Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
But when my father’s illegal dealings make me a target, I have no choice but to trust my life to four alluring protectors.
When I’m assigned four bodyguards, I’m annoyed – I don’t want to be controlled again.
Their presence interrupts my plans to use my family’s wealth to make a positive impact on the world, and everyone around me is so intimidated.
I try to be cold towards them, even though I feel a spark of attraction.
But as I spend more time with the four of them, their rough edges and protective instincts make it harder to resist.
Andrew, the stoic and serious leader, keeps me safe and steady.
Benjamin, the rough-edged bad boy, shows me a wilder side of life that I never knew existed. Rhett, the funny and goofy one, makes me laugh and reminds me of the joy in life.
And Akio, the quick-witted and idealistic one, challenges me to be my best self and fights for what’s right. Each one offers something different, but together they make me feel whole.
When a mistake nearly costs me my life, I realize I need their protection – and maybe even something more.
As we’re sequestered in a safehouse, the lines between protection and pleasure start to blur. Every night is filled with dizzying, overwhelming desire that leaves me breathless and wanting more.
Though I know I should keep my distance, the temptation is too much to resist.
But with my life on the line, I must find a way to stop my father’s enemies before they hurt me – or worse.
Can I trust my bodyguards to protect me, even as we give into our desire? And can our love survive the danger that surrounds us?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
EMERY
The deafening sound of my heavy, rapid heartbeat thundered in my ears as I watched a group of investigators tear apart my father’s home office.
They tossed papers, pens, and files across the room as I lingered in the doorway with wide eyes. My father wasn’t here to defend himself or his property. He was already behind bars in the city jail, leaving me to deal with the mess he’d left behind.
“You can’t do this!” I raised my voice at the investigators, who ignored me and continued combing through all of my father’s belongings for evidence. I didn’t even know if they would find anything or not. Before he was suddenly arrested for money laundering, I had no idea that my father was a criminal.
One of the investigators grabbed my father’s laptop out of a drawer in his desk. He headed toward the doorway, pausing with an annoyed look on his face when I didn’t budge from the spot. His thick, dark eyebrows were nearly as prominent as his chevron mustache, which I guessed stole all the hair off the top of his bald head.
“Ma’am, we’ve acquired a warrant. Leave the premises until our investigation is complete,” he told me in a firm voice before pushing past me.
I stared after him with a bewildered look. Not only were they scuffing up the recently polished wooden floors with their dirty shoes, but they were treating me like I was an obstacle! My father never let people treat me like that, but he hadn’t ever gotten arrested either.
He was the owner of a successful tech business with enough charm and intelligence to build a network of support and respect for himself. It seemed like everyone in the city knew him, and money flooded his bank account for quite a few years. He used it to spoil his family, building a beautiful, two-story brick house and purchasing new cars, the finest clothes, and even other businesses to bring in more revenue.
Despite the money, my mother still left a few years ago, and I wondered if it was because she found out about the money laundering before the police did. She never gave me a clear reason as to why she’d left, but I knew it had to do with something my father had done. It wasn’t like he was a perfect person.
“Leave? I live here!” I protested. It was no use, though. All I received in return was silence, so I scowled at them before storming down the hallway to my room to scoop as many clothes and toiletries that I could in one pink and white suitcase. Its wheels thumped down the stairs as I made my way into the vast, tile-floored foyer of my father’s house.
I spent every year of my twenty-three years of life here in this house. My father was insistent on having me as close as possible so that he could watch over me, especially these last few years. He was wary every time I walked out the door, kept a tracker on my phone and car so that he knew where I was at all times, and he ran a background check on every single one of my friends. It was safe to say that I didn’t have many friends anymore.
It was nearly impossible to have a life outside of him and this house. He assured me that the world was terrible and dangerous and that it was safer for me to stay close to him. As great as it was to have a caring father, he took his protective, fatherly duties too far.
It was only when I walked out onto the front porch of the house that I realized I was free in a way. I felt upset and terrified that my father was in jail, but for once, I didn’t have someone’s eyes hovering over my every move. It was odd, like the night air had grown thinner than usual. It was easier to draw a breath in through my nose and let it flood into my lungs.
Then, my throat tightened, making it harder to simply take a deep breath. With my father gone, my home and source of protection were missing as well. I had to find a place to crash that had a sturdy lock on the door until things cooled down. I had been cast out into the world that my father was terrified of letting me venture through.
“Is there anything you can tell me about Deviau? There seems to be connections between his criminal enterprise and Harold’s business.”
I looked toward the cement walkway that led up to the porch, seeing Zoe try to convince one of the investigators to give her a dash of information about what was going on. Swallowing hard, I tried to hurry past her, not wanting to be pestered with questions that I didn’t have the answers to because I actually didn’t know anything about my father.