Bodyguard Bear (Protection, Inc 1)

Hal is dying—!

Then she felt the firm but not too firm mattress beneath her, and remembered.

It was just a dream, she told herself.

But her heart kept on slamming against her ribcage like it was trying to break out. She couldn’t get that picture out of her head, of Hal lying there in a pool of blood. She’d treated enough people for gunshot wounds that her treacherous imagination had made every detail absolutely realistic.

The memory of the dream was so vivid, Ellie could practically hear his pained breathing. If she hadn’t been paralyzed, she could have reached out and touched his face. She knew what his skin would feel like, clammy with shock and slippery from sweat.

Her vision adjusted to the dark, allowing her to see the dim rectangle of the door. She swung her feet over the side of the bed, determined to see for herself that Hal was all right. It was the middle of the night, so he was probably asleep. The apartment was silent. But she knew she’d never be able to get back to sleep without checking on him.

She’d just peek into his bedroom— like a creepy stalker, the sane part of her mind informed her— and listen till she heard him breathing. Then she’d go back to bed. Once she got the idea, she couldn’t wait to carry it out. She dashed forward, her bare feet silent on the plush carpet, and threw the door open.

It slammed into something solid. She stared at the shape of a huge man lying on the floor, then realized that it was Hal. He let out a grunt of pain as he sprang to his feet, far more quickly than she’d ever seen a man of his size move.

“Ellie!” Hal exclaimed. She could only see him in silhouette, but his tall form bent toward her, every line of his body

expressing concern. “Are you all right?”

“Sorry,” Ellie said. “I’m fine. Are you all right?”

Hal gave a rumbling chuckle. “I’m fine. Are you sure you are?”

“Yes!” She was too embarrassed to say, I had a nightmare. Or, worse, I dreamed that you were dying, and it was the worst nightmare I’ve ever had.

She’d only just met him. It made no sense for her to feel so attached to him, or to feel such tremendous relief to see him alive and well. And it would be hugely awkward if she let him see how she felt, when all she was to him was a job.

He flicked on the light switch and stepped aside so she could pass him. She blinked in the bright light, rubbed her eyes, and started to walk past him. Then she stopped and looked back.

Hal stood barefoot on the hallway’s hardwood floor, fully dressed and holding a gun. His brown hair was tousled into a bedhead that made her long to smooth it back. He’d obviously been asleep...

...but not in bed. She’d slammed the door into him because he’d been lying on the floor.

She was unable to completely believe her own memory. “Were you sleeping on the floor here?”

Hal ducked his head. “Um...”

“Why?”

“I’m your bodyguard.”

“Yeah, but...” Ellie looked again at the hardwood floor. “Not even a pillow?”

“Well...”

“Is that normal procedure? Sleeping on the floor outside your client’s bedroom, fully dressed with a gun in your hand?”

A pink flush crept along Hal’s cheekbones. “No.”

The lingering fear and horror of her nightmare faded, replaced by curiosity, even amusement. Hal looked so deeply embarrassed. And there was something simultaneously hilarious and adorable about an enormous tough guy like him blushing. “Then why were you doing it?”

He squared his shoulders as if he was about to charge some terrifying enemy. Then, unexpectedly, he replied, “Let’s make a deal. I’ll tell you why I was sleeping on the floor if you tell me why you bolted out of the room like that.”

She hesitated. “You go first.”

Hal’s steadfast hazel gaze never left her face as he said, “I know my home is secure. But I couldn’t relax. I kept imagining someone hurting you. So I got my gun and stood outside your room. But then I realized that if I was sleep-deprived, I’d be damaging my own ability to protect you tomorrow. So I lay down on the floor with my back against the door, to make sure that anyone who tried to get to you would have to go through me first.”

Ellie was both touched and amazed. “Do you always do that?”