Carla grabbed her and flipped her over, fists flying. Kat managed to avoid most of the blows but a few landed on her ribs and chest. Desperately, Kat arched her body violently enough to flip Carla over. Grabbing the other woman’s hair, Kat slammed her head down hard on the bathroom tile, hoping to knock her out.
No such luck. Carla was beyond enraged, she was insane, and that made her brutally strong. She rolled over on top of Kat, her hands wrapping around Kat’s throat. Her nails clawed into tender skin while Carla’s cohort screamed in the background.
As Carla’s fingers tightened, Kat struggled for air. She had to do something. Her life would end if she didn’t get Carla off her, and fast.
She jerked her knee up. It hit Carla in the stomach, jarring her. Kat did it again, pistoning her legs quickly until Carla let go of her throat. No sooner had Kat taken a huge gulp of air than Carla slapped Kat, hard.
Carla got the knife. Tired and flagging, all Kat could do was grab Carla’s wrist and twist it viciously until the other woman dropped the knife again. When she did, Kat knocked it out of the girl’s reach. She rolled again, coming out on top. She straddled Carla, using her arm to press the other woman’s throat into the floor. She had her pinned when she heard the faint wail of sirens in the distance. Relief made her dizzy until a strong hand gripped her arm so hard she cried out.
It was Carla’s friend, and though his face was still pale and his expression panicked, there was now anger in the mix. “Get off her, you bitch.” To highlight his command, he grabbed a hank of Kat’s hair, yanked viciously, and started dragging her toward him. Kat kicked and squirmed, trying to get away from him, but to no avail. “This is all your fault. All your fucking—Ugh.”
“Get off her!”
Kat jolted at the sudden sound of Luke’s voice. A second later, the man who’d been holding her released her. Luke dragged him away, slammed him up against the wall, and held him pinned there with a hand to his throat. His fierce gaze shot to Carla as he pointed a very nasty looking gun at her. “Don’t you fucking move,” he gritted out, a split second before the police car pulled up and two policemen came running inside.
In a flurry of activity, they took control of the situation, hussling Carla and her friend outside. Immediately, Luke was at Kat’s side.
“God, Kat. Are you okay?”
“You have a gun,” was all she managed to get past her throat, still sore from Carla’s attempts to choke her.
“Yes,” he replied, his jaw muscles clenching.
“You left,” she said, her tone clearly accusatory.
He lifted a hand, the hand
not
holding a gun, and cupped her cheek. “I wanted to give you the space you wanted. To show you I trusted you to look after yourself.”
“But then you came back,” she pointed out.
Still keeping his gaze on her, he methodically replaced his gun into a holster strapped to his calf. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket. With a swipe of his fingers, he activated the screen, which displayed images of the exterior of her cabin; the same images that had been displayed on the tablet he’d left her. Right now, those images showed the police placing her attackers into the back of the patrol car.
Closing her eyes, she laughed softly if a bit hysterically. When she opened her eyes again, he looked uncertain. “So you were still watching out for me?”
“The program was already on my phone. I was driving away. I swore I wouldn’t see you again until you reached out to me. But…but you needed me, Kat.”
She cupped his face in her hands and smoothed out the lines between his brows. “You’re right, Luke. I did need you. Before those two even showed up, I needed you. I’m just glad you were stubborn enough to know that.”
Luke had protected her without even being there. He’d given her the ability to see danger coming with the tablet he’d left her, which had in turn enabled her to call for help. Then he’d checked in on her. Came back for her. Even after she’d sent him away.
Those weren’t the actions of a man who cared only about duty or fame.
He cared about her. He’d shown her that in so many ways. And right now, as relieved and grateful as she was feeling, she also felt cherished.
Cherished by a man who’d always keep her heart safe.
And hopeful that they indeed had a future together.
Two weeks after Luke left Tahoe, he pulled his car to the curb in front of Hang Tough Café. Kat was sitting at one of the tables outside in a pair of faded jeans and a white t-shirt. Her hair was once again in a long braid. Just looking at her made it difficult for him to catch his breath and for a second, he couldn’t help but be worried that she was alone, unguarded.
But then Luke spotted Craig a discreet distance away but close enough to reach Kat quickly, obviously doing his job. Only Luke hadn’t known about the arrangement. Kat must have contacted Frontline Inc. on her own and arranged for protection without telling him.
Even though Luke had texted her every day since they’d parted, he didn’t blame her for not telling him about hiring Craig. He’d just been grateful to have a modicum of contact with her, and had used the opportunity to share information about himself, both mundane and not.
Bella’s not mine, but I’ve always loved her. And I’ve always wanted a dog of my own.
I have three nephews that I see only once a month even though I know I should take the time to see them more often.
I’ve read three of Nicholas Spark’s books since returning to LA. It wasn’t exactly torture but I still prefer Aaron Price.
The first time I saw you, I hated your braid. I still hate it but when I imagine myself unwinding your hair it makes me love it, too.
On and on it went. He’d sent her a few texts per day. Sometimes Kat would respond. Sometimes she wouldn’t.
But at no time did Luke even mention the subject of what she was doing to keep herself safe or whether she should be hiring a bodyguard.
It had just about killed him not to ask and not to give his input, but he’d done it for the same reason he’d insisted they spend time apart after leaving Tahoe. To prove to her that she meant more to him than someone he had to protect. Kat needed to know he was serious about sharing all of himself with her—the true Luke Indigo, good, bad, and ugly—because given all the lies he’d told her, only then could she begin to fairly decide whether he was someone she wanted to be with.
Still, just because he wasn’t upset at Kat for failing to tell him about hiring Craig, that didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed at Craig, and obviously Cole, for not telling him. But he’d deal with them later.
He got out of his car and made his way towards her. She smiled and stood. When he stopped in front of her, she lightly gripped his arms and kissed him, sweetly but briefly. She smelled good, fresh like a meadow, and her lips were so soft. After their time apart—time that
he’d
insisted on—he felt desperate for more. He wanted to pull her into his arms and ravish her, and he didn’t give a damn who watched, but this was an important meeting—the most important meeting of his life—and despite that sweet kiss, he wasn’t sure what the outcome would be.
There were still a few bruises detectable on her creamy throat, compliments of Carla’s squeezing hands. Rage filled him, and remorse. He should never have left her. Should have gotten there sooner. He’d left her unprotected. He’d—
She took his hand in one of hers. “I can see where your mind is going, Mr. Indigo. Don’t. Stay here. With me. Please?”
He swallowed hard, then nodded jerkily. With a shy smile, she took her seat, and he sat down across from her. His gaze continued to drink her in. Other than the fading bruises she looked good. So damn good. Her sexual charisma didn’t depend on makeup or clothes. She was the kind of woman who’d look smoking hot in a burlap sack.
“So,
Mr. Indigo
, huh? Does that mean I need to call you Ms. Bailey?” He tried to inject some humor into his voice, but couldn’t quite disguise his apprehension.
She cocked a brow at him. “After forcing me to spend two weeks without you, that wouldn’t even begin to count as punishment.
You
are going to spend the rest of our lives together making it up to me.”
At her words, relief swept through him. He’d hoped, given the fact she’d greeted him with a kiss, that that would be her answer, but he’d feared the worst. He’d feared that once she settled back into her regular life, active threats to her safety eliminated, she’d realize Luke wasn’t who she wanted after all.
He lifted one of her hands and kissed it. “It’s been absolute torture being away from you, baby, believe me. But I needed you to be sure I was what you really wanted. That you could forgive me. That your feelings for me weren’t based on lingering fear from being threatened or some glorious fantasy that we’d created for ourselves, being isolated in the woods.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t because
you
needed time? To decide whether you wanted to put up with Kat Bailey, the actress, and all the drama that comes with me?”
“I’m positive. Kat, I’m falling in love with you. I needed to make sure I can make you happy. And I needed to prove to both of us that I can give you the independence that you need…” His eyes flickered to Craig. “Even though I am extremely grateful you decided to hire a bodyguard, that had to be your decision, one hundred percent. I didn’t want you to feel pressured.”
Her face sobered and she tilted her head to one side, surveying him carefully. “So you don’t want to protect me any more?”
Luke shook his head. “I’ll always want to protect you. That’s just who I am. But the reason I want to be with you? That’s about protecting me, too. Protecting my heart. I need you in my life. I need your spirit to lift mine and your intelligence to have deep conversations with and your sense of humor to banter with. I need to look at your beautiful face every day and I need to hear you laugh. I need to touch you.”
She narrowed her pretty eyes a bit. “We’re going to disagree. About a lot of things.”
“Then we’ll work it out, with respect for each other. I don’t need to be right, or have the last word all the time. What I do need is you.”
She looked into his eyes for a long time as if searching for something. Finally, obviously finding what she’d been looking for, she said, “You’re right. And one thing’s for sure. I’m falling in love with you, too, Luke.”
“Thank God,” he growled. “Now come here and give me a real kiss.”
Laughing, she stood and threw herself into his arms. He covered her mouth with his, groaning when she stroked her tongue against his. Hunger tearing through him, he gripped her hips and pulled her closer only to remember… He suddenly pulled away from her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Aren’t you worried that the paparazzi are going to show up and see us? Plaster our pictures all over the gossip rags?”
“Let them,” she said, eyes blazing. “I trust you with my life. My heart. And I’m proud to be yours, Luke Indigo.”
He grinned. “Don’t just tell me. Show me.”
When the long black limousine carrying Kat and Luke pulled up in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, there was a huge crowd out front. Fans and press vied for position, snapping photos and yelling out questions.
Luke got out first, then helped Kat. She was draped in a gorgeous off-white vintage dress made of lace and silk. It clung to her curves and offset the layers of red curls that hung down across her shoulders and back. Flash bulbs went off like machine gun fire and people jostled one another trying to get a look at her. As the crowd chanted her name, Kat smiled brightly and waved to her fans.
Out of habit, Luke’s eyes scanned the crowd but that wasn’t his role tonight. Tonight he was on a date with the most beautiful woman in the world. He stayed close as she walked down the red carpet. Her smile never faltered and it looked genuine and happy. His chest swelled with pride and he barely stopped himself from pumping his fist in the air and shouting,
“She’s with me!”
He didn’t need to. The world knew she was his, and he was hers. The press had shortened their moniker for him to “Bailey’s Beau.” It didn’t matter what they called him. He wasn’t her official bodyguard but he’d always be her protector. Her lover. Her friend. And most of all, her family.
After the premiere of Kat’s new movie they were going to see her mother. With Luke’s help, Kat had managed to coax her mother out for lunch and dinner several times. She still wasn’t comfortable enough to come to something like this but Kat was thrilled with the baby steps.
Maybe Kat’s mom would never be normal by society’s standards. Maybe none of them would. But Luke didn’t care. They were making their place in the world together, and Luke had never been happier.
—The End—
If you enjoyed spending time with these characters, be sure to check out Gabe’s story in Bedding The Best Man, Book Seven in the Bedding The Bachelors Series.
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THE BEDDING THE BACHELORS SERIES
Book 1: Bedding The Wrong Brother (Rhys): Click
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Book 2: Bedding The Bad Boy (Max): Click
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Book 3: Bedding The Billionaire (Jamie): Click
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Book 4: Bedding The Best Friend (Ryan): Click
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Book 5: Bedding The Biker Next Door (Cole): Click
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Book 6: Bedding The Bodyguard (Luke): Click
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Book 7: Bedding The Best Man (Gabe)