I’d always liked him. I watched him from afar, excited by his body, his cocky attitude, the way he seemed to effortlessly pull women into his life. But he was a player and a biker, and I knew better than to actually start to have feelings for a man like that. No, the only thing I wanted from him was his strong body pressed against mine.
But I’d never act on that, of course. He’d have hell to pay with Larkin and the others. Still, couldn’t hurt a girl to fantasize a little bit.
But there he was, starting to make some of my fantasy real.
Then this bodyguard bombshell. What the hell was going on this morning? Something was up with the club; that was clear. I knew all about the war, but Larkin hadn’t said a word to me last night about needing a bodyguard. This was new, and it was definitely serious if he was sending Clutch to take care of me.
“No way,” I said. “Not happening. I’m calling my father.”
He shrugged, leaning against the counter. “Do what you have to do, princess.”
I glared at him but didn’t have the strength to argue. I left the room and went to my bedroom, grabbing my cell phone. I heard Clutch moving around out in the kitchen, pouring himself some coffee.
I dialed Larkin’s number, and he answered on the second ring.
“Larkin,” he grunted.
“What the hell are you up to, Dad?” I demanded.
He laughed. “Hi, Janine. I was expecting this call.”
“A bodyguard? What the hell?”
“Listen, it’s for your own good. Clutch is a decent guy and is good at what he does. Just ignore him.”
“No,” I said, surprised by my own anger. “Tell me why you have one of your guys following me around first.”
“I will,” he said. “I promise. Just not this second.”
“Right this second,” I said.
“After work,” he answered. “You’ll come to the clubhouse and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Dad,” I warned, “I’m not going along with this if you can’t give me something.”
He paused. “Listen, Janine,” he said. “This is pretty serious. It’s better if we talk in person.”
“Am I in danger?”
“Not right this second, but I’m being careful.”
I blinked. I had never been in danger before or really even close to it. Larkin kept his club business far away from me, and I’d never once felt like I was in trouble.
This was completely new. I could hear the stress in his voice, and I’d seen it all over his face the night before. This war was a drag on him, drawing him down.
I took a deep breath and then let it out. “Okay,” I said. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll explain everything.”
“Yeah, well, you better.”
“Bye. Have a good shift.”
“Bye.’
I hung the phone up and tossed it onto the bed.
Whatever was happening must be pretty serious. If it was bad enough for him to put one of his best enforcers on me, he must have been really worried. And if he was worried, then I probably should’ve been, too
Except I wasn’t. It just didn’t really seem real to me, especially considering I didn’t even know what was going on. Plus, Clutch was a very competent man. I’d heard things about him, lots of things, some of them pretty downright terrifying. He wasn’t the sort of person you messed with and expected to walk away from.
Which was what drew me toward him. Clutch lived his life on his terms. I envied that freedom.
I wrapped a robe around myself and went out into the living room.
“Okay,” I said to Clutch. He was sitting on my couch, drinking coffee and watching the news on TV. “I talked to my dad.”
“Good,” he grunted. “How’d that go?”
“Sounds like you’re sticking around.”
He looked up at me and grinned. “Good deal. I can’t wait to follow your pretty ass around all day.”
“It’s going to be boring,” I warned. “You know that, right?”
He laughed. “Boring? Hell no. This is the best job I’ve ever been given. I get to stare at you all day long.”
I felt myself starting to blush and quickly shook it off. “What would Larkin think if he heard you saying that?”
“Go ahead,” he said, his smirk getting bigger. “Tell on me.”
“I might.”
“You won’t. You like it too damn much. I bet you’re dripping wet over there just thinking about all the dirty things you can do with your new bodyguard.”
I opened my mouth to say something cutting but stopped. I took a deep breath, reigning my anger in, and nodded. “I’m showering and getting dressed. Make yourself at home.”