8. Jace
Well, I did give her a choice. But I suppose making each other’s lives hell it is, then.
It has been almost an entire week since I started this job, and I’m already exhausted. Every day, Kayla Ashford finds some new way to drive me crazy. It helps that I grew up with Eli, Kaden, and Rico, who have all done nothing but mess with me for twenty-two years, but the little demon that I’m supposed to be guarding still somehow manages to infuriate me.
How can one person be so fucking difficult?
I don’t even understand why she’s so against me. I’m literally just doing my job. Which is to protect her. Plus, I’m funny and hot as fuck. How can she not enjoy my delightful company?
At least I will be getting a little break from her tomorrow. I have every Sunday off since Trent Ashford apparently wants them all to spend family time together every Sunday, which means that his bodyguards handle security for Kayla as well as Trent and his wife.
And right now, I’m very glad that it’s Sunday tomorrow, because I have a feeling that tonight is going to be a particularly exhausting ordeal.
Sneaking out of the bookshop, I quickly skirt around the building until I reach the back. There is a trellis secured to the wall there, and it runs up to the upstairs window. A massive ivy plant snakes up the wooden support.
I move so that I’m standing in the shadows behind the hedges that cover the area below the windows. And then I wait.
Less than a minute later, the upstairs window is cracked open and flaming red hair becomes visible.
Remaining in the shadows, I watch as Kayla scans the small garden behind the bookshop. But there is only one decorative lamp on the wooden wall a little farther down, so there is no way that she can see me in the gloom.
Once she’s satisfied, she quickly climbs up onto the windowsill.
Her sleek legs are steady as she swings herself around and then starts nimbly climbing down the trellis.
My cock hardens as I watch her perfect ass move in the skintight little black dress she’s wearing.
Did she actually think that she could fool me with this? No one goes to a bookshop on a Saturday night dressed like that. And her plan to lose me in the twisting aisles while she ran upstairs to climb out the window? Ridiculous. Who does she think I am? An amateur?
I grab the item that I secured to my belt for this specific reason before we left her apartment.
Raising my hand, I wait until Kayla is past the halfway point on the trellis.
Then I blare the air horn in my hand.
She cries out in surprise and loses her grip on the wooden trellis.
Red hair streams through the night like a fiery waterfall as she falls through the air and lands right in one of the thick bushes. I hook the air horn to my belt again and stroll up to her.
For a few seconds, she doesn’t move. Just lies there in the middle of the thick, green bush with her red hair spilling out all around her and those stunned blue eyes of hers staring up into the darkened sky. As if she can’t process what just happened. I stop right in front of her.
Arching an eyebrow, I smirk down at her. “Going somewhere, little demon?”
She snaps her gaze to me, and realization slams home on her features.
“Ugh,” she growls, and slams her hand down into the already half flattened bush before shooting me an incredulous look. “Seriously?”
“You’re the one who left the air horn in my room,” I point out.
She starts trying to untangle herself from the branches so that she can climb out of the bush. “You could’ve given it back.”
“Why would I do that? When I could watch you fall into a bush instead.”
“You are unbelievable!”
“No, you are the one who’s unbelievable. Did you really think that I bought your little I’m-going-to-the-bookstore act?”
Her hair gets caught in the leaves, and she practically rips the tiny branches away from her long red strands while she glowers at me. “It could’ve worked.”
“No, it couldn’t.” I nod towards the poor bush that she’s mangling. “Now, do you want me to help you out so that I can follow you to the party you’re really going to?”
She scoffs and shoves the branches aside before finally stalking out of the bush on her own. I heave an exasperated sigh and shake my head. Stubborn woman.
“How did you know that I was going to a party?” she mutters while she brushes leaves off her dress.
I reach up and pick a few twigs from her hair. She starts in surprise and her mouth drops open a little, but she doesn’t slap my hand away.
After gently disentangling the twigs from her hair, I toss them down on the grass and give Kayla a pointed look while replying, “Because no one makes an effort to look that hot just to go to a bookstore.”
She jerks back a little again, once more looking genuinely surprised. Then she recovers and instead lets a smug expression settle on her features as she raises her eyebrows at me. “You think I’m hot?”
“Of course I do. Everyone does.” I stab my finger at her pointedly. “And you know it. So don’t try to pretend otherwise. False modesty doesn’t suit you.”
For a moment, it looks like she doesn’t know whether to be flattered by the compliment or annoyed by the admonishment.
In the end, she just huffs and rolls her eyes.
“Fine,” she says, though it sounds more like a sigh. “I’m going to a party. And since you’re already here, I suppose I’ll let you come too.”
I snort. She doesn’t let me do anything, and we both know it.
“Just make sure that you don’t stand too close to me,” she finishes as she flicks her hair back behind her shoulders and starts towards the street.
Chuckling under my breath, I follow her.
I will promise no such thing.
Music pulses around me. I once more sweep my gaze over the large living room and scan the faces of everyone in here. Most of them are dancing and jumping with smiles on their faces. Some are laughing and talking in groups while drinking from their red plastic cups. All of them are in various stages of inebriation.
It’s so strange to be at a party while not actually being at the party. Normally, I would be one of the people getting drunk and making out with some hot stranger. But now I’m standing here, completely sober, in the middle of a crowd of dancing university students, and being utterly fucking boring. It’s not like me at all.
My gaze drifts back to Kayla, and a small smile blows across my lips.
At least I can have fun by annoying the crap out of her.
She’s dancing with her friends Jenn and Aurora, swaying her hips and throwing her arms up over her head. Her back is to me, which I’m sure was a very deliberate choice, so I can’t see the expression on her face. But she appears to be having fun. She has tried to sneak away from me three times since we got here, but it looks like she has given up on that. At least for now.
A blond guy approaches her from across the packed living room. His gaze roams over her body. It sends an irrational flare of rage through me, and I flex my hand. I should’ve brought one of my bats.
The blond guy smiles as he looks up at Kayla’s face again while closing the distance to her.
I take a threatening step forward and level a death stare at him.
His gaze darts to me, and he screeches to a halt on the polished wooden floor. Glancing between me and Kayla, he licks his lips. Then he turns and quickly walks away.
Kayla stops dancing and turns to stare after him as if confused.
Then she whirls around.
Fury pulses across her gorgeous face as she locks eyes with me. “Stop doing that!”
I just hold her angry stare and lift my shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not doing anything.”
“You’ve scared off every single guy who has tried to approach me!”
“It’s not my fault that they have such an inferiority complex that they can’t stand to be in my presence.”
“Asshole.”
“Demon.”
She blows out an annoyed breath and then turns around. Jenn and Aurora cast confused glances between the two of us, but Kayla just shakes her head and starts dancing again. I watch her perfect body move to the rhythm of the beat. The Carlisle sisters throw their arms up and dance as well.
After about two minutes, a guy in a pink shirt starts towards them.
I cross my arms and lock a menacing stare on him.
He blinks and then quickly scurries away.
Vicious curses cut through the thumping music as Kayla whips around to face me.
“You fucking…” Trailing off, she grits her teeth and shakes her head at me.
Then a scheming glint appears in her blue eyes. With a seductive smile on her face, she closes the distance between us. I narrow my eyes at her.
“Ah, so this is why,” she says, that little sexy smirk still on her lips. “You’re scaring off all the other guys because you want me to dance with you instead.”
Uncrossing my arms, I just give her a flat look in response.
She chuckles and lifts her hand.
A ripple courses through my body as she slides her fingers over my collarbones before drawing her hand down my chest. My cock hardens.
“Like this?” she says, a taunting note to her voice.
However, before I can retort, she drops her hand and instead turns around so that her back is flush against my chest. Then she starts dancing. Her ass grinds against my cock with every sway of her hips.
“Or like this?” she says, casting me a knowing look over her shoulder.
Blood rushes to my cock at the feeling of her body writhing against mine. The impulse to grab her hips and press her harder against me almost overrides my self-control. Drawing in a silent breath to steady myself, I remain perfectly still.
“Is this supposed to affect me in some way?” I mock, making sure to keep my voice bored and disinterested.
She arches her back slightly, pushing her ass more firmly against my cock as she rolls her hips to the music.
A jolt shoots through me.
Clenching my jaw, I flex my fingers and once again blow out a long breath through my nose. My cock aches.
Kayla chuckles and then turns around to face me instead. Her eyes glitter with devilish delight as she tilts her head back and meets my gaze.
“Do you know one of the many reasons why women are superior to men?” she asks, raising her eyebrows while challenge dances across her features.
I just look back at her with what I hope is bored disinterest.
“We can hide it when we’re turned on.” With a wicked smirk on her lips, she flicks a pointed look down at my hard cock. “You cannot.”
My hand shoots out.
Sliding it through her silken hair, I thread my fingers through the long strands at the back of her neck and grip her hair hard. My chest heaves and fire licks through my veins.
A smug smile curls her lips.
I use the firm grip on her hair to tilt her head back.
My pulse pounds in my ears.
Kayla just looks up at me with gleaming eyes, daring me to… To what? Punish her? Kiss her? Shove her up against a wall and act out all of the images that flashed through my mind when she was grinding her ass against my cock?
“Uhm, what’s going on?” a terribly annoying voice says.
Kayla and I just continue staring each other down. A silent dare.
Blowing out an impressed breath, I shake my head at her and then release my grip on her hair. Those smooth red strands slide over my hand as I let my arm drop back down. Kayla flashes me a victorious smile and then turns towards the sound of the voice.
“Nothing,” she replies. “What’s up, Lionel?”
I drag my gaze to the annoying interruption. Lionel is standing next to Aurora and Jenn, his confused gray eyes shifting between me and Kayla.
“We’re just about to start a drinking game,” he says. “Never have I ever. Do you wanna play?”
“Yes!” Aurora cries, and claps her hands excitedly before grabbing her sister by the hand. “Come on, Jenn.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Jenn says as she lets Aurora lead her in the direction that Lionel pointed. Twisting her head, she meets Kayla’s eyes over her shoulder. “You’re coming too, right?”
Kayla flicks her hair back while a wicked grin spreads across her face. “Naturally.”
I heave a sigh. Oh, great. A drinking game. This will no doubt make Kayla even more difficult to handle.
While Lionel takes the lead, Kayla surprises me by walking next to me instead of trying to slip away.
“You’re playing too,” she announces.
Glancing down at her, I frown as we make our way towards the kitchen. “I’m working.”
“So?”
I just give her a flat look.
A small groan escapes her throat. “Alright, fine. How about this? If you play with us, I promise that I won’t try to sneak away. For the rest of the night.”
Raising my eyebrows, I just look back down at her.
“I’ll stay where you can see me and I’ll even let you walk me home without trying to ditch you,” she promises, giving me a perfect look of innocence.
Amusement ripples through me. I know exactly what she’s doing. She is planning to drink me under the table so that, even if she doesn’t try to actively sneak away, I will be too drunk to keep a close eye on her.
Clever.
But what she doesn’t know is that I’ve spent the past five years drinking heavily to escape the feeling of being trapped and suffocated by a future that I can’t choose. I’m not a lightweight by any sort of standards. I could drink her under the table ten times over before I even start to feel intoxicated.
A grin pulls at my mouth as I meet Kayla’s scheming eyes.
“Deal.”