Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
COWBOYS the next, he’s cold; and the next… he reveals the man I used to know, even if it’s just for a brief second.
Holding the pretty dress, he chose closer to my chest, I nod, making my curls bounce with the movement. “I’m ready to go.”
Someone clears their throat, interrupting us. Shaw and I turn to find the saleslady staring at me a little too closely. For a second, I forget who I am to the world. Only for a moment, and all because of him.
The saleslady smiles and then walks behind the counter to murmur something to her coworker. They both glance at their phones and then at me.
Busted.
It was nice not being me, even if only temporarily.
But then, not wanting to sour the moment, I ignore the women as an idea pops into my head.
“Hey, Shaw,” I say, giving the salesladies my back and focusing only on my bodyguard.
“Yes?” He reaches behind his back to grab his wallet and glances back at me.
I give him a smile that has trouble written all over it. “Can we make another stop?”
The big grump narrows his eyes, looking suspicious, but after a minute that feels like a lifetime, he gently nods before turning back to the overly flirtatious women and handing one of them his credit card.
Five minutes later, Shaw has bags filled with clothes in both hands and his perpetual scowl on his face as he guides me out of the tiny store towards our next stop.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
Shaw
The moment the girl bats her eyelashes at me and asks if we can make another stop before we head back to the ranch, I should say no.
But I don’t, and now we’re here.
“So… how do I look?” The little vixen flips her hair and smiles shyly over at me.
It should be a fucking crime what she just did.
Her once-long raven curls are gone, now they fall just above her breasts, adorned with subtle pink highlights woven into the dark strands.
Biting down hard, I feel my fucking molars shake with the force. I suppress the urge to tell her just how pissed off I am that she did this.
And what a fucking mess that would that be.
I have no right to care, and I shouldn’t. I should only be focused on her fucking safety, but I do care.
In under two days, this petite terror with a dazzling smile and eyes that could dismantle my defenses has already push me to question my sanity.
She caught me off guard again. That rarely happens, yet she’s done it more than once now.
When I notice that my silence unsettled her enough to make her smile fade, I decide to speak. “Let’s go.” Then I turn my back and silently pray to whoever is willing to fucking listen to a man like me that the weeks will fly by or that the fucking freak after her family would be dealt with— whichever came first.
“You know… Shaw Bear. I don’t remember you being this much of a…” She stops mid-sentence.
“A what?” I bark, feeling a little too much.
“A drag.” She makes a face that should make her look ugly, but it does the opposite. The girl looks adorable as fuck. I don’t think anything could ever make me think of Ella Kenton as ugly, and that’s a problem for me.
A big fucking problem.
Taking a deep breath, I turn around to face her. Locking eyes with her, I feel a flicker of something unfamiliar—like flames dancing across my skin whenever her blue eyes meet mine. What the hell is this feeling?
But before I can figure out what the feeling is, I decide to do what I always do
Fuck shit up by being a miserable fuck.
“Listen carefully, Miss Kenton. I’m here to protect you, not to be your friend. These pathetic attempts to get me to relate to your spoiled brat struggles or bond in any way are pointless. Save yourself the embarrassment and me the annoyance; let’s keep this strictly professional.” The second those harsh and cruel words escape my lips, regret consumes me. Damn it, I regret them. I might be an asshole, but that’s no excuse for being cruel to her. She doesn’t deserve it. She hasn’t done anything wrong.
I open my mouth to undo the damage, but it’s too late. The sadness in her eyes quickly vanishes, replaced by a forced smile. I don’t know why, but it stings—like a rusty dagger piercing my chest.
But instead of breaking down or cowering like most people do when I act like a bastard, she lifts her chin and hardens her gaze, looking like a replica of her father. Angry. Annoyed. Shit. Disappointed. “As you wish, Shaw…” Her pretty blue eyes look vacant. The light that had been shining so brightly is now gone. “But just so you know, the next time you speak to me with so little respect, I’ll give the same energy back. I don’t ever want to pull out the boss card, not with you. Never with you, but don’t test me. You won’t like it.” With that angry parting statement, she turns and leaves me standing there feeling like I am six inches tall.
I deserve it. I lost control and snapped at her when she’s done nothing wrong. She’s only trying to make the best of an uncomfortable situation.
Shit.
As I watch her exit the boutique, her words replay in my mind, and guilt claws at me. But there’s something else too—something that is messing with my head.
Her angry words did things to me. At that moment, I saw another side of Ellaiza Kenton.
The pretty heiress has sharp claws.