Chapter 1
I stormed into the penthouse living room, heels clicking against the marble like gunshots. The floor-to-ceiling windows framed the glittering Manhattan skyline, but today the view felt like a cage with golden bars.
“Father, this is ridiculous,” I snapped into the phone, not bothering to hide my irritation. “I don’t need another babysitter. I have security. I have drivers. What I don’t have is patience for some ex-soldier who thinks he can order me around.”
My father’s voice stayed calm on the other end, the same tone he used when closing million-dollar deals. “Charlotte Mia, the threats are real this time. Lucas Kane starts today. He’s already downstairs. Try not to scare him off in the first five minutes.”
“Scare him? I’m not the problem here”
The line went dead.
I tossed the phone onto the velvet sofa and dragged a hand through my loose waves. Perfect. Just perfect.
The elevator chimed. I turned, arms crossed tight under my breasts, ready to send this new shadow running.
The doors slid open.
Holy hell.
Lucas Kane stepped into my space like he owned every inch of it. Tall…god, unfairly tall with broad shoulders stretching the black button-down across his chest. Dark hair, sharp jaw shadowed with stubble, and eyes the color of storm clouds right before lightning. He carried a duffel like it weighed nothing, moving with the kind of quiet control that made my stomach tighten.
“Miss Mia,” he said, voice low and rough, like gravel wrapped in velvet. “Lucas Kane. I’ll be your lead protection detail.”
I lifted my chin. “And I’ll be the woman whose life you’re about to make miserable. Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Kane. This is my home. My schedule. My rules. You do not touch me. You do not speak unless I ask. And you definitely do not follow me into my bedroom.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “With respect, ma’am, my rules keep you breathing. Where you go, I go. That includes the bedroom if the situation demands it.”
Heat flashed up my neck. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He set the duffel down and scanned the room once, assessing exits, windows, shadows. “Your father sent over the latest threat assessment. Someone got close enough to leave a note on your car yesterday. Inside the private garage.”
I laughed, sharp and disbelieving. “Nice try. I would’ve known.”
“Would you?” He took one step closer. The air between us thickened. “You were on your phone the entire walk from the elevator. Head down. Earbuds in. You wouldn’t have noticed me until I did this.”
Before I could react, his hand slid to my waist without warning firm, possessive, like he already owned the right. His fingers splayed across the silk of my blouse, burning through the thin fabric.
I froze.
“Don’t move,” he murmured behind me when the hell had he circled me? His breath brushed the shell of my ear. “If I were the threat, you’d already be gone.”
A shiver raced down my spine. I hated how my body reacted, nipples tightening against my bra, thighs pressing together. I jerked away from his grip, spinning to face him.
“Touch me again and I’ll have you fired before dinner.”
Lucas didn’t flinch. One corner of his mouth twitched almost a smile, but colder. “You can try. Your father signed a six-month contract. Ironclad. I don’t leave until the threat is neutralized or he says so.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Six months? I’m not some fragile princess you get to shadow for half a year. I have board meetings. Galas. Late nights at the office. A life.”
“And I have one job,” he replied, stepping closer again. God, he smelled like clean soap and something darker leather, gun oil, pure male. “Keep you alive. That means no unscheduled stops. No slipping your detail. And no more testing how far you can push before someone pushes back harder.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. I poked a finger into his chest solid as granite. “You don’t know me, Mr. Kane. You don’t get to lecture me in my own damn house.”
“I know enough.” His voice dropped lower. “I know you fired the last three bodyguards. I know you ditched your detail twice last month. And I know if you keep playing games, one day the wrong person will be waiting when you slip away.”
We stood inches apart. I had to tilt my head back to glare at him, which only made me more aware of how easily he could lift me, pin me, overpower me. The thought sent unwanted heat pooling low in my belly.
“I don’t play games,” I hissed. “I fight for my freedom. There’s a difference.”
Lucas leaned down slightly, eyes locked on mine. “Then fight smarter. Because right now, you’re making my job very easy for whoever wants you dead.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and crackling. My pulse thundered in my ears. Part of me wanted to slap him. Another part the dangerous, traitorous part wondered what that firm mouth would feel like if he stopped talking and just took what his eyes kept promising.
I swallowed hard and stepped back, smoothing my blouse where his hand had been. The ghost of his touch still burned.
“Fine,” I said coldly. “You want to follow me everywhere? Then keep up, soldier. I have a dinner meeting in an hour, and I plan to wear something very short and very expensive. Try not to stare too hard.”
I turned on my heel, hips swaying more than necessary as I headed toward the stairs. I felt his eyes on me the entire way.
Just before I reached the landing, I paused and looked back.
Lucas stood exactly where I left him, jaw tight, hands fisted at his sides like he was fighting the urge to follow me right then.
Why did that make my stomach flutter?
And why did the thought of him watching me for the next six months suddenly feel less like prison…
…and more like the start of something I wasn’t sure I could survive?
