  “How are you doing?” he asked, relieved to see some color flooding back into her cheeks.

  “Would you stop hovering, already? I’m fine. How bad is the damage to the room?”

  “It’s pretty nasty. The good news is it’s superficial rather than structural. The blast was designed more for the shock and awe factor than to cause major damage.”

  “Well, it certainly made an impression.”

  Seeing a shudder rock her, Luke slipped an arm around her
shoulders and pulled her against him. When she settled against his chest, rather than tug away from him as he’d half expected she would, he knew she must still be shaken up despite her assurances to the contrary. “Some end to the day, huh?”

  “That’s an understatement. I had no idea this assignment was going to be so action-packed. I hope this is the last of the surprises.”

  He would do everything in his power to ensure it was.

  “Yeah. Me, too.”

  “Did the police officers say if they had any idea who might have done this?”

  “They mentioned there’d been a similar incident last month, at a café downtown. They think the attacks could be part of the initiation rites for a local gang. They’re confident they’ll be able to track down whoever’s responsible for the bombing.”

  His conscience twinged at the lie, but there was no sense in alarming her just then. Ensuring the threats against her remained his worry, not hers, was still the best course of action. There was nothing to be gained by doing the full-disclosure bit at this early stage of the game. Revealing his mission and making her aware someone had painted a target on her back would only make his job more difficult if—like her brother—she decided to refuse Sentinels’ protection.

  He had no intention of letting her out of his sight again for the remainder of this assignment. Fortunately, he now had the perfect excuse to stay close for the rest of the night, thanks to the hotel being booked solid. The manager had apologized profusely when he relayed the news that he didn’t have another room available to relocate Brianna to, but Luke had been relieved to hear it.

  On the other hand, Brianna wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell her one bit.

  “I’m afraid the hotel won’t be allowed to send a clean-up and repair crew in until the police finalize their investigation. I’ll help you get your stuff together. You’re going to have to room with me tonight.”