Possessive Bodyguard Summer (Sunbreak Harbor Security Romance #11)
Chapter 1
CHAPTER
ONE
MONROE
The welcome sign appeared just beyond the bridge.
A pelican perched on the corner of the sign, one wing lifted like it was waving me into town.
Welcome to Sunbreak Harbor
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and blew out a breath that I felt like I’d been holding onto since I left Colorado.
“This is it,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince myself or the tiny life growing inside of me.
The tires hummed over the bridge connecting the mainland to the barrier island, saltwater sparkling on either side beneath the late morning sun.
Sailboats drifted lazily across the bay, while a pair one toppled into the water.
The scene before me looked like something from a travel brochure.
A candy-striped lighthouse stood proudly against the blue sky, watching over the harbor like it had for generations.
Sunbreak Harbor was exactly the place a man like my ex would never choose to spend his summer.
That knowledge should have comforted me. Instead, I looked in my rearview mirror for what felt like the millionth time and cataloged the vehicles behind me—a black pickup truck, a white SUV, and a motorcycle.
For a split second, my heart lurched into my throat.
But no. It wasn’t the same kind of motorcycle Kael rode.
Just a sunburnt tourist in flip-flops with his surfboard awkwardly strapped to the back.
I blew out another breath.
You’re safe, Mo.
I’d been telling myself that for the last five days as I made my way across the country with what little I owned shoved in the back of my Ford Focus.
Ever since I slipped out of the clubhouse apartments before dawn.
Since I tossed my cell phone in a trash can outside of a gas station in Boulder, and dyed my hair strawberry blonde in a motel bathroom somewhere between Fort Riley and Sugar Creek.
My right hand drifted to my stomach. It was too early to feel anything.
And certainly too early for a bump. Which meant it was also too early for anyone else to know.
But I knew. The pregnancy test hidden in my suitcase and the ultrasound photo tucked in my wallet where Kael would never find them were all the motivation I needed to escape the hell my life had become.
“You and me,” I whispered. “We’re going to be okay.”
This time, when I said those words outloud, they felt a little more believable. Probably because I’d put nearly 2,500 miles between me and the monster I prayed my baby would never know.
By the time I reached the end of the bridge, traffic slowed to a crawl.
A sharp wave of nausea hit like a ton of bricks, forcing me to roll down the windows.
Warm, salty air rushed into the car, carrying the scent of fried seafood, and the ocean.
The fried seafood did nothing for my churning stomach, but at least I had a better chance of not tossing my crackers inside the car with the window down.
While I sat in traffic, I watched families wander across the street, paying no mind to the crosswalk, carrying beach chairs and inflatable flamingos.
A few kids darted out of an ice cream shop with dripping cones already melting down their wrists.
Someone nearby was playing Jimmy Buffett loud enough that I could clearly make out every word of the song.
My body finally started to relax.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been somewhere where everything felt so light and carefree.
Behind me, a horn blared, startling me from my thoughts. I let my foot off the brake as traffic began to move again.
Half a mile down the road, the GPS told me to take a right, toward the lighthouse.
Sunbreak Security
The place where my new life was about to begin.
Much like the lighthouse, this job opening had called to me like a beacon in a storm late one night.
From the burning phone I bought when I crossed the state line, I was able to access the motel’s shitty wifi and immediately began looking for a job. The further away from the life I was leaving behind, the better—as long as I didn’t need a passport.
I guess the universe was on my side because the administrative position at Sunbreak Security was one of the very first ones that popped up.
I didn’t know much about the company other than the fact that they handled private security, executive protection, search and rescue, and disaster response.
And they were hiring an administrative coordinator.
The listing said the position came with decent health insurance—something I'd found myself desperately needing with this pregnancy—and temporary housing for anyone who needed to relocate to take the job.
If I could handle running the front office operations at Kael’s motorcycle shop, I could certainly take care of whatever Sunbreak Security threw my way. At least that was what I told myself when I’d applied. The rest, I’d decided to leave up to fate.
Less than twenty-four hours later, Rafi Haddad had called me to set up an interview.
And now here I was.
As I rounded a curve, the lighthouse came into full view.
White with a red-striped roof that stretched toward the sky, it overlooked the harbor from a rocky point, the windows of its lantern room gleaming in the afternoon sun.
A modern glass addition wrapped discreetly around the old structure, blending history with clean, contemporary lines.
Behind it sat a renovated boathouse with several black SUVs parked outside, each bearing the same logo I’d seen on the company's website.
I parked several spaces away and rolled up the windows before shutting off the engine.
My breath came in ragged bursts and my hands shook.
I’d done things far scarier than this before, so why was I freaking out now?
Because if you don’t get this job, you have no backup plan, I reminded myself.
Not landing the job was not an option.
I highly doubted a place like SBS would waste time with an interview if they were not truly interested.
All I needed to do was answer a few questions with responses as close to the truth as possible.
I could handle that. I’d been selling half-truths most of my adult life, that was nothing new.
I took another deep breath and forced myself out of the car. My bones and muscles creaked, protesting the long drive. Several days in a cramped car was no easy feat, no matter how many rest stops I visited along the way.
I stretched my back, then leaned into my car for my purse.
I pulled out a brush, quickly running it through my hair.
I’d already changed into the only professional attire I owned at the last gas station I stopped at.
The black pants and white dress shirt felt out of place in the middle of this beach town, but it would have to do.
I checked my reflection in the glass one final time and forced a smile on my face before shutting the car door and heading toward my future.