“Don’t you ever touch me again, Kevin Richardson, or the least of your worries are going to be the teenyboppers around you,” I warned. “Go home to your wife and you keep telling yourself that Brian is an angel who can do no wrong. But never, never touch me again.”
And with those words I turned and left him lying on the ground, alone in the middle of CityWalk.
I walked back to my car, head held high, and drove home in silence. When I walked through my apartment door I saw Mike sitting on the sofa. He looked back at me and in the dim light of the television I could tell he wanted me to talk to him.
“You don’t have to explain and I’m not offering you answers that I may not have. I’m here if you need me though,” he said.
No questions, no expectations. He was simply there, waiting for me to come to him. It was because he didn’t demand anything that I found myself crying into his shoulder as I spilled out my story.
“And to make matters worse, I just punched Kevin,” I sobbed, vaguely noting the ringing of the telephone. I listened to Mike answer the phone before looking up.
“It’s Sam. He wasn’t to know if you are all right.”
I took the phone and sat up. “I’m fine but I punched Kevin, Sam,” I cried, the tears staring all over again as Mike put an arm around me. “You two were supposed to stop me from screwing up like this. How could you let this happen?”
“Maybe you should be asking Brian that,” Sam answered.
“How did I let this happen? What happened to my rules, my standards? What kind of bodyguard gets involved with a client, especially one getting married? And what kind of bodyguard assaults said client’s cousin? I have so totally screwed up,” I mumbled, handing Mike the phone and standing up.
“Where are you going?” my brother asked me.
“I need to go check on Kevin,” I answered, walking out the door.
Stupid son of a bitch. What kind of man grabs a woman for any reason? Those thoughts rolled around my head as I drove back to Kevin’s house.
I pulled into his driveway and made my way up the front walk to knock on his front door. A moment later Kristen answered the door.
“Ryder! Maybe you can tell me what happened? Kevin says you punched him,” she said as a greeting.
“I did,” I answered as I followed her into the house. She looked back at me in horror when I answered. “Is he all right?”
“He’s going to have one hell of a black eye but I think so, yes,” she said, leading me into the living room.
Kevin lay sprawled out on the sofa, a towel filled with ice pressed to his eye. He straightened and moved away when he saw me walk into the room.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I answered his movement of fear. A distant part of my brain laughed at the big strong man who was afraid of a woman.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“This time I’m the one who says we need to talk. Kristen can stay or go, it’s your call on this one,” I answered, my eyes moving from him to his wife.
“She stays,” he answered as Kristen sat down next to him.
“Do you know about what happened here earlier?” I asked her.
“Yes, Kevin told me,” she answered. How ironic that her eyes expressed sorrow for me when people she loved were being hurt.
I nodded at her answer and moved to the other side of the room. “I’m not going to tell you I’m sorry, Kevin. You had that coming. What you did is an act of violence in a court of law and I was legally justified in punching you. Plus it is impolite,” I added with a bitter smile. I turned to look at the couple of the sofa.
“I know. I’m sorry I grabbed you like that,” he apologized. I nodded and moved past that.
“Granted, I did something last night with your cousin that was wrong. No, we didn’t sleep together. Hell we didn’t even kiss,” I said, answering the question I saw in his eyes. “Just something I wish I could take back no matter how brief the moment was. What you saw in that kitchen today that was Brian’s doing though? I did my best to avoid him all afternoon. I hardly even spoke to him. When I came inside to get a drink he followed me and he cornered me. That’s how you found us,” I explained.
“I’ve been a witness to your skills, Ryder. You could have easily gotten away from him,” Kevin pointed out.
“Yes, I could have. If my heart had really wanted to, but it didn’t. I’m not going to lie to you, to either one of you. I’m attracted to Brian. Very much so, in fact. It’s because of that I am giving him my notice tomorrow before something horrible happens,” I answered.
“Have you ever quit a job before?” Kristen asked.
“Only once and it was when I first started.”
“For the same reasons.”
“No, for the very opposite ones. I didn’t want him but he wanted me. It didn’t end well and I don’t want this one to end the same way. Brian loves Leighanne very much. I don’t doubt that and I know he doesn’t either. So I’m going to put a stop to whatever is happening before their relationship gets hurt.
“Can I ask you something else?” Kristen voiced. I nodded. “Are you the best there is, Ryder?”
“I believe so. Next to my father and my brother,” I answered.
“Can they take your place?”
“No, my father is working with someone else right now and Mike is taking a break.”
“Can you control yourself?”
“Of course.”
“Then for Brian please don’t leave,” she pleaded.
“Kristen,” I began but she cut me off.
“Ryder, he got another threat tonight. This time it was delivered straight to the house.”
“What? When? Why didn’t you tell me?” Kevin demanded.
“You were gone when Leigh called and then you were hurt when you got back and I just got caught up in you,” she explained to her husband.
I didn’t stay to hear the rest of their conversation. By the time, Kristen had explained herself to Kevin I was walking out the front door. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up in front of Brian’s house.
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