Bodyguard: Outrageous / Riley

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“Dammit, Emily! What the hell is the matter with you?”

“Let me go.” She felt proud of the strength in her voice, though she knew she might fall apart at any moment.

“Are you kidding? I’ve tried every damn intimidation tactic I could think of—”

“Ha! So you admit to bullying me?”

“—to send you running, but you clung like flypaper. And now, with one little scare, you want me to turn you loose?”

Flypaper! How dare he compare her to…No, Emily, don’t get sidetracked by a measly insult. The man deceived you. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “I wish to leave now. Alone.”

“No way, baby. You wanted in, and now you’re in.”

Her heartbeat shook her, it pounded so hard, and her fingers ached from being held in such tight fists. If she wasn’t a lady, she’d smack him one, but good. “When were you going to tell me, Judd? When?”

Judd stiffened, and his jaw went hard. “Get in the truck, Em.”

“I will not. I…”

“Get in the damn truck!”

Well. Put that way…Emily became aware of people watching, and also that Judd was every bit as angry as she was. But why? What possible reason did he have for being so mad? She was the one who’d been misled, kept in the dark, lied to…well, not really. But lies of omission definitely counted, and Judd had omitted telling her a great deal.

And after he’d insisted she bare her soul.

When he continued to glare at her, she realized how foolish they both must appear, and she opened the truck door to get in. It wouldn’t do to make a public spectacle of herself.

“Put your seat belt on.”

Emily stared out her window, determined not to answer him, to ignore him as completely as he’d ignored her all day. But then she muttered, “Flypaper.”

She heard Judd make a small sound that could have been a chuckle but she didn’t look to see. If the man dared to smile, she’d probably forget all about avoiding a scene. But then, thoughts of attacking that gorgeous body left her a little breathless, and she decided ignoring him was better, by far.

Judd reached over and strapped her in. He stayed leaning close for a second or two, then flicked his finger over her bottom lip. “Stop pouting, Em, and act like an adult.”

It took a major effort, but she didn’t bite that finger. She could just imagine how appalled her parents would have been by that thought.

Judd’s sigh was long and drawn-out. “Fine. Have it your way, honey. But if you decide you want to talk, just speak up.”

Fifteen minutes later, Emily was wishing she could do just that. Judd pulled into her driveway with the obvious intent of being well rid of her, and she desperately didn’t want him to go. She felt confused and still angry and…hurt. If he could explain, then maybe she could forgive him and…And what, Emily? Maybe he’d let you have one of those killer smiles like the one he gave Suze? She’d been taken in by one man, and though she honestly believed Judd was different, she wouldn’t, couldn’t, put all her trust in him. Not on blind faith. Not without some explanations.

When all was said and done, he worked for her, and she deserved to know what was going on. She had to find evidence against Donner, and she needed Judd to do that. But only if he didn’t shut her out.

He stopped the truck, and she sat there, trying to think of some way, without losing every ounce of pride, to talk things out with him.

But Judd saved her the trouble. He got out of the pickup, slamming his door then stomping over to the passenger side. She stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise, when he opened the door and hauled her out.

“What do you think you’re doing?” His hold was gentle on her arm as he led her up the steps to her back door. She practically had to run to keep up with his long-legged, impatient stride.

“We’re going to talk, Em. I don’t like you treating me as if I’ve just kicked your puppy.”

Uh-oh. He sounded even angrier than she’d first assumed. “I don’t even have a dog—”

Judd snatched her key from her hand, unlocked the door and ushered her inside. “Do you need to punch in your code for the alarm system?”

It took her a second to comprehend his words since her mind still wrestled with why he was in her house, and what he planned to do there. “Oh, ah, no. I only turn it on when I’m in the house. The rest of the time, I just lock up.”

Judd stared. “Why the hell would you get a fancy alarm system, and not use it?”

“Because twice I forgot to turn it off when I came in, and the outside alarms went off, and then several neighbors showed up at my door and the central office called, and it was embarrassing.” Judd rolled his eyes in exasperation, and Emily felt her cheeks heat. She hadn’t meant to tell him all that. “Judd? I don’t want to talk about my alarm system.”

Looking restless and still a bit angry, Judd paced across the kitchen. Then he stalked back to her. “Tell me this, Emily. What would you have done if I’d spoken up and introduced you to Donner?”

She watched as he propped his hands on his hips and glared at her. “I don’t know what I would have done. But I know I would have done…something.”

“Something like accuse him? Or something like demand he give himself up? I thought you needed proof. I thought that was what we were doing, trying to nail him.”

His scowl was much more fierce than her own, and her anger diminished to mere exasperation. The man could be so remarkably impossible. “We?” she asked, lacing her tone with sarcasm. “There was certainly no ‘we’ today. You’ve refused to tell me anything.” When he crossed his arms, looking determined, she added in a gentler tone, “Judd, I can’t very well find evidence against this Donner person if I don’t know who he is.”

Judd came to stand in front of her and gripped her shoulders. “I was working on finding evidence. Or did you think I just enjoyed toying with that bastard? Besides, you were scared out of your wits, Em. And that was without knowing who he was. He had a damn strange effect on you, which now that I think of it again, isn’t very complimentary for me. I thought you knew I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

Emily swallowed, feeling a tinge of guilt. “I’m sorry. Of course I assume you’ll protect me, but—”

“Don’t assume, Emily. Know. As long as you do as I tell you and follow my lead, you won’t get hurt.”

“Just like that? You tell me what to do, and I do it, no questions asked? I’m not a child, Judd—”

“So I noticed.”

“And…You noticed?” Emily quickly shook her head so she wouldn’t get sidetracked. “If you want me to trust you, you have to be totally honest with me, not just expect me to sit around and watch you work, without telling me what you’re working on.”

“You’re making too much of this. I was only shooting pool.”

“But you had a goal in mind. And you kept that from me. I despise dishonesty, Judd. I won’t tolerate it.” He winced, but she didn’t give him time to interrupt. “I had no idea today that you were deliberately taking money from one of Donner’s men. If I had known, maybe I wouldn’t have been so surprised…”

“Exactly. Do you think I want Donner or any other punk to look at you and think you know the score?”

That silenced Emily for a moment. Why would Judd care what other men thought of her? “I quit worrying about others’ opinions long ago.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’?”

“Everyone cares what other people think, even when they know it shouldn’t matter.”

Busying her fingers by pleating and unpleating her skirt, Emily felt her exasperation grow. “Certain things…happened in my past, that assured me public opinion meant very little, but that honesty meant a great deal.”

“Like what?”

When she didn’t answer, he said, “Okay, we’ll come back to that later.”

“No, we won’t.”

“Dammit, Em. I’d much rather you come off looking like an innocent out for a few kicks, than to have some jerk assume you’ve been around.”

Emily swallowed hard. Judd had evidently made some incorrect assumptions about her character, and it was up to her to explain the truth. “Judd, I don’t know why you persist in thinking I’m…I’m innocent. I believe I told you once that I’d been engaged. Well…”

She couldn’t look at him, her eyes were locked on her busy fingers. And then she heard him chuckle. Her gaze shot to his face, and she was treated to the most tender smile she’d ever seen.

“Honey, it wouldn’t matter if you’d been engaged twenty times. You’re still so damn innocent, you terrify me.”

Emily didn’t understand that statement, or the way he reached out and touched her cheek, then smoothed her hair behind her ear.

She felt disoriented, and much too warm. She wanted to lean into Judd, but she knew she had to settle things before she forgot what it was that she wanted settled. Once before she’d let her passionate nature guide her. That had been a huge error, and this was too important to be sidetracked by anything—including Judd’s heated effect on her.

“The thing is, Em, this whole deal will work out better if your reactions to Donner and his men are real. You can’t lie worth a damn, and I don’t think, if Donner got close again, you’d be able to hide your feelings from him. You could blow everything.”

She cleared her throat and spoke with more conviction than she actually felt. “You don’t know that for sure.”

His expression hardened, turning grim. “And I’m not willing to take the risk. Things could backfire real easy, and someone could get hurt.”

She understood his reasoning, but she couldn’t accept it. “This isn’t going to work, Judd. Not unless you’re willing to tell me everything.”

He stared at her, hard, then muttered a curse and looked away. “No, you’re right. It won’t work. Which is why I’ve come up with an alternate plan. I decided I’d just find this guy for you, but on my own. You can stay in your little palace and play it safe.”

“What?”

“You heard me. From here on, you’re out of it.”

Emily sputtered, then stiffened her spine. “You said I was ‘in,’ remember?”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“Well, you can just unchange it, because I’m not going to be left out.”

“I refuse to risk your getting hurt, and your reaction today was proof positive you aren’t ready to mingle with the meaner side of life. Let’s face it, Em, you’re just a baby.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” She propped her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You’re not going to pull me into an argument by slinging horrid insults at me. We had a deal and you’re the one who isn’t following the rules. Well, you can just stop it right now.”

He blinked at her in amazement. “I wasn’t insulting you, dammit!”

Emily could tell by his expression he hadn’t seen anything insulting in his attitude. But that only made the insult worse. She pursed her lips and tilted her head back so she could look down her nose at him. “I’m not entirely helpless, Judd. I can take care of myself.”

There was a minute curving of his lips before he shook his head and spoke in a gentle, but firm, tone. “I’m sorry, Em. My mind’s made up.”

He acted as if he hadn’t just dumped her, as if he hadn’t just let her down and destroyed all her plans. But it was even more than her plans now. It was Judd, and she cared about him. She took one step closer and poked him in the chest with her finger. “Okay, fine. You don’t want to help me, then I’ll find another way.”

Startled, he grabbed her finger and held on. “You already have a way. Me. I can do this, you know. I’m more than capable, and I damn sure don’t need you looking after me. It’ll be easier without you.”

That hurt, but she didn’t show it. She lifted her chin and met his intent gaze. “No. I won’t let you risk yourself for me, not while I sit around and do nothing.”

Judd bit his upper lip and his eyes narrowed. He suddenly looked…dangerous, and Emily shivered in expectation of what he might say. She knew it would be something outrageous, but she was prepared for the worst.

“So you’ll pay me a five-hundred-dollar bonus. No big deal.”

He had a very credible sneer. Emily frowned. She couldn’t believe he’d just said that. And she couldn’t believe he was really doing this only for the money. She couldn’t have been that wrong.

A deep breath didn’t help to relieve the sudden pain in her chest, or the tightness in her throat. She still sounded strained as she whispered, “Fine, if money’s the issue, I’ll pay you to forget you ever met me.” She waited for his reaction, and though Judd remained rigid, she noticed his hands were now curled into tight fists.

There’s a reaction for you, Emily. He doesn’t seem at all pleased by being bought off. She decided to push him, just to see what it would take to force him to drop his charade. “Five thousand dollars, Judd. But I don’t want you risking yourself. Take it or leave it.” Then she opened the door and waited to see if he would actually leave.

“Damn you, Emily.” The door slammed shut and she found herself pinned to the wall by his hard chest, his arms caging her in, his lips pressed to her hair. She could hear him panting, struggling for control of his temper.

Relief washed over her—and hot excitement. “Judd?”

He didn’t answer. He kissed her instead, and if the first kiss had been hungry, this one was ravenous. Emily moaned and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight as his tongue pushed deep into her mouth. How she’d come to care so much about him so quickly, she didn’t know. Perhaps it was because she sensed the same emptiness in him that she’d often felt. When he’d told of his past, as different as it was from hers, she still saw a lot of similarities.

Emily knew she was being fanciful, but she couldn’t deny the way she felt. It seemed to her sometimes there were no real heroes left in the world, people willing to do what was right—just because it was the right thing to do.

But Judd was a hero, despite his chosen profession, despite his lack of manners and sometimes overbearing arrogance. A hero was a man who could do what needed to be done, when it was needed. And Judd was as capable as they came.

“Oh, Em.” His mouth touched her throat, her chin, then her lips again. “I have to stop.”

She tried to shake her head, since stopping was the last thing she wanted, but she couldn’t. His hands cupped her cheeks and he had her pressed flush against the wall, pinned from chest to knees, his erection hard and throbbing against her belly. It was glorious. She was well and truly trapped, and she loved it. “Judd…”

“No, honey.” He was still breathing hard, his mouth touching soft and warm against her flesh, planting small biting kisses that tingled and tickled and stole her breath. “Neither one of us is ready for this. Hell, you’ve got me so crazy, I don’t know what I’m doing. I need time to think. And so do you.”

Don’t beg, Emily. Don’t beg. “Judd…I—”

He touched her lips with his thumb, then his eyes dropped to where she knew her nipples puckered tight against the front of her dress. His voice, when he spoke, was a low, raspy growl. “You’re killing me, Em. Please understand.”